'Chilled and quiet' Nottinghamshire village with no crime where everyone looks after one another

Residents of a "peaceful" village on the Nottinghamshire border have shared what it is like living somewhere with practically no crime. According to Nottinghamshire Police data, since October 2023 to the end of April 2024, there has only been one crime committed in Besthorpe, near Newark.

This was a case of criminal damage and arson in March 2024 and since then there has been nothing in the small village, near the Lincolnshire border. The village has a population of just 212 according to the last census and sits close to Besthorpe Nature Reserve, old sand and gravel quarries that have been transformed into an area teeming with wildlife.

Nottinghamshire Live decided to speak to residents in the village about what life was like there, and they all agreed it was an incredibly safe place to live. Retired, Alison Nieuwenhugs, has lived in Besthorpe for years and says it is a great place.

The 62-year-old explained: "It's very nice and peaceful and there is a good community. We all get together at the village hall for what we call Dibby Dinners, which is where three different people do a dinner, so one does the starter, one the main and one the pudding.

"People are charged £6 and then if we make anything from it then that goes back into the village hall. It's nice at Christmas as everyone decorates everything and we have carollers."

She added: "We have a really good Facebook group for if anyone needs anything as there will always be someone there to help." Dog walker, Diane Davies, 55, also loves living in the village.

She said: "It's great just being able to go out and walk, there's the nature reserves and then we have walks in Girton too. I've lived here for 21 years.

"I like it because it's quiet and I love my house. If I could pick my house up and move it if I wanted to I might, but I just don't want to move."

New mum, Kayleigh Birkett, 36, said: "It's lovely here, I've been here for five years. It's just really chilled and quiet.

"People keep to themselves, but there are lots of dog walks and it's a really nice place to live."

A 24-year-old retail worker who lives in the village added: "It's really quiet, there's not many people who live here and there's not really much crime. We can walk the streets at night and know we are not going to get hurt, there's no need for street lights.

"It's nice and quiet around here and everyone gets on. They do a coffee morning and things like that at the village hall and everyone is invited."