Town ranked among best in England to grow old

Wokingham has been named among the best places in the country to grow old.

The Berkshire town was ranked fourth nationally and fourth in the South East in a new study.

Research conducted by Lovett Care, a care home operator, assessed 294 local authority districts in England, scoring them on health, social care, transport, housing costs, environment and community wellbeing.

Wokingham scored 86.5 out of 100, behind Mole Valley, West Oxfordshire and Surrey Heath.

Wokingham's high ranking was based on the borough's low crime, low poverty rates and a high life expectancy.

The study found that Wokingham has the lowest rate of fuel poverty in England, with 5.56% of households unable to afford to adequately heat their homes.

The borough is also home to the second-lowest proportion of over-60s living on a low income, at 7.25%.

Managing director of operations at Lovett Care, Cathryn Fairhurst, said: "For so many of us, choosing where to live is impacted by factors such as work opportunities, or the quality of education.

"But as people get closer to retirement age, they can start to focus more on what they want from where they live, whether that is access to nature, a thriving social scene, or good community services.

"This study was designed to discover which areas offer the best combination of a wide variety of factors that are important to older generations, and it's a reminder that there are plenty of places across England that are well placed for spending our later years."

The research also showed better health outcomes for residents of Wokingham.