'I quit my job and sold my home to live on a boat'

5 days ago

Luke Dealand

Alice Cunningham,Suffolk

Holly Brookes A woman takes a selfie on the bow of a small houseboat. She has long brown hair, tattoos on her arm and wears a grey T-shirt with black leggings and cream croc shoes. — Holly Brookes has followed in her late father's footsteps by buying her own houseboat

A woman is beginning a new life after being inspired by her late father to quit her full-time job and sell her home to live on and renovate a houseboat.

Holly Brookes, 32, from Suffolk, left her job within social media earlier this year and moved on to the boat a few weeks ago.

She was inspired by her dad Pete who died from Alzheimer's in 2022 and had spent a long period also living on a houseboat.

"I always wanted to follow in his footsteps," she said.

Luke Deal/BBC A woman with long brown hair wearing a grey T-shirt stands on a dock next to a boat. She is smiling at the camera. The boat behind her is white with some blue panels. — Brookes said she would quit her full-time job and sell her home again in a "heartbeat"

"I also feel like society isn't really set up for people to live as a single person so I really wanted to be able to live without all of these outgoings and be able to do a bit more with my life.

"I wanted to do something different, I didn't want to follow the norm and I didn't want to follow the path that society wants people to take.

"I quit my job, left my house, moved into a houseboat. Simple."

She added: "I think [my dad] would be happy to see me doing this."

Holly Brookes A man with grey hair and a grey beard smiles at the camera. He wears a grey jumper and he is standing in front of a river. — Brookes said her dad Pete, who died four years ago, had spent a long period living on a houseboat

Brookes moved into her 31ft (9.4m) boat a few weeks ago and has been documenting her renovation journey on social media, where she has more than 100,000 followers.

She is currently ensuring the boat is waterproof while continuing to work as a freelancer within social media.

She explained she had had to downsize a lot of her belongings to ensure they could fit in the boat which she shares with her golden Labrador, Bailey.

Luke Deal/BBC Holly Brookes crouches in the doorway into her houseboat. A golden Labrador dog sits in front of her. — Brookes shares her houseboat with her dog, Bailey

Holly Brookes The interior of a houseboat. A golden Labrador dog stands at the top of a small set of stairs that leads into another part of the boat. There is a small kitchen area to the right of the image where mugs hang on hooks and tea towels hang over the edge of a small partitioning. — Brookes said it would be like playing Jenga with her belongings as she renovated different parts of the boat

"I absolutely love it; it's been an adventure. I relish it," she said.

"I love being so close to the elements. I love listening to the rain on the roof – you're so close to everything.

"The boat rocking when the tide is up and you can just lay there and it rocks you to sleep.

"I just love it. It's amazing."

Brookes has no timeline for the renovation work and no plan for what to do after it is completed.

But she added that she would quit her job and sell her house again "in a heartbeat" after having such a positive experience so far.

Holly Brookes A view down the side of a small houseboat that is moored on the edge of a river. The boat is painted white at the front and its rear is covered by a blue plastic sheeting with clear panels simulating windows. — Brookes said the boat had a surprising amount of storage but she was still having to shed some of her possessions

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