Cohousing communities are intentional communities. They are created and run by their residents. Each household has a self-contained, personal and private home but residents come together to manage their community, share activities, eat together.
Cohousing is a way of combating the alienation and isolation many experience today, recreating the neighbourly support of the past. This can happen anywhere, in your street or starting a new community using empty homes or building new.
Bill, Laura, Robin, Sarah, Rosa and Grace are all part of the UK’s rapidly expanding cohousing movement – a way of living that emphasises sharing and mutual support without sacrificing privacy.
Bill has lived in Chapeltown, Leeds, for 45 years and is a founder member of ChaCo – currently negotiating with Leeds City Council to acquire the land to build a 30-unit community-led housing scheme.
Laura is a teacher, loves to grow food and has put in a lot of the hard work to help make LILAC happen. She was motivated by the vision to create a positive contribution to three challenges which we face – the breakdown of community, climate change and the economic growth fetish which has seen housing costs spiral beyond the reach of increasing numbers of people.
Sarah Fishwick is a primary school teacher. Robin Fishwick is a songwriter, a player of many esoteric instruments, a Quaker Chaplain to Leeds Universities and also works with homeless people. They will be accompanied by Rosa age 11 and Grace age 9 who will share their experience of cohousing.