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Best places to live in the Midlands revealed

Elliot Ball,in Worcestershireand
Megan Jones,in Bournville
News imageGetty Images An aerial view of Tenbury Wells in the Malvern area. The small town is surrounded by green fields and the buildings are largely red brick and between two and three storeys high.Getty Images
The Malvern area, including Tenbury Wells (pictured), has been named the best place to live in the Midlands

Part of Worcestershire has been named the best place to live in the Midlands in an annual guide.

According to the Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide, Malvern offers a "majestic setting, elegant towns and villages - and a rousing cultural scene that goes far beyond the inevitable Elgar connections".

Their expert judges look at dozens of locations and judged them on several factors, including schools, transport, broadband speeds and the health of the high street.

In total, 72 places across the UK were selected by The Sunday Times to showcase the best of Britain, with Norwich, Norfolk, named the overall national winner.

News imageGetty Images A series of large green hills on a sunny but cloudy day with a small reservoir at the bottom of one hill and to the right of the image.Getty Images
Judges said the Malvern area had a "majestic setting"

Discussing the Malvern area, the judges said: "There's something here for everyone: jobs, appealing shops, cafés and restaurants, and useful rail links.

"There are spectacular walks on the bracken-clad hills, mighty views across to Wales and the Severn Plain, and immaculately kept parks that are proof of a real sense of local pride.

"The schools are good, but it's as a cultural powerhouse that Malvern comes to the fore, thanks to its festivals and theatres - and the recent reopening of the world's smallest theatre: the Theatre of Small Convenience, in a former public lavatory."

News imagePA Media A statue of William Shakespeare stands outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace, his childhood home, in Stratford-upon-Avon.PA Media
Stratford-upon-Avon was another location in the Midlands to be featured in the guide

Six locations in the Midlands featured in the guide:

  • The Malverns, Worcestershire
  • Bournville, Birmingham
  • Hathersage, Derbyshire
  • Market Harborough, Leicestershire
  • Shrewsbury, Shropshire
  • Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
  • The Vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire/Nottinghamshire
News imageGetty Images An aerial view of Shrewsbury, in the bottom of the frame is a river with a footbridge suspended above it. Next to the river is a long stretch of road lined with trees and other greenery. Behind that are several streets of houses and other buildings, mostly made of red brickGetty Images
Shrewsbury also made the list

For those living in Bournville, community was the main factor for them, as they told the BBC.

"Everyone seems to look out for everyone else," said Julie Davis, the manager of Christine's Wool Shop.

"We get generations of families coming to the shop so they all remember our mom and dad and it's really nice."

While at Russell's butchers, Barry Fletcher, the owner, who has been there 18 years, said the people in the area made Bournville what it is.

"Everyone is friendly, everyone gets on with each other. It's a fabulous place to live," he said.

Helen Davies, the Best Places to Live editor, said: "One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home."

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