The Extracare Charitable Trust Reviews 

Visiting the village in Coventry to see friends is a lovely experience. Its great to hear how happy and settled they are and how they wish they had made the move earlier. From the minute your enter,car parking is easy, the main entrance is large and welcoming and the reception volunteers, staff always so helpful, smiling and courteous. It's clean with lovely surroundings and lots to do. Games and craft rooms, quiet spaces, gym, snooker, pool tables, great entertainment programmes and I also know that residents are invited to regular meetings to put forward idea's, and are listened too.
The restaurant / cafe has great food and choice and is a place friends often meet for a coffee, glass of wine, or a natter. Not to mention the Sunday lunch which I often pop in for. Coach trips also on offer and organised too. Fresh veg, market stalls also come to the residents have an on site shop for everyday essentials. It is a great retirement village and i always feel welcome.

We moved into Solihull Village in 2024 and it was the best thing we have ever done.
We quickly made friends which is not hard as everyone here is friendly and there are many groups you can join if you want to do so. This is independent living you do as much or as little as you like and the entertainment is varied something for everyone.
Come along on our open days and see what is on offer and there is always someone who would be happy to show you round.
The staff here will always help when things go wrong which things do from time to time nothing is perfect.
If you are thinking of a move consider Solihull Retirement Village we did and have not regretted it

We went to the Summer Fair at Stoke Gifford on the 4th July and had an enjoyable time. It was great to meet many of the residents. We were made to feel part of the community and to see how happy and involved the residents were.
We are on the waiting list and particularly like the look of the 2 bed apartments with wrap round balcony.

Look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Ms Sharman-White, the Sales Consultant was most friendly but professional and took time to respond to my queries as well as giving me a comprehensive viewing and detailed information. She made me feel that if all staff were like her then I'd definitely want to move into the village. At the same time, I had the opportunity to note how happy and friendly residents appeared to be. The facilities are excellent including a well-appointed gym and a woodworking room. There are many activities available as well as restaurant, cafe and bar. What more could I want?

I moved into E.p.v 6 weeks ago and have settled in really well . My experience of moving went smoothly with Pandora removals who move many people into the village .
E.p.v staff are most helpful down to sales , reception and the maintenance team . My one bedroom apartment is very spacious in every way with a good sized kitchen , living room , wet room with a non slip floor, bedroom and a balcony that runs the full length of the lounge .
E.p.v is central to Coventry city centre with a good bus service . The grounds are well maintained by E.P.V and residents can join the green thumb club to plant borders which look beautiful. There are lots of things to do .The entertainments are good with tribute bands and lots of other activities if interested, a bar and restaurant with nice food in the reception area if you don’t want to cook , a library. Hairdressers, craft room , woodwork room , all there if interested. I Will be joining the gym soon !! Also lots of volunteering roles to be had to keep oneself busy .
Overall a good place to be with safety and peace of mind .

It has been a long old haul waiting to take up my apartment in Solihull Retirement Village but I hope I am nearly there now. I have found Glenny Neeson has been most helpful with any questions I have had and I know she like me will be glad when I finally make it.
Today I did my Induction with Alex and again found he was so very helpful and patient explaining everything to me., I really cannot wait to be a resident of Solihull Retirement Village and intend to take an active part in all that goes on there. It really is the most wonderful place to spend retirement in I really cant wait.

Looking for an apartment with my very elderly parents Mollie has been extremely helpful. Updating us regularly and very flexible in arranging appointments. She is patient when dealing with older people and understands that they may need more explanation and time to reach a conclusion.

Moving into Earlsdon Park was an experience that cannot be faulted. For a disabled person with a spacious hall for manoeuvring a wheelchair is a must. A well designed also spacious wet room with non slip flooring has transformed my needs to minimal now. The facilities are amazing with a community that can enjoy a range of quality entertainment. Friendly staff are more than helpful and clearly enjoy their roles in supporting the village.
My life is transformed and I would highly recommend anyone to look into the apartments and facilities that are available.

I visit Solihull Village regularly with clients through my role in property sales, and every single time I'm there I'm genuinely impressed. The whole village has such a warm, welcoming atmosphere. It's always lively, beautifully maintained and full of happy residents enjoying everything the community has to offer.

The range of activities and facilities is outstanding, with something for everyone, and it's clear just how much thought and care goes into creating such a vibrant place to live. From the dedicated sales team and caring staff to the wonderful volunteers, everyone plays a part in making Solihull Village feel so special.

The lovely ladies in the hair salon and beauty salon are always so friendly, welcoming and professional, and it's obvious how much the residents enjoy spending time with them.

It's a real pleasure to visit, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Solihull Village to anyone looking for a friendly, supportive and active retirement community.

