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OWCH  IN  TOUCH    

Issue  #1  of  an  occasional  newsletter    

             

   

       Dear  friend    We   welcome   your   interest,   whether   you   want   to   be  resident   here,   want   to   set   up   your   own   cohousing  group,   or   simply  wish   us  well   and  want   to   know  how  we  are  getting  on.      Do  forward  this  to  anyone  else  you  think  might  be  interested.    Marion  Virgo,  Charlotte  Balazs,  Maggs  Beltran  (editorial  team)      HERE  WE  ARE    Hedi  Argent  (Membership)  

The  “big  move”  began  on  November  30th  and  was  completed  on  February  13th.  After  18  years  of  planning,  plotting,  hopes,  setbacks  and  preparation,   the   first  couple  moved   in  at   the  end  of  autumn  and  the  last  tenant  will   join  us  at  the  end  of  winter.  Then  we  will  be  complete  and  soon  able  to  look  forward  to  life  without  builders.  For  the  builders  are  still  very  much  with   us.   There   are   expected   snags   and   unexpected   defects:   hot   water   that   isn’t,  showers  that  flood,  an  erratic  lift,  a  complicated  heating  system,  unfinished  this  and  that.  But  one  and  all,  we  are  happy  to  be  here!  We  love  our   individual  flats,  which  are  becoming  more  individual  each  day  as  we  make  them  our  own  with  our  personal  possessions.    

Communal   life   has   got   off   to   a   good   start.   There   is   the   business   of   managing  ourselves  and  our  building:  small  task  groups  are  responsible  for  our  guest  room,  our  finances,   our   garden,   equality   and   diversity,   membership,   car   parking   (we   are  

 

 

   

The  first  full  OWCH  Business  Meeting  in  New  Ground!  

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learning  to  share  our  cars),  communication,  legal  issues,  the  laundry,    housekeeping  and   the   common   areas,   which   include   a   common   room,   kitchen   and   office.  Fortnightly   management   committee   meetings   (a   group   of   seven   members   are  elected  annually)  are  followed  two  days  later  by  a  meeting  of  the  whole  community,  where   decisions   are   made.   Meetings   take   up   a   good   deal   of   our   time,   but   most  meetings   tend   to   end   in   chat   over   a   cup   of   tea   or   a   shared  meal.  When  we  have  settled  more,  we  will  have  fewer  meetings.  

We   are   busy   building   our   community.   We   are   exploring   the   boundaries   between  valuing   our   privacy   and   enjoying   all   the   benefits   of   living   together   as   good  neighbours.  Living  the  life   is  not  the  same  as  waiting  to  live  it.  Probably  none  of  us  realised  how  exhausted  we  would  be  when  we  finally,  after  a  year  of  delays,  moved  in   together;   how   pre-­‐occupied   we   would   be   with   putting   our   homes   together.  Nevertheless,   we   have   gone   out   to   eat,   to   see   films,   to   go   shopping   –   not   all  together,  but  a  few  of  us  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  or  after  a  quick  whip  around  by  email.  We  have  other  outings  planned  in  the  spring  and  weekly  communal  meals  will  start  this  month  when  we  are  all  here.  Many  of  us  are  apprehensive  about  cooking  for  26  people,  but  we  will  eat  and  learn.  Most  importantly,  we  are  not  alone  and  we  are  not  lonely.  The  balance  between  communality  and  privacy  seems  about  right.  It  is  very  early  days  but  we  are  very  positive.    

We  are  also  beginning  to  reach  out  to  the  wider  community.  We  have  invited  all  the  other   residents   in  Union   Street   to   a   coffee  morning  and  afternoon   tea.   They  have  endured   nearly   two   years   of   demolition,   construction,   noise,   dust   and   parking  restrictions   in   a   narrow   one   way   road.   Now   we   aim   to   become   their   good  neighbours.  We  agree  with  Philip  Larkin   that  “We  should  be  careful  of  each  other,  we  should  be  kind,  while  there  is  still  time”                  

More   than   300   women   have   responded   to   the   recent   publicity   about   OWCH;   we  hope   to   encourage   many   of   them   to   form   other   cohousing   groups   so   that   New  Ground  will  not  long  remain  the  only  cohousing  scheme  for  older  women  in  the  UK.    

