Case Study: Dinah and Bill

Dinah, 72, and her husband Bill, 78, moved to Wadswick Green in December 2019 from their small village in Devon because they felt too remote and wanted to move closer to services and amenities. They are now comfortably settled in their new home and regularly see their youngest son, who lives in eastern Bath.

Dinah explains: “It’s one of the reasons we moved to Wadswick Green. Now we get to see him every couple of weeks. He lives in Bath, so it’s very easy to get there from Corsham or for him to visit.”

Bath is located less than half an hour away from Wadswick Green, and the village offers a complementary chauffeur service on request. There are also several public transport options departing from Corsham, making getting around the area easy and hassle-free for residents.

“We have our own car, so at the moment we still mostly drive ourselves around,” Dinah comments. “But those services are what drew us to Wadswick Green because in Devon, we felt too dependent on our car. There is no public transport there, and everything required driving – we thought, this is fine now, but what about when we get older? We didn’t want to be somewhere where it would matter if we didn’t have a car in the future.”

The couple quickly settled into their new home and enjoyed their first Christmas at Wadswick Green two days after they moved on 23^rd December. “It was very easy to settle in, and the staff are just wonderful. We found them very delightful and helpful, we were very impressed. They really do look after you, and that made it easy to feel at home straight away.” 

Their two bedroom apartment was specifically designed with the needs of over 60s in mind, boasting a single floor, open-plan layout for ease of mobility, walk-in showers, moveable kitchen units and waist-height appliances. Whilst they had originally planned to buy a new property, the couple chose a resale apartment in Rowan Lane instead.

Dinah explains: “We really couldn’t tell the difference from a new apartment -  it seemed just as nice and was already kitted out with fantastic fitted cupboards and nice curtains. It made it feel very homely and right.”

Resale apartments at Wadswick Green were built less than five years ago and feature state-of-art contemporary design, with thorough insulation with energy efficient underfloor heating and large double-glazed windows to provide a bright and friendly feel.  For residents that need a little help, there are also discreetly equipped pull cords and residents are entitled to a safety pendant that can be worn.

The village’s domiciliary care agency, Rangeford Care, can also offer residents tailored personal care plans, which means a team of professional carers can be on call 24/7.

Dinah says: “Bill was diagnosed with early-stage dementia. We don’t use any of the support services yet, but we wanted our new home to be future-proof and adaptable when our needs change. Knowing that we can get help as and when we need it in the future is very reassuring.”

In addition to the services on offer, it was the amenities that set Wadswick Green apart from the other retirement village Dinah and Bill had visited. This includes a swimming pool with Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, gym, spa and a hair salon.

Dinah says: “Wadswick Green was just substantially nicer. It felt well designed, very modern and had more amenities - it was a couple of rungs higher. We really liked The Greenhouse restaurant as well because it’s a beautiful place and it’s nice that you can take your family in. We probably don’t go as much as other residents, but that might change!”

Wadswick Green has good public transport links which Bill and Dinah enjoy using and it is located just a five-minute drive from the historic market town of Corsham, allowing them to discover the area.

“We really like Corsham,” Dinah says. “It’s not far at all from Wadswick Green and it has everything you need including nice shops, a medical centre, an optician and a dentist. Also, it’s very nice because now we actually get to use our freedom (free) bus passes!”

Since their move, Dinah and Bill have been getting involved in the activities on offer at Wadswick Green. They are part of a reading group, regularly join the supper club, and Bill, a former priest at the Church of England, is involved in the prayer group.

“We were worried we would have to sacrifice walks because we did a lot of that in Devon, but we’re very happy that hasn’t been the case,” Diana says. “Taking part in all those activities is a great way of meeting people, and exercising has always been important to us.”

The couple make frequent use of the village’s fitness facilities, going to the pool every other day and taking part in classes such as aqua aerobics. Dinah says: “The great thing with Wadswick Green is that we have more time to do the things we enjoy. We were active prior to the move, so it’s great that we can maintain that. The facilities are great and sometimes it feels like we have the pool all to ourselves. It really encourages you to keep fit - in fact, I wonder if we’re more active now!”