Churchill Retirement Living has welcomed its first Owners at Hardy Lodge in Shaftesbury, where a thriving community is starting to take shape.
The age exclusive development on Coppice Street, just a short walk from Shaftesbury town centre, has seen the first wave of Owners move into their brand new one and two bedroom apartments.
Among them is 81 year old John Blake and his wife Angelina, who moved into Hardy Lodge in March. John said: “We’d lived in our three-bedroom bungalow with a huge garden in Shaftesbury for years, but it was becoming quite a job to maintain. Angelina lost her two sisters last year and it made us realise that we would be leaving our two sons a lot to sort out if we stayed in our big house, so we decided to downsize.
We wanted to stay in Shaftesbury, as our two sons live here, so we purchased a one-bedroom apartment at Hardy Lodge. It was quite a task downsizing from our home to the apartment, there were certainly a lot of trips to the charity shop and the tip to get rid of things, but we did it. It was certainly the right move for us!
“We have settled in really well and the Lodge Manager Rosie is lovely. We go down to the Owners’ Lounge regularly for the various coffee mornings and afternoon teas that happen and enjoy meeting new Owners as they move in.
“We are both very active so we are always out and about, we enjoy going for trips to garden centres and for walks locally too. I still drive so we have kept our car, but as the Lodge is so close to the town centre, everything is just a short walk away.”
Hardy Lodge is a development of 42 apartments, ideally placed to enjoy the many attractions on offer in the charming market town of Shaftesbury and the surrounding Dorset countryside. The apartments at Hardy Lodge have been designed to make life easier and more enjoyable in retirement years. All the apartments have spacious rooms throughout and an ideal combination of design and functionality.
The fully fitted, stylish kitchens include a built in fridge and freezer, washer/ dryer, plus hob and an oven, which is located at an easy-reach height. All of the properties also benefit from illuminated light switches for added convenience. Owners enjoy ultimate peace of mind from a fitted video entry system for the highest level of security and a 24 hour emergency call system.
With less to worry about, Owners have more time to do the things they enjoy, including taking advantage of the host of other benefits on offer including having family or friends to stay in the development’s well-appointed Guest Suite, and enjoying a chat with neighbours, or attending one of the many events, in the Owners’ Lounge. They can also benefit from Churchill’s Reward Card, which gives them access to exclusive deals and discounts on a variety of national brands and local retailers.
The beautiful historic market town of Shaftesbury is perched high on a hill overlooking the Blackmore Vale. The town offers a range of leisure facilities including a variety of shops and a library. Shaftesbury Arts Centre also stages exhibitions, performances and workshops throughout the year. The town also has two museums - Gold Hill Museum at the top of the iconic Gold Hill, and Shaftesbury Abbey Museum in the abbey grounds.
For more information about the apartments available at Hardy Lodge, please call 01747 244341 or visit the show complex, open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am until 5pm. Alternatively, please click here.