Melksham couple document Spanish property renovation in Channel 4 show

A Melksham couple will share their journey of renovating a property in Spain in Channel 4’s ‘A New Life in the Sun.’

Nigel and Fede Jimenez Perez Songhurst will appear in series 11 of the programme, which follows expats as they chase their dream life in the sun and set up new businesses abroad.

The new series will air from Monday 5th January and will feature the couple’s story of purchasing a 25-bedroom property in the village of Polopos, Granada, with plans to turn it into a B&B.

The couple travelled to Spain last year to deal with family properties and belongings following the death of Fede’s parents.

“We ended up in Polopos, Granada where Fede’s dad had built a house many years ago, but the village had a lot of family history due to Fede’s grandad being the village doctor in the past,” said Nigel.

“We liked the area a lot and started to look at places possibly to buy. We found a property but it was so big it seemed like it would be impossible, but with sheer determination we viewed the property, which had over 25 rooms in total, and ended up putting in an offer.”

The property was on the market for more than €140,000, which the couple believed was ‘way out of budget’.

“The property itself had been sat empty for many years and needed a lot of work to get it to a livable standard. However, after a few glasses of wine, I put wheels in motion and ended up with our dream coming true,” Nigel said.

“We managed to purchase the property for €70,000 which put us in a great position.”

Nigel said filming for the programme helped keep them motivated during the renovation.

“Being filmed for the show was an amazing experience. It brought a fun atmosphere to the long 10 months of hard work,” he said.

“It helped us keep motivated and we managed to get the B&B finished ahead of time, and now over the winter months we plan to get our accommodation completed before the opening in spring.”

Melksham will also feature in the series. “Filming was also at my mum’s house in Hornbeam Crescent,” Nigel added.

The new series will air on Channel 4 from 5th January.