Elmbridge Village, on the fringes of Cranleigh in Surrey, was our very first village and, indeed, the first privately-owned retirement community in the country.

It was developed in 1981 using retirement schemes in the United States as a template. Since then it has become a blueprint for the UK model.

Elmbridge Village is one of our biggest, with 236 bungalows and apartments designed for senior living, set in 28 acres of grounds. Outside there is a croquet lawn and village pond, allotments and acres of tended grounds to stroll through and enjoy.

Those who live in the retirement homes, which include bungalows and apartments, enjoy exclusive access to the village's facilites. These include a wonderfully flexible main function room with stage, a restaurant, medical suite and village store.

The village is very much a part of the local community. The nearby health centre holds two surgeries each week on site. The village choir, led by a former Royal Opera House singer, performs concerts in the area. Children from the local schools are regular visitors, and the bus stop at the village entrance makes trips out and about straight forward.

The village has proved popular with those relocating from elsewhere in Surrey as well as Horsham, Crawley and towns within the M25.

Life at Elmbridge Village can be what you want it to be. Its geography places it perfectly for travelling into London, to the coast or to some of the south’s most popular places of interest. The village perches on the edge of pretty Surrey countryside. There is a host of leisure and social activities available in nearby Guildford and the village itself has a full calendar for residents to dip in and out of as they please.