Janet Wood didn’t expect that she would be getting the chance to experience a new way of life at 70 plus.

But with life expectancy increasing and housing supply at a premium, people are looking at other options to find a place to call home later in life.  

After 47 years as a council tenant in North Finchley, Janet moved to New Ground this week. New Ground is an Older Women’s Co-Housing (OWCH) scheme located in High Barnet – the first of its kind in the country.

 Janet says: “In August 2012 I received a letter that was part of a mail-out that social landlord Barnet Homes posted to older women in the area to promote the OWCH scheme.

“A short while later, something made me look at the letter again so I went along to an OWCH meeting. It felt really special because everyone knew each other. There are around 25 neighbours in total. You are invited to a shared lunch – so you can begin to get to know each other. My Barnet Homes Fresh Start Officer, Denise Bracken, supported me through the application process.”  

“What is so special about this place is that we don’t look after each other we look out for each other. We don’t have to live out of each other’s pockets, but if I didn’t leave my flat or my curtains were left undrawn for days someone here would definitely think to check up on me.

“I’ve got the best-of-both worlds, a lovely new flat with privacy but where there’s social activity like a communal meal once a week. I also have the local shops and wider community literally 5 minutes away. It couldn’t be better located.

“All the neighbours I knew had gone/left/passed away. It had got to the point where if my curtains remained closed all day nobody would notice.  But if you keep your mind active, you get a buzz and it energises me.

“I do have a lovely daughter, but I want to be independent. I’ve now got a better social life then her! My daughter says she can see the change in me since I’ve become an OWCH member. It’s something very special to become a part of since as this is the first Older Women’s co-housing group.”

How do you get onto the OWCH scheme?

Applicants to the OWCH scheme have to be women over 50 and the Barnet scheme is currently full. But one of New Ground’s founders Maria Brenton says: “We will be recruiting up to one dozen ‘reserve’ members in forthcoming months so that we always have a pool of women who know the group and are known by us, ready to step in to a vacancy. We have had some hundreds of enquiries from women since we appeared on BBC News. There is a huge demand for this way of living – among women especially.”

For further information about this scheme, please visit http://www.owch.org.uk/