On this day in Wembury — 29 July 1987
The Daily Mirror’s “Mirror Money” section featured a cheerful story about a couple from Wembury, Mr and Mrs Lilian and Clifford Jefferson, who had found a way to turn their home into a steady source of income. Under the headline “Dixie Lands a Sunny Future,” the article explained how the pair had taken advantage of high interest rates and careful savings to fund their retirement and regular holidays in the sun.
Mr Jefferson, known locally as “Dixie,” told the paper that the couple’s house effectively “paid for our holidays.” They had been savvy enough to invest through government savings schemes and mortgage equity, a relatively new idea in the 1980s, and the returns gave them a level of comfort that many pensioners could only dream of. The story struck a chord with readers at a time when financial independence was becoming part of the national conversation — years before the term “equity release” became commonplace.
The photograph accompanying the feature showed the Jeffersons standing proudly outside their Wembury home, beaming in the summer sun. Their story blended thrift, luck, and timing, echoing a wider moment in Britain when ordinary families were learning to navigate a changing financial world — and proving that, even in a quiet Devon village overlooking the Mewstone, you could make the most of both your home and your horizon.
(Daily Mirror, 29 July 1987)