Tower and Town, July 2021

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'Life's journey started many miles away, in sub-Saharan Africa... a very different place from where I now call home'

Selam Davies was born in Ethiopia and travelled the world before moving to Marlborough 20 years ago. She is married with two children, and is a professional dog-walker..

Life’s journey started many miles away, in Ethiopia in sub-Saharan East Africa. Then a student exchange opportunity launched me into a very different world, one where other cultures were waiting to be discovered, shared and enjoyed.

I was born and brought up in Dessie, a medium-sized Ethiopian town, surrounded by the Tossa Mountains. My people are mainly of the Amhara tribe, with strong Orthodox beliefs that form a harmonious and community-spirited environment. This, along with the tropical equatorial climate, makes it such a very different place to where I now call home.

The interim years were what I can only describe as my “honeymoon years”, a pleasurable tour of several countries. We spent two wonderful years in Hokkaido, Japan, but Oman was definitely the family’s favourite. This expatriate lifestyle helped to turn our two daughters into the worldly young ladies they are today. The experience along the way cultivated my own personality and perspective on life.

Any secret, preconceived reservations I may have had about moving to Marlborough were quickly dispelled. I was welcomed from the very beginning, and no doubt having two young girls to entertain boosted social involvement and my circle of friends. It was a seamless and quite unconscious integration into a community I am now proud to call home.

Marlborough has such a lovely atmosphere that is unique and difficult to describe; others I know have said the same. One attraction, perhaps the first to make an impact, was and remains the stunning landscapes that surround the town. I love to walk and am so fortunate to be able to wander in the ancient Savernake Forest or to stroll along the Pewsey Vale with its miles of awesome views. It is more remarkable to think that these wonderful places are also my place of work, and I am not sure who gets more excited, the dogs I walk or myself.

For me, Marlborough has the perfect balance of all that I could wish for: a close and increasing circle of friends, a lovely town and above all beautiful landscapes. I feel most privileged to live in such a place, a feeling that even the worst of the British weather cannot diminish.

Selam Davies