MyLondon reporter Anna Willis has risen in defence of England’s capital, London despite all its faults which led to the city being declared one of the UK’s worst places to live.
Anna writes: “London is a living, breathing organism. To me, it feels more alive than anywhere else in the world. The city whirs with life at all hours of the day and night – in the rush hour chaos of the Northern line, the peaceful purr of traffic from outside a bedroom window, the dulcet tones of police cars zooming past.
“However, the city was recently named one of the worst places to live in the UK, and I want to offer a defence of the city I’ve loved all my life.
“London has always felt like home to me, even though I only moved to the city for the first time seven years ago. I grew up in a rural village where even the local shop was a 25-minute walk away, and normally required wellington boots.
“But every so often, I would go to visit my grandmother in Croydon, and we’d make our way into London to watch a matinee show of a musical. I think this was where my love of this city was truly born.
“Something in the energy of the place called to me. I felt settled and calm in a way I’d never felt in the silence of the countryside.
“I moved to London for the first time as a fresh-faced English student in the autumn of 2017. Being a student in London is far more fun than you might imagine – despite not having any money, there’s plenty to do, with the added luxury of time which I now miss tremendously.
“I studied Virginia Woolf while walking past the house where she and the renowned Bloomsbury Set would print their latest thoughts, followed Charles Dickens characters’ steps through St Paul’s and heard the voice of Zadie Smith in the estates of North West London.
“I sang jazz and choral music with students from a range of universities across London, and made friends for life drinking cheap wine in Fitzrovia pubs at 4pm on a Monday.
“I lived in Tufnell Park, King’s Cross and Acton across my three years as an undergraduate, giving me just as much of an education in London life as I was learning at university.
“But after three years in the city, I was forced home as the Covid-19 pandemic closed schools, universities, offices and more. I missed London like a physical ache, but decided to do my journalism qualification in Manchester, so I could explore more of the UK before returning to the capital.
“I ended up spending almost three years away from London – six months in Manchester and two years on the Essex coast. But I was always waiting for a job to come up in the capital and one day, almost unconsciously, I applied for a job at MyLondon. I knew I always wanted to return to London, and moving back to the city – though south of the river for the first time – felt like coming home.
“The city feels completely different now that I’m working full time to how it did five years ago. I no longer have the same luxuries of time that I once did – and honestly, I still can’t afford much more than I did while working a part-time bar job as a student.
“But my love for London has grown and evolved, as the city has grown and evolved around me. A big part of my job is going out into different parts of the city and speaking to people about the issues they’re facing.
“I hear stories of dodgy landlords and corrupt builders, soaring rents and daily stabbings. More people in their twenties are choosing to move out of the city as the pace of life feels overwhelming.
“London is a city of FOMO, and I’m constantly wrestling with the desire to be going out and doing more, and pushing myself beyond my limits. But I’m learning that London is best lived when you’re in charge, otherwise it will eat you up and spit you back out again as a burnt-out wreck.
“There are many incredible aspects of London I’ve not even touched on – the incredible access to green spaces, the quality and range of music, theatre, art and sport on offer every single day, and the incredible food and drink.”
PM News
