New Ground: Pioneering Senior Living

The residents of New Ground consider themselves lucky.

- Angeles Rodenas

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 Meridien 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 after each other, which in practical terms means collecting prescriptions from the chemist, accompanying to medical appointments, doing the local shopping... and since the pandemic-having a health buddy with detailed medical information and family contacts in preparation for an emergency.

The generally harmonious coexistence wouldn't have been possible without a conscious effort to build the foundations of the community: social activities to get to know each other and workshops on conflict resolution, equality, and diversity where they learned to deal with difficulties. “I am obstinate, like most of the women here—which creates problems sometimes—but we wouldn’t have got where we are otherwise”, admits Meredeen.