To raise children, Winkleigh's the winner

The picturesque Devonshire village of Winkleigh has been named in a new report as the best place to raise children in England and Wales.

The report compared figures from 60 data sets – including Ofsted educational attainment figures, crime statistics and property prices – for each of the 2,400 postcodes in England and Wales, to rank localities according to their "family friendliness".

Once the seat of the Saxon Earls of Gloucester, the rural settlement of about 1,400 people topped the Family Friendly Hotspots Report, compiled by financial services company Family Investments.

Other variables taken into account included school inspection outcomes, quality and quantity of early years care, prevalence of young families in the area and proximity to parks, leisure centres, zoos, museums and other attractions.

Situated between Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks, Winkleigh stood out because of its low crime rate, strong educational results for schoolchildren in years three to six, and an average price of £150,837 for a two-bedroom home – below the national average.

Winkleigh boasts a 12th-century church in its village square, and is also known as the birthplace of Inch's Cider.

The second most family-friendly postcode was South Petherton in Somerset. Situated on the River Parrett, it has a population of more than 3,000.

South Petherton was followed by Galgate, Lancashire; Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees and Bromley Cross, Bolton.

The coastal village of Borth, Dyfed, was rated the most family-friendly postcode in Wales, coming in at 18.

Pick of the postcodes

1 Winkleigh, Devon EX19
2 South Petherton, Somerset TA13
3 Galgate, Lancashire LA2
4 Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees TS16
5 Bromley Cross, Bolton BL7
6 Shebbear, Devon EX21
7 Great Ayton, North Yorks TS9
8 Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B74
9 Moor Row, Cumbria CA24
10 Bromyard, Herefordshire HR7
11 Groby, Leicestershire LE6
12 Ilkley, West Yorks LS29
13 Chellaston, Derby DE73
14 Dunnington, North Yorks YO19
15 Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9
16 Ramsbottom, Manchester BL0
17 Wirral, Merseyside CH60
18 Borth, Dyfed Wales SY24
19 Longridge, Lancashire PR3
20 Sutton, London SM2