Without Julie Hughes I think Lark Hill Village would be at a loss. This lady is so helpful, bending over backwards to help people move into this delightful village. Nothing seems too much trouble for her and she will ensure your move runs smoothly. The village consists of Individual properties, many are different to its neighbour and the activities on offer are exceptional. Set in lovely grounds and there is care and attention every way one looks. Staff have so much time for everybody and they always have a smile on their face. I have been here 4 weeks and it is a great new life as one gets older. Just take the leap and enjoy the rest of your years in peace. Make new friends, enjoy new activities or just relax. It is all here.

Thank you to all at Larkhill Retirement village in Nottingham.We have just moved a family member in to
a lovely new home in the complex. It has been a complex
process from initially visiting to view the property to selling the house and actually completing to enable us to reach this goal.We have received enormous help from Julie who has guided the family through the system
with kindness and compassion. They even had lovely resident who resides at the complex offer support before she moved in.I have been there now a few times myself while dealing with the admin side and have experienced lovely people from all walks of life.
Thank you again Julie for you Patience and understanding along the wayxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hagley rd Village
Weekly charges increasing dramatically whilst huge wastage with lights on everywhere night and day , aircon some places whilst heating other areas. Generally poor cleaning with large numbers of staff being ineffective.
Vast amounts being spent on a refurb with huge disruption to residents.
Very sad it used to be better!

I feel comfortable with my apartment. The facilities are good.
Can always be busy and involved. Plus freedom of movement. Lovely people here. Very happy.

I moved into Earlsdon Park Village six months ago. It was a huge decision for me to leave our family home after 44 years. I love my apartment, it is spacious , bright and warm. The complex is spacious, welcoming and well maintained. There are a good range of social activities to join with, and all staff and residents have been very welcoming, friendly and helpful.
I moved here partly so that I would not become a burden on my family, and to maintain my independence for as long as possible. I foresee both of those aims being achieved as I continue my life here.

Excellent care - friendly and helpful staff. Good facilities, activities and entertainment. Highly recommended.

We have lived at Solihull Retirement Village for 9 months now after living in our previous home for 56 years, so it was quite a wrench to make the decision to move, especially for my husband. So far we have settled in well, joined in some of the activities and made new friends. Hopefully this will continue to be the case.

Volunteering at Shenley Wood Retirement Village, Neil & Nicole Wickham. Myself and my wife, Nicole knew nothing about retirement living. We received a flyer through the post and came along to an afternoon presentation at Shenley Wood Retirement Village in early 2024. The presentation was given by one of the residents, who explained that one of the best ways to see if it was for us, was to volunteer in one of the many rolls available. We took the opportunity to speak to Yvonne the volunteer coordinator and joined the volunteering team in June that year. We halp out, usually twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Nicole on Reception, myself in the gym. Occasionally we help support events such as the residents New years eve party. We thoroughly enjoy the work, meeting all the different people that both live at Shenley and the numerous visitors. Even though we're not quite ready to move in just yet, volunteering has given us an overview of the excellent facilities and services available at Shenley Wood. Neil & Nicole Wickham.

lift not working, ventilation blowing hot air in searing hot weather outside, staff not replying to emails, automatic doors broken, etc. Under no circumstances buy a flat in an extracare village, because service is poor, service charges are extortionate and flat owners partly pay for those who are not owning. Total fiasco of a caring company. Keep off and away for your own sake! Beware, you have been warned!

My mother and father moved into Larkhill Village in Nottingham around the time it opened and their initial experience as residents was incredibly positive. The activities and facilities were excellent and in their late 78's gave them the time and freedom they didn't fully enjoy in their bungalow.
So in regard to the above I believe the Village offered them a very positive experience but once Dad passed and then Mum developed Mixed Dementia a different picture emerged where some of the areas where the Village may not offer all it once had as follows :-
- there is limited capacity in the village to support (at cost) residents that require care.
- the support staff , although really friendly, failed to regularly carry out tasks on care plan
- the short visits available didn't allow for any real understanding of how Mum was coping ie not eating
- limited contact with next of kin despite regular requests from family re activities, trips , maintenance issues to support Mum.
- failure to acknowledge that a resident in their 90's with fairly advanced Mixed Dementia would understand and pass on information to family.
- impact of loss of equity in purchased apartment (loss of 1% in each of the 1st 10 years) which given the cost and requirement in most care homes of minimum 2 years funding is a potential issue. This may have been made known to my parents but could be an unexpected realisation once it manifests later in many cases.

So I have tried to give a balanced review and advice ,especially for family, of our experience.

One of the most unfriendly, unhelpful and uncaring experiences one could imagine.