Case Study: Christine Carter

"Life at Wadswick Green is really good: I particularly enjoy the beautiful surroundings as well as the peace and security that comes with living here. The gardens are extensive, very pleasant and crisscrossed by footpaths: we can walk for about an hour and still not go off site: just to walk to the front gate and back from our apartment is about a mile through very pleasant countryside!  

I love the activities on offer as well, including our book group. About three years ago, a neighbour and I thought we’d start a book group, however, there was so much interest that we were able to set up two groups from the beginning! Our group has about 12 people in it, which can be fun, as we meet once a month, enjoy one another’s company and discuss books that we may well not have chosen on our own. I also enjoyed the Zumba classes and play reading: there are many other groups such as walking and art that I would enjoy if only I had the time!

I very much feel part of the community here at Wadswick Green. I love engaging in conversations, particularly in the summertime when people are out and about. My granddaughter once joked that it took nearly an hour to get to the Greenhouse - which is only about five minutes away - because of the people that we chatted with on the way. My husband and I also enjoyed going to monthly lunch clubs and weekly supper clubs before the COVID lockdown.

Obviously now we have to be careful with social distancing yet the strong sense of community remains. So many people in our age group feel isolated, but here we don’t: we can isolate if we wish, yet we don’t have to. We’ve been able to socially distance and chat with our neighbours, as well as take part in outdoor group activities that had been arranged for us.

I can safely say that the five years we have lived here we have experienced two different ways of living: in the early days when we were both fit and active we enjoyed the “lock up and go” lifestyle with many holidays, walks, and enjoying all the benefits that were around, knowing that our home was safe and secure: Concierge would water plants, collect post and everything would be in order for our return.

As time went on, my husband started to become more unwell and now I’m really grateful for the community here. We have a package in place for him with Rangeford Care, so I know that I’m not alone, that we have support, and that the team are on hand if a crisis should occur.

Now that we are less active, we realise just how fortunate we are to be living at Wadswick Green: I would have been totally isolated in our previous home with concerns about maintenance and keeping the garden in good order. Even though I now need to stay at home to help my husband, there’s still plenty going on and I don’t feel trapped at all. I know I have a ready supply of help on hand day or night.

Our grandchildren live nearby, and now that I have someone who sits with my husband three times a week, I can visit them regularly.

During the COVID lockdown I really enjoyed the outdoor Zumba classes. We could join in from our balcony or outside, and it was very lively and noisy: a great deal of fun, and a morale boost. I also enjoyed having meals delivered from our restaurant from time to time to have a break from cooking!

I am also part of a prayer group who met every Monday before the lockdown, and we have been able to keep in touch and support one another by text and email in recent times. We also have a fortnightly church service via Zoom that we could still take part in.

The staff have been really kind and thoughtful throughout the lockdown. Several independent Corsham shops, like the butcher, greengrocer, and hardware store deliver here, and we also have a fish van that comes weekly. This again helped us maintain our independence. The concierge would also pick up our prescriptions for us and drive us to medical appointments throughout the lockdown period too.

We didn’t need any of the government help throughout the isolation period as the Wadswick Green 24/7 care and support service provided that additional level of help.

The team have been utterly supportive, they phoned people who are isolating and living on their own, who might otherwise feel lonely. They managed this without any intrusion into our life, but if we wanted help, we knew that we were able to ask for it. Everyone was really kind and professional.

The gardens and grounds at Wadswick Green are maintained to a very high standard with the gardeners being exceptionally helpful to us as individuals too: they even provided us with compost for our window boxes and balcony tubs when we were unable to drive out and access our own. We only had to put the containers under the porch, and miraculously they were filled! We are also able to buy plants and fresh produce and vegetables which are grown onsite.

I would like to conclude by saying how incredibly grateful we are to the staff for their unfailing cheerfulness and for always wanting to help. Whether it’s the managers, concierge or restaurant teams, the chefs, they have all looked after us really well:  they’ve been incredibly kind, professional and cheerful, and knowing they watch out for us has been very reassuring"

Interviewed 26^th June 2020