Alconbury Weald: Maria Nikolic
- 17.06.2025
With a fantastic range of stylish homes to buy or rent in beautifully landscaped settings, with a range of community facilities and amenities on the doorstep, Alconbury Weald is a great place to make your home. Whether enjoying a meal in The Watch Office Bar & Kitchen, taking a fitness class in The Pavilion, working out in The Gym, borrowing a book from the community library, exploring the play parks, going for a stroll or picking up your weekly shop at the Co-op, there’s lots to do at Alconbury Weald!
A Portuguese citizen, now settled here in the UK, Maria worked hard as a single parent to bring up her two sons, supporting them through their university degrees in Oxford and looking after her mother until she sadly passed away last year. Now retired, Maria decided it was time for a new start and in summer 2024 moved into a rental property in The Hawkings at Alconbury Weald with her younger son Kevin.
Kevin, who works as a mechanical engineer in the Royal Air Force Alconbury, was living in Huntingdon but they needed something larger and after visiting a few developments in the surrounding area - including Drovers Place Huntingdon, Ashton Gardens Huntingdon, and a few other places here in Alconbury Weald - the mother and son duo kept being drawn back to The Hawkings and decided this was the perfect place for them to live.
Maria explained: “I fell in love with Alconbury Weald on our first visit and then cycled over from Huntingdon every week to explore the development and watch The Hawkings being built.
“I worked as a HR manager for over 20 years and life has been quite stressful. Alconbury Weald is like a haven of peace and quiet, with lots of beautiful green spaces and trees to enjoy a quieter pace of life. I’m working on a book about my life and there are lots of lovely places to sit quietly and write.
“Our house in The Hawkings is lovely and I’d like to say a big thank you to Joe for his empathy, patience and professionalism since we first contacted him last year to express our interest in renting at Alconbury Weald. He has always been very kind and polite, and has handled the process very efficiently. Since we moved in, he has responded promptly and resolved our small issues so quickly that it has surprised us. We are very happy and satisfied, and certain that we made the right choice!
“We also have a lovely garden and I’m planning to grow herbs and spices to use in my cooking.
“Alconbury Weald is very peaceful and has a lovely community. Everyone is so friendly and there’s lots going on. We feel very well informed as Natalie, from Alconbury Weald’s community team, came to greet us not long after we moved in and told us all about the different facilities as well as events and activities, and how we can meet people and become an active part of the community. I’m looking forward to getting involved and volunteering."
Maria explained: “I don’t have a car and go everywhere on my bike. It’s very easy to cycle around the development as there are lots of cycleways and not much traffic. I see lots of other cyclists around too, especially on sunny weekends, and I regularly cycle into Huntingdon.
“I also use the bus to go shopping in Huntingdon every Saturday and the bus drivers know me and are very friendly. I take a trolley with me and it’s pretty heavy when I’ve filled it with shopping, so the driver lowers the bus entrance to help me get in."
“Alconbury Weald already feels like home. I’m very excited about my future here.”
Whether joining local clubs and activities, becoming part of the development’s thriving Community Association or volunteering at the new community garden being created for residents to enjoy, there are lots of ways Maria and Kevin can make new friends and become an active part of Alconbury Weald’s community.
