Liz K has been a feminist activist since 1973, founder member of a refuge, rape crisis and women’s centre group. She is now a Professor at London Metropolitan University, working on violence against women and children. She joined LOLC because she wants to be part of creating different ways living and aging with other lesbians.
Cathie is an amateur filmmaker whose interest lies in telling stories of unheard voices. Came out as a lesbian in her late forties. Joined LOLC after coming across the group on MeetUp. Is excited about the potential for spending her later years with a diverse group of women who hold similar values as her own.
Jude: I’m in single lesbian living in south London – in a flat I own. I have no children and want to plan how and where I want to live as I age. I want to develop a community with my own living space alongside communal facilities where we can meet, eat and have social time. I would like it to be an alternative to a retirement home, moving into providing care as needed as I age – a true alternative to residential care for feminist lesbians!
Liz E: I am working to create safe supportive and inspirational housing for myself and other older lesbians that is founded on feminist principles and practice.
Amanda: I am in private rented accommodation at the moment. I can just about afford my rent now, but I won’t be able to when I retire, so the future looks uncertain. The LOLCohousing project offers a way of getting some control over my living situation. I want to live in a safe and secure environment, in community with people with whom I have a shared history, and I want a home I can call my own.
Barbara: A Londoner all my adult life, I have in the past lived in different types of communal spaces, and have always been interested in the possibilities of more cooperative ways of living. And I look forward to being a part of our cohousing adventure.
Anna: I’ve been imagining a lesbian community since I was sixteen. The details of my hopes have changed only a little over the past fifty years, through phases of activism, academia, parenting and gardening: company, support, challenge, and friendship.
Elaine: Through my involvement in lesbian feminist co-housing, I want to continue – during the third stage of my life – to explore actively what it means to live my feminist politics. I should like us to create an environment that is stimulating, which gives us pleasure in its design, is a space for creativity, and which is a project that allows each of us the opportunity to continue our personal and political growth.
Frances: I am 65 and currently live on the edge of London with my partner. In the past I have lived in a variety of shared housing situations, usually with several other women.
Pam: I live alone and have done so for years, but it would be good to create a purpose-built neighbourhood. The older I get, the more important it seems.
Val: (Aka Tay), a French expat who has elected sunny London, as her home 24 years ago. A lover of life, for its natural wealth, I would define myself as a feminist activist, egalitarian, fighting oppression of all kinds, to the most insidious…
Still very much young at heart, I feel I would strive, in an environment of like minded souls, seeking to age gracefully, together, supporting one another in doing so. Hence when I stumbled across an article about LOLC, online, I thought what an ambitious project, which seemed too great to pass, so here I am…
Mabel: I have worked in education for most of my life. I see education as a political act, as well as an act of hope and an act of love. I enjoy books, my gym, the sea and lots of other things, although most of the time I sit in front of my computer, particularly since Covid-19 came our way. I often write poetry and I do live art from time to time. I live with my partner and I have a big family here and there and everywhere.
Isabel: I’m a poet and a singer songwriter. I was born a migrant. Intersectional feminism is all important to me. I became a social educator and learner working on involvement, collaboration and power sharing both as an activist and a paid worker. I like the idea of growing a shared community by design. I love the sea and miss it desperately, I seek open spaces as a substitute..
Glenys: I have been working with children and young people with social, emotional and mental health difficulties over the past 30 years after trying out other ventures such as plastering, screen printing and creative arts.
I have always liked the idea of communal living but love my own space, so hopefully LOLC will provide me with the ideal community to be part of in my older years.
Debs: A rights activist all my life, I see no reason to stop as I age. Retirement ≠ retreat. Cohousing looks like the best adventure to embark on, together with this group of extraordinary women. We will meet the challenges of ageing with creativity and cooperation.
Kim: I grew up in Cornwall, and then spent my 20’s involved in various women centred political and housing projects. Since then I’ve lived and worked in London, and for the last 20 years in Hackney with my partner.
Now as I approach a time when I can move away from full time work it feels like things have a chance to move full circle and I want to again be part of, and put my energies into, a women’s community.
I was raised in Cornwall, moved to Wales, then on to Hackney where I have lived ever since. My first job in Housing was as a resettlement worker with homeless women. Since then I have had a range of roles, including advising private tenants, managing housing finance and a support team working with homeless people.