Community news

Newly retired hospital worker praises neighbour spirit at Sherborne new-build location

- 07 May 20

A newly retired hospital worker at a new-build location in Sherborne has spoken of her delightful neighbours who have been out in droves clapping for NHS workers.

Caroline Robertson praised the community spirit at Bovis Homes’ – part of the newly-formed Vistry Group – Mildenhall location and said a street party had been promised when the country was out of lockdown.

Caroline, who is paraplegic, is enjoying retirement in her adapted home after downsizing into her five-bedroom house with her mother, Fiona.

She said: “We have incredibly nice neighbours, we’re so lucky. When we go out and do our Thursday night clap for NHS workers, it’s wonderful. We can chat from a social distance and it’s just such a great sense of camaraderie. A street party has been promised for when this is all hopefully over and we can’t wait.”

The former health worker found Mildenhall with the help of her brother, Andrew, who lives in the Bovis Homes property opposite her, and said she had been impressed with the housebuilder’s features and service.

A lift has been installed in the family area, close to the property’s French doors, allowing easier access to the upstairs. The housebuilder also added a gate, with raised decking, allowing Caroline to enter the property from behind via a new path that cuts through the garden. A side door was also added to the garage.

“The layout of our home is very spacious and modern and Bovis Homes has been very good in making adaptions, I’m very pleased.” she said. “The house has been beautifully designed, it’s very convenient. The sink and hob can move up and down, so I can fit my legs underneath. I can also get close to the oven so I can take food out. A huge thank you to the team.

“We wanted to downsize from the house we were in, which had a big garden, and we had help to maintain it. I was in hospital for quite some time and I wanted to stay around the Sherborne area, we have a good core group of friends here. No bungalows nearby were suitable and my brother found this plot, which we thought was a great idea.”

Caroline, who has lived in Dorset for more than 45 years, moved home a lot as a child, including to Germany, as her father was in the army. The family moved to Blandford in the late 1970s. Having just lived in a Victorian Rectory, she added her new-build’s mod cons were a huge plus.