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Two leading local firms, Larkfleet Homes (www.larkfleethomes.co.uk) and Keystone Developments (www.keystonedevelopments.co.uk), held an opening ceremony of a renovated manor house at The Croft, a lifestyle living development for the over 55s in Bourne, Lincolnshire.

The existing manor house has been restored to its former glory as part of The Croft development. Now that refurbishment work is complete, senior members of staff from Keystone Developments and Larkfleet Homes, residents and special guests were invited to the official opening of the historic building.

David Palmer of Batemans Auctioneers in Stamford – and a regular face on daytime antique shows such as ‘Flog It!’ and ‘Antiques Roadshow’ – cut a ribbon to signal the manor house ‘officially’ open. Karl Hick, managing director of Larkfleet Homes and Bob Walder, CEO of Keystone’s parent company Longhurst Group, each delivered a short speech.

Karl Hick said: “This opening ceremony marks the culmination of months of hard work by Keystone Developments and Larkfleet Homes and I am delighted that the manor house is now officially complete and open for residents to enjoy to the full.”

Bob Walder commented: “Building homes is only part of the equation – building communities is much more important in the long term. The restoration of The Croft will help create a strong community spirit in providing a focal point for residents to meet and get to know each other.”

The manor house has already hosted a variety of activities for residents and local people including craft afternoons, wine and cheese tasting sessions and flower arranging classes. There is a full schedule of community events planned at the manor house throughout 2013 and homeowners are already organising their own community groups and clubs.

The Croft development consists of 69 one and two-bedroom bungalows and two and three-bedroom chalets arranged around attractively landscaped courtyards.

As The Croft is right in the centre of Bourne, many local amenities including a local supermarket, a doctor’s surgery and a bus stop are only a short walk away, as are many shops and restaurants.

The sales team at The Croft understands that different homebuyers’ financial circumstances are varied so it has developed a range of finance schemes and options which it can tailor to suit individual buyers.

For example, if purchasers need help to sell their existing property, Larkfleet, as part of its ‘assisted move scheme’ will provide valuations for their home from two local estate agents. When the current market value is agreed, Larkfleet then manages the process of selling the existing home, right through to exchange of contracts – including liaising with the agents, advertising and negotiating with prospective purchasers. On completion of the sale of the existing home and the purchase of a new home at The Croft, Larkfleet will also pay the estate agents’ fees.

In addition, on selected plots, homebuyers can agree to pay only a percentage of the purchase price and the remaining amount is then provided as an interest-free equity loan by Larkfleet, only repayable when the property is sold.

Bourne is located only 11 miles from the historic town of Stamford, which was recently voted ‘the best place to live in Britain’ by The Sunday Times newspaper. Excellent public transport in the area means that residents in Bourne can easily enjoy Stamford’s mix of ancient and modern architecture, various cultural offerings, independent boutiques and fantastic restaurants and bars – without the top-end property costs that Stamford demands.

Call the sales team on 01778 426995, pop in to the sales office located on North Road in Bourne or visit www.thecroftbourne.co.uk for more information.