Over the years, Brian and Pat have explored many parts of the globe together, and now that they’ve retired and have moved into the brand new Oak Tree Retirement Village in Jesmond, they’re looking at this new chapter of life as their next adventure!

“We’re really enjoying life here. It’s just beautiful”, says Brian. “We should’ve done this 10 years ago!”

Brian and Pat lived in their previous home for 48 years, so downsizing was a task they always knew would be overwhelming. But after a few trips to salvos and the dump, they had made huge progress.

“I just thought, if I haven’t used this in years, I’m not taking it into a beautiful new apartment!”, says Pat. 

After living in a 90 year old home for 48 years, the brand new aspect was what really sold them on Oak Tree Jesmond, and now that they’ve moved in, they are loving living somewhere so pristine with all new finishes and appliances. 

They’re also enjoying the peace of mind that comes with Oak Tree taking care of all the maintenance, allowing them to relax in their retirement. 

“Our previous home was getting too difficult to maintain, especially with Pat’s arthritis, and we knew as more cracks started to show that we’d soon have to spend a lot of money on it.” 

On top of that, Brian had injured his back while gardening, so they knew moving was inevitable. 

By chance Pat had just found a real estate ad in their letterbox offering free home appraisals, so they took the next steps towards selling their home and began thinking about retirement living options. 

“We visited an assisted living facility that a lady from our aqua aerobics class knew of, but we’re still very independent and realised we weren’t ready for that level yet.” 

Luckily, later that same day, Pat came across a Facebook ad for Oak Tree Jesmond, which was much better suited to their needs. They drove over and had a look while the village was still being built and were instantly sold on the location and aspect. Now that they’ve moved in, the location and proximity to all their daily needs has been one of the biggest benefits.

“We just love living here. The positioning of our apartment and the overall location is great. You just walk down to the corner and you’re already at the shops. It’s so convenient.”

Brian and Pat also love the boutique size of the village, and are looking forward to experiencing the social side of village life and forming new friendships as residents continue to move in.

Now that they can lock up and leave without having to worry about maintaining their home, they’re thinking of doing some Australian travel and ticking a few more places off the list!

Their advice to anyone who is considering making the move but feels like the task of downsizing is too much, is that they’d wished they’d done it sooner, and if they can do it, you can do it!

The stars aligned and led Brian and Pat to begin their next adventure at Oak Tree Jesmond, and it sounds like it’s going to be a wonderful one!