Community at our heart
Life changed for us all in March, and for homeowners at Hillier Court in Romsey it was no different.
Since its opening in May 2016, the 40-apartment development in the Hampshire market town has been a vibrant place to live, with a bustling community of homeowners who have become great friends. Pre-Covid, they enjoyed an energetic social calendar, with an abundance of day trips, concerts and talks including performances by a 70-strong choir.
In recognition of the fulfilling lifestyle the homeowners lead, the development won the EAC National Housing Award in 2019 for retirement housing in the South East region, and runner up on a national scale.
It’s all made more welcoming by the warm and bubbly House Manager, Jeff, who is full of optimism and looks over the past year with great fondness.
He says: “When we opened, all 40 apartments here sold out in record time resulting in 50 strangers being thrown together in a very short space of time. From the first day, I’ve been impressed by the way homeowners made friendships and very quickly established a community here.
“When lockdown was announced, we were determined to continue life as normal as possible and through the efforts of homeowners and their families we adjusted our lifestyle, adopting the new guidelines as part of everyday life.
“We were not prepared to allow celebrations to slip through our fingers, and for events such as the 75th anniversary of VE Day we enjoyed a socially distanced gathering culminating in a line dance performance by a group of our ladies.
“As measures eased during the summer, singers performed in our pergola area, whilst homeowners relaxed on their balconies and around our splendid gardens. A cream tea event allowed us to take advantage of the new rule of six measures and almost every homeowner attended where they were waited on by Mrs Cox and myself in the now customary sanitised setting!”
Moving to Hillier Court on the first day of lockdown, Sue and Richard’s experience could have been very different. They said: “We were warmly welcomed by Jeff and several other homeowners. Our apartment has a patio and we appreciated being able to sit outside during the warm spring/summer days.
“During lockdown, Jeff did all he could to keep life as normal as possible for everyone whilst socially distancing. We celebrated VE Day in the garden and enjoyed three open air concerts and outdoor coffee mornings. We feel very fortunate to have been able to join such a lively and friendly environment in our new home.”
Our House and Estate Managers are at the heart of our developments. They take on the extremely important role in ensuring our customers are happy and making the most of everything McCarthy Stone has to offer, so that they can live their retirement years to the full.
The best way for you to experience life at McCarthy Stone is to sample the lifestyle for yourself.
