The Balfours Autumn 2019 Newsletter should be hitting peoples doormats any day now -  if you would like to read a copy online please follow the link to our Newsletter PDF.

Natural light billows in to 1, Burcot Barn which is finished to a high level and boasts open rural views from its position just south of Wrockwardine.

The welcome to this four bedroom semi-detached barn conversion is to an entrance hall with stunning arched glazing from floor to ceiling at a southerly aspect. Double solid wood doors are to be found to either side of the generous hall, to the living room and the family room: They combine create a perfect party space.  A utility and cloakroom are to be found off the hall too.

The living room benefits from a log burner and French doors to the garden, while the family room has dual aspect glazing and opens directly to the immaculate kitchen diner. From the hallway a feature staircase rises to the balcony landing where two en-suite rooms are to be found together with two additional rooms and a family bathroom.

Light, Spacious, Crisp and Contemporary

On the market with Balfours with a guide price of £560,000, head of sales, Alistair Hilton comments: “Burcot is everything one would wish for in a barn conversion; it has character, while being light, spacious, crisp and contemporary – in its style. There is a good sized garden – with drive and terrace beautifully presented, plus a garden office with mains electricity, a tractor shed and garden store.”

He adds: “With Wellington train station just three miles away and the M54 providing links to Shrewsbury, Telford and the Midlands; this is a highly convenient location to put down roots.” For more information call Balfours on 01743 353511.

For further details please visit our Property Sales Page.

Balfours are delighted to be supporting the Ludlow Food Festival on their 25th anniversary this September - heres an insight into why we feel this event is so special.

An exceptional opportunity to purchase a country house, in a prime location on the outskirts of Shrewsbury is found in Bow Bridge House, Goosehill Lane, Bowbrook. The picture perfect landscape extends 2.57 acres and includes a development site for the construction of six new family homes.

Property For Sale In Shrewsbury - Just Two Miles From Town Centre

Head of sales at Balfours, Alistair Hilton explains: “The property is on the market as a whole or in two lots. The traditional property, which is in need of restoration, is two miles from the town centre. The land is split with an allocation of 1.5 acres to the main house and just over an acre with outline planning permission.

“Bow Bridge House is of generous proportions, extending nearly 3,900 square feet – which offers a spacious canvas over two floors, plus a cellar and the potential for a large loft conversion. The house has huge character with bay windows, high ceilings and character fireplaces providing the foundations for restoration.”

Externally the house is anchored by mature gardens, paddock, trees and a number of outbuildings, including garages, stables, fruit store and summerhouse. There is also a ground floor one bed cottage within the grounds.

Balfours are marketing Bow Bridge House with a guide price of £1,700,000 as a whole, or £800,000 for the main house and £900,000 for the six house development site. For more information call Balfours 01743 353511.

For further details please visit our Property Sales Page.

When Charlotte White decided to enter the Shrewsbury Sprint Triathlon in September 2018, she intended for it to be for fun, having purchased a bike in June, little did she realise the scale of the adventure that she was embarking on.  She recalls: “I did minimal training other than a bit of general running, exploring Shropshire on my new bike and even venturing to the public swimming session, to check I was still operational.”

To her surprise, she achieved a podium position of third place against what Charlotte considered to be a strong field. She recalls being amused when Sam Mountain, who is a Coach for SYTri (Shrewsbury Triathlon) and Amphibian Triathlon Coaching, asked her who she trained with. “At this point I hadn’t paid any attention to the British Triathlon Federation (BTF) rule book, was blissfully unaware of what T1 and T2* meant, nor did I know the difference between a surfing wetsuit and a swimming one. I literally had no gear and even less idea!”

Not surprising when the 26 year old, had spent the past ten years tied to academic studies. She graduated from Harper Adams University in 2015 with a 2:1 degree in Rural Enterprise and Land Management. In 2016 she joined local firm Balfours and embarked on more exams, becoming a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers and in 2017 gained Chartered Status as a Rural Surveyor, member of the Rural Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Exams out of the way, Charlotte was now looking to redress her lifestyle balance with what she thought was a bit of light relief. “I have been competitive from a young age and it is something I am yet to grow out of, much to my parents’ frustration!” In her early teens she was a county swimmer for Essex, with her principle event being 50m and 100m breaststroke, while simultaneously competing two horses, one at equivalent of county and one at national level.

