Alan was born on a farm on the Scottish border, he competed in English Motorsport and flew Corsair planes. When he was 18, he came to visit family friends in New Zealand, had a look around Hawke’s Bay and decided that “this was the place to be.”

When he turned 80, Alan persuaded a Kiwi mate to be his navigator and they took a car back to England to do a rally. It turned out to be his last spin because that Christmas at his sister’s in Havelock North, Alan had a stroke.

That’s what started him on the path to Heritage. “I was in Hospital for four months and the Doctor gave me a list of homes to visit. This was the second place I looked at and I said to my sister, this has everything I need, a great location, a room, and someone to keep an eye on me.”

From that day on, Alan says he hasn’t looked back. “I get involved in everything, don’t you worry about that. We’re doing bowls this afternoon, I’ve never done it before but I like trying something new. And I’ve got a garden in the courtyard that I water every afternoon.”

One of his main reasons for moving here was because of the on-site Hospital wing. “Luckily I haven’t needed it yet and I feel fighting fit. The whole facility is as good as you can make them. All we need is good staff and to know we’re looked after and we’ve got that here.”