People living on ‘UK’s friendliest estate’ say they park on each other’s driveways
'We are the happiest community. We all feel safe and look out for each other.'
The people on this estate are so friendly they walk each other’s dogs and don’t mind if someone parks on their driveway.
No, this isn’t a fairy tale, this is Riverside Estate in Colchester, Essex – where neighbours look out for one another and trust everyone with their parcels.
Angie Fairbrother, 58, has lived on the estate all her life, and believes it is the UK’s friendliest place to live, with generations of families staying in the community.
She says they have annual street parties to celebrate their tight-knit friendships, and postmen never have to return to the office with a parcel.
The harmonious neighbours are going all-out for King Charles’s Coronation on May 6 – even planting a cherry blossom tree for the occasion.
Angie, a retired police officer, said: ‘I grew up on this estate, my parents have been here 60 years.
‘I got married and moved away and then I came back.
‘We are the happiest community – we all feel safe and look out for each other.’
According to Angie, there is a diverse mix of people on the 1960s estate, with residents never wanting to move too far away.
Her parents Grace, 82, and Ken, 85, have lived there for 60 years and she bought a home there with husband Chris, 61.
She raised her son, Lewis, 32, on the estate and he attended the same schools as both his mum and grandma.
Grace suffers from dementia, but Angie says the entire community look out for her.
She also claims she can even rely on her neighbour to walk her dog every day.
She added: ‘I can walk down the street and speak to people. There’s a group of widowed ladies who have coffee every week.
‘It’s sad people don’t know who their neighbours are – my neighbour walks my dog every morning at 8am.’
Residents are now hoping they will win the UK’s ‘Friendliest Community’ as part of the Coronation Big Lunch – which celebrates King Charles ascending to the throne.
The winning community will receive £2,500, as well as a pollinator-friendly garden designed by the Eden project and a Coronation Big Lunch hamper.
Angie said: ‘We want to make a a time capsule and have a build a scarecrow event.
‘We would love to use the money to invest in a community garden as we are lacking in green spaces.
‘It’s amazing to have the chance to put our community forward as part of the Coronation celebrations.
‘On our estate, we all know each other and the brilliant community spirit we have here has meant we’ve been able to support one another through good times and bad.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.