An update from Nick Sanderson

Despite the UK-wide unease around social distancing, we have seen a continuing sense that we’re all in it together. Over recent weeks there has been much talk of the dire situation in care homes in the media, bringing into focus the need for change in the government’s approach to health care in later life. It also highlights the difference between care homes and retirement villages like Audley.

There are many benefits to living in a retirement village rather than living on your own or in a care home. The number of letters and emails I have received from owners, their families and our care customers is testament to that. These letters and emails telling me about the positive impact that our services have on their lives during lockdown, make me feel extremely proud of what we have built and the effort of our teams around the country.

With the recent news about testing procedures, and with lock down easing, we can all be assured that brighter days are coming, but we mustn’t get complacent. We have been speaking to our owners to understand the concerns and thoughts of our village communities about how they would like to see us proceed as lockdown measures are gradually lifted, and we’re using this to inform our plans for the future.

The housing market is starting to see signs of movement so now is a good time to start your research if you’re thinking about your future. There are resources available on our website to help you research the best options for you and our sales team are available to give you a call or video appointment from the comfort of your home.

This week we welcomed back some of our sales colleagues to the village who will be predominantly running virtual tours with potential new owners through Zoom, skype, WhatsApp and other video calling services, as well as very limited face to face appointments following strict safety procedures and the government advice on social distancing. Our main priority is to keep our owners, customers and team members safe.

We all need something to look forward to now and I truly believe that brighter days are coming and it will be even better than it was before.

Update, 26th June: Our Audley Clubs and restaurants will remain closed to the public beyond 4th July. This is a precautionary measure to protect our owners and staff. Please follow Audley Stories and our social media updates for further information and we will announce our future re-opening to club members and restaurant diners when we can.