John and Lynn Bouchier have enjoyed the sense of community since moving into their one bedroom apartment at Churchill Retirement Living’s Moorhouse Lodge in Huntingdon, and are glad to have downsized and de-cluttered so they can appreciate a worry-free retirement.
John had spent his working life as a professional Ventriloquist. He was a regular on television, had worked a season at the London Palladium with Ken Dodd, and toured regularly with Morecambe and Wise. He met his wife Lynn when they were both working on board luxury cruise ships and they spent a lot of their working life at sea. Lynn was a professional Latin American Dancer, a former British and International Champion, and is also auntie to Strictly Come Dancing and musical theatre stars Kevin and Joanne Clifton.
“We felt it was just the right time to move into a retirement community,” says Lynn. “We owned a five bedroom house, had rooms which we didn’t even go into, and felt that the maintenance was taking up a lot of our time. Our daughter had moved to Kenya with her husband and we were also worried about leaving the house for long periods when we travelled.”
John says: “Living at Moorhouse Lodge reminds us of living in a community at sea as there is always someone to pass the time of day with or share a lovely coffee in the Owners’ Lounge. I’ve given a talk about my life and career, and we have had cheese and wine parties, afternoon tea parties and bridge lunches at the Lodge (prior to Covid-19).”
During lockdown John has created his own Youtube channel with a selection of footage and amusing anecdotes about his life and career, which you can check out by clicking here.
Lynn says: “We have no regrets at all about moving here, in fact we love it and are glad we have had the opportunity to sort out and declutter ready for a worry-free retirement. The Churchill team were very helpful in providing us with a professional consultant to help us with this task.
“During Lockdown we have still been able to share experiences with others during our virtual coffee mornings and having our friendly Lodge Manager Roberta at the door as we go out for our daily exercise has been great. She is always willing to chat and sorts out any problems we have.”