71-year old Malcolm Boltwood from Churchill Retirement Living’s Simmonds Lodge in Drayton is thought to be the proud owner of the largest polo shirt collection in Portsmouth.
When Malcolm decided it was time to downsize to a retirement development, his main priority was finding enough storage space to fit his extravagant collection of more than 200 polo shirts. Malcolm has grown his extraordinary assortment of shirts over ten years, buying new ones every time he travelled abroad with tops from as far afield as the USA, Turkey and Greece.
Malcolm said: “I like bright colours and have got a shirt in every colour of the rainbow, in all different shades too. I got into the habit of buying new shirts every time I travelled, which is why I’ve got so many. When I was looking to move, I visited Churchill’s Simmonds Lodge and reserved a great one-bedroom apartment. It was the show apartment so I purchased it with all of the furniture included - all I needed to bring with me was my shirts!
“The sales team at Churchill were great. When I asked if I could have an extra built-in wardrobe installed to fit my collection in, they went over and above to get this sorted for me. Even better, from making the reservation to moving in, the process only took two weeks so I was settling into my new home sooner than I had planned.”
Malcolm, who moved to the development from his home in Southsea, wanted an apartment that was closer to his 93-year old mum who lives in Stamshaw.
“My mum lives on her own so I wanted to move closer to her so that I could see her as much as possible and help out with anything she needs. I have friends who bought an apartment at Summerson Lodge in Portsmouth and I loved the lifestyle on offer, so I knew Simmonds Lodge was the right choice for me. Everyone at the Lodge is really friendly, and I can choose when I want to mix. We’ve got a great Owners’ Lounge with a coffee bar, where everyone can catch-up.”
Simmonds Lodge is a collection of 52 one and two bedroom privately owned apartments offering quality retirement accommodation and safe, independent living. Located on Havant Road in the suburb of Drayton, a small residential area in the city of Portsmouth, it has all amenities right on your doorstep including various shops, supermarket, dentist, doctor’s surgery and a golf club.
The development has been specially designed with the over 60s in mind, with features such as a video-entry system, lift to all floors, a 24 hour care and support system and a Lodge Manager for complete peace of mind. Communal facilities include an Owners’ Lounge which owners use for socialising and events, communal landscaped gardens, Guest Suite, Wellbeing Suite providing health and beauty treatments and a Fitness Suite. It also has its own on-site coffee bar where owners can enjoy a drink and mingle with their neighbours.
The apartments at Simmonds Lodge start from £250,950 for a one bedroom apartment and £357,950 for a two bedroom apartment. For more information, visit the show complex open daily from 10am to 5pm or call 02392 807 579.