Inspired Villages Group crowned Property Investor of the Year at HealthInvestor Awards 2019

Inspired Villages Group is delighted to have won Property investor of the year at the HealthInvestor Awards 2019.

“Over the next 20 years the population aged 80+ will double, 90+ will triple and centurions will quadruple. We are not just getting older we are living longer with rising health and care needs, says chief executive Jamie Bunce. “We are over the moon to be recognised for our investment in health. We offer accommodation that has been built specifically with the aim of providing independent living, so residents can focus on enjoying life and being active – socially, physically and intellectually.”

There are also broad health benefits for the wider population. Retirement communities have also shown to be beneficial for the healthcare system – providing a 50% decrease in GP visits and a 40% reduction in NHS spending for each individual resident.

Since its launch in 2017, Inspired has positioned itself as the fourth largest operator of housing with care schemes in the UK. With Inspired Villages’ access to Legal & General long-term investment, in the next 10 years it is expected to have 50 schemes, c. 8000 homes, for more than 12,000 residents.

Jamie, who received the award, continues: “We are working hard to challenge the conventions of a traditional retirement village, by making wellbeing central to everything we do.”

In 2018 Inspired introduced the villagecentric role of ‘Wellbeing Navigator’ partnering with Oomph! UKactive and Hero to improve the health of its residents. Employee health is also taken seriously. Inspired created a wellbeing-platform, offering employees subsidised healthcare, fitness advice and an opportunity to share success with colleagues, believing that if colleagues are encouraged to be fit and happy, this will improve the wellbeing of residents too.

“This is just the beginning”, adds Bunce. “All of our communities offer a wide range of facilities including restaurants, cafes and bars. Importantly we have wellness facilities that include fitness studios, sauna, steam rooms and a pool. These are primarily for the use of our residents, but for our newer villages they are also open to locals. We take part in local charity work and support schools with intergenerational projects, which helps embed our villages in the wider community, and supports our core focus on wellness. We organise regular community events, such as antique tours and guided walks. In May I took part in ‘An Inspired 1,000 Miles’, a c. 500 mile cycle from Millbrook Village in Devon to Gifford Lea in Cheshire, via all our other villages. Residents and colleagues were challenged with covering additional miles to reach 1,000, but we clocked up 10,000 miles in the end, and raised almost £30,000 for Mind. We have also successfully launched a new clubhouse at Austin Heath, near Warwick, and we are hosting our second annual festival, Parkfest, set in the grounds of Great Alne Park, near Stratford-Upon-Avon, in July. It will be a celebration, reflecting how later years can be truly revered and enjoyed. We believe we have a great future ahead of us and we are so grateful to be recognised by the HealthInvestor Awards.