 MOVING  IN    Barbara  Gough  (Relocation)  

Advance   planning   was   essential   to   ensure   that   26   members  could   relocate   to   High   Barnet   in   as   short   a   period   as   possible.  We  decided  at   an  early   stage   to   form  a  Relocation  Task  Group  and   interview  three  relocation  companies.    We  chose  Seamless  Relocation  on  account  of  their  experience  of  moving  a  group  into  a  new-­‐build.    We  met  with  Seamless  to  discuss  all  aspects  of  moving  house  and  we  provisionally  booked   three   weeks   to   move   everyone   in.     They   recommended   a   few   removal  companies  but  each  member  made  it  her  responsibility  to  interview  and  choose  her  own  remover.    Seamless  then  negotiated  dates  with  each  company  and  renegotiated  

 

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twice  when  the  completion  date  was  postponed.    They  were  also  at  hand  to  advise  and  provide  additional  help  if  needed.    Most  of  us  used  the  packing  service  offered  by  our  removal  companies.    We  had  to  be  ready   for  February  2015  but  completion  was   repeatedly  delayed,  so  most  buyers  had  to  complete  the  sale  of  their  homes  well   in  advance  of  moving   in  and   stayed   with   friends   and   relations,   some   for   over   a   year.   It   was   a   different  experience   for   our   tenants   who   planned   to   rent   from   Housing   for   Women   who  bought  the  8  rental  flats.    H4W  counselled  against  giving  notice  to  current  landlords  until   their   purchase   was   absolutely   secure,   and   consequently   our   tenants   had   to  postpone  moving  until  the  purchasers  were  already  in  occupation.    New  Ground  is  on  a  small  one-­‐way  street  in  High  Barnet,  very  near  the  centre  of  the  town,   so   we   planned   two   moves   a   day   with   the   help   of   Seamless.     Our   final  completion   date   was   the   end   of   November   and   several   members   were   by   then  desperate  to  move  out  of  their  temporary  accommodation.      As  with  all  house  moves,  there   was   an   anxious   time   waiting   for   solicitors   to   complete   with   the   seller,   but  finally  we  started   to  move   in  at   the  beginning  of  December  2016.    As   the  builders  were   still  here  we   initially  used   their  parking   suspension   for   the   removal   vans  and  Seamless  were  here  to  ensure  that  each  member  had  the  help  she  needed.    Some  had  the  support  of  friends  and  family  as  well.    Because  the  site  was  not  at  that  point  secure,  with   entry   gates   still   not   lockable,   the   developer  Hanover   employed   a   24-­‐hour  security  company  to  patrol  the  premises  and  they  were  helpful  to  us  in  all  sorts  of  ways  we  hadn’t  foreseen.        During  the  first  three  weeks  of  December  all  the  leaseholders  save  one  moved  in.    By  then  our  three-­‐week  contract  with  Seamless  had  expired  and  from  then  on  it  was  up  to  our  own  Relocation  Group  to  ensure  that  removals  went  as  smoothly  as  possible.    This  was   frustrating   in   some   cases   as   organizing   a   parking   suspension  with  Barnet  council  for  £170  a  day  proved  a  hit  and  miss  affair  and  using  visitor  parking  permits  in   an   area   where   every   parking   space   is   immediately   taken   by   locals   was   very  difficult  to  organize.  However  with  a  lot  of  cooperation  between  members  and  with  use  of  our  own  car  park  for  small  deliveries  our  tenants  were  able  to  move   in,   the  final  move  being  scheduled  for  13th  February  2017.    Our  builders  who  are  still  here  with  us  in  February  have  also  looked  after  us  during  the  moving-­‐in  period.    

LIVING  HERE    Janet  Wood  (Social)    I   have   been   living   at   New   Ground   for   over   a   week   now   and   I  cannot  believe  the  change  it  has  made  to  my  life.    I  have  a  brand  new  flat,  new  furniture  and  live  in  a  community  where  I  know  and  like  all  25  of  my  neighbours.   I   love  the  feel  of  our  building  as  we  are  all  arriving  at   the  place  we  want  to  be  and  we  have  the  huge  benefit  of  being  able  to  choose  to  have  company  or  keep  to  the  privacy  of  our  own  flats.  

