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PODCAST · society

Great Move North

by Tony Maguire

The north-south divide has gone. Great Move North meets the people who chose to step across the divide to build new lives in the north – and asks: why did they do it? What is it really like to make the move? Find out more at the Great Move North website - https://www.greatmovenorth.com/

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Sep 10, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. Stuart Morris: Swapping the M4 rush and roar for space, silence - and the formula for Living the One in a Million Life...

    When you are looking to find yourself in a world that’s all just got a bit too much; or when you lead a corporate team unsure of your core purpose, maybe one thing you might want do is get lost…on Malham Moor; and maybe there you’ll find a man, and a dog, with insights and answers. Find out more…

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  2. Iain & Julia Graham: 'Forget Hackney - this family took a lifechanging decision & decided to grasp The Nettle'

    Despite everything, many insist it’s the best city in the world… so why, with great reputations in the cut-throat worlds of food, events and design, would anyone leave London’s endless buzz for the quiet lanes and fields of Yorkshire’s Dales? Simple. Just look ahead - to the horizon… Find out…

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  3. Philip Caine: 'Drama & danger in the oilfield war zones or Dubai glitz? None compared to Cumbria'

    He ought to have followed everyone else into a job at the huge shipyard, but Philip chose kitchen work, then catering and hotel management. Next? mega moves and mayhem; life-threatening steps in an astonishing globe-trotting career worthy of a best-selling thriller writer. Yet none was fiction…

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  4. Maggie Massam: 'West Coast highlife or Whitehall mandarin? I ditched both for fieldwork in the Dales'

    She was a globe-trotting big pharma executive who ditched the stateside healthcare mega-millions machine for pre-pandemic Whitehall. But even here something was missing in her career, and her life – until she stumbled on a distant college course. Meet Maggie Massam, the woman with a plan to...

  5. Laker & Lane: 'London to Paris? TV or film studio? We both left all that for a lifechanging makeover'

    From Eurostar to close ups with TV stars, Jody and Amy seemed to have it all. Then their lives were turned upside down moving hundreds of miles from home. What about their careers? What would they do? Fate drew them together; a bold plan took shape. Meet Laker & Lane, the clean up women. Find out...

  6. Michael Manaley: 'In London sirens woke me, then sad faces on the Tube. Now? Silence. And glimpses of deer near my office'

    City broker Michael Manaley never understood why his father commuted daily from York to London. On a break with his new girlfriend he paused in the shadow of the Minster to propose. How she reacted to the sights she saw on that fateful trip changed both their lives forever. Find out more at the...

  7. Laura Glanfield: 'I just missed out being crowned Queen of the Desert, but to my new best friends I'm Queen of the Dales!'

    As her husband’s car reversed out of the drive, Laura Glanfield had a choice to make. Should she fight to keep her marriage and glamorous expat lifestyle in the Middle East’s glitziest centre, or devote herself to the abandoned pets in her care? Find out exactly what Laura chose to do next. Find...

  8. Margaret Brenchley: 'I worked at Heathrow but my heart never left the Hodder Valley'

    Author Margaret Brenchley’s career took her far and wide, but her heart always remained in a beautiful valley beside the Forest of Bowland, bordering Lancashire and Yorkshire. Since her Great Move North she’s unearthed countless stories of how wartime families coped with conflict and loss. Find…

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  9. Ayme Harrison: 'I've left America's Sunshine State to gaze across Morecambe Bay'

    As thousands of British holidaymakers eagerly planned their dream holidays to Walt Disney World, one woman was packing her bags to head in the opposite direction. Ayme Harrison has stunned her Sunshine State friends by swapping Florida for a new state of mind… gazing across Morecambe Bay. Find…

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  10. Steve Ward: 'I left the New World to join a different league - and now I’m building a future in the Ancient World'

    Like all kiwi blokes, Steve Ward loves watching the awesome All Blacks. It’s just the game they play isn’t in the same league as his: rugby league stirs Steve’s passion, nearly as much as his dream... to build a new monument from Ancient Times. He’s a true northern one-off: the Great Pyramid…

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  11. Andrea Ward: 'I slipped on some truly special shoes to take a long, nighttime, walk to freedom'

    Andrea Ward felt torn as she chose a new, safer, life for her family in a new country thousands of miles from home. Then she had an idea: why not bring part of that country with her and help those she’d left behind? The idea grew into a unique market offer that’s growing daily… one step at a…

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  12. Julie and Martin Carrick: 'We worked out in the city and looked fit but we were too fat. It was time to move...everything!'

    Personal trauma, critical illness and high pressure careers would have been enough to derail the lives of most people, yet Julie and Martin Carrick aren’t like most people. Shrugging it all off they carried on with inner-city living. But the arrival of a grandchild triggered huge change in every...

  13. Andy Mouncey, Doing Big and Scary: 'I raced from London to Paris - then found the toughest challenge of my life behind bars'

    Bored and restless, triathlete Andy Mouncey needed a new challenge. He felt he’d found the answer as he set out on an astonishing race against the clock from London to Paris. He quickly found that wasn’t enough. Andy’s true personal challenge finally fell into place inside a prison in Cumbria……

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  14. Lizzie Kaye, Cast Iron Books: 'It was time to get off my bike for a new life away from London'

    Eager to succeed, Lizzie Kaye sat at her desk in the heart of Big London Publishing and stole a glance at her colleagues. All seemed careworn. Was this her future? Five years might mean promotion, ten perhaps a senior role. Lizzie paused. Then came a decision. It was time to make a life less...

  15. Kay Backhouse, Sydney's: 'I had to make my big move when I read his hidden message'

    Life changed forever for Kay Backhouse when an unexpected birthday card dropped through her door. It came from her brother, Syd, who never celebrated birthdays. The card’s hidden message launched an astonishing odyssey, with despair giving way to hope. Kay describes her great move north – and the...

  16. Keith Mothersdale, Chief Technical Officer: 'My scorching broadband speed left my desk too hot to handle'

    Globetrotting telecoms consultant Keith Mothersdale faced one problem as he eased into idyllic rural life: “awful broadband.” So Keith decided to fix it – with a spade and a bold idea. From a shed in a sleepy village, with no pavements or streetlights, Keith set out to become Britain’s Fastest…

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  17. Ali Priestley, Craftopia: ‘Alone and fearful in South America my laptop surfing set me free’

    Living in Brazil, the privileges of Ali Priestley's international expat lifestyle sat in sharp contrast with the searing poverty and constant threat of kidnap. With Covid surging out of control, Ali was left trapped and alone. Her escape? Buy a business – sight unseen and 10000 km away – then…

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  18. Tanya Carter, Limestone Books: 'My winning formula? Easy: bras, beer & books'

    When Tanya Carter opened her bookshop she faced two seemingly insurmountable hurdles – no experience of an industry dominated by giants and a global pandemic hurtling towards small businesses trying to get on their feet. How did Tanya survive? Find out more at the Great Move North website -...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

The north-south divide has gone. Great Move North meets the people who chose to step across the divide to build new lives in the north – and asks: why did they do it? What is it really like to make the move? Find out more at the Great Move North website - https://www.greatmovenorth.com/

HOSTED BY

Tony Maguire

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Great Move North have?

Great Move North currently has 18 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Great Move North about?

The north-south divide has gone. Great Move North meets the people who chose to step across the divide to build new lives in the north – and asks: why did they do it? What is it really like to make the move? Find out more at the Great Move North website - https://www.greatmovenorth.com/

How often does Great Move North release new episodes?

Great Move North has 18 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Great Move North?

You can listen to Great Move North on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Great Move North?

Great Move North is created and hosted by Tony Maguire.
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