1. What do you do?

Tash: I am a PhD student, my PhD is in the intersection of mental and physical health. It’s specifically looking at inflammatory bowel disease. I start my fourth year in September and then I’m done, hopefully I’ll be a Doctor Tash!

Nick: I’m a casting director. I work in theatre and do a bit of screen stuff as well. Lots of short films and I have previously worked in telly and film inside and outside of London.

2. Did you always have an interest in your field?

Tash: Yes definitely. At school, I loved reading books. I thought maths was really boring, but I loved the sciency stuff and then I grew to love maths as well. When I started my undergrad I started off doing physics and material science and chemistry, and people would be like, ‘oh okay, cool’ and obviously not want to talk about it, now that I do a lot of gut-brain stuff which everyone is big into at the moment, it’s nice that people are a bit more interested.

Nick: I trained as an archaeologist. Whilst I was studying, I worked as a runner in a casting office in central London.

3. Do you work from home or go into an office?

Tash: I used to go to the office because my old flat didn’t have lots of space, but now we have so much desk space that it feels very sort of… homely but productive in here as well!

Nick: I work from home quite a lot, but then actually I’m pretty all over, I do some regional work. Last week I was in Plymouth, this week I was in Stratford upon Avon, next week I’m in Peterborough! When I’m not on the road I am working from home.

4. How do you find getting to work from so far out?

Nick: It’s really easy to get to almost all of those places. I think I could get a direct train to Peterborough if I wanted to from East Croydon which is kind of mad! And I do a bit of work at The Globe, which is pretty quick and easy from London bridge.

Tash: I’m doing my PhD at King’s College London and they’ve got an office in London Bridge which is the office that I go to. My commute is a bit of a joke! It’s sort of bed-to-desk in under half an hour. And I’ve got to go up five flights of stairs in a hospital in that time, so it’s a really good commute.

5. What has been the best part of living as a licensee with LOWE?

Nick: My job is a full freelance lifestyle, I never quite know where the next job’s going to come from. With that in mind, being a licensee where I can get out with one month’s notice is really helpful. It really suits a freelancer and with it being cheaper than renting, it takes the pressure off. If you don’t get a job, or theatre is famously very badly paid, it means it’s less of a factor. I can take more jobs that I love.

6. How do you find living as a LOWE licensee? 

Tash: Our kitchen is nice! Not everyone uses it, so it feels very spacious, it’s been really nice. 

Nick: We love the licensees here, really lovely people! Everyone feels pretty relaxed and happy and it’s quite easy to cohabitate in this space, because we’ve all got our own space, plenty of showers… we even have a dishwasher! Crazy?!

7. How do you find living further out from the city?

Tash: We’ve come to realise that Croydon is actually the centre of London, centre of the universe really! It is so rapid, you pick a really random spot in London, and you think, surely, it’s not gonna be quick to get there. But it is! Maybe North West London is a bit of a faff, but everywhere else is really good.

Nick: You can get to Victoria so quickly, which means you can get a Victoria line, which is lightning! Getting on the train from Clapham Junction you’re kind of like oh I’m… I’m here! 

8. How do you like living in Croydon?

Tash: There’s loads of good Caribbean and North African food spots. My favourite has got to be this place called Paratha Inn. You can get a massive paratha for five-six pounds. 

Nick: There’s so much around here. Lots of South Asian and Sri, Lankan foods. There’s a really good pizza place, Raggio di Sole we really like. I also love the tram a lot, not many people know London has such a vibrant tram system haha. 

The Tram is cheap! It’s £1.75 a pop, which in this economy is good money. It’s like getting the bus but you can get much further much quicker. It’s nice going all the way out to the east bits, such as Beckenham and Addington, we’ve still got loads to explore, I just don’t feel we have the time.

BOXPARK is also a really good spot for food and drink. Croydon has really good pub game, the drinks are a bit cheaper too, so you’re not paying London prices for pints in most places. Some you can if you want to.

