QuestBulgaria
31-12-06, 01:37 PM
From AKA PR, England
---starts--
THE GREAT BRIT SWITCH
As Britain braces itself for the expected influx of Bulgarians following EU
accession this month (January) a significant number from the UK are heading
the other way.
And the numbers are growing with disillusioned Brits seeking a better life
behind the old Iron Curtain.
Quest Bulgaria, the country's leading English language monthly magazine,
reports daily phone calls to their offices from the UK about resettling.
Managaing Director of Quest Bulgaria, Chris Goodall said: "We know people
in the UK are worried about the possibility of huge numbers of Bulgarians
going to the UK after they join the EU. But the number coming the other way
is quite significant.
"We get numerous phone calls every day from Brits asking how to go about
making a new life in Bulgaria. To make more cash they are looking at
setting up a business. You buy a house and land for about £50,000 and run
the business from home", he added.
"Less investment and more profit is what people are looking for and even a
third of what you would make in the UK is more than enough to live like a
king in Bulgaria.
"Brits have set up in bed and breakfasts, antiques, holistic healing
centres, an architectural salvage business and even sausage making.
"Bulgaria is not a mature market like France and Spain but there are
endless opportunities as there were in Europe many years ago."
The January issue of Quest Bulgaria looks at how some Brits are making it
in Bulgaria.
In September, 2005, after 20 years in Brighton, Mike and Jerry Blake moved
lock, stock and barrel to north east Bulgaria to open an ecological and
birding field station with a guest house.
Mr Blake, 43, originally from Wallasey on the Wirral, said: "The
biodiversity in this region is extraordinary so the location is perfect.
The price of property, the warmth of the people and range of opportunities
is fantastic. The help of the local businesses made things go more smoothly
than we had imagined.
"The main difficulty was, of course, the language barrier and occasionally
rather lengthy bureaucratic processes," he added.
Mrs Blake, who was an RSPCA volunteer, said: "We share the workload and
really have fitted in with the locals."
Mike now runs the Srebarna Birding Field Station monitoring and reporting
to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve while Jerry manages the guest house,
Pelican Lake, and has even become a member of the local folk troupe.
Jo and David Waite from London, both 41, sold their three bedroomed home in
Eltham for about £180,000 to fund a B&B. They moved with three of their
four children to Kamenar on the southern Black Sea coast and spent €23,000
on their home and another €30,000 to add a pool and a cafe bar called
Grapevine.
Neither misses their old jobs with the local council and social services.
Said Jo: "It's a much nicer way of life here with good weather and it's
much safer for our children. We miss our families but we can't say we miss
much else in the UK."
And David added: "We're even hoping to make our own wine this year for the
cafe from the vines around the house."
Another couple who took the plunge were Martin and Sam Billington from
Leeds who relocated with their youngest child Nicholas, aged seven.
Martin, 43, a car mechanic, told Quest Bulgaria: "We bought a large farmhouse with five
bedrooms for £25,000 and spent the same again on doing it up and installing
a pool.
"I set up in the barn as a garage for car repairs. It was difficult at
first but once word got round I had as much work as I needed," he said.
"I make about a third of what I was making in the UK but with €900 a month
to live on we're happier than we've been for years."
Yet another couple, Jayne and Andrew Boardman sold their house in Chorley,
Lancs, and bought two houses in the Rousse area for just €23,000. Andrew,
37, a builder, is renovating the two houses while doing up properties for
ex-pats.
Jayne, 34, has found a job with a publishing company to boost their income
while Andrew's business grows.
Quest Bulgaria talked to Bill and Jane Watson from Bristol used to run a country pub but the high
rents drove them out and they were forced to look elsewhere and Bulgaria
was it.
Bill, a former Royal Navy chef said: "I met Jane while she was a marine
engineer in the navy but, after a while, we got really fed up in Britain."
They are now running Nature's View guesthouse near Elena but with Bill's
background their main business is...hand-made sausages.
As Bill said to Quest Bulgaria: "The sausage making facility has been created out of the garage.
The whole production area is tiled from floor to ceiling with all high-tech
equipment. Sausage making is my passion and knowledge of food hygiene, an
understanding of meat cuts, good equipment, tried and tested recipes and,
of course, a market that wants to buy is everything.
"That is one thing we definitely have here with loads of ex-pats getting us
to supply their weekly fix of good old British bangers."
