Anita and Edward Wright are living their best life after downsizing to finance their love of holidays.

The retired couple have already booked six holidays for this year after trading their four-bedroom detached home for a new-build two-bedroom Joiner home at Bellway's Hampton Trove development in Hampton Magna.

Anita, a former member of the support staff for Warwickshire Fire Service, and Edward, a 70-year-old ex-plumber, have already been away to Egypt for two weeks and have booked another fortnight there later in the year. They have also arranged holidays in Turkey, Lanzarote, Majorca and Norfolk in 2023.

The couple decided to sell their old house, also in Hampton Magna, and buy a new one after their oldest of five grandchildren turned 18.

"It was March 2022 and we had just come back from three weeks in Lanzarote," said Anita.

"We had such a good time we couldn't wait to get back there, so it got us thinking about selling to be able to go away more often.

"The grandchildren were growing up and the eldest had recently turned 18, so we figured they could all now fend for themselves and we didn't need a couple of spare bedrooms for them anymore. It was time for us to put ourselves first and what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives.

"The biggest stumbling block about the downsizing move was Eddie's 'man cave'. At the old house he had a detached garage with his golf clubs and tools in, so we had to make sure he could have his own space at the new house."

Edward and Anita Wright with their passports ready at their new home at the Bellway Hampton Trove development in Hampton Magna

Anita and Edward decided to move to a smaller house but wanted stay in the area to be close to their two children and five grandchildren.

"We looked online for houses within a ten-mile radius but nothing was grabbing our attention," said Anita. "Then one day, I went for a walk to clear my head and came across the Hampton Trove development. I walked in and made an appointment to visit later.

"We both went along and the sales advisor Lauren told us that they had one two-bedroom semi-detached home available, which was not quite finished. We were able to go inside and have a look and we fell in love with it immediately.

"It looked so clean, so fresh and so bright. All the brand-new fixtures and fittings looked fabulous and the carpets and flooring were lovely. The house was perfect and was just a quarter of a mile from our old house. It felt as if it was meant to be."

Anita and Edward paid cash for their new £285,000 home and were given the keys in November 2022.

"I absolutely love the kitchen/diner as I have never had an integrated kitchen before," said Anita. "The room is a large open space where I can cook while entertaining guests at the same time. It is great to have the French doors because they allow a lot of light in and open up onto the back garden.    

"I am very happy living here and so is Edward as he has his new 'man cave'. He is building a shed in the back garden, which has an electricity supply and looks great. It's very much his domain and will give him a space where he can get on with projects.

"We have our own bedroom and have a spare bedroom for when family and friends need to stay over, so that works for us. What is also lovely is that there is a lot of open space on the development and a children's playground about 200 yards away where we can take the grandchildren."

The couple said they would recommend Bellway to family and friends.

"Lauren, the sales advisor, was wonderful," said Anita. "Nothing was too much trouble for her. We felt she had our backs all the way through the house-buying process and really wanted us to get the house and start to enjoy our new life. Thanks to her efforts we are doing just that. 

"When we lived at the old house, we would go on holiday and not want to go home. But now when our holiday is coming to an end, we actually look forward to getting back to our lovely new home. Thanks to this move we live in a beautiful new house and can afford to go on a lot more holidays than before. Life is sweet."

There's currently a selection of one to four-bedroom new homes available to reserve at Hampton Trove, with prices starting at £293,000.

For more information about the development, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/south-midlands/hampton-trove, or call the sales team on 01926 953787.