LOCALS living in the UK’s poshest village where the average house price is £1million have explained why they love it.
Everyone who calls the wee Somerset town home says they’re big fans of the community – which comes together in times of need.
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Wellow, which boasts £1m homes and a community-run shop, has been named the poshest village.
The owners of the local and traditional countryside pub say they know all too well about the generosity of the people who live there.
Charles and Jo Parson run the Fox and Badger and say they feel “fortunate” that it’s in such a great town.
The pair have owned the pub, which is the heart of the community, for nine years.
But, they wouldn’t give the town the posh label it’s been assigned.
Charles told SomersetLive: “I wouldn’t say it’s posh, it’s very middle class – it is an expensive place to live but so are all the villages in Somerset it seems these days.
“We are very fortunate to be the only pub in the village and it has become the centre of the community – it’s used by everyone.
“There is a wide spectrum of society always in the pub – from people who live in manor houses to those in social housing and that’s the way everyone likes it.
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“Everyone gets on so well, there is no alienation of anyone – everyone is welcome.
“Wellow has a fantastic community spirit and I see the benefit of that every day in how life works around there.”
The 48-year-old said the community has always been at the forefront of his mind.
Charles said: “We wanted to create an atmosphere of a traditional pub which good food and we have done that thanks to our amazing staff.
“Our staff knew what we wanted to create and it has paid off thanks to them.”
And, he returns the favour.
Each month the pub holds a quiz night and all proceeds go to a nominated charity.
Charles says that in the last 20 years of owning pubs he’s raised about £50,000 to £60,000.
The quiz night has become the thing to do on a Friday – with villagers coming together to talk about their weeks.
Charles added: “I’m so aware that Wellow is a special place – we knew it was before we came here as we said to the previous pub runners that we’d love to take it over from them one day. It has always been a hidden gem.
“We didn’t want to change the dynamics of the pub, we just gave it a new lease of life and it appears everyone appreciates that which means a lot.
“In lockdown some villagers approached me to say if we got into financial difficulty that they’d help us – a staggering offer and one which took a while to sink in.
Wellow has a fantastic community spirit and I see the benefit of that every day in how life works around there.
Charles Parson
“Thankfully we have two very stable businesses and didn’t need the help but to have that offer made was incredible.
“They said they didn’t want the pub to not make it through covid. It was incredibly generous and was a huge confidence boost – made me feel like ‘yeah I can do this for another 10 years’.
“A lot of pubs did have difficulty during lockdowns – we did get a grant from BANES which was incredible but our landlord didn’t offer any help.
“I think doing the takeaways helped remind people we’re all still here going through this together.
“Running the pub is incredibly rewarding – you have to love what you do and we do love it. It does feel special and it means a lot to us.
“I like to think we help look after the village but the village looks after us too.”
Not far down the road is the community-run shop – where Lyn Williams volunteers.
She’s lived in the village for 40 years.
Lyn explained: “It has a wonderful community that is for sure which existed pre-Covid. It’s now even better.”
She said in her mind the label “post” doesn’t work.
Lyn said: “It has certainty got what you might call more upmarket over the last 20 years but not in a negative way.
“The new people that have moved here have quickly got really involved in village life, which is hugely valued as a result.”
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