A PASSION EXTRAORDINAIRE | Mary Cornelius-Reid
“ I’ ve recently put in new furniture, a new bar and chimney and it’ s now very cosy with lots of antiques. The restaurant is run by a Dutch couple and is very good, having a first class reputation. Patients of the nursing home and village residents get a discount when they dine there and the managers will even take food to them if they are poorly” she says.“ But it’ s still very much my restaurant. I closed it to the public for the Diamond Jubilee, when we had a special menu and all residents were invited free”.
There is also a tennis court, two swimming pools and of course, the church. Never one to stand still, Mary has put in permission for three more houses and would very much like to convert another building into six further units with parking. Her eyes light up as she describes her plans, which include a little coffee shop with a log fire, where people can come for
coffee in the morning with home-made cakes and essential shopping needs.
The Amesbury Abbey Group, which was founded in 1972, is still owned and run by Mary Cornelius-Reid with her son, David and daughter, Naomi. Her other daughter, Dr. Rosemary Reid, who lives in New Zealand, is a partner in the business. And because of Mary’ s passion for creating nursing homes and independent retirement homes side by side, in beautiful buildings in the most stunning surroundings in the UK or Portugal, it is possible for anyone over 55 to move in and know that, when they are older and maybe more infirm they can transfer into the nursing home without having to get to know new people, a new area and make new friends. A comforting thought.
Three cheers in this Jubilee Year for Mary Cornelius-Reid, A. M., M. B. E.
Mary Cornelius-Reid
For further information contact: The Amesbury Abbey Group: 00( 44) 1962 760573 www. amesburyabbey. com
Monte da Palhagueira 00( 44) 1962 760573 or 00 351 289 990900 www. retirementvillageportugal. co. uk
Top left: St. Luke’ s Church, right: The Village, bottom left: Monte da Palhagueira lake view, right: Monte da Palhagueira gardens. | www. portugal-life. net | Summer 2012 | 13