Inspired Villages: Advocating for Meaningful Retirement

If we want to make the world better and ensure long-term wellbeing for all, everyone needs access to a high quality of life that inspires them to live with purpose while protecting the planet. Retirement communities are often seen as antithetical to these goals and aging is widely misunderstood. Thankfully, there are purpose-driven retirement villages that provide this demographic with everything they need to enjoy the later phase of life.

We spoke with Jamie Bunce, CEO of Inspired Villages, a retirement village brand operating in the United Kingdom, about how this company is creating sustainable retirement communities that empower residents to live their purpose.

What inspired your founders to start advocating for the Wellbeing Economy?

I got into the property sector relatively early when I went to work for a small building contractor on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) after leaving school at 15. Over time, I moved from construction to development, where I spent many years expanding my horizons and covering all manner of projects, including town regeneration. In 2008, I started a development and project management business, and it was during this time that my first living business was created with a focus on retirement communities. This sparked a passion that drives my career to this day. 

Inspired Villages was born in 2017 when my fellow founders and I secured funding through a joint venture with Legal & General and NatWest Group Pension Fund to develop and operate a growing portfolio of communities. I took the role of CEO and have overseen the rapid growth of the business from 25 to 350 colleagues today, supporting over 1,200 residents with a secured pipeline of 2,800 later-living properties across the UK. 

Purpose is a core part of life, and my key career decisions have been driven by purpose. I like to see a direct physical result from what I do, and at Inspired Villages we make a tangible, positive impact on people’s lives and wider communities. Running this business allows me to match my purpose with the business outcome. 

What do you consider to be your biggest success as an advocate and professional in this space? Can you share any stories of the impact your work has had that have surprised you?

I’m not always surprised but I am inspired on a daily basis. On average, our gym-going residents see a nearly nine-year reduction in their biological age. One particular resident has actually improved hers by almost 20 years, which I was not just surprised but amazed by! 

Another resident had a tour of our village in a mobility scooter and within three months of moving in started a walking club thanks to her improved mobility. A gentleman who moved into a village to be closer to his family following a life-changing accident now visits the gym three times a week. 

We also just opened the UK’s first net-zero (regulated energy) retirement community with our Millfield Green village, which is a hugely proud moment for Inspired as an organization and me personally as CEO. It will become the blueprint for all our future communities as we explore better ways to reduce our environmental impact as well as drive and promote positive benefits to the residents and wider communities from a wellbeing point of view. 

How do you feel that shifting to a Wellbeing Economy will help make the world better?

I recently attended the fantastic event, Anthropy23. The objective is for business leaders to come together and consider how their purpose can drive positive change for the sake of people, planet, and places. Nowhere is this shift more present than at Anthropy, and I was delighted to represent Inspired Villages and the integrated retirement communities (IRC) sector there. The talks and panels focused on things we have to be optimistic about and how impactful change we make now can be integral to making the world a better place.

I joined a panel on how we change the narrative on aging as we phase into a 100-year life span, and there was so much enthusiasm for the work Inspired and many others on the panel do to help improve the narrative on aging as well support the wellbeing of our aging population. At its core, this demographic has so much to offer society: they are experienced, proud, passionate, and curious about trying new things. When we recognize that and empower them to remain active, connected corporate citizens long past retirement, the world will certainly be a better place to be and, integral to our purpose at Inspired, a better place to grow old. 

What are some of the challenges you typically face in advocating for the Wellbeing Economy?

There’s a huge misconception around retirement communities. We create vibrant, connected places that can have a hugely positive impact on the lives of residents while also benefitting the wider community. It’s proven that residents visit the GP less and stay active for longer. 

We create intergenerational spaces with cafés that are open for lunch and dinner to nearby families, alongside gyms where locals can keep fit. Our villages can bring so much life and activity to wider communities, so shifting perception of what living in a village is like and that it isn’t an old people’s home or care facility is a key challenge.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects related to your work/the Wellbeing Economy you’d like to share?

We have just opened our ninth village, Millfield Green, and we are already looking ahead to our next openings in 2024 for our Ampfield Meadows and Blendworth Hills villages. Although we’ve achieved the first net-zero village for regulated energy, we’re not stopping there and are always looking at ways we can further reduce our impact on the planet. There’s lots of work being done on how we can fulfill our climate-positive and nature-positive business commitments. 

Guided by our purpose, we are creating communities rather than building homes, going far beyond bricks and mortar. We have something very exciting that we’ve been working with residents on over the last few months. We recognize that less than 5% of the UK will end up living in an Integrated Retirement Community like an Inspired Village. But we know the positive impact this can have on their life, so we are working on how we can use technology to extend the reach of this benefit to those in society who need it the most. Watch this space.  

What can people do to help spread the word about or take action toward transitioning to the Wellbeing Economy? How can they support your mission?

Our purpose is to create communities where people can live the best years of their life. To do this, we need to change the narrative on aging, and I would encourage everyone to really throw away the stereotype of what later life is like. It’s a time to learn new things, visit new places, and expand your horizons, so you too can live your life with purpose, whatever your age.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine: