A day in the life of an owner

You’ve been at the heart of quite a few events and groups at Audley Stanbridge Earls since you moved in. Can you tell us about some of them?

I started a Knit and Natter group and got to know a few people. This was after lockdown and people were keen to meet other people again. I also joined the Village Forum to find out more about the village and how it functioned. 

I had the opportunity to start a singing group, which is basically a Karaoke session for seniors, but it does fit a certain genre of the village. 

I arranged for an art curator from Southampton Art Gallery to talk to owners here, he has been 3 times talking about various topics. 

I booked a talk by a friend of mine, a Marie Kondo expert to talk about downsizing. Several Audley owners have already used her services. The next talk by Sue is about organising paperwork. 

We started a Social Committee. That just took off. I had the brilliant idea of having a Summer Festival, we had full backing from Fiona, our general manager, and we are now planning our magnificent third one in four weeks’ time. As a spin off, we held a very successful 3 Decades of Music event in February, with food for each decade and dancing to a live singer. 

Some contacts of mine offered to do a Murder Mystery Afternoon Tea to raise money for charity, this was a great success.

I was instrumental in the production of our 2025 Stanbridge Earls Wall Calendar, which featured 12 of our groups in various poses! A lot of hard work over two days but the result was terrific and we sold a lot.

I have organised lots of other events, trips, Romsey Abbey guided tours, a play reading group etc.

What motivated you to get involved?

I enjoy helping people and being part of the community. I suppose I enjoy organising, so have put my talents to the good use of the village.

It sounds like your neighbours at Stanbridge Earls have upskilled their abilities and learnt a lot from the talks. Would they say their number of hobbies has increased since living at Audley Stanbridge Earls?

I would hope so, we have new knitters, new Mahjong players, new darts players, new people in the walking group, astronomy group, and line dancing to name a few.

What has surprised you most about the sense of community here?

The friendliness of people in the village. It is a caring community, with people in similar circumstances.

What joy have you found since moving to Audley?

The joy of a small, friendly community. A wonderful team running the village, who are the backbone of everything. 

You’re clearly a creative person with a lot of ideas. What, or who, inspires you?

I enjoy organising events and helping people to enjoy themselves. I need to keep busy and have lots of random ideas, which I try and put into practise!

Do you attend the gym, swim or wellness classes?

I do occasionally attend gym classes and aqua, but I have been busy with events so time has been on the short side recently.

Can you sum up living in a retirement village?

It is good to be part of a vibrant community, it is very different from anything else we have experienced. We have adapted to the change and feel we were young enough (75) to cope with the move and take advantage of the things on offer. We are still driving so that helps. We have noticed a lot of people are moving in at an age which makes it difficult for them to adapt and cope with the change. People need to think very carefully before making a life-changing decision.

What advice would you give to someone considering a move to a retirement village?

Don’t leave it too late, you need to be able to enjoy all the facilities on offer in the village. In 10 years’ time we will have all got a lot older, so we need a younger element moving in all the time.