lifechanging

Bryn Edwards left Kidwelly in Wales around a decade ago to start a new life in Sydney, Australia, and says there are two major reasons he would not consider moving back

A Welsh man has revealed two key reasons why he has no plans to return to his former home in Kidwelly after moving to Australia a decade ago. Bryn Edwards was keen to experience life on the other side of the globe after the Global Financial Crisis left the UK feeling “quite depressing”.

He originally travelled on a working holiday visa, but ultimately chose not to return home after establishing his own company, Edwards Carpentry Renovations, and settling down with his young family in Sydney.

Speaking about what drew him to Australia specifically, Bryn explained: “Initially, when I left, it was only meant to be for a year. I found the UK quite depressing after the Global Financial Crisis and the weather was getting to me, so thought a year in sunny Australia would be great.”

Two advantages of Australia

Bryn was far from let down when he touched down in Oz and has since discovered two major benefits, the first being the climate.

He says the balmy weather enables him to embrace an “outdoor lifestyle” and indulge his love of sport throughout the year, even signing up to the Tech Waratah Rugby Club after playing frequently in Wales.

Australia is renowned for its year-round sunshine, with temperatures exceeding 20C during most months.

While he favours the sought-after sun-drenched Australian way of life, which draws thousands of British expats, his hectic schedule means he believes his work-life balance was marginally superior in Wales. He said: “I would say that I used to have a better work-life balance, but now I have my own business I probably work a little too much.”

And this is where the second advantage becomes apparent. Bryn notes “pay over here for trades is a lot better, with more disposable income compared to the UK, where I felt it was barely covering my bills”.

Never returning

When questioned whether he’d contemplate returning to Wales, the father-of-two confessed that the freezing winters and living costs in the UK would discourage him.

He disclosed: “I don’t think I would [move back]. I have a family over here, nice house, and a business. I also don’t think I could deal with the winters anymore.”

Nevertheless, he still “misses his family and friends from back home”, and occasionally experiences nostalgia for “the cold nights, but not very often”.

Bryn also wishes he’d seized the chance to travel more while residing in the UK, as Australia is isolated from other nations by vast stretches of ocean, rendering overseas holidays far more lengthy.

Describing the “distance” as the main drawback to living in Oz, Bryn remarked: “The [downside] is the distance to the UK, also the distance to everywhere else. I wish I had travelled around Europe more when I lived in the UK – it was very accessible.”

The Rich House, Poor House mum had to turn down a job that would change her life

A single mum living on £98 a week was forced to turn down a life-changing opportunity.

Steph recently appeared on Rich House, Poor House and was offered a job but she had no choice but to refuse the offer due to a family issue and unable to take on the long commute.

Alongside her mother Gail and her daughters – 12-year-old Amelia and seven-year-old Darcey, they swapped lives with wealthy Mr Whippy owner Joe Sealey on the Channel 5 series and their worlds couldn’t be more different.

At the time, Joe traded his six-bedroom estate – complete with cinema room, gym and indoor pool – for seven days in Steph’s three bedroom council house with a damaged ground floor and mould spreading through Amelia’s room.

Despite working six days a week from home in telesales, Steph struggles to cover essential costs. Once fundamental household expenses are paid, they’re left with just £98 per week for all other needs.

At the end of the swap, she was given a life-changing opportunity as Joe offered her a position on his sales team with a starting salary of £60,000 a year.

However Steph has revealed that she’s had to make the heartbreaking decision and turn down the job offer after the office moved to a different location.

Giving viewers an update, she took to her TikTok and explained that the relocation means she would have had to do a four hour round commute, which she says wouldn’t work due to being a single mum and her mum’s health deteriorating.

She said: “In relation to the job, I agree with all of you that it’s an amazing opportunity. Sadly due to the main office relocation it would mean a four hour round trip commuting for me, to be able to go there and take that job offer up.”

During the swap, Steph had no choice but to send her mum home after she became too unwell to continue with the programme and it seems her health is still a concern for Steph.

Steph explained: “As you all know I’m a single mum, I’ve got two beautiful girls. My amazing mum, whose health is not great, it’s not massively improved since the show, so it’s not viable for me to be able to travel a four hour round trip.

“I need to be closer to my girls and my mum but again it was an amazing opportunity that was put forward. Sadly the location did change in between and it’s just not viable for me to do that

“But I just again wanted to say a huge thank you to Joe, my production team, Channel 5 and most importantly every single one of you. It’s not easy to put yourself out there.”

Following a successful business meeting on the show, Steth was promised £20,000 from the initial sales proceeds but unfortunately the sale still hasn’t gone thorough.

Steph added: “Since filming last year, Joe has been tirelessly working with Kaspas trying to get the deal across the line, that obviously you would have seen me go and do the sales pitch for. At the moment, that hasn’t been completed but I know Joe is still working in the background trying to get that over the line for us.”

You can stream Rich House, Poor Holiday on Channel 5

OLLY MURS is taking a leap into the unknown on a brutal 250-mile challenge for Unicef’s Soccer Aid.

In an exclusive chat with Bizarre, the singer revealed he will run, row and cycle from Manchester United’s Old Trafford to West Ham’s London Stadium across five punishing days for Olly Murs: Into The Unknown.

He admitted that a life-changing trip to Romania had given the challenge a whole new meaning.

The Troublemaker star travelled to Eastern Europe to see the charity’s work first-hand, and was moved after meeting mum-of-one Oksana, who escaped Ukraine after Russia invaded and is now living in a Unicef facility in Romania.

“Her baby was only seven months old,” Olly said. “Coming here in the middle of a war on her own, no family, no friends.

“The story was tough to listen to.

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“The fact that eight weeks later, her house (in Ukraine) got bombed, it’s terrifying, isn’t it?

“It kind of puts things into perspective.”

The trip clearly hit home for Olly, who has a daughter, Madison, and baby son, Albert, with wife Amelia.

He explained: “All I want to do is keep my baby safe and keep the (children) healthy and happy, and that’s the same for every parent around the world.”

While the cause is inspiring, the 250 miles sounds absolutely brutal.

In a harsh twist, Olly won’t know exactly what he’ll be facing each day.

He revealed: “It does scare me because it’s really hard when you’re preparing for something when you don’t know the distances.”

Even his birthday is being sacrificed to the cause.

Olly laughed: “The 11th of May is when I start it — my birthday week.

“I’ll be celebrating my birthday whilst running or cycling or rowing somewhere.”

Olly, who has undergone four knee operations, is worried about what impact the arduous challenge will have on his joints.

He added: “I don’t know how my knee’s going to cope. It’s definitely going to have an effect on my body, and my knees.

“But I’m confident that I’m fit enough to do it.”

Away from the graft of preparing for his charity challenge, Olly says his home life has become his priority, with music temporarily on the back burner.

“I’ve really enjoyed just being at home and not singing any more,” he explained.

“I’m just singing and entertaining my kids.

“I posted a video the other day of me singing to my kids some of my songs and Maddie kept saying ‘No.’

“It’s a tough crowd at home.”

Olly is now hoping he’ll have an easier time on the pitch at Soccer Aid on May 31, when he will line up as part of the England squad alongside
Wayne Rooney, Tom Hiddleston, Gk Barry, Jill Scott, Angry Ginge and with SoccerAid founder Robbie Williams as coach.

The Soccer Aid World XI features ex-players Jordi Alba of Spain and Italy’s
Leonardo Bonucci, with the team being coached by Olympian Usain Bolt.