Eileen Durkin and her husband have discovered a freedom in retirement they never imagined they could have thanks to Churchill
Eileen Durkin and her husband moved to Dovehouse Lodge, a development of 53 one-and-two-bedroom apartments for the over 60s in Hitchin, Hertfordshire from a four-bedroom house, which they felt was too large for their needs.
Keen to stay in their local area to be near to her daughter, the couple moved in soon after the development was completed in 2020.
Eileen and her husband, who are in their mid-60s, are known as the ‘babies’ of their Churchill community, but Eileen feels that they made the move at just the right time.
“Moving to our beautiful Churchill apartment has given us almost a new lease of life,” she enthuses. “We now have the freedom to do what we want, when we want and not worry about looking after a big house.
“We are safe and secure in the knowledge that security in our apartment is second to none.
“We’ve also joined an amazing community of other homeowners and can join in activities when we want to, but also have privacy should we need it.
“Having a Lodge Manager on site is also very helpful if we ever have a problem.
“When we decided to retire we discussed the possibility of downsizing to a bungalow.
“However, it soon became clear that firstly we didn’t want to spend time refurbishing our new home, and secondly we wanted that sense of community.
“We came across Dovehouse Lodge and we have never looked back. The Churchill team were amazing and no question from us was left unanswered.
“We soon realised this is what we want for our retirement.
“To anyone considering a move to a Churchill retirement development, I would say do what we did, don’t wait.
“We wanted to sort out our future as soon as we retired and went ahead, and we have proved it was the best thing to do.
“Hopefully we will have many happy years to enjoy a long retirement and not have to worry about having to move again any time in the future.
“Dovehouse Lodge is in a perfect location. It’s so close to the lovely market town of Hitchin with so many coffee shops and restaurants, a market square where you can sit and enjoy many activities, a market several times per week where you can browse, and amazing walks in and around the vicinity.”
Hitchin is also home to Benslow Music which hosts regular recitals and concerts featuring visiting professionals and offers music courses at all levels.
Benslow attracts a community of music lovers so is an ideal place to meet like-minded folk.
When it comes to transport links, there are also regular trains from Hitchin to London’s King’s Cross which take under 50 minutes.
“You don’t need a car as the town is only 10 minutes’ walk away. Or if you want to stay closer to home Dovehouse Lodge has beautiful gardens,” Eileen adds.
“I’ve taken up such a range of hobbies since moving here. I was never a big walker, but now I go out to enjoy the surrounding area with my husband all the time. My friends here go to lots of classes, like dancing, and I do too.
“When we told people we were moving to a retirement apartment, they often assumed we were moving to a care home. But Churchill offers totally independent living. True, there’s always someone to talk to if things aren’t going well and no one is ever forgotten about. But if you want to be left to your own devices, that’s fine too.”
