Couple downsize to enjoy life in the lap of luxury

John and Elizabeth Turner are loving their exciting new life in the lap of luxury on an exclusive gated community in Wilmslow.

The couple have swapped their five-bedroom family home for a three-bedroom property at Jones Homes’ Sanctuary Wilmslow development – an innovative mature-living community.

“We love it here,” said John. “There is so much to do and it is all on our doorstep. I don’t know what we did with all our time before but now we seem to have more hours in the day to do what we want without worrying about tedious things like getting the gardening done or having the windows cleaned as people take care of that for us now.

“It’s time for us to put ourselves first without feeling guilty and that’s exactly what we are doing. We are really enjoying life and having lots of fun and can’t wait to show off our new home to all our family and friends.”

John, 79, and Elizabeth, 78, who ran a number of their own businesses before retiring, had lived in their old family home for more than 40 years after having it built to their own specifications for £124,000 in 1978.

“Both of us realised it was time to downsize as it just did not make any sense for just the two of us to continue living at the big house,” said John. “It had so much more space than we needed and the running costs, such as energy bills and the council tax, were just rising and rising so we decided to make the break.

“We thought selling the house and moving would be a huge emotional wrench but we are so busy in our new life that we haven’t had time to feel like that. We feel so excited about the future that we haven’t got time to dwell on the past.”

The couple sold their old home for £1,135,000 in October 2021 and started to look for a new home.

John said: “Jones Homes has a very good reputation for building top-quality houses so when we realised they were building at Sanctuary Wilmslow about a mile away from our old home, we knew we had to go and have a look as we wanted to stay in the area to be close to family and friends. We looked inside three properties at the site and liked the look of one of them.”

They reserved the three-bedroom Wentworth in January and moved into their new £550,000 home in March.

“The size of the house is ideal for us because it has everything we need and nothing that we don’t need,” said John. “The two large bedrooms upstairs both have en suite facilities, which is very convenient if we have people to stay over at all.

“There is a third bedroom downstairs but we use this as a second lounge to increase the entertaining area because we like to have people round. The rear courtyard will be brilliant in summer and we intend to make the best of that outside space by getting the barbecue out whenever the weather permits.

“All in all, the specification on the house is fantastic. The fixtures and fittings, from the bathroom taps to the kitchen worktops to the dishwasher, are brilliant. I know quality when I see it and this house is quality.”

John said that he and Elizabeth are now spoilt for choice when deciding what to do.

“We live right on the edge of open countryside here, so we can just stroll out into the surrounding fields and there are some fabulous walks with stunning views,” he said. “It is lovely to be able to explore that when we choose to.

“One of the real bonuses of living here is that, as part of our community fees, we have exclusive access to the many facilities at The Clubhouse. It’s an amazing place which has everything.

“There’s a gym, a jacuzzi, a steam room, a sauna, a nail bar, a hair salon, a health spa, and two residents’ lounges where you can hold a birthday party or family event. I regularly use the walking machine and rowing machine in the gym while Elizabeth is making plans to use the hair salon. Elizabeth is a keen bridge player and is delighted they are forming a bridge club which will meet and play at The Clubhouse.

“The place also has a terrace on the ground floor outside and a large balcony on the first floor where you can meet friends and neighbours over a tea or coffee. It’s very popular and is a real focus for the development. We have got to know lots of our neighbours there.”

John said the feeling of security that living on a gated community gives is important to them.

“We have an apartment in Majorca and love going out there to get some sun,” he said. “When we lived in the big house and went away, particularly when we went abroad, we worried about being burgled. It did happen once and was a horrible experience.

“Living at Sanctuary Wilmslow allows us to just lock the front door and not have to worry as everything is totally secure and monitored 24 hours a day. It is priceless to have that peace of mind which applies not just when we go away but when we close our front door at night too.”

John said he was happy to sing the praises of Jones Homes and Sanctuary Wilmslow.

“I cannot recommend Jones Homes too highly,” he said. “They were first-class in every respect and continue to be so. Nothing was too much trouble for the sales team and the site team and that level of service is very much appreciated.

“The development itself looks great and the wide-open spaces and well-built homes give it a lovely village feel. The pond with a fountain is a lovely touch and represents the attention to detail that Jones Homes is renowned for.

“We are so happy with the move that we have made to Sanctuary Wilmslow as it is the perfect place for us. We wish we had done it sooner!”

There is currently a selection of three-bedroom cottages available to reserve at Sanctuary Wilmslow with prices starting at £430,000.

For more information about the homes available at Sanctuary Wilmslow, call 01625 253107 or visit jones-homes.co.uk