Shrewsbury Triathlon triumph,(Sept 18) ultimately led to Sam taking her under his wing in January this year, and geared her up for her first Standard (Olympic) distance European qualifier event scheduled for Southport in May 2019. “I took my trusty second hand road bike which felt rather insignificant when racked next to the pimped-out TT brigade. I’m pleased to say I have since invested in a tri suit, a wet suit and elastic laces; slightly more gear and as much idea,” Charlotte muses.

Nonetheless Charlotte produced a credible third place, automatically qualifying her for Team GB at the European Standard Distance World Championships to be held in Tartu, Estonia in 2020. Now driven by success, she entered her next race which was the Leeds Castle, standard distance World qualifier in June. Charlotte swam, cycled and ran to another euphoric moment when she automatically qualified for the World Triathlon Championships, being held in Edmonton, Canada in 2020.

Coach Sam reflects: “it is always a pleasure to coach a keen, dedicated athlete who is new to the sport and who is a quick learner and driven to succeed. Charlotte ticks all of these boxes and has adapted well to structured training and balancing this with her work life. As in all things, if one wishes to succeed, they have to dedicate a significant part of their life to that ambition, making a lot of sacrifices along the way.” Managing partner of Balfours, Rory Galliers endorses his sentiment adding: “We are immensely proud of Charlotte’s achievements; her ability to think outside the box is a major asset, not just in sport, but at work too.”

Charlotte says: “Triathlon is a sport which I had not planned to fall into and is therefore one which I had very little understanding or appreciation of, as to the costs involved both financial, physical time and the science in the background. In this time my appreciation for any athlete has grown, unfortunately my bank balance has not!”

For her the final piece in the jigsaw is to find sponsorship, she has just secured support from TORQ who produce high quality and mainly organic fitness fuel, recovery and hydration products and is lobbying for further additional sponsorship.

She adds: “Whilst I am at the very start of what I hope will be a long and successful career in the sport, I appreciate that I am yet to prove consistency, however, everything I do I give 110%. My message to others who, because of studies or work, have lost touch with the lifestyle balance is to tap back in, not only will you be happier, healthier and more focused in the workplace, you never know where else it might lead.” 

Charlotte credits her recent triathlon success on being involved in the local Shrewsbury Triathlon Club, drawing from knowledge and experience provided by coach Sam Mountain, quality and researched nutritional products from local firm TORQ and having unlimited access to the Castle Country Club for strength and conditioning. 

Follow Charlottes progress, trials and tribulations on Instagram and via her recent Blog detailed below!

Fact file:

• *T1 – Transition from swimming to cycling
• *T2 - Transition from cycling to running
• Triathlon sprint distance: 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run
• Triathlon standard distance: 1,500 swim, 40km cycle and 10km run
• TT – Time Trial Bike

Instagram: lifeoftrii

Blog: www.thelifeoftri.com

Contact Charlotte for sponsorship enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A garden in Belle Vue’s Oakley Street has won the title “Best Garden,” in a competition led by Balfours estate agents Shrewsbury office this summer. The garden at number 68 is home to Reg and Ruth Wilford, who earned the award after Reg sent in a photo of their garden in the run up to Shrewsbury’s Flower Show.

Reg admits to being somewhat surprised to have picked up the prize - a case of wine, though he confesses: “My garden is my favourite place to be.”  The couple moved to their home 41 years ago, initially the garden was mainly laid to lawn with football posts for their then, young children.

“They have grown up and I have retired, so I now spend more time in the garden. I try to grow things that give colour through the year – as some are dying back, others are blooming into their place,” says Reg.

Asked if he has favourite plants, Reg reveals that his wife calls him a “heuchera hollic.” “The leaves give colour virtually 12 months of the year,” he explains. Right now the hydrangeas, Japanese anemones and fuchsias are in full bloom too. I also collect my own seed to grow French Marigolds which contribute to the garden throughout the summer.”

And it’s not just flowers, for many years the couple have welcomed the local Methodist Church’s Charity Fund Raspberry Tea, using fruit grown in the garden.

Head of sales at Balfours, Alistair Hilton comments: “The Wilford’s garden is absolutely beautiful, a real credit and very worthy winner. A garden is the cloak around a house and therefore important to the appeal of a house.”

Earlier this year, the couple took part in the Belle Vue Arts Festival ‘Open Garden’ event, when not only the flowers were appreciated, but also wildlife in the garden pond, newts and frogs were a real hit with visiting children.