From Cape Town to Chichester
We’ve helped James settle into a safe, welcoming home at Lacy House – close to his mum and full of community spirit
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James (56), moved into his one-bedroom flat at Lacy House because he needed to be closer to his 92-year-old mother, as he now cares for her.
Lacy House is one of our Later Living (sheltered) schemes in Chichester. Lacy House features 65 self-contained flats, a laundry room, a communal lounge that residents often use for social events, and a beautiful garden, taken care of by the residents themselves.
James is his mother’s carer and wanted to be closer to her as he knew that she needed more support. James contacted Chichester Council for housing assistance, knowing that he wanted to be close to his mother.
Lacy House is quite different from what James is used to as he’s spent many years living and working abroad. He spent three years in Malawi and then lived in Mumbai for seven years. After that he enjoyed a career in the wine industry as a wine buyer in Cape Town for ten years.
He said: “I love travelling, exploring the world and enjoying different cultures. I’ve met people from all walks of life. There’s so much to be discovered on this earth.
“I’ve had to slow down over the last few years as I’ve had to care for mum as she’s got older. The good thing is, Lacy House is really close to where mum lives. So, it was a no brainer when I was shown the flat.”
James enjoys socialising and getting involved with the events put on by the residents’ association at Lacy House.
The chance to be yourself
Not only is James one of the youngest residents at Lacy House, but he’s also a gay man. He is very positive about his moving in experience:
“To be honest, I love the attention”, he launched. “I’ve had a few looks, but once the other residents got to know me, they loved me. I didn’t feel unwelcome at all.
“It was a little bit of an adjustment moving to Chichester. You see, I’m from Brighton, and we’re a lot more flamboyant down there. Chichester is more modest. It has taken me some time to get used to that. But I am who am, and I love who I am.”
When not at the pub or Pride parades, like Chichester Pride just this past weekend – you guessed it…James enjoys watching travel programmes!
With no plans to stop exploring the world anytime soon, James plans to move to Portugal and perhaps find a husband.