The Red House welcomes its first occupant

Our first owner, Miss Sylvia Foxton, has moved into another property on the development whilst her own apartment is being completed, so, complete with hard hat and protective clothing, she is able to monitor progress herself!

With her 85th birthday looming, Sylvia made the snap decision to reserve No. 6 The Red House off plan just prior to going away over Christmas 2017 and into New Year, despite the building having barely left the ground!

Sylvia was brought up on a farm in Kirby Hill, Yorkshire. After leaving school in 1948 she worked on the farm and kept house for her widowed father before the business was taken over by her younger sister and her husband. An enthusiastic member of the WI, Sylvia rose to the position of County Treasurer, then Chairman, and also served on the Institute’s National Board of Trustees.

Making up for a wartime childhood without holidays, Sylvia ventured into long-haul travel in the 1980s and has visited over 90 countries in the last 35 years. Her other interests include walking and the local National Trust Association, and she enjoys being involved with Harrogate Theatres.

Sylvia lived in the family bungalow for 39 years before making the move to The Red House. “I’m really looking forward to having the cares of outside maintenance and of the garden taken out of my hands,” said Sylvia. “The very friendly and helpful people involved with The Red House add so much to the pleasure of being here – and, no, they didn’t ask me to put that bit in!”