Our first home as newlyweds – in a retirement village
THINK of first homes for couples and you might imagine young people in flats or small houses close to town centres. But an increasing number of couples seeking first homes together are older people looking for properties in retirement developments.
John and Jane Booth are newlyweds who have recently moved into Ortus Homes’ new Bewick Grange development in Harrogate, North Yorkshire – their first home together. ‘My wife and I met on a dating website last year and are excited to be settling into our first home together as a married couple,’ says John, 73.
Online dating is an increasingly popular way for older people to find love, and a survey of 2,000 over-65s by Ortus Homes’ parent company, McCarthy & Stone, has revealed that nearly 19 per cent of pensioners are members of an online dating service, rising to 27 per cent of those aged between 70 and 74. And a third of those aged from 65 to 74 said they had met someone special online.
‘We know of a handful of our homeowners who have met using an online dating service and moved into one of our apartments so they can live together for the first time,’ says Geoff Bates, McCarthy & Stone’s head of brand and communications.
Henry Johnston, 81, moved into McCarthy & Stone’s Paxton Court development in the Welsh seaside town of Tenby with his partner Kathy after they met online in 2012, marrying the following year.
Henry was awarded an MBE in 2004 for his charity work with Pembrokeshire Crossroads Care service. He and Kathy had both kept their own properties running before deciding it was time to downsize and get a place they could call home together.
‘Now we can really make the most of our new married life together, comfortable in the knowledge that everything we need is right on our doorstep and support is on hand should we ever need it,’ Henry says.
Paxton Court comprises 36 apartments in a converted Victorian building overlooking the sea in the heart of Tenby. In contrast, Bewick Grange in Harrogate is a low-rise modern development set in gardens, and the apartments have balconies or terraces. But one particular aspect appealed to the Booths. ‘We also brought along my pet cat, Charlie, to complete our home,’ says John. ‘The option to have pets in the development was a major consideration when we looked to move, as he is very much part of the family.’
Charlie would have also fitted in at Renaissance Villages’ Durrants development in Faygate, near Horsham in West Sussex.
There, to encourage the companionship that can be so important in later years, pets are welcomed. And at Anchor Homes’ Bishopstoke Park in Hampshire – another development that welcomes pets – resident Alison Frankel makes use of the extensive grounds there to walk her neighbours’ dogs.
Geoff Bates recognises that the people choosing retirement developments are changing, and that their youthful outlooks are reflected in the shifting make-up of residents and how they choose to live.
‘For many retirees, 90 is the new 70. They are independent individuals who are travelling the world, learning new skills, seeking new experiences, and perhaps for the first time have the means to be able to do so.
‘There is an ever-evolving reality of what it means to be retired.’