This year Red Deer Village celebrated its 20th anniversary and with ambitious plans for further development on the cards, the Glasgow-based residential retirement park for the over 50s looks well set for many more years of growth.
“My dad and my uncle, John and Ivan Hendry, purchased the site back in 2004, prior to which it was an old residential & holiday park that had started to see better days,” explains Leah Hendry, Administrative Assistant. “They have since worked hard to develop the site, which now has self-catering accommodation, touring and camping pitches in our holiday park, as well as being home to over 100 properties, with the aim being to increase this number to over 180.
“The owners had a clear vision from the very beginning, taking inspiration from countries where they’re much more commonplace, such as Australia, the US and Canada, and bringing the best ideas back. This has involved significant investment since our first park home was developed in 2010.”
Part of the residential village’s growing popularity is due to the strong community spirit that has been created on the site, which was reflected in the 20th anniversary celebrations. “We invited all the residents and local members of the community to a hog roast, where we also held a number of competitions, such as a raffle for our chosen charity, Cardowan Community Meadow, that raised nearly £700,” adds Leah. “It was a great event, and two local councilors joined us for the day. We also handed out awards for the staff to recognise their contribution to the business, some of which have been with us for over a decade.”
Its emphasis on community engagement and support is also demonstrated by the fact that Red Deer Village holds regular activities for residents and has a minibus service that makes two shopping trips a week, as well as days out to destinations of their choice.
“We’re a big promoter of community and ensuring our residents feel safe and secure at all times. We’ve got a great family feel within the business and several of the directors’ children, such as myself, have worked for the company over the years. Although we only have eight members of staff, the progress we’ve made has been the result of a real team effort. We also employ a number of trusted sub-contractors that we’ve worked with for many years to support our activities.”
This level of dedication and investment has paid dividends for the park, hence its 20th anniversary and the strong growth the Red Deer Village has enjoyed. The aim now is to keep this momentum going.
“We’re definitely moving in the right direction, although educating people about what a retirement home village is has been a challenge. As retirement villages aren’t that well-known in Scotland, some people confuse us with static caravan parks, which is a completely different offering. Our homes are permanent and built to much higher standards. The licensing is different too. Thankfully the message is getting through, which is leading to increased demand. We must be doing something right!”
Over the years, Red Deer Village has built strong links with the developers of the homes, which includes well established industry names such as Omar, Homeseeker and Stately-Albion. These companies provide a wide range of different styles of property in a variety of sizes, designs and finishes, meaning every requirement is catered for. The homes are constructed off-site, so once the initial groundworks have been completed, they can be installed quickly and fitted out with furniture, ready for the residents to move in as part of a complete turnkey service.
Another feather in Red Deer Village’s cap is the scenic views it can provide, with many of the homes overlooking the picturesque Cardowan Moss Nature Reserve. The business is now keen to make the most of all it can provide for its residents.
“We want to continue doing what we’re doing and keep on developing,” concludes Leah. “For the next 12 months we’ll be adding more homes and we’ve made a great deal of progress so we’re keen to keep that going.”
It is this attitude that has helped Red Deer Village chalk up two decades of operation and is sure to be a successful formula in the months and years ahead too.