Homework helps in the search for a new home 

Cambrai Village residents Gordon and Brenda Barker are people who were focused on their research and due diligence when they decided to make the move into retirement living, so much so that they visited more than a dozen retirement estates.

But according to the couple, who have been married for more than 60 years, Cambrai was the best by a country mile and they are adamant they couldn’t have met a better crowd at the village, or have better neighbours.

“We definitely did lots of homework before we moved in, but we just loved Cambrai straight away, with its wide open streets which were not tight or compact like so many other villages,” explains Gordon, who is originally from Nottingham and spent 10 years in the Air Force.

“At the time, I wasn’t well, and we decided to downsize from our large home. I also wanted my wife to be somewhere safe and sound with good security, and closer to our daughter who lives in Kinross.

“But I was very fortunate to have got through my health issues and now we just love the fact that we have a great life here and can do whatever we want.  

“We have good security and can ‘lock up and leave’ whenever we want, but at the same time we love the social activities.

“We’re also happy to volunteer to contribute to the community, in my case helping out at functions and fetes, and also driving Genevieve to assist residents get to activities around the village.”

In the seven years they have lived at the estate, Brenda and Gordon have also supported several of their friends make the move into retirement living, including into their own estate.

“It can be a big decision, but from our experience it’s better to do it sooner rather than later,” says Gordon.  “Certainly, we love it at Cambrai and we’ve never looked back.”