WHEN 88-year-old former missionary Judith Swatland decided she wanted to swap her Cirencester apartment for a place on the Kent coast with a sea view, she was astounded and delighted at the amount of help she received from a town estate agency.

Leonie Bradford and Mariae Robertson, two agents at Perry Bishop and Chambers in Cirencester, rose to the challenge of helping Miss Swatland move back to her original home county and exceeded all of the elderly woman's expectations.

Not only did the two women help sell Miss Swatland’s flat but, knowing Miss Swatland had no family to turn to, they also both booked the day off work and, joined by Leonie’s brother Alex, father Chris and Mariae’s daughter Cara, moved Miss Swatland and all her belongings down to her new home in Hythe.

Due to health and safety restrictions, the lift up to Miss Swatland’s Cirencester flat and to her new flat in Hythe couldn’t be used, so all her furniture and belongings had to removed and delivered up and down numerous stairs.

The move started at 6.30am and, after a brief stop at Cobham services for lunch, Miss Swatland was able to sit in her favourite chair and look out and admire her longed-for sea view by 3pm the same day.

"We were only too pleased to help", said Leonie. "We got to know Miss Swatland really well during the course of her move.

"It was lovely to be part of the whole process and to see her safely settled into her new home. She was so pleased to be back in the county where she grew up and to be living near the sea again."

After settling in to her new home Miss Swatland said a huge thank you to the Perry Bishop team.

"I miss Cirencester, but the people in Hythe are very friendly, there is always someone to talk to," she said. "The team at Perry Bishop and Chambers, in particular Leonie and Mariae, were very kind and I really appreciate all their help with my move."