GITTISHAM HILL PARK
MAY 2010 UPDATE
Bank holiday party
We might be retired so not have to ever work on a Monday but that doesn’t stop us enjoying a little get together every Bank Holiday – any excuse! This one will be no exception and we’re looking forward to drinks and lunch – hopefully in the garden if the weather is fine enough.
I can see the sea!
This is a regular shout on our weekly trips to the coast. We’re not too far from some of Devon’s most beautiful beaches – both the typical holiday hot spots and the deserted coves and bays.
This time of year is perfect for outings to both – we just pull on our sun hats and off we go. And of course we always find an excuse to stop for that most British of summer treat - ice creams!
FEBRUARY 2010 UPDATE
Bye bye snow
As lovely as our village looked during the snow we must say we’re quite pleased it’s now melted away. Our maintenance team worked non stop to ensure the roads and pathways were kept clear but a lot of us decided we preferred to stay in in front of the fire and enjoy the white stuff while keeping warm and dry.
Now it’s gone the village is bustling again with lots of the residents of the independent living homes heading up to the main house to join in the activities there.
Raffle for Haiti
There is a huge hamper of delightful looking food sitting in the main house, tempting us all at the moment. It’s been put together to be raffled off in aid of the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
So far we’ve raised more than £140 selling tickets. And with another three weeks to go before the winner is drawn we’re hoping to boost that total quite a bit. Every visitor to the village is coerced into buying a ticket so it’ll be interesting to see if any of us manage to win it – the contents certainly look worth a taste!
JANUARY 2010 UPDATE
Snow business
Like so much of the country we’ve had lots of snow here and the village looks beautiful. We’re already in a gorgeous part of the country but a covering of the white stuff turns the views into a picture postcard.
Our staff have been fantastic at ensuring the village continues to function as normal. The maintenance staff have been out in sub zero temperatures keeping paths clear so we’ve been able to get out and about as usual – albeit at a slightly slower – and safer – pace.
Thanks Carol
It seems a long time ago now but we had our Christmas dinner with a twist again this year – and fantastic it was too. The twist was that our village manager Carol White donned her apron, picked up her wooden spoon and cooked for us!
It’s become a Gittisham Hill Park tradition and every person around that table for Christmas dinner appreciates Carol’s efforts. Like everything else she does, Carol threw herself into the task 100 per cent and the feast she served up was magnificent.
A very happy new year from everyone at Gittisham Hill Park!
NOVEMBER 2009 UPDATE
New face in the village
Welcome to a new face in the village, our mini bus driver Ness Baker. Ness is pictured here (click on images to enlarge) with a group of us after returning from Friday morning’s shopping trip into Honiton.
The mini bus doesn’t get a chance to go cold as we’ve got plenty of trips out planned and we are just in the throes of re-arranging the timetable ready for all the Christmas activities, including xmas shopping and theatre trips.
Yoga classes and Tai Chi
Thursday afternoons have never been so much fun in the village – following demand, we now have a yoga class and Tai Chi exercises running!
OCTOBER 2009 UPDATE
Time for coffee
How many times do people complain about builders stopping for a cuppa? But there were no complaints from us when the builders working on The New Collection of bungalows being built here downed their tools.
They’re very hardworking but we invited them to stop for a few minutes and join in our Biggest Coffee Morning. It’s a national event organized in support of Macmillan Cancer Support.
There were plenty of contributions to the cake table and we were delighted to have to keep reboiling the kettle. Residents from The Paddocks and the Home joined in alongside the builders.
And there were enough left overs for the builders to return during their afternoon break – which helped swell the coffers! We raised £64 for the charity and had fun doing it!
Coffee Morning
A coffee morning’s always a good alternative to a long lunch – and we’re joining in the Biggest Coffee Morning, a national event organised in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. The event is being held on Friday, 25th September.
During that morning we’ll be enjoying coffee at the same time as hundreds of thousands of other fundraisers across the country. We’re hoping to get a really good turn out and raise a plenty of money for such a worthy cause.
Goodbye Allan
We finally said a sad goodbye to Allan Casson our gardener turned mini bus driver. He has been with us since 2001 and has become a friend to many of the residents. We were keen to say our own thank you to Allan so organised a buffet lunch for him.
We held a collection among staff and residents to chip in for a gift too. Farewell Allan – and thank you!
