Date: January 2009

SALES AND MARKETING SUITE OPENS FOR BUSINESS AT RICHMOND VILLAGES LETCOMBE REGIS

Special opening weekend:
Saturday 17 - Sunday 18 January 2009, 10.00am - 4.00pm

Richmond Villages new luxury retirement village at Letcombe Regis, Oxfordshire showing the entrance to 33 Brook View, one of the independent properties. Spa on the right, restaurant at the end by the pergola.
Richmond Letcombe Regis showing the main care centre, pergola and decking of the restaurant, and lake in the foreground.
Richmond Letcombe Regis, showing the main care centre and serviced apartments surrounding the bowling green.
Richmond Villages fifth luxury retirement village showing the view into Lakeside Court, an area comprising independent properties.

The Sales and Marketing Suite at Richmond Villages’ latest luxury retirement village at Letcombe Regis, just south of Wantage, Oxfordshire, will fully open for prospective purchasers to visit on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 January.

Located just 10 miles north of junction 14 of the M4, construction of the £30 million village is progressing well, and the Sales and Marketing Suite is located within the newly renovated and
re-thatched entrance lodge.

Equipped with the very latest computer generated walk-though and fly-over imaging, visitors can be given a comprehensive visual impression of what the village will be like once completed, and the precise location - complete with views - of their chosen property.

Considerable interest has already been shown in the development, and despite the current economy the company is greatly encouraged by the level of interest, which has already resulted in a number of reservations having been made.

Richmond staff will be on hand to discuss each person’s plans and aspirations, review the properties available and discuss purchase options privately.

All visitors will be given a complimentary Spa Day voucher for Richmond’s Painswick village in the Cotswolds, so they can experience the quality of life available at a Richmond Village.  Canapés and refreshments will be available all day.

Richmond Villages Letcombe Regis

Surrounded by beautiful countryside, nestling beneath the Ridgeway and just a few miles from the ancient White Horse chalk carving, the new village has been designed to complement the vernacular of the South Oxfordshire/Berkshire border. The buildings are finished in a traditional, warm and welcoming dark brick and flint style, with the whole site enjoying a rural location comprising formal gardens, a meadow with nature trail and a large lake.

Richmond Village Letcombe Regis is being built and will be operated by this award winning company (see note), and will comprise a range of luxury homes that can be purchased by the over 55s.  These will include deluxe village apartments, providing independent living combined with the reassurance of a secure and sociable community where care and assistance are close to hand if needed.  These large apartments – which average 1,000 sq.ft. in size - feature a kitchen, substantial living room and one or two bedrooms, the majority also benefiting from an en-suite bathroom.

There will also be a range of hotel style serviced apartments for those requiring a bit more assistance.   Living in a serviced apartment allows residents to maintain their independence, and while owning the property and having their own front door, they can also relax in the knowledge that all daily chores such as cooking, cleaning and laundry are taken care of.  ‘Assisted living’ includes all meals and drinks, and residents have free use of all village facilities, yet still enjoy the privacy of their own home.  These apartments will include a spacious living room, kitchenette, one or two bedrooms and an en suite bathroom.  Both the village and serviced apartments feature sumptuous carpets and décor throughout, and are appointed with high quality fixtures and fittings.

At the heart of the retirement village will be a nursing home with 30 bedrooms for those requiring 24 hour nursing care.  A further area will comprise dementia care apartments, aimed at keeping couples together where one of them has a dementia.

The village's superb facilities will include a restaurant, café, shop, IT room and library, craft rooms, a bowling green and a wellness spa with a swimming pool.  The development will nestle in beautifully landscaped grounds, which will include lakeside gardens and a nature reserve with disabled access for all residents.

Paul Jackson, managing director of Richmond Villages, said: “As the new retirement village is in the heart of Letcombe, we felt it important that it blended harmoniously with the existing environment, and wanted to retain the design cues of the surrounding architecture that are so pleasing on the eye.”

The sales office is located in a former gatehouse, and has been sympathetically restored to retain the building's character and charm.  Built from local brick, stone
and with a re-thatched roof, the two-storey building will be converted into a café and shop for residents and the local people of Letcombe, once the retirement village is up and running.

Show apartments will be available to view in spring 2009 and the first residents will be able to move in from January 2010.

Prices

Guide prices for the new village include individual Village Apartments, which range between approx £295,000 to £595,000 (two bed) both en-suite, and Serviced Apartments will be in the region of £250,000 to £450,000.  Please note these prices are approximate and are given as a guide at this early stage.  Subject to change.

To arrange a visit, register an interest or for further information, call: 0845 607 6405 or visit www.richmond-villages.com.

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Note to editors

Richmond Villages designs, builds and operates luxury retirement villages, and is notable for providing 24-hour care on site at every location. In addition to Letcombe Regis, it has villages at Coventry, Warwickshire; Nantwich, Cheshire; Northampton; and Painswick, Gloucestershire.

Richmond Painswick has been awarded Best Retirement Development by both the What House Awards and the Daily Mail Property Awards, and has received a Highly Commended award in the Assisted Living category at the Daily Telegraph Your New Home Awards.  These awards have recognised that Richmond Villages has created a stimulating and life-enhancing environment in which to enjoy retirement.

-        To obtain this press release electronically and download high-res images, please visit the LawsonClarke on-line press centre at:           http://www.lawsonclarke.com/releases/richmond_villages/060109rich.htm

Issued by:                                           Sue Hitchcock/Tracey Bretherton
                                                          sue.hitchcock@lawsonclarke.co.uk
                                                          tracey.bretherton@lawsonclarke.co.uk
                                                          LawsonClarke PR
                                                          Tel: 01285 658844
                                                          Fax: 01285 650080
                                                         www.lawsonclarke.com

Ref: RV01/2009