Ann Carthy is the first to admit that she had no intention of moving into a retirement apartment when she was looking to sell her large family home in Penn Hill in Poole, Dorset. “I hated flats and was adamant that I wanted to move to a bungalow. Then, my friend, Angela, who was looking for one for herself, asked me to go along with her to look at the retirement apartment at Churchill Lodge in Lilliput.” As soon as Ann saw the beautifully decorated Show Apartments at Churchill Lodge, her mind changed. She continues, “I walked into apartment 17 and something happened in my heart. The apartment was beautiful and the development was lovely. My only concern was that I wouldn’t be able to bring my little dog, Guy, who I bought for company when my husband died, with me, so when I found out I could, that was the icing on the cake and I put down my deposit there and then!”
Ann who worked as a nurse from the age of 18 and then ran a rest home for 14½ years before retiring when her husband became ill, had a large 6-bedroom house which she was having difficulty selling and therefore chose to take advantage of Churchill Living’s Home Exchange scheme.
“Churchill Living’s Home Exchange scheme really made it happen for me. I had had my property on the market for a long time and was struggling to sell it, but Home Exchange took away all the hassle and stress of selling, and enabled me to move into my beautiful new apartment. Without it, I am sure I would still be trying to sell my house now.”
Within 3 weeks of deciding to go on to the scheme, Ann, her partner Mike and their little dog Guy had moved into their new apartment and Ann is really enjoying the extra free time she has and the new friends she has made at Churchill Lodge.
“I have more time to go walking, more time to go out lunch with my friends and am nearer to my sister. We regularly have friends over to dinner; in fact, I chose to turn the second bedroom into a dining room, as I really couldn’t be without my dining room! And we have already had lots of visitors. My old house was always full during the Summer and I can still have people to stay as there is a beautiful and very comfortable Guest Suite.”
“We have regular coffee mornings and held a BBQ in the gardens a couple of weeks ago. Everyone is very friendly, but you aren’t in each other’s pockets. The Lodge Manager, Peter, is a lovely man. He is so patient and bends over backwards to help us. The development is central to everywhere, to the shops in Bournemouth, Poole and Castlepoint, the theatre, beautiful gardens, the marina and seafront cafés. I really couldn’t ask for more!”
Churchill Lodge features a selection of one and two-bedroom self-contained retirement apartments, all of which benefit from a video-entry system, a 24-hour emergency telephone system, and a Lodge Manager. Communal facilities include an Owners’ Lounge and Guest Suite, and landscaped gardens. Conveniently placed for all of Lilliput’s amenities, the development is on a level walk to the local shops and services.