I visited a bustling village on the edge of the Shropshire Hills and found friendly locals and a thriving social scene
Pontesbury is a village in name but a bustling town in spirit - with various shops, school, library and thriving community life, it proves small places can have big personalities.
Pontesbury might be a village by name, but boasting its own library, primary school and medical practice, I'm sure the locals would forgive you for mistaking it for a town.
Unlike many other former coal mining areas, Pontesbury has slipped into the 21st century with great ease, and today serves as a popular centre for the surrounding hamlets.
Don't let the size of the place fool you though: if you weren't convinced of the worthiness of its village status, the local councillor is also the village's butcher/greengrocer/purveyor of baked goods.
Hignetts of Pontesbury is a jack-of-all-shops dating back to 1919. It's an amazing store, with locally sourced rapeseed oil, jams and chutneys, on shelves next to kimchi and tiny Italian biscuits.
A giant butchers counter is filled with locally sourced meat and an equally impressive bakery chokka with mouthwatering sweet and savoury treats.
Councillor Nick Hignett is the third generation of his family to be in charge of the store: "Pontesbury has always been a big village. I was told that at one time it was the biggest village in England.
"It's got all the facilities you want. We've still got a police office in the village, a library, a community hub, a public hall, an active drama group and three food shops.
"We've got a cafe, two Chinese restaurants - there's all sorts going on."
The village noticeboard backed up Councillor Nick's claims, with posters and adverts for a range of clubs and societies like Pontesbury Players and the WI.
It's the go-to for Cruckton resident, Sarah Mitchell, who was walking her dog on the village green: "I'm here almost every day. It's got absolutely everything you need, shops, a dentist, a doctors.
"But it's still a really quiet, really green, really clean area. The people are really lovely too."
Pontesbury is nestled right on the edge of the Shropshire Hills National Landscape (the newish name for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), one of the reasons it's so popular with those looking for a quieter life.
One of those people is Pat Fear, who moved to the village 27 years ago from Weston-super-Mare.
She said: "I used to love cycling up and down the borders. I always felt very safe and it was a lovely area, I love Shropshire and Herefordshire.
"Pontesbury had everything on our list: a bus route, a local shop, churches, clubs - everything. I wouldn't live anywhere else."
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