A Portuguese citizen, now settled here in the UK, Maria worked hard as a single parent to bring up her two sons, supporting them through their university degrees in Oxford and looking after her mother until she sadly passed away last year. Now retired, Maria decided it was time for a new start and in summer 2024 moved into a rental property in The Hawkings at Alconbury Weald with her younger son Kevin.
Kevin, who works as a mechanical engineer in the Royal Air Force Alconbury, was living in Huntingdon but they needed something larger. After visiting a few developments in the surrounding area, the mother and son duo kept being drawn back to Alconbury Weald and decided The Hawkings was the perfect place for them to live.
I fell in love with Alconbury Weald on our first visit and then cycled over from Huntingdon every week to explore the development and watch The Hawkings being built. Our house is lovely and it’s great to have a garden; I’m planning to grow herbs and spices to use in my cooking.
We’ve only been here a few months but are settling in really well. Alconbury Weald is very peaceful and has a lovely community. Everyone is so friendly and there’s lots going on and I’m looking forward to getting involved and volunteering.
I don’t have a car and go everywhere on my bike. It’s very easy to cycle around the development as there are lots of cycleways and not much traffic. I see lots of other cyclists around too, especially on sunny weekends, and I regularly cycle into Huntingdon. I also use the bus to go shopping in Huntingdon every Saturday and the bus drivers know me and are very friendly.
Alconbury Weald already feels like home. I’m very excited about my future here.
Maria, resident