9. What’s next for you?

Tash: I definitely want to keep doing research and science. I don’t know where, when, how, but yeah, probably at University for a bit.

We had a lovely time chatting to Tash and Nick about how they have made a vacant property in Croydon a home! If you are interested in becoming a licensee, head to our application page!

The post Licensee Spotlight: Tash & Nick – PhD Student & Casting Director appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

1. What do you do?

I’m an actor, singer & puppeteer, primarily in stage musicals. And I side-hustle as a graphic designer/content creator.

2. Did you always have an interest in performing?

Yes my Dad ran a theatre company so I was doomed to a life in the arts from the very beginning. My early childhood memories are all of running around backstage and touring shows, particularly indigenous theatre and musicals in Perth, Western Australia.

3. Which artist/ performer do you draw the most inspiration from?

IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION.
Actors: Hannah Waddingham & Viola Davies
Songwriters: Glen Hansard, Billy Joel & Elliot Smith
Filmmakers: The Cohen Brothers, John Carney, Ken Loach & Greta Gerwig
Eek so many men, I need to work on that…

5. What is your favourite thing about living in Central London?

Being able to walk EVERYWHERE (or cycle in 15mins). You’re right next to the hustle and bustle but there is a still a sense of community with the little side streets, coffee shops, bookstores & green spaces. Plus being so close to Kings Cross and all of its connections is super handy.

6. What is your favourite thing about living with LOWE?

Being able to live this central on an artists wage is the biggest blessing. But aside from that, I’ve loved the opportunity to live in such a unique building, and the creative freedom to paint and DIY. Even though we know it’s a temporary arrangement, we found really creative and affordable ways to completely transform the space into a home, and it has been worth all the effort. When people come to visit they can’t believe it’s a guardianship.

7.  What’s next? 

I feel like 2024 is the year for moving forward in a big way. My industry was decimated by Covid, and my career & confidence in the creative life was completely reset when I lost my theatre touring job. I spent the last 12 month seriously considering whether I had the energy to keep going, starting from zero in the UK again. But after doing a lot of soul searching and trying to live a different life, I’ve come in to this year with a renewed certainty that I’m not ready to quit yet. It’s just a matter of gritting my teeth, getting back to the hustle and trusting that something good is coming. When everything changes, it will change very quickly. Fingers crossed.

The post Licensee Spotlight: Julia D – Actor, Singer & Puppeteer appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Q. Where did you grow up?
A. I’m from Wellington in New Zealand – I moved to the UK to train to become a nurse.

Q. What’s your profession?
A. I work for the police as a custody nurse practitioner, so I’m a combination key worker. I work 12-hour shifts, two days and two nights. My role is to keep the people that are brought in to the station safe and well, and ensure their health is managed properly – they may have addiction issues or medical needs, so I have to monitor them closely. My job is confidential, I treat everyone I deal with with the utmost confidentiality.

Q. How did you become to live with LOWE?
A. My lease finished on the private rental property I was living in, and one of the nurses at St Thomas’s hospital suggested becoming a licensee with LOWE. I successfully applied, and moved in to a building LOWE was responsible for in Bermondsey. This was back in 2018, and I was one of the first key workers they recruited as a licensee. There were nine of us living in the property and it was great fun.

Q. Where are you currently living?
A. When it was time to move on from my previous licensee role, LOWE supported me to find another suitable property. I now live with my fellow licensee in a two-bedroom LOWE property in Loughborough Junction, near Brixton – close enough but not too close to the police station where I work.

Q. What do you enjoy about living in a LOWE property?
A. It’s so affordable – I wouldn’t be able to live in this area otherwise. LOWE are also brilliant at maintaining the properties they look after. Sharing with a friend is also great – we lived together in my last LOWE property too.

Q. How have you made your LOWE home personal to you?
A. I love the fact that LOWE allow us to personalise the property and make it feel like home. When we were living at a previous LOWE building we made the garden really lovely. I’m so happy here, the moment I viewed the it, it felt like home. I’ve even been able to decorate it myself, with LOWE’s permission of course. In the private sector I wasn’t even able to hang a calendar on the wall! It makes a huge difference.