--- ends--
Press Release from AKA PR, England, December 29th 2006
For more information or the complete article please contact : AKA PR or Chris Goodall 00 359 2 851 90 65
---starts--
THE GREAT BRIT SWITCH
As Britain braces itself for the expected influx of Bulgarians following EU
accession this month (January) a significant number from the UK are heading
the other way.
And the numbers are growing with disillusioned Brits seeking a better life
behind the old Iron Curtain.
Quest Bulgaria, the country's leading English language monthly magazine,
reports daily phone calls to their offices from the UK about resettling.
Managaing Director of Quest Bulgaria, Chris Goodall said: "We know people
in the UK are worried about the possibility of huge numbers of Bulgarians
going to the UK after they join the EU. But the number coming the other way
is quite significant.
"We get numerous phone calls every day from Brits asking how to go about
making a new life in Bulgaria. To make more cash they are looking at
setting up a business. You buy a house and land for about £50,000 and run
the business from home", he added.
"Less investment and more profit is what people are looking for and even a
third of what you would make in the UK is more than enough to live like a
king in Bulgaria.
"Brits have set up in bed and breakfasts, antiques, holistic healing
centres, an architectural salvage business and even sausage making.
"Bulgaria is not a mature market like France and Spain but there are
endless opportunities as there were in Europe many years ago."
The January issue of Quest Bulgaria looks at how some Brits are making it
in Bulgaria.
In September, 2005, after 20 years in Brighton, Mike and Jerry Blake moved
lock, stock and barrel to north east Bulgaria to open an ecological and
birding field station with a guest house.
Mr Blake, 43, originally from Wallasey on the Wirral, said: "The
biodiversity in this region is extraordinary so the location is perfect.
The price of property, the warmth of the people and range of opportunities
is fantastic. The help of the local businesses made things go more smoothly
than we had imagined.
"The main difficulty was, of course, the language barrier and occasionally
rather lengthy bureaucratic processes," he added.
Mrs Blake, who was an RSPCA volunteer, said: "We share the workload and
really have fitted in with the locals."
Mike now runs the Srebarna Birding Field Station monitoring and reporting
to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve while Jerry manages the guest house,
Pelican Lake, and has even become a member of the local folk troupe.
Jo and David Waite from London, both 41, sold their three bedroomed home in
Eltham for about £180,000 to fund a B&B. They moved with three of their
four children to Kamenar on the southern Black Sea coast and spent €23,000
on their home and another €30,000 to add a pool and a cafe bar called
Grapevine.
Neither misses their old jobs with the local council and social services.
Said Jo: "It's a much nicer way of life here with good weather and it's
much safer for our children. We miss our families but we can't say we miss
much else in the UK."
And David added: "We're even hoping to make our own wine this year for the
cafe from the vines around the house."
Another couple who took the plunge were Martin and Sam Billington from
Leeds who relocated with their youngest child Nicholas, aged seven.
Martin, 43, a car mechanic, told Quest Bulgaria: "We bought a large farmhouse with five
bedrooms for £25,000 and spent the same again on doing it up and installing
a pool.
"I set up in the barn as a garage for car repairs. It was difficult at
first but once word got round I had as much work as I needed," he said.
"I make about a third of what I was making in the UK but with €900 a month
to live on we're happier than we've been for years."
Yet another couple, Jayne and Andrew Boardman sold their house in Chorley,
Lancs, and bought two houses in the Rousse area for just €23,000. Andrew,
37, a builder, is renovating the two houses while doing up properties for
ex-pats.
Jayne, 34, has found a job with a publishing company to boost their income
while Andrew's business grows.
Quest Bulgaria talked to Bill and Jane Watson from Bristol used to run a country pub but the high
rents drove them out and they were forced to look elsewhere and Bulgaria
was it.
Bill, a former Royal Navy chef said: "I met Jane while she was a marine
engineer in the navy but, after a while, we got really fed up in Britain."
They are now running Nature's View guesthouse near Elena but with Bill's
background their main business is...hand-made sausages.
As Bill said to Quest Bulgaria: "The sausage making facility has been created out of the garage.
The whole production area is tiled from floor to ceiling with all high-tech
equipment. Sausage making is my passion and knowledge of food hygiene, an
understanding of meat cuts, good equipment, tried and tested recipes and,
of course, a market that wants to buy is everything.
"That is one thing we definitely have here with loads of ex-pats getting us
to supply their weekly fix of good old British bangers."
--- ends--
Press Release from AKA PR, England, December 29th 2006
For more information or the complete article please contact : AKA PR or Chris Goodall 00 359 2 851 90 65