In 1996 Sandra and Colin retired to Tiverton, Devon in order to be closer to the family members still based in Bristol, and to enjoy a more relaxed life in the countryside.  They joined the golf club and built up a new network of friends.  During this period they travelled extensively, visiting Australia, Canada, Cuba, Latin America (where Sandra achieved a lifelong ambition to go to the Rio Carnival), Thailand, and in 2006, while travelling in Spain, they fell in love with a little spot called Cortijo Grande where they bought a small house backing onto a valley and golf course. In this phase of life eight grandchildren were born,  Sandra and Colin made fantastic grandparents, and enjoyed this role immensely.  Time was divided between Devon in the summer and Spain in the winter, they had a fabulous retirement with lots of golf, travel, and time spent with family and their many friends.

In 2013 Colin sadly died and Sandra struggled to understand and deal with the world as she battled against advanced Alzheimer's Disease.  In latter years Sandra was cared for by lovely carers in a home near to her daughter in Islington, where she died on 21 May 2020.