Parents reunite with daughter at Dunholme housing development

For three years, more than 5,000 miles and eight timezones separated Marilyn and Andrew Wait from their youngest daughter. These days, it’s just a short stroll between their two front doors, after they both bought houses at Chestnut Homes’ The Meadows development in Dunholme.

Four months after Sarah Gogerty, 38, settled in Lincolnshire following a three-year stint in Las Vegas where her husband Glyn, 41, was stationed as a Wing Commander for the Royal Air Force, her parents followed suit. While their move may not have involved crossing the Atlantic, it still meant leaving behind their long-time home in Billericay, Essex, where they had lived for the past 37 years.

The retired couple, both 67, upsized from their old three-bedroom semi-detached house to a new four-bedroom detached property at The Meadows last December, enabling them to be closer to Sarah, Glyn and their two grandchildren, Cameron, 11 and Erin, eight.

Marilyn said: “We wanted to be closer to Sarah and the family and, given that they are now settling down in Dunholme for the foreseeable future, we felt the time had come to move. We are also used to moving around a lot as we’d lived in both London and Germany while Andrew was in the RAF.” After visiting their daughter’s new home in September last year, Marilyn, a former NHS phlebotomist, and Andrew, a former prison officer, were quick to reserve the Pheasantry house type.

Marilyn said: “I really liked how Chestnut’s properties were thoughtfully designed and of high quality. We were also familiar with the area as Sarah had lived in Lincolnshire for 11 years before moving to Las Vegas. “We fell in love with the Pheasantry house type and ended up putting our house on the market straight away. Luckily, it sold within two weeks for the asking price, meaning we could reserve the home pretty quickly.”

As well as being closer to Sarah and the family, Marilyn and Andrew also benefitted from the more affordable house prices in Lincolnshire. “A definite perk of moving was the cheaper house prices. This property was well within our budget yet much more spacious than our last home with an extra bedroom.”

The couple purchased their new home for £324,950, leaving them with a profit of £55,000 from the sale of their old property.

Marilyn said: “The profit we made paid for removal fees, extra furniture and other expenses. We also saved around £6,500 from the stamp study holiday which was great. “After so many years of living in a semi-detached property, it’s amazing having the extra space that a detached home affords. We are particularly enjoying not being able to hear our neighbours hoovering anymore!”

The couple are also enjoying the semi-rural location of The Meadows, close to open countryside yet only seven miles north of Lincoln city centre.

Marilyn said: “Village living is great. It’s lovely being close to the open countryside. We have the view of a field to the left of us which we can look out across from the front windows.”

Marilyn and Andrew are looking forward to getting to know their new neighbours when lockdown restrictions are eased.

“We sent Christmas cards to our neighbours but haven’t been able to properly meet any of them yet. We are hoping to get to know them more once the weather warms up a bit and we have more freedom.”

Just as they’d hoped, the pair are enjoying how much closer they are to their daughter and grandchildren. Marilyn commented: “It’s very reassuring to know that our daughter and her family are nearby and that we won’t have to pack a case and pay for a flight to go and see them. It’s also lovely being able to see the grandchildren regularly, if only from a distance at present.”