The residents of New Ground consider themselves lucky. They live in the only senior women’s cohousing project in the UK. Built five years ago in Barnet, London, the community of 25 flats and shared spaces is run by the women themselves, under the principles of mutual aid, active participation and social inclusion.
Chatting in her bright two-bedroom flat, Shirley Meredeen doesn’t hesitate in describing the benefits of living here. “It keeps my brain going. We are all very active because there is so much to do… It’s good mentally, socially and physically”. Above all, she stresses, “it’s a really supportive community”. At 91, Meredeen lives independently knowing that her neighbours look out for each other, not each other, which in practical terms means collecting prescriptions from the chemist, accompanying to medical appointments, doing the local shopping… and—since
