Finding friendship from her retirement home in Essex
Doreen moved to Sanders Court, a Retirement Living community in Brentwood, Essex, in February 2012, after her daughters saw an advert for the ideal apartment. She wanted to move from Billericay as she had lived on her own in a bungalow there for nine years after her husband died. She was keen to move to a community and liked the idea of making new friends - which she did very quickly.
Her closest friend Heather had moved in a couple of weeks before Doreen and they hit it off straight away. They would often take drives out to garden centres, farm shops and go out for lunch. Sadly, Heather passed away at the end of 2023.
Doreen recently bonded with another friend, 91-year-old Eileen, who moved to Sanders Court in August, over their shared history. They’ve discovered they were born in the same town - Chadwell Heath. They had also worked for the same company, Teleflex, from 1951-1953 but had never met.
A long and happy life spent in Essex
Doreen was born in Chadwell Heath in 1928 but moved to a bigger house in Goodmayes when she was seven, as she had two older brothers and one younger and they could no longer all share a bedroom.
Doreen left school at 14, and started work a month later in the office at Plessy’s (a telephone and battery manufacturer). Her favourite job however was working at Billericay Junior school as a dinner lady. She’d taken the job because she missed her youngest daughter who was then at the school.
Doreen and her husband Fred adopted two sisters, Jill and Sandra, having fostered them as babies. Doreen says adopting her girls was her “greatest achievement” as “if your face didn’t fit” you could have been turned down.
Retirement hobbies - the secret to a happy life?
Doreen says the secret to a happy life is “keeping active and fit and have lots of hobbies”. She has always been a keen gardener. She used to go down to the allotment at the end of their garden with her dad. When he wasn’t working as a bus conductor in Barking, he loved tending the allotment. He was very green fingered and taught her a lot. This passion for gardening always stuck with her, and at Sanders Court, she tended to a patch of the retirement community gardens up until her 90th birthday.
As well as gardening she used to go ballroom dancing with her husband for fun. She was always also a keen reader - she recalls how she was often told off at school for reading too far ahead in the books when it was her turn to read out loud to the class - and she loved puzzles, sewing, knitting and crochet.
Her eyesight has now deteriorated to the extent that these hobbies are not possible but that has not stopped her from getting involved in life at her retirement living community. She is a regular at the coffee mornings, bingo, quiz nights and other social events. She considers herself to be a people person and has always got on well with others. This has allowed her to make many friends at Sanders Court over the years.
Her advice to younger people is to “meet people, occupy your mind and take life easy”. If she could tell her younger self anything it would be “don’t get married so young” but she adds it was “the done thing in those days”!
Enjoy retirement hobbies and friendships at a retirement community near you
Whether you choose an independent living apartment with Retirement Living or opt for the added services of Retirement Living PLUS, our welcoming retirement communities host a range of informal gatherings, arts and crafts and fitness clubs as well as big birthday parties.
Learn more our retirement homes near you, call our friendly team on 0800 201 4811 or contact us online for more information.
