Polite Anglesey

Since coming to live in Anglesey six years ago we have noticed a big difference between living in a large conurbation and living on an island where local residents have a separate identity. Because it is a quiet place the teenagers we encounter are very polite as opposed to those in the large towns where they are quick to offer abuse to older people. This was very apparent as soon as we arrived.

To say that the local Welsh speakers are unfriendly and keep one at arm's length could not be further from the truth. On one occasion 2 or 3 weeks before moving house we went into a food shop to buy something for lunch. The shopkeeper asked us if we were here on holiday. We replied that we were due to come and live here very soon. "Welcome to Anglesey" was the friendly response. The new neighbours were also very welcoming and we knew we should be happy here. We had moved house on seven occasions previously and we felt welcome on only two occasions.

I was told that a warm welcome was to be had at the local Methodist Church in Amlwch and this proved to be the case. The people from the other local churches have also been found to be friendly and warm in their welcome. The only exception was the then Chief Constable, Richard Brunstrom, with his aggressive attitude to speeding motorist. Under him the police were encourage to rack up large numbers of reports at the expense of the public they served. The new Chief has now been in post a year and he has called on his officers to take a much different view!

One area where politeness or the absence of it tends to be most noticeable is driving along the roads. Other drivers tend to be far more friendly and accommodating then in the well populated areas of England. In Anglesey, with its high number of farm workers, we find ourselves following many tractors and other farm machines along the road. Inevitably these are slow moving vehicles, but the surprise is that they pull over wherever possible to lessen the queues of faster vehicles in their wake. I call this very considerate and commend our local farm staff for their considerateness.

Perhapss this is another good reason to put your house on the market and settle where the pressure is decidedly off!