Living in Gifford Lea

Living in Gifford Lea

Gifford Lea is a retirement village on the outskirts of Tattenhall. When fully complete there will be 169 apartments housing about 250 people. Some people imagine that it is some sort of residential care home. It is nothing like that and I will try to explain why.

My wife and I lived in a four-bedroom house up a hill. My wife's mobility was deteriorating so we needed to think of somewhere else to live. We came here over 4 years ago but my wife died after about 16 months. I live in a first floor two-bedroom apartment with a stair lift. I value my independence very highly, but I also enjoy a wealth of social contact. This was enormously valuable after my wife died especially as it was always on my terms. This is the issue about getting older – independence needs to be matched with personal contact. There are many people who live in their own homes who are socially isolated and, often, depressed and, in some cases, frightened.

Here I can go to Eric's, our café, any morning and find several people to talk to. I can book to have a meal in the restaurant, or even have a meal delivered if I am unwell or immobile. I can book into the swimming pool or use the gym. I can use the library or play Bridge, Mah Jong, table tennis, canasta, cribbage, or dominos. About a dozen of the ladies here have set up a knitting group and regularly supply hospitals and other places with items for children which are very sought after.

We have beautiful gardens which are well kept by our team of three gardeners. Some residents on the ground floor care for part of the garden themselves. We have two handymen who will come to fix things and a Housekeeping Team who will come to clean and do laundry if required.

In summary I have greater independence and a wider spectrum of social contact here than I would have had on my own where we used to live.

So, what about you as a reader? You will always be welcome to book into our restaurant for a meal – the standard of cooking and service is very high. You can call into Eric's to have a coffee, a breakfast or lunch. Both the café and the restaurant are licenced. From time to time we have social events at which you are welcome. The last one was a meal with a jazz band which was popular and fully booked. If you want to be advised of these events, please send your email address to milly.moggan@inspiredvillages.co.uk. You can also become a member of our Wellness Suite to use the gym and/or the swimming pool on payment of a monthly fee. Contact grace.hart@inspiredvillage.co.uk for this.

Gifford Lea is part of Tattenhall and wants to play its part in village life. Many of us go to St Alban's, shop at the Spar, are members of U3A, visit Alison's etc. It is my hope that two-way relationships will develop and expand. I look forward to seeing you here.
David Ackroyd

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