This session organised by Jessie Harris, will take place on Saturday September 1st with OWCH (Older Women’s Co-Housing) at their purpose built housing development, New Ground in High Barnet. The session will take the format of lunch and conversation (exact timings to be confirmed).

The conversation will look at how both the physical architecture of New Ground and the policy of ‘reciprocal care’ for one another, produce a supportive environment whilst simultaneously tackling the growing problem of loneliness in our ageing population.

The format of this session will be informal, with lunch prepared at New Ground, but feel free to bring some more food along.

OWCH are the first senior co-housing community in the UK, established in 1998 and eventually moving into their community for senior women in 2016. There are 25 self contained flats, just over a third of which are social housing (managed by OWCH and Housing for Women) with shared communal facilities and a common house for socialising. All residents share core values such as: care and support for each other, co-operating and sharing responsibility, maintaining a structure without hierarchy, and combating isolation.