SEPTEMBER 2009 UPDATE
Ladies – and gentlemen – who lunch
One of the benefits of being retired – as we all are at Gittisham Hill Park – is that we have time to enjoy long lunches! A group of us are off to The White Hart Inn which is in Somerton – not too far from here. Retirement Villages owns a pub, some shop and land there which it is proposing to develop.
The pub is in the Market Place of Somerton which is a pretty little town with lots of nice little boutique-style shops. So we’re all heading off there next week for a nice long lunch and a little spot of shopping!
Coffee morning
A coffee morning’s always a good alternative to a long lunch – and we’re joining in the Biggest Coffee Morning, a national event organised in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. The event is being held on Friday, 25th September.
During that morning we’ll be enjoying coffee at the same time as hundreds of thousands of other fundraisers across the country. We’re hoping to get a really good turn out and raise a plenty of money for such a worthy cause.
A sad farewell
Allan Casson has been working here since May 2001 – originally as our gardener and mini bus driver for The Paddocks when it was just 10 bungalows. In 2006 he wanted to slow down. The Paddocks, by then, included another 12 bungalows and there was extra demand for the mini bus to go out on trips, visits and outings. So, Allan agreed to be the mini bus driver.
And what an incredibly popular character he’s been. He’s become so much more than just the driver and most of us count him now as a friend. He helps us on and off the bus, runs errands, carries shopping, keeps us entertained on our journeys with him and offers a lending ear when needed.
But he’s now decided it’s time to hang up his keys for good so we have to say goodbye to him. We’re holding a farewell do later in September to say a proper thank you to Allan. He will be very much missed and, we all agree, impossible to replace.
AUGUST 2009 UPDATE
Lunch trip
Our village only came into the Retirement Villages Ltd fold a couple of years back but it has opened up lots of new opportunities for us. The next is our planned lunch at The White Hart Inn in Somerton. The pub is part of Retirement Villages Ltd’s newest project. The plan is to renovate the parade of retail units which the pub stands on and to build new homes and a care facility on land behind it.
We’re going there in a couple of weeks to have a look round the site and have lunch at the pub. We’ve heard there’s a resident ghost so we’ll take a picture if he comes out to say hello!
Bank holiday fete
Cakes are being baked, prizes gathered and raffle tickets sold for our annual summer fete on August bank holiday weekend. It’s become a bit of a tradition with everyone – residents, staff, family and friends – pitching in to help organise and run it – and of course to have fun too!
Our village manager Carol White puts on her pinny and arms herself with a pair of tongs to take charge of the barbecue. It should be a good day!
JULY 2009 UPDATE
A lunch date
We’re very lucky down here in the South West when it comes to places of interest to visit. The warm climate means we have some of the best gardens in the country – at least we think so! Residents of The Paddocks spent a wonderful afternoon at Bicton Park and College Garden following lunch there.
There are 60 acres of beautiful gardens with sweeping lawns, borders, water features and formal gardens. And the Arboretum contains some of the most amazing trees. Definitely one we’ll be returning to.
Village to village
A group of us were treated like VIPs when we headed off to one of the other Retirement Villages – Blagdon Village in Taunton for a visit. That is a purpose built village comprising mainly apartments and not very far at all from the town centre.
It was interesting to see what a new village looks like – ours is so well established now – and we look forward to inviting the residents there back for a return visit.
Coffee morning
Our next coffee morning is later this month with a guest speaker. Always a good turn out for those events.
JUNE 2009 UPDATE
100th birthday
This is our wonderful resident Mavis Watts (click picture to enlarge) leading the way on the dance floor on her 100th birthday. Mavis was the centre of attention on her special day – June 9 – and quite rightly too.
She was showered with bouquets of flowers and presents by the 18 friends and family who joined her celebration lunch. Mavis is an example to us all – very active and still keen to spend as much time outdoors as possible. She thinks she’s cracked the secret to a long life too – she says she never refuses champagne and loves fresh air!
How the others live
A group of us are off to Blagdon Village – another of the Retirement Villages developments – at the beginning of next month for coffee. The residents of Blagdon Village have invited us along and we thought it would be lovely to see their village. It’s in Taunton so not too far from us.
Age Concern speaker
Although we’re our own community, we’re very much part of the wider community here too so we’re looking forward to the visit of a speaker from Age Concern later this month. They’re going to be talking about the kind of activities we can get involved in in the surrounding area. Hopefully that’ll spark some ideas for a few of us.