Focus on:
We talk to Older Women’s CoHousing (OWCH) member Maria Brenton about the group’s journey to custom-build a dream home for their community. The result, New Ground in Barnet, won Best Group Self-Build Project at the Build It Awards 2017
Maria Brenton
Older Women’s CoHousing is a group of like-minded women over 55 who took charge of their housing by building New Ground in Barnet, North London
When did the Older Women’s CoHousing group start and why?
About 20 years ago I ran a workshop in London about cohousing communities across Europe. I had reached out to women’s networks because that was the main focus of my studies and I was interested in the subject of getting together at an older age to promote healthy and active lives.
After the seminar, a group of six women left for the pub and decided to start a community for older, single women who would share not only a place to live but core values, too. They got in touch with me to help them plan the project, and very soon after, I started looking for funding for the initiative. We wanted to create a space for older women, who may find themselves living alone, to thrive and be independent thanks to the support of other of like-minded people.