When Karen and her husband, Ray, were told they needed to relocate from their Bonnyrigg home as part of the suburb’s redevelopment, they were worried.

“It was all a bit daunting,” says Karen, who’s lived in Bonnyrigg since 1982. But now she says couldn’t be happier, having shifted from a three-bedroom house into a new townhouse on the estate that she absolutely loves.  

“It proved to be a godsend,” she says, “because in  2021, not long after we moved in, Ray became very ill with his second bout of cancer and passed away. Having ground floor access was very handy in his final months, as was the walk-in shower.”  

For Karen, there’s much to love about her new home: “It’s fantastic that there’s no mowing, but still a nice, long courtyard for me to have lots of pots – I love to garden. I also really like that the place is nice and secure, which is great for me now I live on my own. Knowing that I would be safe was something that gave Ray a lot of comfort before he passed away.”  

Some aspects of the redevelopment have been difficult for Karen – “I’ve never driven so when construction means that roads are closed off to buses that isn’t great for me” – but on the whole she is very pleased with the changes she’s seen in Bonnyrigg over the past 40 years. “It feels safer, it looks better and I love the community here,” she says. “I know almost everyone in my building and we all look out for each other.”