Mike Money and his wife Sheila moved to Grove Place Retirement Community two years ago. He explains how it was the perfect move for them.

The outside space was the first thing to attract us to Grove Place. But we soon realised the sense of community was just as important.

When I retired nearly 12 years ago, my wife Sheila and I downsized from a barn conversion in Cardiff to a penthouse apartment in Bournemouth. It was a mistake — we had no garden and we missed it badly. We started looking at retirement villages but none of them were what we wanted. Then we visited friends at Grove Place.

As soon as we arrived we thought, ‘They’ve got it right’. The 27 acres of shared land was perfect and the place just had a really nice feel about it.

When a one-bedroom bungalow became available, we went back to Grove Place to take a look. As soon as we stepped inside, we knew it was the home for us. The patio leads onto a large terrace with a great view of the fields. Here was the great outdoors we had missed so badly in our Bournemouth apartment.

As well as the feeling of space, the big attraction was the welcoming nature of the residents and staff. That, and the variety of amenities and activities, means we can dip in and out of anything that’s on offer. We have the privacy and comfort of our bungalow with a relaxed, fun community  immediately on hand.

If we want to get out and about, Romsey is very close and we often go out for lunch or dinner, as there’s a great choice of restaurants. The location of Grove Place just ticked all the boxes. Friends who visit often comment that we’re very lucky to live here.

Downsizing to a one-bedroom property seemed a bit challenging at first, but much of my career was in the Royal Airforce and it helped us not to accumulate too much. Now it is the perfect size
for us. There is a guest apartment if any of our visitors want to stay overnight, so we don’t need a spare bedroom.

Moving in was made even easier by the staff. They couldn’t have been more helpful. When our boiler stopped working, the maintenance man was with us within 20 minutes. Two days later, we had a brand new boiler fitted. We’re taken care of very well here.

We use the facilities a lot. The restaurant is great and the bar is the perfect place to catch up with the new friends we have made. I’m often in the snooker room and Sheila loves the choir club and the aqua classes in the Grove Place pool. There’s the added bonus of an on-site nursing home currently in the works. That will be a great comfort as we get older.

We’re hosting a private dinner party in the Middleton Room soon. It’s our way of saying thank you to the residents who made us feel so welcome when we moved here. We’re planning it with the chef at the moment. That is what it’s all about, really. The people. The location and all the facilities are brilliant, but it’s the residents and staff that really make Grove Place what it is.

To arrange a visit to Grove Place, please contact Sales Manager – Wendy Griffith on
T. 023 8124 4275 or E. [email protected]