One of the best places to live in the South East is in Oxfordshire
One local town has made the Sunday Times top 10 best places to live in the region.
Here's some news to be proud of for communities in the South East - as we now know where the 'Best Place to Live' is in our region for 2025.
And one of those in the top ten for the South East is in Oxfordshire according to a new list from the Sunday Time.
Thame has been recognised for retaining its "old-fashioned charm" - as well as its "bustling" Tuesday market.
It's part of a list compiled by the Sunday Times newspaper - with Petersfield in Hampshire given the top spot in our region in their prestigious annual guide.
"It's actually the people that make the place."
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look much closer to home. From small gestures that lift the everyday - like verges blooming with daffodils to volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.”
Tim Palmer is one of the chief judges for the Sunday Times. He tells us some of the things they look for:
"It could be all kinds of things, it could be fast trains, good schools, thriving high streets, good places to walk the dog, cafes, pubs, theatres, cinemas, views, helpful neighbours.
"There's so many things that make somewhere a good place to live. What we've realised it's that it's actually the people that make the place. What you'll find in pretty much all the places on our list is that they have good community spirit."
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the Scottish Island of Tiree and the remote Welsh village of Maenclochog to vibrant market towns, and suburbs of big, lively cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.
In the whole of the UK - Saffron Waldon in Essex has been named the best place to live.
The Best Places to Live in the South East
The full list of southeast locations is as follows:
• Petersfield, Hampshire
• Amersham, Buckinghamshire
• Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
• Broughton, Hampshire
• Farnham, Surrey
• Hove, East Sussex
• Marlow, Buckinghamshire
• Reading, Berkshire
• Sevenoaks, Kent
• Thame, Oxfordshire