Jim swaps ‘concrete jungle’ for big skies and seaside sunsets at Sandcastles
When Jim Kerr visited the Sandcastles development in Scarborough for the first time, he knew he had found the place where he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
The 65-year-old retired building society manager decided to travel to the site, a new Lovell development, after being sent a link to the company’s website by a friend who was himself looking to retire to the coast.
Jim, who was living in a three-bedroom house in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, liked the look of Sandcastles so much that he drove the 74 miles to Scarborough the very next day.
“I walked around the development, felt the sea air and fell in love with the place,” said Jim. “I wasn’t seriously looking for a place to retire to but when I visited Sandcastles I knew it was where I should be. It just felt right.
“I have had a long-running, and often long-distance, love affair with Scarborough for most of my life. It started when I was about 12 years old and visited the resort for a holiday with my parents when we lived in Kilmarnock – 260 miles away in Scotland. We had a great time and returned a few times despite the epic journey which seemed to take all day.
“Over the years, I continued to visit Scarborough. I just love the place. It’s a classic English seaside town and it has this understated charm, friendly people – and great beaches. Some days I have to remind myself that I am actually living here and am not just on holiday again.”
After his first visit to Sandcastles in June 2024, he returned two weeks later and reserved a two-bedroom Morgan bungalow.
“I hadn’t sold my house in Wakefield but the sales advisor explained that I was able to use their Helping Hands scheme whereby they more or less sold my house for me and took all the stress away, which was great. It was full steam ahead with my plan to retire to live by the seaside in Scarborough.”
Under the Helping Hands initiative, Lovell liaises with a local estate agent to agree a valuation for the customer’s existing home and find a buyer quickly. They pay the agent’s fees and work with them until the sale is completed.
Jim moved into his new home in December 2024 and is enjoying the living space that it affords.
“I knew I was downsizing from a three-bedroom townhouse to a two-bedroom bungalow, but I am amazed at how much space there is in my new place,” he said. “The open-space layout is bright and airy and makes the place feel huge.
“I have ended up with the biggest bedroom and largest bathroom I have ever had in any property I’ve ever lived in. The dimensions of the doors are wider than normal to make the place wheelchair-adaptable which is great for the future, if I need that, but also means that the interior feels so spacious.”
Jim is busy getting to know his neighbours during his weekly walkabout on the development.
“It’s such a friendly place that I get to talk to lots of people when I have a wander around,” he said. “There is always someone out walking the dog or washing their car or gardening and they are all so happy to chat. It may sound corny but there really is a feelgood factor surrounding life here at Sandcastles.”
He said his quality of life has improved immeasurably after swapping the urban environment of Wakefield for the wide-open spaces on the Yorkshire coast.
“At my old house in Wakefield I had apartments on both sides and was overlooked by other houses – a bit of a concrete jungle feel - but here my home is right in the heart of nature with huge skies. I use the second bedroom at the front of the house as my home office for life admin – and the sunsets I get to see from there are just magical.
“My friend is yet to make his move to the coast, but he appreciates the benefits I'm getting from my move. I'm living the dream and it's him I've got to thank for it.”