Q. One of LOWE’s aims is to unlock aspirations through meanwhile living. How has being a licensee been a springboard for you to achieve your aspirations?
A. To be blunt, I wouldn’t be able to afford much in London if it weren’t for LOWE. It means I can afford to live near my work, and it allows me to study to increase my skills. I’ve been accepted on a part-time Master’s in forensic and mental health, which is a degree specifically for nurses working in custody or prisons – but the course fees are high. Being a living with LOWE allows me to further my education, which I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to do.

The post Property Guardian Spotlight – Q&A with Karen appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Q. Where did you grow up?
A. I’m originally from the French speaking part of Canada, Quebec. I came to London 15 years ago to undertake my master’s degree.

Q. What’s your profession?
A. I’m an architect, and I also design furniture and create pieces of art.

Q. How did you hear about property guardianship?
A. While in my first job after graduating, I heard about another creative who was living in a warehouse in Battersea. I remember thinking it sounded like the coolest thing, and it was something I kept in the back of my mind.

Q. How did you become to live with LOWE?
A. When I started my own business, I needed to reduce my rent. Someone I knew was living as a property guardian in a building looked after by LOWE, and they explained how affordable it was. It sounded like the ideal solution. I went through LOWE’s selection process, and moved in to a former care home in Finsbury Park – where I lived throughout the pandemic. Each floor was a bubble of about 10 people, and it was really nice having the company of others throughout that time of isolation.

Q. Where do you live now?
A. I’m now in Earls Court, sharing with two other licensees in a terraced house dating back to the nineteenth century. The houses were earmarked for demolition – the whole street had been boarded up – but the developer’s plans changed, and they approached LOWE to look after the properties until the next phase of development. LOWE have done a great job
of refurbishing it – including installing new radiators and a new boiler. I’d say they’ve taken good care of the property, even though it may be developed in to something else eventually.

Q. What do you enjoy about living in a LOWE property?
A. It’s a unique way of renting, it’s affordable, and the buildings are well looked after. It also enables me to pursue a creative career.

Q. Have you worked in one of LOWE’s creative spaces too?
A. Yes – for two years I had a desk in one of their co-working spaces which was fantastic. Tim and Poppy [LOWE’s founders] and their team have outreach programmes for young designers, creatives and entrepreneurs – and I’m an example of that. The way they helped me was to offer a free work-space, and at the time it was a big boost for my business. I’m really grateful to them.

Q. How have you made your LOWE home personal to you?
A. As licensees, we are entrusted to take care of the building we live in. So I have personalised it in other ways, by furnishing it with my own bespoke pieces of furniture. All of the furniture in our living room are pieces I’ve designed – mostly prototypes I’ve been working on for 10 years. I designed the sofa, dining table, benches, stools, the lamps…it makes it feel like home.

Q. Describe one of your proudest moments?
A. I recently made a piece with an Iranian artist, Soheila Sokhanvari, who was invited to do a solo show at the Barbican in London. She wanted to conclude the show with a big sculpture, and she approached me and we started working on it together. It’s now on display in the Curve gallery in the Barbican.

The post Property Guardian Spotlight – Q&A with JF Lemay appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Each of our guardians has a unique story and so many of them go above and beyond to serve the wider community. The guardian lifestyle attracts the most interesting and socially minded people; 40% of our guardians are key workers, 25% are creatives and the remaining 35% is a diverse group of entrepreneurs, young professionals, and everyone else in between. We have identified four groups of guardians whose service to the community, entrepreneurship and vitality we believe deserves to be supported and shouted about.

Key workers:

NHS workers, police, transport operators, educators, postal employees, charity workers – the list goes on. We recognise the sacrifices key workers have always made, and continue to make, for our community. COVID-19 has only strengthened our belief that key workers are the backbone of our society and we want to support them in any way possible.

