Could you live in an intentional community?

[macshoto]

Interesting piece in the Guardian today about Old Hall Community in Suffolk:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/20/everybody-looks-after-each-other-fifty-years-of-the-commune-that-began-with-a-guardian-ad?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

Could you / would you live in such a community?

Clearly the £100k price of entry would be a barrier to many, but relative to house prices in that part of the world it's not unaffordable (apart from the inability to get a mortgage on it).

Clearly the community is short of members currently, as they advertise on their website: oldhall.org.uk

[Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

I think it sounds lovely, but I’m a terrible cook so I doubt they’d want me!

Given where they sound to be on members, I think they might have to take anyone who fitted in, had some useful skills (not necessarily cooking) and a willingness to participate.

There's got to be lots of farming/gardening tasks, house maintenance and cleaning going round.

An exclusively female/child one, yes.

I genuinely could NOT think of anything worse! It may be OK for some, and good for you if you want to do it/be part of it. But it's a MASSIVE NO from me. When DH dies (if he goes first,) I will very happily live on my own in our little country cottage. No WAY could I live in a 'community' like this.

Anyway, my little village has a nice little community where people help others in emergencies, and chat to you when you're on a little walk or in your garden. But they're not in your face, and everyone pretty much keeps themselves to themselves. Just the way I like it! (Also, our 2 adult DC live only 20-25 minutes drive away, and would be here at the drop of a hat if I needed them.)

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How do you support stranger danger or similar for children in this lifestyle?

If a child is bullied in school, you could move them classes etc. Can't if they're being bullied in this living environment.

Teaching children boundaries about who can/cant access their safe space would be quite challenging.

You have to do 15 hours of work a week! That seems a lot. I agree with the person in the article who said the people are the best and the worst thing about it.

Yes! Definitely. Imagine a world where you shared resources, housework, cooking, workload, childcare....things!
I'd love to live with less material belongings. It breaks my heart that I live in street of 50 separate households with 50 kitchens, bathrooms and even more cars! The utter waste and excess of precious resources is a complete disgrace.
I love to share. Even with all the downsides and complications of human relationships I've always enjoyed my times of living collectively with others.
I have a large garden but I miss the companionship I experienced at the allotment. There isn't enough sharing and casual everyday companionship that collective living offers. There are a lot of lonely, isolated people today. We need more sharing of ordinary daily life in our society.

Yes! Definitely. Imagine a world where you shared resources, housework, cooking, workload, childcare....things!

What would happen if one person developed cancer and needed months of therapy that left them unable to contribute and another person slipped and broke their leg and similarly was unable to contribute for months ?

All of a sudden it's not quite utopia is it ?

Hell, NO

Not a chance. Three rota jobs a week plus 15 hours of work in the house or on the land? I’m far too lazy! 😁

plus I’m fussy about food so wouldn’t want communal meals. And I’m noise intolerant.

Accidents happen in every family. In a small family serious illness and injuries can destroy a family. With 60 people there is capacity to absorb the catastrophe. Reading the article it's clear that there are members of this community in their late 90s. In 50 years I can't believe they've never faced such situations. It really isn't utopia to live collectively. I think there's truth in the saying, "it takes a community to raise a child".

Well that's the point isn't it? When someone isn't able to carry their load, there are enough people to take it for them.
Isn't that what utopia is??

Yes, I definitely could, in fact I have done for the last 15 ish years

One of our members broke their foot a couple of years ago and we just picked up their jobs, they did more of some other stuff that didn't involve walking (the dreaded admin, mainly), and it was fine.

Our DC have a very very good understanding of personal space and safe space btw. Quite probably better than most children do.

Here's my AMA from a few years ago if anyone is interested

It's my retirement plan. I don't have children, so I plan to sell up after I've built up enough equity to pay the fees, and live in such a community.

I think these communities will become more popular as natural resources become ever more scarce and the need to share labour & materials will increase. House prices will also become completely unaffordable for the majority, so hopefully the joining fees will go down!

Lots of communities don't have any joining fees. My share of the co-op I live in cost me £1

Would you join a retirement community? Is there such a thing? I feel like there’s something a bit off about joining an all age community at the point where you’re less likely to be physically helpful and more likely to need support

I lived in a community for a few years back in the day , but a housing co-op style one where you rent rather than buy in. I'd be a bit wary of communities where you buy in due to the risk of people being 'stuck' & not able to afford to leave, though I've visited Old Hall (maybe 25 years ago mind you!) and it did seem very lovely.

Like everything there's pluses & minuses, but I could happily imagine living in community again depending where my life took me. I'm still very good friends with many of the people I lived with.

A friend of mine was involved in setting up the Threshold Centre & several of the founding group were at / about retirement age. I guess a mix of ages works nicely, older people especially if they have long experience of workers co-ops / activist groups perhaps tend to be a bit less naively idealistic and more practical about making relationships & other stuff work.

By the time I plan to join such a community I'll have over 30 years' crop growing and therapy/support group chairing/team building experience. These communities need the soft skills of elders as well as the physical labour of the young 'uns 😁

A few of us have vaguely discussed it, but we're all rather too fond of our personal independence and none of us are really joiners. We'll likely revisit the idea in old age though. Much nicer than a care home.

I was involved with a group of people trying to set one up nearly twenty years ago.

it was very interesting and I met some good people. But it does get very intense.

So based on that experience, I’d say no.

Old Hall has a safeguarding policy and procedure and members learn together about the issues.

We moved to one when our kids were 6, 5 and 1.5 years old. It was not as we hoped/expected but we met an amazing family and we then left with them and set up our own micro intentional community.

The kids had an amazing childhood and we shared the load on cooking, shopping, childcare, small holding etc.