I'm a free agent

“My flat in Tonbridge was rather magnificent – I never thought I’d leave it. It had a large roof terrace garden with lots of pots but just got too much for me to cope with and I wouldn’t have been able to watch it slide into rack and ruin. I had a pacemaker fitted a few years ago and that, coupled with a series of falls more recently, led me to decide the time had come to move on. 

I’m very independent and very much do my own thing, so, I started looking on the internet. I remember my late mother-in-law had lived in the very first Hawthorns and loved it. Still, I wanted something different, a place where I could stay in control and keep my independence. I might need a bit of help to fix something, but I find I’m able to manage myself pretty well. I do all my own cooking and shopping and I like the fact I’m a free agent and can do as I want. I want to keep it that way.

I came across Birchgrove by chance, so just asked for a brochure to find out more and really liked the look of it. 

My family are enormously supportive of me being independent – although I must be a real annoyance at times she says laughing. ‘I’ve three children, two older sons but my daughter is the one I’m closest to – and the great thing about Queensgate Apartments is it’s very close to her and my son-in-law.

I’ll be keeping my car, and it’s no distance, so I’ll be able to pop in and see her and drop into my church at Wrotham when we are allowed back again. And at last, I will have time to pursue my love of textile conservation. So, there’s a lot going for living here.”