PARK LIFE COULD BE RIGHT ON YOUR DOORSTEP

There’s never a dull moment, park life is like a permanent holiday!

After moving to Suffolk from Surrey over 15 years ago Mr and Mrs Eves set up a haberdashery shop in Saxmundham where they lived, worked and brought up their children over many happy years. Keen bird watchers, the couple were regular visitors to Minsmere Nature Reserve and the family embraced life in the county with Mr Eves becoming a founder of Saxmundham Museum.

Sadly, Mr Eves passed away in 2018 and it was at this point that Mrs Eves looked to move from their home and find herself a smaller and more easily manageable alternative. Knowing the area well Mrs Eves was aware of Tingdene’s Falcon Park, and after making enquiries about park home living and taking a tour of the site with her sons, she quickly decided that park home living was just what she was looking for.

“After walking around the park I told my sons, this is for me” explains Mrs Eves. “They could also see the benefits of me choosing park home living and were totally supportive of my decision.” Coming from a bungalow Mrs Eves was able to maintain single storey living and the location of the park ensured everything was on her doorstep. Situated in the village of Martlesham Heath on the outskirts of Ipswich, Falcon Park is just a few minutes’ walk from a wide range of shops, including a large supermarket. It also has a bus stop with regular routes into Ipswich, Woodbridge and Felixstowe outside the park.

Moving Made Easy

With her decision made Mrs Eves put her house on the market. Soon afterwards there were three interested parties and it looked like everything was going smoothly. However, they all needed to sell their properties to proceed and with the housing market on a ‘go-slow’ it was looking like the move to park home may have to be put on hold. With only three plots available on the site Mrs Eves was keen to speed the process up. So with the help of Tingdene Parks she contacted Moving Made Easy to assist in the sale of her property. Within weeks of getting them involved the house was sold and her move to the park was back on. “The process was extremely simple” comments Mrs Eves. “I was offered a good, market value price for my home, so I was able to continue with the purchase of my new park home and didn’t miss out on the plot available. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I was kept well informed throughout. In fact, overall the help I received was phenomenal.”

The Design Phase

Once the house sale was agreed Mrs Eves began designing her brand-new park home. “My son took me up to the Tingdene Visitor Centre in Wellingborough and we are very impressed with the set-up. I was able to design the park home to my own requirements and that is exactly what I have received. I couldn’t be happier.”

Just four months after her offer was accepted Mrs Eves finally moved into her new park home on Falcon Park in April 2019. “I’m so glad I made the move to Falcon Park. Throughout the whole process I have been treated with respect, compassion and a positive ‘anything is possible’ attitude from both the design and the sales team.”

Commenting on her new park home she adds “I decided to bring lots of my own furniture with me and its all fitted in to the home perfectly. It’s great that you have the choice to either start a fresh with new or to bring your own items. As with any new home purchase I was a little apprehensive about the build but, any worries we had have been removed by the after sales support. Both the Park Manager and the Park Operations Manager have been exceptional. In fact within two weeks of moving in any issues I had have been resolved. I’m really enjoying the home and I’m looking forward to getting my craft room set up so I can continue with my creative work. There are so many options open to you it’s fantastic.”

A Strong Community

As an established park, Falcon Park has a strong community and a very active and well organised Residents Association. From raffles, to regular events, trips and meals out, all residents have to do is call and book their place to attend. Reflecting on park home living Mrs Eves beams “I’m spoilt for choice. There is never a dull moment on the park. I’ve made new friends already and everyone is so friendly. People are always inviting me over or popping in for coffee. I’ve been to several barbecues, in fact I’ve barely had time to sit down. It is so nice to be part of a community and to have such thoughtful and supportive neighbours.”

But it’s not just the social park life that Mrs Eves is enjoying, there is the added bonus that the home and garden are virtually maintenance free. “I’m still very active and am out and about all the time, so that fact that both the home and garden are easy to look after certainly helps. When I go on holiday I know I don’t have to worry about anything. My home is safe, nothing needs maintaining and I have plenty of neighbours around me who are happy to water my plants.”

Since moving onto the park Mrs Eves has had time to contemplate her decision and offers the following advice to anyone considering park home living. “I’ve only been on the park for a couple of months, but I feel totally at home. I would certainly recommend park life to anyone finding themselves in a similar situation to myself. At the right time of your life it really is the best choice you could make. Plus, it’s a big weight off my sons’ minds to know that I am happy and secure. I’m looking forward to spending the next chapter of my life on the park. Park life feels like I am on a permanent holiday!”