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Charity begins at new-build home for delighted Winchester consultant

- 13 Mar 19

A charity consultant in Winchester says it must have been a sign when the new-build home of her dreams came back onto the market at just the right time.

Helen Calder, who has worked in the Christian charity sector and now shares her 40 years’ experience with charities, churches and individuals, needs plenty of space for social occasions and gatherings – and her new Bovis Home at Winchester Village really fits the bill.

Helen, from London, researched new-build properties and found the perfect three-bedroom house at the Bovis Homes location, on Pitt Road, which had been launched for sale that very day!

But she was not in a position to move to Winchester, which she identified as the ideal place to live, as she had not yet sold her own home and the new property was quickly snapped up by another buyer.

Helen said: “I was planning to move the following year, my house wasn’t even on the market.

“The day I searched for a three-bedroom house in Winchester was the day they launched the last three three-bedroom homes at Winchester Village.

“Someone else reserved the property because I wasn’t in a position to move yet, but all the pieces fell into place when they later dropped out of the sale and I was in a position to sell mine. I got the one I wanted!”

Discussing moving into her first ever new-build and the location, she added: “Winchester is a great place to live and that’s why it keeps winning UK ‘best place to live’ award.

"I have a lot of friends in south west London and can get there in less than an hour. I went to the theatre in London recently, came out at 10.15pm and I was home by 11.45pm.

“Before moving here, I was living in an older property in South Croydon, which was beginning to need attention.

“But having a brand-new house with modern features is brilliant. For the next stage of my life I wanted minimal hassle and having a great site manager has helped with that. It’s really well insulated, which on a cold day is a major benefit.

“I wanted a three-bedroom house with the right amount of space for me, with a south-facing garden. I loved the traditional, Georgian-style architecture of my new house and the layout inside.

“The kitchen/dining room goes right across the back of the house and is also south-facing. I do a lot of entertaining and can fit many people around the dining table and have a large living room.

"I love the downstairs rooms. I’ve hosted a church group here and can be at one end of the kitchen and still socialise easily.”

Helen spent four months in New Zealand and Australia after buying her home and says she is delighted to be back in Winchester enjoying the property she has fallen in love with.

Helen, who has 40 years’ worth of business and charity experience, took a scholarship to run day courses and write resources in New Zealand.

She added the sense of community at Winchester Village, its proximity to the town centre and strong transport links to London and other parts of the UK, drew her to the development.

“It’s nice because it’s a relatively small development and I have some great neighbours here,” she said. “The on-site builders are very helpful, if there have ever been any issues, they’ve visited very quickly.

“I still say hello to them when I see them and bought them some refreshments as a thank you for all their hard work.

“The location of Winchester Village is brilliant. It’s only a couple of miles from the city centre and the park and ride is wonderful, very good value for money.

“At the back of the development are fields where you feel as if you’re right in the middle of the countryside, it’s a terrific place to live.”