Planting the seeds for a happy retirement

Spring is in the air and, with it, comes the chance to get back outside and enjoy the garden and the great outdoors.

It is celebrated in April, in particular, with National Gardening Week (April 11-18), launched five years ago by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Thousands of people get involved in the week to appreciate and shout about all that is good about gardening – and few are more grateful for their garden than homeowners at Eastbank Court in Worcester.

One of the main assets at the Aspen Retirement development in Northwick is its beautiful and extensive gardens, which can be enjoyed whatever the weather from the comfort of the conservatory style lounge, known as the garden room.

The west-facing garden benefits from afternoon and evening sunlight and has a patio so that homeowners can relax and enjoy their surroundings.

And no one works harder at making that possible than Julian Hall, whose company JG Hall Garden Services, from Malvern, tends to the stunning grounds.

Julian does most of the heavier work like mowing and hedge cutting while his gardener, Nick Woof, takes care of the more ‘delicate’ tasks like planting and tending to the beds.

Julian says: “I take great pride in what I do whether I am looking after a small garden or a large two acre piece of land. I have looked after the gardens of Eastbank Court since it opened four years ago and it’s lovely to see how the gardens have grown.

“We try to keep everyone happy by making sure the gardens are well-kept and that there is lots of colour for people to appreciate.  It changes all year round but at the moment there are lots of tulips and daffodils – I think we planted around 1,000 bulbs last year!

“Everyone loves a nice garden and a lot of people who live at Eastbank appreciate that while they may no longer have to maintain their big, old gardens, they still like to help look after the garden here, and give us hints and tips, or tell us what they particularly like to see which is lovely.”

He goes on: “Gardens give people so much pleasure so we get a lot of enjoyment from having a helping hand in that at Eastbank.

“And we have just extended the patio areas and put out lots of bright and colourful pots, so there’s more room for people to sit outside and enjoy it once, hopefully, the summer sunshine comes.”

The boundary of the development has a wildlife corridor around it, planted with wildflowers and bulbs, and, while it’s looked after by Julian and Nick, those with green fingers are welcome to lend a hand with some finishing touches if they wish.

The beautiful garden is just one of the things that makes Eastbank Court perfect for people who want to make life a little easier in retirement, while still enjoying all that life has to offer.  It boasts one and two-bedroom apartments with each offering plenty of room. Even in the one-bedroom properties there’s sufficient space in the lounge for a dining suite as well as a sofa or comfy chairs; while the hall could easily accommodate a dresser. The piece de resistance is the bathroom, which has both a bath and walk-in shower. 

Other communal facilities homeowners can access include a lounge for socialising; an activities room where they can play games such as table tennis, licensed restaurant and piano room, library and even a hair salon.

Ninety minutes of domestic help a week is included in a service charge, which also covers buildings insurance, window cleaning, maintaining communal areas and pays for Julian’s team to look after the gardens.

There’s a manager on duty around the clock. Plus, additional care such as help getting up, bathing or going to bed can be arranged in the future if required.

Current availability at Eastbank Court includes mostly one-bedroom apartments, priced from £184,950.

Located on Eastbank Drive, the development is ideally placed in a quiet residential area of Worcester. there’s a post office, shops and chemist close by; while the city centre is easily accessible by bus.

The sales office at Eastbank Court is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm. For more information call 01905 455 182 or see www.aspenretirement.co.uk/developments/eastbank-court.