After her mum experienced a health scare in the summer, Jo Thomas felt she should make the move to be closer to her and her husband in North-West Cumbria where her mum can enjoy an independent and social lifestyle, whilst having peace of mind that family is nearby.
Shirley Turner, a retired Chemist, was living in the family home in Wolverhampton, which she had shared with her late husband and had lived in for the past 60 years.
Shirley explains: “I lived in Wolverhampton my whole life. My dad was an architect, and along with my late husband, we built our house before 1960. It’s in a little cul de sac, located on the edge of Wolverhampton and it’s very countrified and only five minutes from the countryside.”
“I was living alone with no family near me, as my daughter Jo lives up in Cumbria and my son lives in Wilmslow near Manchester. After I had a health scare in the summer, Jo became worried that family couldn’t visit me for help and support. And as were amidst the Covid pandemic, it really kicked us on to get me moving quickly, so Jo took control of the search to find a new home for me that was close to her.”
Concerned for her mum’s health and her ability to support her in the future, Jo started looking for properties in the Cumbria area that were within easy reach of her and her husband who live in the village of Cumwhinton. She also wanted to find a home that was suitable for her mum now, and as she gets older.
Jo explains: “After mum took unwell in the summer, I knew it would be better for her to be closer to me, so that if anything should happen to her again, I’m only a short drive away. I was already aware of Scalesceugh Hall & Villas having driven past the signage regularly on my work commute to Penrith. I had a look online and sent the details to mum.”
“Although I have a house with its own “granny annex”, both me and mum wanted her to have her own independent home and social life as part of a wider community and Scalesceugh offers that. And while mum still drives, it’s good that here she can stay well connected with a train station in nearby Carlisle and a bus stop at the end of the drive.”
“We looked at the apartments first as we didn’t think we could afford a villa, but we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered how affordable they were for us. I came to the development to view some of the last remaining villas and showed mum everything through FaceTime calls. We both like gardening and mum likes being close to the countryside, so we were delighted when the last remaining villa with a large garden became available. The garden looks out onto fields and woodlands beyond, and it also has a decked area and separate outdoor studio which is great for additional storage.”
Shirley comments that despite looking at other retirement property options, she felt they weren’t suited to her needs: “Although I did have a look at other local retirement developments, such as McCarthy & Stone, they weren’t for me. I didn’t want to be in the centre of a town or city. I prefer country living. Seeing greenery and trees is what I’m used to.”
“The birds here are fantastic too. I can sit out and look down my garden at them from my living room which I never used to be able to do in my previous home. The surrounding countryside is beautiful. The garden is a generous size, so there’s lots of things we can do with it.”
Jo explains how she managed the whole move for her mum, with support from our team, to ensure it happened quickly and with as little stress and hassle as possible:
“The first time mum actually saw the property in person was after we had bought it, before she moved in. Because I handled all aspects of the move for my mum, it meant she was shielded from all the hassle.”
“All the team at Scalesceugh have been very helpful throughout the whole process. It was as smooth as it could be. I followed the advice and recommendations of June, the Sales Manager. We used the company’s recommended solicitor, BPK, and removals company, County Removals, and they were both great. From reserving the villa to mum moving in took us only 11 weeks – it was very quick and slick.”
Shirley adds: “Yes, the team have been very good. They sorted everything we needed done. Owner, Bruno, has been very helpful and the removals company were great and placed everything where I wanted it to go in my new home.”
Shirley is already settling into her new home having met most of her fellow residents at Scalesceugh Villas.
“My neighbours are extremely friendly. They’re lovely. One of my neighbours, Geoff, has been great. I accidently blew my electrics when I moved in and he popped in to fix it for me! And when I couldn’t find my iPad charger amongst all my boxed up belongings, he gave me one of his.”
“I’m settling in and sleeping well – which is a tell-tale sign how well things are going I think! I’m still in contact with a lot of my friends via Skype and they’re all a bit jealous really! I look forward to them being able to visit when the Covid pandemic is over. But in the meantime, I’m glad I’ve got friendly neighbours around me.”
“The other day I met another of my neighbours, Christine, who like me, also likes to walk. We took a walk to the end of the drive together to get some fresh air and it was lovely chatting to her. I also look forward to the pool opening within the on-site Spa as I used to like swimming and would like to take it up again.”
As well as our friendly community and facilities at Scalesceugh, Shirley tells us how she is also impressed by the design of our villa which she now calls home:
“My villa is fitted with a lift which is handy for when I get older and can no longer manage the stairs. It was very useful when I was moving in actually, as it saved us carrying heavy items up the stairs! Until I need to use it, I’ve put it to good use as storage space for my vacuum and various other items.”
“My villa is very spacious. I was originally concerned with how much of my things I could bring to my new home, however I’ve brought most of my belongings. I’ve managed to find space for most of it, and so I didn’t have to get rid of much - I’m pleased with that.”
“Although my move was inevitable, it was all made very easy for me by my daughter and the team at Scalesceugh. I left my family home of 60 years, which contained a lot of lifetime memories.”
“I can now look forward to spending Christmas with Jo and her husband as they’re only a short drive away.”
You can read more of our residents' stories here.
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