that many have made a success of settling here, and we need more people.

I have never regretted the day I fled Thatcher and moved up here back in the 1980s. OK, I was in my 20s, not later in life, but like everywhere, it can be very welcoming to those who come with goodwill and an open mind. We have our share of headbangers, sure, but we try not to let them get us down. OK, maybe my liver might be healthier if I hadn't moved here (I wasn't much of a drinker in my 20s and the social drinking culture came as a bit of a shock to the system, though nobody literally twisted my arm), but it's got a lot going for it. Hope that survives all this nonsense.