Creating intricately designed and furnished dolls’ houses is a real labour of love for Dorothy and Les Allwood.

Over the last five years they’ve created eight houses and one church, with Les doing the building and Dorothy the decorating.

The church, complete with little wooden pews and a graveyard at the back, was fashioned after the wooden All Saints Launceston North (Barneys) in Newnham near the Uniting AgeWell Aldersgate Retirement Village, where they’ve lived for the last five years.

“All the houses and the church are made of wood, some are double storeys with staircases, some even have battery-operated lights,” explains Dorothy. “I love making curtains, the carpets and even the pillows and blankets for the beds.”

The houses vary in size from as big as a television set to much smaller, and each house can take well over two months to complete. The couple has a few on display in the lounge and the rest in the spare bedroom.

“They’re for display purposes only though,” says Dorothy. “Little hands and delicate decorations don’t make a good mix!”

And they are certainly admired by their grown-up grandchildren, with their great-granddaughter who lives in America yet to see them.

Dorothy, 79, knows all about creating a beautiful and happy home. She is from Scotland, Les from England and they moved to Australia in 1967 with their son and their daughter. Les, 85, is a retired coal miner and they first lived in NSW and then Queensland before moving to Tasmania for cooler weather.

They enjoy living in their spacious unit at Aldersgate Retirement Village and have made good friends over the years. They have a back garden where Les grows vegetables.

“We love it here,” says Dorothy.

There’s also peace of mind knowing that Aldersgate Community is just next door should they require round the clock care.

Jane Legard, Community Manager Retirement Living says residents enjoy the best of both worlds. Independent living in a village-type atmosphere, where friendships and connections flourish.

They hold happy hour in the Community Hall, they sometimes have shared events like pizza evenings or BBQs and a crafts group even meets there on Saturdays where they knit woollen items for charitable causes.