Local Travels from America to Ottery St Mary in Search of Her Dream Home
Beryl Tushingham has lived in many beautiful places all over the world, from Canada to California, but it wasn’t until she moved across the Atlantic from New York State to Ottery St Mary that she was able to find her perfect home. She is now settled in to McCarthy Stone’s Tumbling Weir Court Retirement Living development in Ottery St Mary, and is excited for her next adventure in Devon.
UK-born Beryl, 94, first moved abroad in 1952 when her late-husband began working for the Canadian Navy as a Lieutenant Commander, shortly after the Second World War. They settled in Canada for 10 years, before heading to America, where they enjoyed moving across the states – from California to New Jersey and finally, New York State. After her husband sadly passed away in 1980, Beryl returned to England, where she lived in Wiltshire with her family, before going back to live the American dream once more in the pretty colonial village of Kinderhook within New York State in 2013.
Beryl always knew she would want to return back to the UK to be closer to her family. While she enjoyed her years in America, the climate in North New York State could be fierce; the long icy cold winters and unbearably hot summers became too much for Beryl. On top of that, American politics was becoming increasingly turbulent and the impact of Covid-19 was difficult to cope with, so Beryl made the decision to return to England.
Beryl’s daughter, Susan, who lives near Cullompton, conducted an extensive search of suitable retirement developments in their local area, and found McCarthy Stone’s Tumbling Weir Court. The development was the perfect fit for Beryl as it allowed her to continue living an independent lifestyle, but with the peace of mind that she always has help on hand if she ever needed it.
Beryl moved from America to Tumbling Weir Court in November 2020, and was able to rent her new one-bedroom apartment in Ottery St Mary thanks to the flexible payment options offered by McCarthy Stone.
Beryl says: “I was really pleased that McCarthy Stone offered rental options as I wanted to maintain my flexible lifestyle, so it suited me perfectly. The team took care of the whole process and made it all as simple as possible, so I was really grateful to them. As I’m renting there’s no hassle with property chains either, which made everything so much easier.”
When the time came for Beryl to journey back to England, it certainly wasn’t without its challenges. She comments: “My furniture was delayed in the channel for weeks as the port at Southampton was very busy, so when I first arrived at the development the team at Tumbling Weir Court had to rally around and gather some furniture for me to use for the first couple of months, which I was really grateful for. Amazingly, when everything finally arrived in January, it was in pristine condition and my piano didn’t even need retuning!
“I was also delighted that Tumbling Weir Court is a pet friendly development, so I was able to bring my beloved tabby cat, Sylvie, to start our new life in England together. However, due to the various Covid-19 disruptions she somehow managed to end up in Amsterdam! We had to bring her back to Devon via courier - I was extremely worried at the time, but thankfully she’s now settled into life in England. Luckily, I was able to enjoy the comforts of Business Class, so my journey was definitely more relaxed than poor Sylvie’s, even if we did end up landing in Birmingham instead of Bristol because of the flight restrictions!”
Now that Beryl is settled in her new home, she has been able to reflect on her first few months at Tumbling Weir Court. She has received a huge amount of support from the development’s House Manager, Moya Catney, and is looking forward to being a part of the active community at the development once the lockdown restrictions ease.
Beryl comments: “Our House Manager, Moya, has been fantastic. She has helped me to settle into my new apartment and is definitely someone I can turn to in an emergency; nothing is ever too much trouble. She is always very friendly and approachable, we’re really lucky to have her.
“We also have such excellent facilities here at Tumbling Weir Court, I am really looking forward to meeting new friends in the homeowners’ lounge and enjoying the social activities when it is safe to do so.
“Conveniently, there is also a guest suite within the development where friends and family can stay, so when we are able to, I’m excited to have my family from America over to visit.”
Nicki Beswarick, Divisional Marketing Manager for McCarthy Stone Southern, comments: “It’s really rewarding to see people like Beryl making such a big move from America to Ottery St Mary and enjoying the safe and supportive retirement community we have built here.
“We aim to make the purchase and moving process as easy as possible for our new homeowners. Once they have moved in, our dedicated staff are on hand to help, as well as taking care of all the maintenance tasks, so that Beryl can sit back, relax and enjoy her retirement years.”
