Radford House Milestone, Exeter
Crane removal marks milestone for new Exeter retirement community A significant...
Retirement used to be thought of as a time to slow down, but not anymore. Today’s retirees are globe trotters, adventurers, and social butterflies, embracing their freedom and enjoying life to the fullest. Across Adlington Retirement Living communities, homeowners are living proof that life doesn’t stop when work does. In fact, for many, it’s just beginning.
Joyce, a homeowner at The Chimes in Cheadle, enjoyed travelling the world with her husband Peter in their early retirement.
“We went all over the place: South America, the Galapagos Islands, India, Australia, New Zealand, China,” Joyce recalls fondly.
“We went gorilla trekking in Rwanda – we camped by Lake Victoria in Tanzania and crossed into Rwanda. Our guides cut a path with machetes, and we saw a great big Silverback. It was the most incredible experience.”
After Peter died in 2008, Joyce has continued to travel, albeit closer to home.
“I’ve never been on a holiday where I haven’t made friends,” she smiles
Margaret and John, who moved to The Woodlands in Heaton Mersey in 2022, are another couple who’ve always had a love for adventure. Their travels have taken them from Pakistan and India to Alaska, Africa and the Caribbean.
“We went to Pakistan for a month and up the Khyber Pass with our children,” Margaret remembers.
“In India, we got stuck in Agra Station on New Year’s Eve in thick fog. Everything was chaos. My daughter burst into tears and said, ‘Why can’t you take us to Blackpool like normal parents?’”
Since retiring, they have spent three months in Australia and New Zealand, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with family in the Caribbean, cruised the Douro in Portugal, and visited Iceland and Norway. What makes this lifestyle even more enjoyable, they say, is the convenience of their new home.
“We love travelling, and the ability to lock up and leave our apartment is a real benefit. We don’t have to worry about whether the house is safe or ask someone to check on it. We can just go,” says Margaret. “The community here is wonderful.”
For Frank, the adventurous path was always the one worth taking when it came to travel. Once their children were grown, he and his wife Janet began travelling the world, seeking out culture, challenge, and the thrill of the unknown.
Their first big trip in 1985 took them to India and Nepal for three unforgettable weeks. “It was amazing. No mobile phones, no internet – just a real adventure,” he recalls. They even encountered Sir Edmund Hillary, who was filming at the Pushkar camel fair.
Frank and Janet returned six times to Nepal and seven to India, also exploring Bhutan, Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia and New Zealand. They trekked through Langtang, Annapurna Base Camp, and the Everest region – living their dreams side by side.
Homeowner Frank reflecting on his trip to Nepal
Sadly, Janet fell ill with Alzheimer’s in 2020, and it became necessary for her to move into a care home. She passed away in 2022, a month before their 54th wedding anniversary.
“It took a while to adjust to the fact that I was a widower albeit I had been on my own for the previous two years. My wife and I were so close. She was my best friend. I felt completely isolated,” Frank shares. “What I needed was a community.”
In September 2024, Frank found that community at Brookfields House in Newcastle-under-Lyme. “Once I moved in, I knew I’d made the right decision. I settled immediately and have made new friends.”
Frank has even reignited his passion for travel. “I went back to India in November 2024, and I’ve just returned from my seventh visit to Nepal. Some places were bittersweet without Janet, but I saw new things too.”
Margaret and Keith, who moved to The Spindles in 2023, already had a connection to Adlington through their good friends, Roy and Rita, who they had met on holiday.
The two couples had met years earlier on a Caribbean cruise celebrating Roy and Rita’s silver wedding anniversary. “We clicked immediately,” Margaret recalls. “It’s amazing to think it’s now coming up to their diamond anniversary.”
Through Roy and Rita, the couple also met Bob and Ann, with whom they embarked on adventurous flotilla holidays in Croatia and Greece.
Then and now photos of homeowners Margaret, Keith and friends
Now, all three couples live at Adlington Retirement Living communities, with Roy and Rita living at The Chimes in Cheadle, and Bob and Ann at The Folds in Romiley. Their shared history continues to enrich their present. “It’s lovely to still see each other,” Margaret says. “We’ve visited them at The Chimes and The Folds, and they’ve visited us at The Spindles. It’s like a holiday reunion but in everyday life.”
Tim and Angela, who joined The Spindles community in 2023, appreciate the practical benefits of retirement living.
“We went away to Croatia for a week with our daughter,” Angela shares. “It was so nice just to pack our things and shut the door, without worrying about mowing the lawn or deadheading the roses. We enjoy the beautiful gardens here – without having to maintain them ourselves.”
View point in Croatia
With their next trip possibly to Venice, Tim and Angela are making the most of their new-found flexibility. “The security is great. The team is always here, and we know everything is safe when we’re away.”
Angela says. “We had lunch in the restaurant the day after we got back from Croatia. I’d booked it before we went because I knew we’d have no food in. It’s just so convenient.”
Whether it’s the ability to go on holiday at the drop of a hat, the security of knowing their home is safe, or the joy of discovering a vibrant community, Adlington homeowners are embracing life post-retirement like never before.
From trekking through the Himalayas and sipping coffee with neighbours to exploring the Norwegian fjords, they’re making every moment count. If retirement once meant retreat, today it means rediscovery. As our homeowners show, it’s never too late for new experiences, new friendships, and a new place to call home.
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