Innovators:

These are our big picture, cutting edge guardians looking for support with their new business, be it founding a start-up, working toward environmental sustainability or engaged in future focussed technology. As a start-up ourselves we always harbour a soft spot for the entrepreneurs.

Place-makers:

Place-makers are the people who make a house into a home and a postcode into a community, filling the local area with sound and colour – musicians, artists and creators alike. Creative industries tend to be overlooked, but place-makers not only bring joy to their communities, but also diversity and education.

Contributors:

A special group of selfless guardians who are dedicated to giving back to their local communities. The affordability of guardianship means that financial pressures are lessened, so this category is reserved for our guardians who use their time outside of their usual work to volunteer with charities or their local communities.

Guardianship is more than just a living alternative, it is a lifestyle and we are committed to unlocking aspirations through affordable housing. The sheer diversity and calibre of LOWE guardians is astounding, and there is an amazing opportunity to connect likeminded people and foster collaboration. So many of our guardians choose guardianship not just for affordability, but also for community, opportunity and sustainability.

Our aim is to continue to give our guardians the space and infrastructure to support them in their endeavours and to connect them with resources and each other.

For more information, contact us on the details below.

E info@thelowegroupltd.com
T +44 (0) 207 856 0171

The post Meet Our New LOWE Ambassadors appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Aaron, Junior Doctor, Guys and St Thomas’

Meet Aaron, who recently made the decision to move into London to do his part in the Covid-19 crisis. Aaron is currently a junior doctor working at Guys and St Thomas’, but is about to start a placement in ITU at the Royal Free Hospital, so the move to Aldgate East means he will be much closer to his place of work.

“I’m still relatively early in my career, qualifying in 2018 from King’s and working for two years in Cambridge and Bedford. I had initially intended to specialise in Psychiatry, so in the summer of 2020 I started a psychiatric post in Cambridge and Peterborough.

However, as the second wave of the Pandemic picked up, I felt that I could do more good working in acute medicine with Covid-19 patients, so I handed in my notice and took a job in London. I currently work with a team that manages patients too unwell or too frail to be cared for in hospital, going into patients’ homes to start intravenous antibiotics, steroids, fluids and oxygen. I was accepted onto a clinical fellowship at the Royal Free to work in ITU, again hoping to help manage patients who have been hit hardest by Covid-19.

I am still paying the rent of my accommodation in Cambridge, as such, the high rents of traditional properties in Central London would have meant I would be losing money taking on this clinical fellowship. The excellent location and affordable price of this guardianship property relieves me of a significant financial burden and allows me to focus more keenly on my work.”

Ellis, North Central London Vaccination Support, NHS

Ellis is currently working for the NHS in North Central London on the vaccination programme. He was transferred to this role following his work during the first wave of the Pandemic, where he was working firstly on the ICU wards at the Royal Free Hospital, then in the mortuary, and finally, over at the Nightingale Hospital.

“My role is quite varied at the moment; from helping out operationally on the set-ups for the mass vaccination sites, to being the lead for reporting for the region, and also as a programme manager for redeployment of staff across the sector to areas that are most in need.

I volunteer as much as I can, either as a vaccinator or as a virtual visitor back on the ICU wards at the Royal Free (someone who uses an iPad to allow patients to talk to and see their families).”

Ellis spends most of his time at one of three sites; the BDC in Angel, University College Hospital or Royal Free. The high cost and lengthy commuting times are a real problem for key workers who work long hours, so for Ellis, being able to live at a significantly reduced rate in close proximity to where he works, has been a game changer.

Evan, Mental Health Nurse, East London NHS Foundation Trust

Evan qualified as a mental health nurse in September 2019, and since then he has been working as a staff nurse on the psychiatric intensive care unit at the Coborn Centre for Adolescent Mental Health. He was recently promoted to the position of Clinical Team Lead.