 

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 I   feel   hugely   optimistic   and   happy   and   so   incredibly   lucky   to   have   been   given   the  opportunity  to  live  here,  I  have  booked  another  30  years  at  least!    I  have  never  had  any  outside  space  before  so  now  not  only  do  I  have  a  balcony  but  will   be   able   to   help   and   learn   in   the   garden   and   on   the   allotment.    Wonderful   to  think   we   will   be   able   to   cook   fruit   and   vegetables   we   have   grown   when   having  communal  meals.    I  came  to  this  group  not  knowing  anything  about  co  housing  and  now  we  are  nearly  all   together   I   really   appreciate   the   ethics   and   values   needed   to  make   sure  we   all  benefit  and  enjoy  living  together.    I  do  hope  this  ground  breaking  story  will  encourage  others  to  go  down  the  route  of  co  housing.      ‘NEW  GROUND’  GOES  PUBLIC    Maria  Brenton  (Consultant)    The   long   awaited  move  by  OWCH  members   to   their   new  homes  has  attracted  a  deluge  of  interest  from  hundreds  of  women  in  the  UK  who  would  like  the  same,  and  from  admirers  and  enquirers  as  far  flung  as  the  USA,  Australia,  France  and  Spain.  One  woman’s  comment:  ‘I  hope  people  learn  from  this  for  the  future  for  generations  to  come;   it’s  one  of  the  best  things   I  have  heard  about   in  a   long  time.  Just  brilliant...’  was  typical  of  many.        Most  of  these  enquiries  were  stimulated  by  OWCH  members  appearing  on  national  BBC   TV  News   programmes   –   edited   extracts   of  which   appeared   on   Facebook   and  have   been   viewed,  we   are   told,  more   than   a  million   times.   Senior   Cohousing   as   a  collaborative  way  of   living  where  older  people  stay  in  charge  of  their  own  lives  has  now  made   and   is   continuing   to  make   the   headlines.   This  was   part   of   our   plan.   In  accepting   the   generous   funding   of   the   Tudor   Trust,   which   made   possible   the  inclusion  of  eight  flats  for  social  renters,  we  undertook  to  blaze  a  trail  for  others  to  follow,  and  to  make  available  to  older  people  elsewhere  the  lessons  we  have  learned.  So,  while  the  cynic  might  label  us  as  inveterate  self-­‐publicists,  there  is  method  in  our  madness.  We  have  a  message  to  put  out!    The  message  is  ‘You  too  can  do  this  –  learn  from  us  and  from  what  we  view  as  the  mistakes  to  avoid’.  The  message  to  local  authorities,  planners  and  housing  providers,  is  that  ‘Senior  Cohousing  is  a  valuable  investment  in  the  wellbeing  of  older  people  –  please  make  it  easier  to  achieve’.      Broadcast  media   –   such   as  Woman’s  Hour,   aired   shortly   –   have   been   followed   by  discussion  in  the  online  and  paper  press.  When  you  are  featured  by  the  Daily  Mail’s  Inspire  magazine,   by   the   Financial   Times   and   by   Red   Pepper   all   in   one  week,   you  

 

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know  you  are  hitting  a  wide  audience.  Time  Out   follows,  with  a  different   focus   for  Valentine’s  Day.    We  are  running  three  information  sessions  in  March  and  April  for  the  first  90  or  so  women  on  our  mailing   list  who   respond   to  our   invitation.  We  will,   however,   soon  divert  all  similar  enquiries  to  the  UK  Cohousing  Network,  as  we  are  not  equipped  to  respond  to  such  a  high  volume  of  interest,  and  we  will  have  built  sufficient  reserve  numbers  shortly.  We  will  also  continue  our  crusade  for  more  senior  cohousing  and  I  will   be  working  with   the  UK  Network   to  make   information   and   advice   on   creating  senior   cohousing   accessible   to   a   wide   audience.   This,   the   first   of   our   occasional  newsletters,  will  try  to  bring  you  news  from  time  to  time.  Now  we  have  got  the  ball  rolling,   it   is   time   to   give   the   OWCH   community,   the   last   of   whom   moved   in   on  February  13,  a  chance  to  settle  in,  rest  and  consolidate  their  ‘virtual’  community  into  the  actual  reality  of  ‘New  Ground’  described  in  this  newsletter.