There’s nothing like a retirement village that takes you back to your university heyday
Wadswick Green near Corsham in Wiltshire will comprise of 246, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, set over 25 acres when complete.
The facilities include a waitress-service restaurant, bar, spa, indoor pool and landscaped gardens. And with prices starting from £310,000, two-bed homes are certainly more affordable than you might find elsewhere.
A concierge-style service is also provided and discreet, personalised 24-hour care and support available onsite if required. There will even be private consultation rooms for visiting GPs.
Not much in common with the facilities we enjoyed at university but a nod to the naval college that used to occupy the site and an innovative idea from the architect, Dale Jennings, who has designed Wadswick Green around his digs at Cambridge University.
So there are no long corridors linking apartments but modern blocks of contemporary open-plan living spaces built around quadrangles and courtyards. Ideal for the over 60s who have lots of social spaces so they meet their neighbours and make new friends. Such is Wadswick’s attraction that a university vice-chancellor is moving in in June.
Owners who have bought in the first phase of this contemporary development are an eclectic mix including former nurse Anneka Rossiter, 85, whose late husband was a renowned artist; several retired captains of industry; a mother and daughter who have bought neighbouring properties; and a former professional harpist.
[pullquote1 quotes=”true” align=”right” variation=”purple”]It’s not just our owners who seem to be enjoying a new lease of life – their pets are as well.[/pullquote1]
According to Wadswick’s sales director Honor Barratt, owners have breathed new life into the site where a former naval college once stood attended by Lord Mountbatten and the Duke of Edinburgh. They have also reinvigorated the surrounding area too, filling up the pews at the local church on Sunday and regularly visiting the local post office.
A romance has also blossomed and a musical owner, who has moved in with her grand piano, has plans to set up a Wadswick Choir.
“It’s not just our owners who seem to be enjoying a new lease of life – their pets are as well,” says Honor.
Anneka Rossiter moved in with her beloved golden retriever Bella, 14. “Here Bella can run off the lead into the woods and has made lots of new friends,” she said. “We are both enjoying new leases of life.”
Anneka’s late husband was celebrated artist Anthony Rossiter who died in 2000. After his death Anneka moved to be near her solicitor daughter in Bath. But after reaching 80 she decided it was time to look for a property where she could be cared for if needed.
“I didn’t want to burden my daughter with looking after me,” says Anneka, who had no hang ups about leaving her family home as she had already left her native country of Holland to move to the UK.
“We looked at several options but when I came to visit Wadswick Green I was completely blown away,” adds daughter, Annalisa, 57.
“The brochure was actually true. The facilities were fabulous and everyone seemed so welcoming. I was sure that mum was going to be happy here.”
Since the opening of the Greenhouse restaurant, in the main Pavilion clubhouse which has huge picture windows and a bar, Annalisa comes regularly to have lunch with her mother.
“My two daughters love visiting too as they think granny’s home is very cool and not at all what you might expect from a village designed for older people.” You have to be over 60 to live at Wadswick Green.
“I cannot believe at my age to have a fantastic flat and all the facilities of a pool and gym,” adds Anneka. “And Dimitrij, the personal instructor who looks after the gym, is so friendly he even took me shopping to buy me some new trainers.”
It is also a great relief to Annalisa that her mum is so well cared for.
The Greenhouse and bar at Wadswick Green
“She is in a wonderful, safe environment with genuinely caring staff and I am only 10-minutes drive away,” she says.
“What’s more after we did the maths we found there was not a lot of difference between the cost of maintaining mum’s former home and the service charges here.”
ANNALISA’S TIPS FOR FINDING A PROPERTY FOR YOUR PARENTS
1. Older parents need to recognise the pressure they are putting on their children if they are resistant to moving somewhere more suitable to their future needs.
2. Give plenty of time to plan, source and find a retirement property and to declutter your parents’ home.
3. Your parents are more likely to continue living in their own home if they move; providing the new home is properly equipped – i.e. has a bathroom and bedroom on one level; access for wheelchair and lift if it is on an upper floor.
4. The interior design at Wadswick Green incorporates wide aisles, low-level ovens, shallow shelving, easy-to-use taps, a wet room, step-free flooring and lifts to all apartments. There is also Broadband, Wi-Fi, telephone and satellite outlets.
5. Pets are cherished and welcomed at Wadswick but you do need to check with other places.
6. Your parents will continue to live independently if they move to a property that is more geared to their needs.
Prices for remaining Courtyard apartments: Two-bed from £399,000; Three-bed from £560,000 including parking.
Prices for Pavilion apartments: One-bed from £265,000 and two-bed from £310,000.
All apartments have a balcony or terrace and feature double-aspect, double-glazed windows with one view onto the countryside and another onto the courtyard.
For more information visit www.wadswickgreen.co.uk /0800 092 9030
Wadswick Green also offers a ‘buy-to-let’ investment opportunity for younger people who are not yet ready to move and start a new phase of life themselves.
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