A celebrated children’s author has been sharing her tales of mysterious sea creatures and magical mermaids after deciding to call Churchill Retirement Living’s Sheldon Lodge development in Berkhamsted home.
88-year old Grace Hallworth has had more than 16 books published over a successful career spanning 32 years.
Born and raised in Trinidad, Grace trained as a librarian and opened her own children’s library in her hometown of Woodbrook, Port of Spain. She moved to England in 1956 where she followed her love of full-time storytelling.
Grace’s first book, Cric Crac, was published in 1990 and featured a collection of traditional tales from the West Indies. Throughout her career, she has appeared at many international festivals, on radio and on television, as well as serving on a number of children’s literature award panels.
Today, Grace has settled into life at the Lodge while writing her new book, I Heard The Mermaid Singing.
Grace said: “Many of my books feature rhymes, games and songs remembered from my own Trinidadian childhood, and I have been very lucky to be able to do something that I love for so long. My favourite book that I have written is Mermaids & Monsters. It is a collection of stories from the sea capturing the enchantments of mermaids and monsters of the deep, including the “Merhu” – part sea creatures, part human. I always enjoy letting my imagination run wild and seeing what magical characters I can create.”
Grace moved into her brand new two-bedroom apartment at Sheldon Lodge on the High Street following a recommendation from a close friend.
She added: “I was living in a second floor flat and had begun to find that the stairs were becoming a problem. I visited Sheldon Lodge with some friends and loved the ground floor flat that I was shown. At first, I felt very lonely because I had lost my husband, but after speaking with my new neighbours, I quickly felt at home. I have settled in well and have plenty of time to work on my new book. I also attend regular events in the Owners’ Lounge – I particularly enjoy it when we have a local school visiting so I can share some of my stories with them.”
Sheldon Lodge is a stylish collection of 48 one and two bedroom privately-owned retirement apartments. Each apartment has been designed exclusively for those in their retirement years and has a number of safety and security features, such as a 24 hour emergency call line and a video entry system, for complete peace of mind.
The development is set in landscaped grounds in a central location, just a short distance from public transport links, shops and all the local amenities on offer in Berkhamsted.
Prices at Sheldon Lodge start from £344,950 for a one–bedroom apartment and £548,950 for a two-bedroom apartment. For further information about the Lodge, please call 01442 330 235.