The difficult decision

I’ve been a photographer for over 20 years, specialising in portrait and commercial photography. My husband and I were living and working in London, with our two small children. He’s a Radionuclide Physicist in the NHS and was working at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton. We were living in Hackney, which meant he had a commute of nearly two hours each way.

We were expecting our third child and really, we had to leave because we couldn’t afford to stay. We didn’t want to go—we loved the community in Hackney and were really settled there.

Matt’s job is very niche and so we started to look for jobs that he could apply for. Jobs came up in Worcester and Canterbury, but they didn’t feel like the right fit (no shade to anyone living there now!).

Then a job opportunity came up in Norwich.

Our good friend Alan once told us that if he didn’t live in London, he would live in Norwich, and he has excellent taste, so we went to have a look.

When we visited we thought it seemed like a really lovely city and we could see ourselves living there and thankfully Matt got the job. We moved in September 2016 when our daughters were 4 and 2 and I was pregnant with my son (who was born 4 months after we arrived in Norwich).

The move to Norwich

Matt was offered the job in April, with a start date of July. It wasn’t long enough for us to sell our flat, as we had a shared ownership property. We had to quickly research and decide where we wanted to live.

We found a house, but Matt had to move ahead of us, staying in hospital accommodation Monday to Friday each week.

Meanwhile, I was running my business, heavily pregnant, arranging the sale and purchase, and looking after the girls alone each week for three months.

That was definitely a challenge.

When we finally moved, I immediately felt at home.

We went from a small two-bedroom flat to a house with its own front door, stairs, and more space. The kids were obsessed with the stairs and carpet—even though it was horrible manky carpet that we’ve since ripped up!

Charlotte-Gray-Photography

We were so lucky, as we moved onto the best street with a great community.

I made friends quickly, but building deeper connections—the kind where you can just call someone on a bad day—took longer. That was more due to my circumstances: two kids at home and a newborn. It was tricky finding the time to invest in friendships, but it happened eventually and I’m so happy to have a supporting network around me I can rely on.

Norwich is such a friendly city.

We love to visit the Sainsbury Centre, which has an amazing programme of thought-provoking exhibitions, each centred around a central theme or question.

We have a dog now, so beach walks or trips to Marston Marsh play a regular part in our family time. Winterton is my favourite beach. The light there is amazing, we always see seals swimming and it’s close enough that we can drive there after school on a hot day and throw ourselves in the sea.

We often head up to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve at Cley, where my dad volunteers (my parents moved to North Norfolk 10 months after us, which has been lovely).

Norfolk Coast

Work Life Balance

I’m lucky to work flexibly around my children. My husband’s job is a standard 9–5 at the hospital—very inflexible, but predictable.

Most of my work was (and still is) in London. Initially, I didn’t have the time to network in Norwich, so the easiest thing was to commute. I would book all my work into a four-day stretch, pack up the car, and go to London while my mum helped with the kids.

Now that the kids are older, I tend to do shorter trips—just a day or two at a time, a couple of times a month.

It’s easy since Norwich isn’t too far from London. The trains here are regular, and I can get there and back in a day if needed.

Family Friendly Activities in Norwich

It feels friendly and safe. My older kids (13 and 11) don’t have mobile phones, but they can navigate the city independently. It’s small enough to feel manageable but big enough to be interesting.

There is loads to do with the children as well, both paid and free. The girls take part in a free orchestra programme called Sistema, and they sing in a choir (also free). My son has joined a local rugby club and is loving that.

Our favourite place for a coffee is Flock. The kids love Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, which is a brilliant independent bookshop and Elm is great for gifts.

Charlotte-Gray-Photography

I always tell people Norwich is the perfect place to raise a family. It regularly ranks as one of the best and happiest places to live.

We’ve got no plans to go anywhere. This is us now.

All images were supplied by Charlotte Gray Photography

Latest WiN News

Charlotte Gray: Relocating Family & Re-Finding Community

Charlotte relocated her family to Norwich in 2016. Find out how she navigated the move, made a home, built a community all whilst balancing work and exploring the opportunities Norwich has to offer.