Charters Village is one of the newest retirement villages in West Sussex.

Sitting on the rural edge of East Grinstead the village includes a breathtaking Victorian centerpiece building – the hub of village events – and some of the very latest new build apartments and bungalows.

Charters Village is already home for many people who have downsized from their former family property to a village apartment.

Here are their reasons for making this decision and what this new lifestyle means to them: Keith, 71, and Jackie Richardson, 70, previous owners of a four-bedroom detached property in Chipstead, Surrey, bought a two-bed apartment with wraparound balcony off plan.

“Our old house was killing us, it was too big. And from being as fit as a fiddle, we both had health issues that made us realise that you never know what’s around the corner,” explained Mrs Richardson.

“We are just pleased we are now in a smaller and more manageable property within a village which will suit whatever lies ahead in the years to come.

Keen tennis player Iris Pendergast, 76, swapped a large three-bedroom home in Bromley, Kent, for her corner apartment.

She said: “I looked at a lot of retirement apartments but many of them made me feel isolated and cut off, unlike here. I’m also pleased there is no buy-to-let and therefore no transient living.

Rosemary, 80, and Peter Smith, 84, moved from their five-bedroom coach house in nearby Forest Row when Mr Smith’s health started to deteriorate and the household chores and garden started to become too much.

Son George explained: “As children, we never wanted to push our parents into doing anything they didn’t want to; it had to be their decision. Fortunately, mum discovered Charters Village at exactly the right time in her life.”