“It’s a very nice place. People are very friendly.” [95-year-old Pamela, former professional ballerina who danced with the Royal Ballet]
“I’m definitely confident that Sidmouth has a bright future.” [Sidmouth Town Councillor Rachel Perram]
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Yes, Sidmouth is an ‘age friendly’ community – but it does mean that young people ‘struggle to envisage a future living by the sea’.
According to the latest analysis of the 2021 Census by the Office of National Statistics, the over-80s are outnumbering the under-30s:
This evening, BBC Spotlight carried a report on the findings and Radio Devon were in Sidmouth too, with a feature on Thriving not just surviving’ in over-90s capital on BBC Sounds
There are more interviews in the online piece at BBC Devon on “Britain’s over-90s capital“:
Here are a couple of highlights:
Sidmouth has the highest proportion of residents aged over 90 in England. Recent ONS, external data shows that as of June 2022 there were 319 people aged 90 or above living in Sidmouth Town – 6% of the population, compared with the British average of 0.9%.
But why are so many nonagenarians drawn to the seaside resort, and what effect is it having on the town?
“If I smile – people smile back at you. That’s what’s Sidmouth’s good for.”
“You can sum it up in two words – care and love,” she says, adding: “The volunteers go above and beyond.”
“It’s a very nice place. People are very friendly”.
On the other hand, it’s difficult for young people, as reported:
The online property website Zoopla says the average house price in Sidmouth is £411,000 – far higher than the national average of £271,000.
“We conducted a housing needs survey which proved that point,” Ms Rachel Perram [Sidmouth Town Councillor] says. “So we’re using the results of that survey to encourage developers to build affordable housing here. I’m definitely confident that Sidmouth has a bright future.”
The age profile of Sidmouth is a regular feature in the national media: How to live to one hundred [Economist, February 2024], Welcome to Sidmouth, where over-90s are having the time of their lives [Times, March 2025] and Is Sidmouth God’s waiting room or Gen Z heaven? Maddy Fletcher visits the nonagenarian capital of Britain to find out [Daily Mail, July 2025]
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