CITY high flyers who gave up bright lights and high salaries to relocate to Richmond say it's definitely not grim "up North".

Almost a third of the staff at a hi-tech firm in the town have opted out of the fast lane in favour of a better quality of life in what many of their former colleagues would dismiss as a semi-rural backwater.

But, they say, the town and the neighbouring Yorkshire Dales are worth more than thousands in the bank.

Thecitysecret, which designs specialist software for investment banks and finance houses, began four years ago with two staff. The workforce expanded to 17 after turnover rocketed from £200,000 to a projected £1m this year.

Among the new workers are five who gave up the rat-race for the company's offices in a converted school in Richmond's Dundas Street.

Seriously disillusioned with London life and having holidayed in Arkengarthdale, Jonathan Heitler, his wife, Amanda, and nine-year-old son, Nicholas, risked all after falling in love with Ogglethorpe House, near Richmond town centre, on the internet. They knew they had to buy it before they even viewed it.

Mr Heitler's former employers, international investment bankers Morgan Stanley, put him in touch with Martin Worner, founder and director of thecitysecret, who offered him a job - at half his London salary. Yorkshire-born Mr Worner had set up the company after tiring of life in London.

"We were determined to move to Richmond even though it could lead to bankruptcy," said Mr Heitler, who has worked in America. "I love life in Richmond. It is a much healthier environment, with better food, access to organic deliveries and local markets, and people are far friendlier."

Nick Doan, whose high flying career took him to Tokyo, where he met his Japanese wife, returned to the UK unable to face working in London again.

An internet search turned up thecitysecret and the couple, who have two children, Rose, three, and Samantha, 18 months, found out more about Richmond and the surrounding area. Now they say it is the best place they have ever lived and a safe and pleasant environment in which to bring up a family.

"I have no regrets about making the lifestyle decision to move up here," said Mr Doan. "I can walk to work in five minutes and you can't put a price on that."

The quality of life for children was the main motive for Chris Laundy's move from London to Richmond. "When our first baby was expected, we decided we didn't want to bring up a child in London," he said.

The couple were so desperate to leave the capital that they moved to Darlington, where Mrs Laundy was born, and Mr Laundy, who had a successful career in IT, commuted to London weekly before finding his Richmond job.

"We love the facilities of Darlington but enjoy its proximity to the countryside, without the traffic jams," he said. "It's great to wander round a park and not see needles."

The financial rewards in London were immense, but family life, particularly for his children, Martha, four, and Ezra, three, and him being a part of it, was far more important, he said.

Former snowboard instructor Neil Allison could not bear the idea of being a "suit" in a big city on returning to the UK from Canada after a break from the computer industry.

Originally from Washington, Tyne and Wear, he worked as a software specialist, including a spell in Munich, before opting for a career break, and trained as a snowboard instructor.

"I enjoy the outdoor life and I find the atmosphere much more relaxed in a small town," he said. "There is not as much crime here and you can walk around without being hassled. I wouldn't have entertained a job in London or the South-East. I'm willing to work for less money as long as I'm happy."

Another North-East exile who returned after being attracted by Richmond is Ian Mitchell, originally from South Shields. He spent most of his career in software design in the US and, when he returned to the UK, was adamant he would not work in London, in spite of the huge salaries on offer.

He is staying with his parents in South Shields but plans to move to Barnard Castle. "I'm commuting 50 miles at the moment, but it's through the County Durham countryside and I look on it as quality time," he said. "Working in Richmond and living in the area means I get the lifestyle I was looking for."

Having opted out of London life to set up the company, Mr Worner said he appreciated the attractions of Richmond.

"In London and other big cities, the financial rewards are high but you tend to have to work very long hours, the transport gets everyone down and you often travel for two hours just to reach the office every day and home in the evening," he said. "Most weekends you just end up escaping.

"A small town means you can walk to work or have a pleasant, congestion-free journey and it is much better for children and family life. Being on the edge of the national park is also wonderful.

"But Richmond isn't a sleepy backwater. The rail links to London from the area are good and we have an international airport less than an hour away."