“THE PERFECT PLACE TO BEGIN THE NEXT CHAPTER – BOTH MY SON AND I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT LANDALE COURT”

Sam Campbell has always been incredibly independent, so it was a big change for him to leave his family home in Blairs which he’d shared with his late wife Edna for many years. Prompted by a particularly bad fall, Sam’s family favoured the security of having people around him, and with his son Norman Campbell already working at Landale Court, it became the perfect place to begin the next chapter of Sam’s life. 

As he approaches the one-year anniversary since moving into his ground floor apartment, we chat to both father and son to find out how Sam has settled in, and how he’s maintaining his active lifestyle at 94 years young.

 

“There’s always someone to chat to here, everyone is so friendly,” shares Sam, “but initially moving to Landale Court was a huge step for me and it was hard to leave the home I’d shared with Edna, who we lost two years ago. We met at a local dancehall and had been together ever since that day. Although I’d been managing on my own, the fall was the trigger to re-think my living arrangements and after visiting Landale both me and the family knew it would be just perfect.”

 

Norman, Sam’s 72-year-old son, works at Landale Court one day a week helping with the maintenance of the development which means he understands how things run, plus he’s able to visit his dad frequently. Sam continued: “I know the area very well - the location of Landale used to be a farm and I was a farmer for most of my life, so it feels like I’ve come full circle, and it’s only 5-6 miles from where I used to live so it wasn’t too far to come.”

 

Sam grew up on a farm, so it was a natural progression for him to run his own farm as an adult. He had a brief interlude working at the shipyards for five years before returning to the familiarity of farm life after his father-in-law - also a farmer - sadly died at the young age of 41. It was up to Sam to take over the family trade and he didn’t look back, spending the rest of his working days getting up at dawn, working the land, and not stopping until the work was done.

 

The life of a farmer is an active one, and Norman shares an insight into his dad’s lifestyle: “Being a farmer is in my dad’s bones. He’s still up at the crack of dawn, already dressed, showered and having breakfast by the time his morning carer pops in for a chat and to check he’s ok. Farming is dictated by the weather so as soon as it’s light, your day starts, and if the weather is playing ball, you work as late as you can - you have to take advantage of every moment of time you can get outside and my dad is still like that to this day - he’s pretty impatient and always wants to do everything right away!”

 

Remarkably, Sam only stopped farming at eighty, maintaining an active life ever since with a full social circle and calendar of events, and still driving right up until his move to Landale. Fortunately, he’s been able to continue this way of life at Landale Court, as he explains:

 

“I still go to Aberdeen Football Club every Saturday - I’ve supported them from being a lad, and my friend Charlie takes me out in his minibus. Every morning, I go to Tesco on my scooter and most days I have family visiting - they bring me food which I appreciate as I’m no cook - Edna did all the cooking so I’m not that good at fending for myself in the kitchen! There’s also a nice bistro here that I can go to, they do a good lunch and me and Norman often enjoy a beer there together too. Every morning I’ll go for coffee there too – I’ve found it’s the best way to get to know everyone here and I’ve made lots of friends over a brew - I see lots of people every day which is lovely.”

 

 

 

 

Sam is incredibly content living in his modern ground floor apartment which has its own private patio and beautiful views of the sea. As Norman explains: “You’ll often find dad sat outside watching the world go by - he loves being outdoors of course - and when the weather is nice, he’ll usually be enjoying his private patio space or spending time in the main gardens where there’s always someone to talk to. He also really enjoys his meet-up each week at the ‘men’s club’, that’s his favourite part of the week – a group of chaps all meet up and have a chat and a laugh together. That’s what we wanted more than anything, for dad to be part of a community, and that’s exactly what Landale Court is. There’s always someone to chat to and everyone is so friendly, plus we know he’s safe - if he ever missed something people would notice straight away and be there to check up on him. Everyone really cares about dad, and we know he’s in safe hands. It’s very reassuring for all the family.”

 

As Sam adds with a chuckle, “there’s a lot of ladies here who are all lovely, but it’s nice to have some time with likeminded men, that’s why I like the men’s club! I also enjoy the craft sessions that are held here, they are a great place to chat to new people. I’m still settling in and getting to know everyone – the place is growing with new people all the time. Everyone is always so friendly, from the cleaners to the staff at the bistro and on reception, as well as all the residents, I’m very happy here.”

 

“There’s also seating areas in the gardens and if you sit there, you’ll always have someone to chat to! I’m keen to remain active into my nineties - it’s good for my mind and body – and I’m glad I’m on the ground floor so I can see outside and watch the world go by. I must also say how everything here is spotless and brand new - it’s a lovely apartment and I couldn’t want for anything more. I’ve got all that I need, it’s all modern and lovely and very well looked after – just like me!”

 

As Norman concludes; “It was definitely the right decision for dad to move here. I knew it was a great place as I’ve got to know it so well over the last three years of helping out with maintenance here. The people are great, and the place is lovely. Dad is well cared for – which is nice to know when family can’t be around 24/7 - and he has access to various groups and the bistro, plus he gets out and about into the local area too - he wouldn’t miss his daily Tesco trip for anything! The communal gardens are fabulous too, there’s a BBQ area, a nice bedding section and lots of places to sit where people can connect. Dad has settled in really well, especially as it so was hard for him to leave his home he’d shared with mum. He’s now surrounded by support and has got a wonderful apartment to live in. Both dad and I are both very grateful for Landale Court and are both enjoying his new lease of life here.”