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Lloyd Family

Gareth and Zoe Lloyd were hoping to make a fresh start in Australia. When their son Riley was born a move looked impossible, so where are they now?

Following a life filled with traumatic experiences the Lloyd family were hoping Australia could give them the fresh start they were longing for. Back in 2014 we sent them for a trial week down under before asking them to make the biggest decision of their lives - whether to stay in the UK or move to the other side of the world for good.

The Lloyd family consisted of Gareth, Zoe, then 14-year-old Conor, Riley, who was five, and Mason, a baby at the time. Gareth and Zoe met when they were teenagers at a holiday camp in Gareth's home town in north Wales. It was love at first sight, and Zoe was pregnant a few months later. The traumatic premature birth of Conor was an experience Zoe never forgot, and shortly after getting him home from hospital the couple were dealt another tragic blow when they were in a fatal car accident that left a friend dead and Zoe badly injured.

After returning to Zoe's home town in England the couple settled down - until Gareth introduced his idea of moving to Australia. He had qualified as a heating engineer and knew his skills were wanted
down under. Just as he had persuaded Zoe to give it a chance she became pregnant for a second time. When their second son was born though, their hopes of emigrating were dashed - Riley had been born with albinism, a condition that meant he had no pigment in his skin and was very sensitive to sunlight. Moving to one of the hottest countries on earth seemed a no-go. But online research showed Australia had a robust attitude to staying safe in the sun. It meant the couple believed a move might not be as crazy as it sounded.

So after a decade of discussion the family were about to discover if living in a country they had never visited might have given them a new beginning. They had an extraordinary trial week in Adelaide which delivered everything they hoped for and more - but at what potential cost?

It's been three years since we last heard from the Lloyds, so where will we find them living now?

45 minutes

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:01

    Rod Thomas

    Bedtime Glory

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Nicki Chapman
Executive Producer Paul Connolly
Production Manager Joy Hines
Series Producer Jacqui Berkeley

Broadcasts