A town near Plymouth, which adjoins the city’s edge after Elburton and looks across to the South Hams is a new community that is still growing.
Building the new town of Sherford began in 2015, but further development is still taking place - and residents have said it’s a great place to live with a ‘brilliant’ community at its heart.
Residents praise their neighbours in the community of Sherford with locals feeling ‘safe’ and cared for in the immaculate streets that are still ‘growing in’ to the surroundings in the Devon area.
There are various housing types within the ‘new’ town with some large houses, smaller homes as well as flats for buyers and tenants, all surrounded by green space.
Despite the trauma of a recent fire which started in the stairwell of a block of flats on Aquila Drive - and is believed to have been started deliberately, according to Devon and Cornwall Police, the community is strong here and residents have said they generally feel safe in Sherford.
Resident Laura Fleet moved to Sherford a few years ago after previously living in nearby Plymouth - and she’s started her own business and built friendships in the town. The mum-of-three, aged 47, loves her ‘perfect home’ and the surrounding community.
She said: “I get fed up with some people's negative comments about Sherford, it’s a wonderful place surrounded by countryside. It’s clean, there’s hardly any litter and the parking is easy for residents.
“When I came to look at this house it was a sunny day, I was given the keys and a map, a couple people said ‘hello' as I made my way to the house, then I walked in and knew instantly it was where I would live. The best thing here is the community.
“The neighbours are just amazing and will help with anything that you need, the house is a perfect size - and there’s an amazing kids park as well as the beautiful countryside park. I’ve built friendships here that I’ve not had anywhere else, I think people here are excited to be part of something.”
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Some residents have said they would like to see more shops in the area, especially a convenience store ‘open till later’, so they don’t have to drive somewhere late in the evening.
Other locals complained about the buses not being consistent, but most residents actually praised the bus links into Plymouth - and to other gorgeous Devon locations.
Sherford has a church, a cafe and a small shop all in the same vicinity- and there’s also a primary school nearby. The cafe, House Of Brews serves locals with quality coffee plus snacks - and it’s a great meeting spot for residents and visitors.
It’s run by Jo Hilton, she also lives in Sherford and has done for the last eight years, the 49-year-old has lived in Plymouth ‘all her life’, she moved from Manadon to the new town. When she first came to Sherford there was ‘very little here’, but she quickly ‘made good friends’.
Jo said: “You wouldn’t get the country park like we have here anywhere else. I’ve watched Sherford grow and I thought that the community would get lost with the growth, but it’s actually gotten stronger and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
Paul Acheson, aged 49, has lived in Sherford since 2019 he said that the amazing community spirit was the main reason he moved to the town.
He said: “The country park has massively expanded in the last six years - and it’s fantastic, there’s a children's play park and a rugby pitch here too.
"But the main aspect really is the brilliant community here, residents here really go out of their way to come together to make it a nice place to live."
Paul also explained that ‘the pride in living here’ means that residents make an effort to keep the place clean and as free from litter as possible.
If someone sees rubbish thrown down ‘residents will generally just pick it up” to ensure the town is left looking pleasant for the community.
Rachel Harrison is the coordinator of the Sherford food hub and along with the help of volunteers including local woman Jo Chamberlain, the food hub supports anyone going through ‘food crisis’.
“We know how hard it can be for some families”, Rachel said, “and during the pandemic we were working hard to help."
She added that after the fire in the block of flats on Aquila Drive, the community was in shock, but said that ‘it has brought the community together in a away not seen since Covid’.
