Real life: Making the move to Spain from Walsall

Thousands of Brits have swapped the damp and grey of the UK for a new cheap-as-chips life in Spain.

As well as a lower cost of living, many are relishing the sunnier climate and a slower paced way of life.

Brits have been travelling to Spain in their droves since the explosion of cheap package holidays in the 1970s.

But now there are estimated to be at least 300,000 Brits living in Spain all year round.

And it’s not just the OAPs choosing to spend their later years in the sun, with many younger people also upping sticks to start new businesses in one of the many coastal towns.

One Brit who’s benefited from making this life-changing move is Paul Haywood who packed his bags and left the Black Country behind to head to his favourite holiday destination of Benidorm.

In amongst all the tapas bars and tavernas, Paul is now offering folk a taste of home with his afternoon teas and five Euro fry-ups.

Former postie Paul had been running his own chocolate shop Just Sweet in The Victorian Arcade in Walsall but now serves up an array of British classics at his café bar in Benidorm.

“I had been visiting Benidorm since I was seven. I moved to Spain for a quieter life but it hasn’t really worked out that way!,” he tells Weekend.

After first moving to Spain with his partner Lee three and a half years ago, he began managing the Refuel Café Bar, also in Benidorm, before deciding to branch out on his own. Now the 31-year-old owns The Loft in Benidorm’s picturesque and historic Old Town, which has become a firm favourite with tourists and locals alike.

“The Old Town is beautiful and very Spanish. It’s a lot quieter than the New Town and there is a lovely atmosphere.

“The streets are always buzzing with people eating and drinking outside,” says Paul.

His team serves up a range of home-cooked food such as full English breakfasts, bacon butties, sausage rolls, toasted sandwiches, jacket potatoes as well as cakes, cheesecakes and milkshakes.

The menu has proven a hit with holidaymakers wanting some familiar food but has also gone down well with Spanish customers.

“The bacon butty is a staple food for a Brit in Spain,” he jokes, adding: “Spanish people like bacon butties too – you can’t beat them.”

He’s currently running two premises having purchased a second, larger bar nearby with the aim of relocating the business in the near future.

Moving to a foreign country hasn’t been too much of a culture shock and he has made an effort to learn the lingo although he says it’s possible to get by without it. “I’d been coming to Benidorm for more than 20 years so living here has been pretty much what I expected.

“I didn’t know a word of Spanish when I moved here but I can communicate now, especially if it’s a bar-related conversation. We’re lucky that everybody speaks really good English so I don’t have to rely on just Spanish,” explains Paul.

“It’s going really well. It was good running somebody else’s bar first because I learnt a lot while working there.”

His life in Spain will soon go under the spotlight as Paul is being featured on the new series of Channel 5’s Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun, which starts on Thursday.

Narrated by Cold Feet’s John Thomson, the Benidorm-based show follows the lives of Brits soaking up the sun in Spain from budget expats descending on the town’s caravan parks to business owners working around the clock to make a profit.

It sees the return of Benidorm stalwart Graham ‘Happy Days’ Boland, the entertainment manager at Camping Villamar.

For the last few years he’s struggled trying to juggle his job and his love-life but he’s the drive-time DJ at Fresh Radio in Benidorm and seeing much more of his long-term girlfriend Jackie.

The show also follows the fortunes of new arrivals determined to make a living and forge a new life in this popular foreign holiday spot.

Paul was filmed 12 weeks after he opened the doors to The Loft last year and is featured in the first episode of the new series.

All eyes are on him as he begins trying out Sunday lunches with all the trimmings to boost takings on his quietest day.

For Paul it was a ‘very strange’ feeling having his every move filmed and recorded but he said it was still an enjoyable time and he’s looking forward to seeing the show when it airs.

“After a while you kind of forget the cameras were there, especially when you are busy.

“But then you had to remember that you have a microphone attached all of the time and remember what you are saying. But overall I found the experience really good,” he says.

While he’s enjoying settling into his new life in Spain, his admits that his mind does wander back to the Black Country from time to time.

“The things I miss about Walsall are friends and family. The chance to just go and visit them or go for a drink is one of the biggest things I miss regarding home,” says Paul, who hails from Lower Farm, Bloxwich.

And while the political situation may seem a little uncertain as the UK continues to negotiate it’s way out the EU, Paul says he’s confident about the future.

“I don’t think Brexit will have a major affect. Spain and the UK seem to be having a good relationship during the process so fingers crossed we should all be fine.

“Also I think Benidorm will always attract the Brits so I don’t think it will affect the resort.

“If anyone is looking for a more relaxed lifestyle I would recommend moving to Spain. It’s a beautiful country and has superb weather which helps you to de-stress and enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle,” he says.

So, what’s the best thing about living in Spain?

“I bet it’s grey and raining there isn’t it,” he asks. “I’ve got blue skies and 15C here. When I look out over the balcony, I can see the sea. It wouldn’t be like that in Walsall.”