Woman & Home “Inspired Me to Change My Life”

Mandy Marshall, 56, sold her family home in Manchester to start a new life in Cumbria. She now rents Castle Cottage, Beatrix Potter’s former marital home, and runs her own bag business

When I was heading for my fifties, it struck me I wanted a complete change of lifestyle. I couldn’t see myself slipping into retirement. I felt there was another life available for me to make the most of.

I’m a huge fan of woman&home and I especially love the inspiring stories of people who change their lives or start new careers. On holidays I used to read these life-changing features to mydaughters, Rosie, now 28, and Jess, 26, jokingly pretending I was the person in the story. I loved the idea that you don’t have to follow a set path in life and can walk away and start afresh.

We were living in Manchester and my husband Bill, an accountant, was commuting from Manchester to Surrey, leaving at 5am on Mondays, and coming home 6pm on Fridays. My daughters were at university and Rosie was about to move to Germany for a year. It seemed bonkers us all being in different places, so Bill started to look for jobs elsewhere. I’d worked in fashion for 20 years. When I sold my clothes shop I retained ownership of the premises and went into property development, renovating apartments and selling them on again, but I knew I wanted a different way of life.

Then a job opportunity came up for Bill in the Lake District.I’m a complete townie and knew nothing of rural life but I reasoned if we just rented, but then didn’t like it, we didn’t have to stay. So we moved to Cumbria and downsized to a small rental cottage, while I sold our five-bed family home.

I kept an open mind about what I could do and then I saw an advert to train as a Blue Badge tourist guide. I signed up to a 12-month course, telling Bill, even if I didn’t end up working as a guide, at least it would teach me about country life.