A rosy retirement
Developments now come with allotments to keep green-fingered residents fit and happy
WE All know that gardening is good for body and soul. So it makes sense that allotments are a growing part of the scene in retirement developments.
‘Watching gardens grow is nurturing,’ says Susie layton, who bought a home at Stuart Court, a development for the over 55s in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, with her husband, Derek.
The couple, aged 68 and 77 respectively, moved into a large three- bedroom terrace house earlier this year. Susie was an interior designer and now does some gilding part-time; Derek worked in bio technology.
‘We saw the house had three balconies, so I knew I’d be able to do some container gardening, but when I learnt that there were allotments available it was too tantalising not to buy,’ she says.
They’d previously owned a large house with 60 acres, a massive vegetable garden and herbaceous borders. So Susie was itching to take full advantage of the newly opened plots at Stuart Court.
An addition to the 26 homes on the estate, the development of seven homes and eight allotments was opened by Princess Anne in June. Properties start at £685,000 for a three- bedroom cottage, stuartcourt.co.uk.
‘The mini-allotments allow those who love gardening to continue their hobby and the whole community enjoys them,’ says Sylvester Harker, Retirement Villages’ manager at Avonpark near Bath, where there are ten allotments.
During National Allotments Week, the 15 allotment holders at another retirement development — Audley St Elphin’s Park, Matlock — held an open day showcasing their produce.
Christine Goldsack bought a twobedroom cottage there on the condition that she and her husband Alan, both in their early 70s, would be offered an allotment. ‘We were both keen gardeners before we moved here and wanted to keep it up,’ says Christine, who was a training consultant. Alan was a QC and judge, and still works part-time.
‘ We’ve planted soft fruits — gooseberries, raspberries and redcurrants — and have eaten our own lettuce, broad beans, herbs and peas,’ says Christine.
She’s put narcissi in for next year. ‘It gives us a sense of well-being,’ she adds. Fellow allotment enthusiasts, Steven and Jill Schmidt, 67 and 69, moved into their two-bed cottage at St Elphin’s in 2014.
Steven had been a head gardener in Dorset and Derbyshire, having been in IT for the previous 25 years. Jill was an NHS nurse.
‘We grow garlic, onions, shallots, herbs, runner beans, courgettes and kale,’ says Steven. Jill spends a lot of time in the large greenhouse, growing things from seed along with five varieties of tomatoes.’
Audley St Elphin’s Park is set in 14 acres with a restored Victorian Gothic school at its centre. Twobedroom apartments start from £289,000, audleyvillages.co.uk.
Norman and Beryl Gilbey, 87 and 88, moved into their two-bedroom first- floor apartment at Moat Park, by Retirement Villages in Great Easton, Essex and there are six communal raised beds.
‘We used to live in a detached house with an acre of garden,’ says Norman. ‘Now, every afternoon, I go into the gardens to do a bit of maintenance, watering and planting.
‘It gets you out and it’s a nice place to be,’ he says.
At Meadow View, a new phase at Moat Park of nine two-bedroom cottages, there are three properties remaining, from £499,950,