How more people move to a retirement village to get fit: Latest training facilities are a must-have in new retirement homes’

People move into retirement developments for many reasons: security, luxury amenities and companionship are often top of the list.

However, Josephine Lennon is one of a growing number making the move for another reason - to get fit.

‘I’m a keen gardener, but I’m having problems with my wrist,’ says Lennon, 66, who is about to move into Saga’s new development in Wadswick Green, near Lacock, Wiltshire. ‘I want to move to a retirement village, so I can swim, walk and take up yoga.’

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Josephine has chosen a good time to opt for a more active lifestyle because the latest training facilities are a ‘must have’ in today’s top retirement villages.

‘Twenty years ago, people wanted a large lounge to read the newspapers and snooze before taking a stroll around the grounds, which was the limit of their exercise,’ says Neil MacKichan, of retiremove.co.uk, the retirement advice website.