Saturday, 18 December 2021

A lot has happened since our last update - including the whole family catching COVID. We put our house on the market in September and agreed a sale in about a week. After that, the pressure was on to find the new home.

With very little on the market, even less that was suitable, we placed an offer, which was then accepted, on a lovely house in Mickle Trafford, a village just outside Chester. This house has a detached double garage, which we plan to convert into Morgan’s quarters. And there’s a gap of about 12 feet/3.7 metres between the garage and the house, where we will build a new staff/kitchen/store room.

Originally, we’d hoped to do the work before moving in, but with planning applications taking 6 months, we could not ask our buyers or seller to wait that long. Our plan B is to use the lounge temporarily as Morgan’s bedroom, while we complete the other works. This takes off some of the time pressure.

This leaves us still with many things to plan and organise, and much paperwork to complete (including a Disabled Facilities Grant application). We’re doing our best to contain the stress. Any move is stressful after all, and this move doubly so.

If all goes to plan, we will own the new house in late February, using bridging finance (that part hasn’t changed). That gives us time to do some basic modifications for the interim plan: wheelchair accessible doorways, and ceiling track hoist. We expect the sale of our existing property to complete at the end of March.

Having walked such a strange journey over the last 12 months, the next phase now feels alarmingly close. Once Christmas is done, the packing will start and we’ll be in the new house before we know it, God willing. At the same time, we’re able to visualise and start planning Morgan’s living quarters and therapy space. We feel a strong sense of responsibility to put the fundraising to the best possible use, for Morgan’s benefit.