Mike and Miranda's Story
Miranda got in touch with us because her son lives near Lymington, and she wanted to be able to visit him, his wife and their grandchildren.
After Mike’s stroke in 2013, travel isn’t simple. He now uses a powered wheelchair and can manage standing transfers, but everything has to be thought through in advance.
Their son's family home isn’t accessible, which is often the case.
So the question became: how do you stay nearby in a way that actually works?
“Joy of joys, we found Our Bench.”
They travelled down from Norfolk for their first visit, arranging additional care locally, which we helped with. Since then, they’ve returned a number of times, sometimes with support from family instead.
They’ve now stayed in all three cottages, choosing what suits them depending on who’s coming with them
They didn’t need to use the hoists, but said they were glad they were there.
They also travel in an electric vehicle, so being able to charge at the cottage makes a real difference. Like many guests, it’s not just a suitcase situation:
“We always seem to have too much luggage, and find it hard to keep space clear for the wheelchair in the bedroom.”
And the journey itself isn’t always easy either.
“For me, the drive there from here is stressful, but the change is as good as a rest.”
But Miranda and Mike still come and stay often, because the reasons are simple:
“The main joy of our visit is the chance to be with our family.”
Mike enjoys the New Forest too, especially the trees and forestry.
Miranda said something that really stayed with me:
“It has been well worth chipping into our savings to stay at Our Bench.”
Families matter
At Our Bench, we feel honoured to be able to provide holiday accommodation so families and friends can spend time together, whether that is visiting loved ones who live in the New Forest area, or using our cottages as a base to holiday together.
We love to enable families to capture memories of their time together, if they choose to, with free family photoshoots. This gives everyone the chance to be in the picture, as we truly understand that it is the memories and the support of our loved ones that make every day a little bit easier.