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When Mike and June Ryan made the decision and moved to a brand new retirement apartment at the award-winning Highlands, in Gidea Park, Romford, all within the space of four weeks, they couldn’t have wished for a better start to 2009. “We love it here and settled in straight away,” says Mike.
Whilst the busy couple had always intended to move to somewhere that was designed exclusively for people nearing or in retirement like Highlands before they were 70, it was a chance event that got the couple thinking a few years earlier than they had intended.
Mike, a retired engineer, had been helping out his brother-in-law who runs a garden centre and had delivered some flowers for Pam, the sales manager of Highlands. “The moment I walked into Highlands I loved it,” explains Mike. “I asked Pam if I could have a look around and just fell in love with it. I couldn’t wait to tell June.” Together, Mike and June hurried back and took a closer look at what Highlands could offer them.
The couple were particularly impressed with the safety and security facilities that Great Homes Limited, the company behind Highlands, had fitted. As keen cruise enthusiasts who have holidays several times a year this was, they felt, an important consideration. “We love going on cruises and have visited just about everywhere in the world apart from South America, but there is always the worry of whether your home will be broken into while you are away. We feel this is something that just isn’t going to happen here.”
A CCTV entryphone system is fitted on the entrance door of the building and only visitors known to those inside, such as the residents or the House Manager, can gain access. There is an electric gated drive, unobtrusively secured garden and alarms fitted to the ground floor apartments. Highlands has safety features too, including an integrated fire alarm system, careline facilities should residents need assistance in the event of an emergency and free internal telephone calls.
Highlands offers Mike and June the chance to free themselves of on going maintenance and gardening too. While both Mike, a keen golfer, and June love to keep their home and garden in tip top condition, being away so often and then fitting in leisure pursuits into their hectic independent lifestyle meant maintenance was becoming a bit of a burden. Now they can hand over the responsibility to the House Manager and the management team who ensure the smooth running of the complex.
Highlands is a collection of retirement apartments with many features such as an interior designed residents’ lounge, library and landscaped gardens that particularly impressed the couple. It is also built to comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes standard, which means that it has integral systems that generate warmth and reduce water consumption. A series of solar cells on the roof capture energy from the sun, which in turn supplies power to the communal areas. The result is a cost effective environment and, importantly for Mike, June and their fellow residents, significantly lower bills.
The couple have been pleasantly surprised by the feel of the residents’ lounge. While the nature of life at Highlands is one of independence and not all residents may wish to spend lots of time in a communal area, for Mike and June it is proving fun to join in on coffee mornings or spend evenings chatting with fellow residents in the lounge. Two of the people Mike and June have got to know are freelance financial journalist Anthony Mundy and his wife Helen, who moved in to Highlands a few weeks prior.
“We are delighted with Highlands,” says Anthony, who, like Mike and June, said he and Helen wanted to move while they were still fit and able. “People have said we were brave. We are not brave. We just wanted to move now while we still have all our marbles and can make an informed decision.”
Mike and June, like Anthony and Helen, are keen readers and so they like to use the library at Highlands often – and, of course, join in the coffee mornings. “We have started to go to the coffee mornings on a Tuesday,” explains Mike. “We weren’t sure to start with if this was something we wanted to do, but I have to say we were really surprised at how friendly everyone was. I think by spending time in the residents’ lounge you get a chance to meet the people here. Eventually I can see Highlands having a real family feel where we all look out for each other.”
There are 23 one and two bedroom apartments at Highlands that, like Mike and June’s, are beautifully finished and afford a high specification. For example, in the kitchen of each apartment there is a range of integrated Bosch appliances that include a washer/dryer, fridge and freezer, hob, oven and microwave. Wooden units, a quartz stone worktop and atmospheric lighting complete the look.
“We couldn’t wish for a better new home,” says Mike. “We have comfort, warmth and with everyone being so friendly we’ve already made new friends. It’s also good knowing that in just 10 minutes we can walk and be in the centre of Romford. There are buses too. It’s really convenient. We are really happy we made the decision to move here.”
Highlands currently has apartments available to view. For further information visit the show suite which is open every Friday to Monday from 10am to 5pm, contact sales agent Porter Glenny on 01708 725000 or visit Great Homes Limited’s website www.greathomes.co.uk. |
