A couple appearing on Escape To The Country were forced to leave their dream home after a major setback
The couple got emotional during an appearance on BBC’s Escape to the Country (Image: BBC)
A couple desperate for a fresh start were left facing a heart-breaking wait.
The duo wanted to start a new chapter and move to the countryside following a devastating accident that changed their lives forever. But their plans were put on hold because their current property is yet to sell so they couldn’t put an offer on their dream property.
Sarah and Matt appeared on a previous episode of the Escape to the Country as they searched for a fresh start in the Herefordshire countryside following a devastating cycling accident.
The couple had been happily settled in Berkshire when tragedy struck in 2019. Matt was involved in a horrific cycling accident which left him needing to have his arm amputated. He was airlifted to hospital and spent a month in a coma following the crash.
Years on from the life-changing accident, the couple were hoping a move to the countryside could mark the beginning of a brighter chapter.
With a budget of £650,000, they were looking for a modern or new-build property with at least three bedrooms, bathrooms on more than one floor, room to park their camper van and, importantly, a strong sense of community.
Presenter Sonali Shah joined them in their search — but before the property hunt got under way, Matt opened up about the accident which had turned his world upside down.
He recalled cycling downhill in wet conditions when his bike suddenly lost grip. “I was coming down a hill, but it was raining, then it was dry, then it was raining. The roads were very greasy,” he explained.
Matt said a cyclist behind him later told him that as he went around a bend, his bike “just went straight on”, sending him into an oncoming car.
Incredibly, the car was being driven by a doctor, who was travelling with her daughter and son-in-law, who were also doctors.
Their medical knowledge proved crucial in the immediate aftermath. As Matt tried to describe what happened, he became overcome with emotion.
“And her son-in-law held my head up for an…” he began, before Sarah stepped in. “An hour,” she explained. “So he turned down and Matt had stopped breathing and they knew. So most people would say don’t touch someone, but he turned Matt straight away.”
Matt later said the man had held his head for what could have been “an hour and a half” after realising he had stopped breathing. The couple’s devastating experience made their search for a new home particularly poignant.
And after viewing several properties arranged by Sonali, one house appeared to offer exactly the kind of new beginning they had been hoping for.
The Victorian property had double-aspect sitting rooms, four bedrooms and a garden stretching across half an acre. It also featured an annex extension which could be used for the couple’s business. Priced at £650,000, it was within their budget — and the house appeared to capture their imagination immediately.
For Matt, however, it represented far more than simply another property. Standing in the garden, he reflected on how dramatically his life had changed since the accident. “If I hadn’t had the accident, we wouldn’t be standing here in this garden, looking at this beautiful property,” he said.
Visibly emotional, Matt added: “It’s almost like however negative you feel, there is always a great positive to come and that’s how it feels to me. From a bad, dark place I’ve been in, this is the brightest I’ve felt in a very long time.”
But despite falling for the property and seeing it as a potential new beginning, the couple faced a frustrating obstacle. Their dream of escaping to the countryside was effectively on hold because they were still waiting to find a buyer for their existing Berkshire home.
You can stream Escape to the Country on BBC iPlayer