When Ali Sharpe\u2019s parents\u00a0\u00a0moved into Churchill Retirement Living\u2019s Dean Lodge development in Southbourne, on the Dorset coast, nobody expected Ali and her husband Bob to move in too.<\/p>\n
Ali 61, the former director of the Bournemouth Community Gospel Choir, said: \u201cWe were visiting my parents one lovely day. We\u2019d been on the beach and were walking up to the visitor\u2019s entrance of Dean Lodge and I noticed a For Sale sign on the French window of one of the ground floor apartments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI commented to my husband Bob that it was for sale and I\u2019d like to have a look. We found it was open and had a look around.<\/p>\n
“We were living in our family home at the time \u2013 a big four-bedroom house we\u2019d done up when the kids were little and now they\u2019d moved out and it was beginning to look like it needed a bit of work.<\/p>\n
“Bob [a retired librarian and professional after dinner speaker]\u00a0isn\u2019t a fan of DIY so when I pointed out the beautiful new kitchen and shiny bathroom suites in the apartment at Dean Lodge he started to have a serious think about it. And there was plenty of room for our baby grand piano too!<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got to my parents and mum remarked we were later than expected. I told her we had been buying the apartment downstairs. The statement had come out as a joke comment but actually Bob and I were both thinking it was the right move for us. Within half an hour the four of us were in the sales office watching the signing of the papers. It took just one week to sell our old house and we moved in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor so many reasons this has been the best move we have ever made,” Ali added. “It is a perfectly easily maintained place to live and we have cut down our running costs by downsizing.<\/p>\n
“We are on-hand to help out my parents and our children love to visit. We love being close to the beach where walks or swims are a daily routine.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s also wonderful to be a part of a friendly community where we care about each other without needing to intrude. And of course, my beloved baby grand piano fits perfectly!\u201d<\/p>\n
As well as offering a range of 42 apartments for the over 60s, Dean Lodge\u00a0has an\u00a0owners\u2019 lounge and a guest suite \u2013 so ideal for visiting friends and family to stay. One bedroom apartments are available from \u00a3242,950<\/p>\n