Knowing when the right time is to make a move can be a big decision, particularly in later life. For Valerie Goodwin, 80, the choice to downsize to Churchill Living’s Hartismere Mews in Diss was both practical and motivated by the desire to live fully, while she was active and could really make the most of it.
Valerie grew up in Suffolk and enjoyed a successful career as a Management Accountant before retiring early at just 42. The decades that followed were mostly spent tending to her large half-acre garden, and later in a bungalow in the nearby village of Botesdale.
During their time living in Botesdale, Valerie’s husband’s health declined, and after his passing in 2024, Valerie was faced with the decision of what she should do next.
Her instinct was to wait for at least a year before making any big decisions. However, it was only when she came across Churchill’s cottages at Hartismere Mews that her mindset shifted.
“Opening the newspaper one Sunday and seeing the article about the open day at Hartismere Mews, I never would’ve expected that just months later I would be moving in here. Despite feeling as though I should wait to move following my husband’s passing, I realised that it was so important to act while I was still physically and mentally strong enough,” Valerie says. “Waiting too long can make the whole process so much more stressful. I wanted to do it while I still had the energy to enjoy everything this community has to offer. Now I spend far less time worrying about maintaining my home and much more time doing the things I love."
Valerie’s previous home - a four-bedroom bungalow on a third of an acre of land, complete with a fruit frame, vegetable patch and numerous trees and shrubs - had become difficult to manage alone, particularly with summer approaching. Despite that, keeping her own garden was crucial and key to her decision to move to Hartismere Mews.
Although there are a number of spacious and stylish apartments at Churchill’s development in Diss, Valerie wasn’t quite ready to downsize to an apartment. “The cottages here were exactly what I was looking for. Having my own space and a gorgeous little garden to continue one of my favourite hobbies made the decision so easy for me.” Valerie reserved her home on the spot, during that very open day.
The community at Mere Lodge next door has been a bonus. Valerie enjoys coffee mornings and social events there when her schedule allows – though that’s not always easy, because she keeps herself incredibly busy. She volunteers three mornings a week at the PACT animal sanctuary shop, has recently joined the Cinnamon Trust to walk dogs, and every Wednesday drives back to her former village to help serve lunch to elderly residents at the local community centre.
“Keeping busy is essential for a healthy body and mind,” says Valerie. “It helps me not to dwell on the sadness of losing my husband and I get to help other people, and animals, in the process. It’s very rewarding.”
Her new home has also given her the space and peace to continue a lifelong passion too. Valerie has played the piano since she was 11 – that’s 70 years – and her piano now has pride of place in her spacious cottage. Valerie adds, “Amongst my other hobbies, volunteering and socialising at Mere Lodge, I make sure to set aside 30 minutes every day to play my piano – albeit I do feel every day when I sit on the stool that I’m back to where I started the day before, but I enjoy it.”
Valerie is so happy at Hartismere Mews that she recommended it to her friends too, who moved into an apartment there just two months after she arrived.
For Valerie, the move has given her everything she hoped for: a lower-maintenance lifestyle, a garden that’s just the right size for her, and the perfect base for a life that shows no signs of slowing down.
“I’m delighted I made the move when I did,” she says. “While I was young enough and fit enough to really enjoy it and make the most of it.”
