Commuters can’t hack rural life

Having lived in a village all my life, you come to expect the daily sounds and smells around you.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jul 2011, 16:09 BST

These obviously increase during harvest time with the noise of the tractors, or sheep bleating during the lambing season. And, being farmers ourselves, you know only too well what to expect.

I was therefore shocked earlier in the week to receive a letter complaining about a pair of cockerels we keep, and have been keeping for a number of years. Out of the four sets of cockerels in the village, our birds were the only ones to receive such a letter. Down to bad feeling due to the forge development? You may recall an article not so long ago about the planning application to convert the old forge (a substantially unsafe and unused building which served no purpose), yet it seems the problem lies much closer to home.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Village life always used to be a cosy one, everyone in the village knowing one another. But now it seems that an influx of commuters have moved in and see fit to complain about every aspect that differs from the town. I mean why move to the countryside if you’re not prepared to hear cockerels or move aside for tractors? Or even go as far as to complain about the church bells as I have heard happen recently. Moreover it seems that, rather than a quiet “Andrew, can you shut up the birds” or a quiet word to your neighbour, these individuals now see fit to go to the council behind your back and complain, or even convene a petition around the village when a simple neighbourly chat would do. I ask you therefore what is happening to our villages? Are we really going to end up living in a place where we cannot appreciate the sounds of the countryside without the risk of a “behind your back” complaint? I certainly hope not. - Andrew Dunkley, via email.