Meet Bournville Gardens resident, Roy!

Roy or ‘DJ Roy’ as he’s better known was the youngest resident when he arrived at Bournville Gardens. He soon found himself at home and became the village’s resident DJ. He discusses teaching line dancing, his love for music and his extra ordinary life at Bournville Gardens Village.

I’ve always collected music and been a fan of it, I don’t know why but I collected karaoke songs. After a year of living at Bournville Gardens Village our entertainment person left so I stepped in and DJ’d a 90th birthday party, after that I was asked to do it once a week, then I ended up doing it regularly. That’s how I got my nickname ‘DJ Roy’. I introduced karaoke to the village. People now give me lists of their favourite songs. I have also put on gigs at other villages.

My wife Sandra and I moved to ExtraCare’s Bournville Gardens seven years ago in November. We were one of the first to move in and we’re the youngest here.

We love holidays and we always wanted to live somewhere that felt like a hotel, for me that is what this is, we have our own lovely balcony just like we would on holiday.

We just knew Bournville was right for us before it had even been built. I used to go once a week and take a picture of where our apartment would be. We are on the fourth floor because we wanted the evening sun and our son lives around the corner.

Everyone can do what they want here, you can still have your outside life if you want it, but we didn’t go out that much anyway. As soon as we got here there were shows on and the bar, and the snooker room, I went in there a lot. It really is like living in a hotel. Now after seven years I can still say that.

I teach line dancing four times a week and I’ve done that for six years. The wider community come and join us, they love it, we have people from a local bowling club that join us and almost half of the line dancers are from outside the village. I also hold classes at Hagley Road and Bournville too. I used to do marital arts, I was an instructor, so I can use the skills here too.

Christmas is always huge here, Sandra volunteers doing dinners. I still work, I’m self-employed in plumbing and drainage.

A friend I met here runs the bingo now and I do the music for him. I won ExtraCare’s Liz Taylor award for volunteering and as a result I was put forward to attend the Queen’s Garden Party in London, it was honestly a real highlight of my life.

I love it here and I am really happy. I didn’t realise it at the time but moving here when you’re younger is the perfect time because the world is your oyster. Get involved in the volunteering work and you’ll love it. It gives you something to do and makes you feel like you’re needed. A lot of people move when they aren’t as capable anymore, move here while you can enjoy it. The majority of people wrongly seem to think this is an old people’s home, it couldn’t be further from that!