Evan dedicates much of his spare time to go above and beyond to serve the wider community. In October 2014 he set up and ran Better Together in Lloyd Park, an independent, non-profit, voluntary project which ran a weekly social club and separate bowls club. The aim was to support socially isolated individuals with mental health challenges who were from the local area.

“After a few years as Project Lead at Better Together, I decided to step down in order to prioritise my studies. I found an organisation willing to take on the project and I continued to volunteer with the organisation until March 2020 when it temporarily closed down in due to Covid-19.”

The affordability of this guardianship in Aldgate East has meant that his financial pressures have lessened, and means that Evan can continue to use his spare time to volunteer with charities and local communities.

“During the lockdown I continued to volunteer in East London, first for Civic in Custom House, which looks to reutilise abandoned spaces as community hubs and encourage community involvement through volunteering. More recently I started volunteering for Connifinn Care, a mental health residential care home in Walthamstow.”

The sacrifices key workers have made, and continue to make, for our community only strengthens our belief that they are the backbone of our society, and we want to support them in any way possible. We are thrilled to have been able to provide this opportunity of affordable housing to these key workers who are doing such incredible things.

The post Meet our Key Workers living in Aldgate East appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Accommodation Options for Key Workers

Fewer options are available when it comes to affordable accommodation for key workers in London, but The LOWE Group can offer a stable and sustainable solution in the short term; our guardian schemes allow essential key workers, as well as creatives and professionals, to become property guardians. A property guardian is someone who supplies live-in security for vacant buildings in exchange for low-cost accommodation.

Guardian schemes are by no means the answer to the housing crisis, but they can provide more benefits than traditional tenancy: as a LOWE Guardian, there is only a 28-day notice period, so people can move on quickly if their situation changes, and are not tied down by long contracts or burdened with expensive deposits. Guardianships also provide sense of community, and we extensively vet all our guardians, selecting only those who are the most socially responsible.

Become a Guardian with the LOWEkey Prioritisation Programme

To actively help those working on the front line, we have introduced our LOWEkey Prioritisation Programme. This is a dedicated programme which prioritises accommodation for key workers in our properties, at genuinely affordable prices; on average property guardians save between 50%-60% on conventional rental costs.

The solution is mutually beneficial because a guardian will look after the property that they’re residing in, whilst providing the landlord with a cost-effective security solution to managing their vacant buildings, mitigating risks from squatters and other issues that come with a vacant building.

Who is Eligible for Our Key Workers Scheme?

When we are handed a new property, we contact local hospitals, schools and our wider network, to prioritise key workers looking for safe, secure and affordable accommodation close to where they work. We have more than 750 property guardians living with us, 40% of whom are key workers.

The type of accommodation on offer is only provided on a temporary basis, and a lot of younger people see it as such, finding that it suits their needs very well, so it is a good solution for key workers for the short-term. Unfortunately, it is not suitable for families with dependants.

Turn your Vacant Property into Key Worker homes

We provide hundreds of key workers with affordable living opportunities through vacant properties. If you’re a landlord looking for cost-effective, live-in security, contact us today at info@thelowegroupltd.com and find out how our LOWEkey Prioritisation scheme can benefit you.

Alternatively, if you are a key worker looking for low-cost accommodation find out more information on How to Become a Property Guardian, the requirements and how you can apply today.

The post Affordable Accommodation for Key Workers: What are the options? appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Ovalhouse is a leading example of this. Humbled by the enormous Oval Cricket ground, the theatre has always held its own as a place for artists and audiences of all kinds. There are few institutions whose values truly run through the veins of their operations, but in every story told by Deborah Bestwick – Artistic Director of Ovalhouse for over 20 years – the Ovalhouse spirit of inclusivity and sanctuary shines through. LOWE took over management of the former Ovalhouse theatre in May 2020. The amazing promise of the property was immediately apparent, all that was needed was a group of guardians to care for the property and breathe life back into it.

Fortunately, just such a group of guardians were on the lookout for a place where they could work on their music and have the space to collaborate. Living at the property there are singers, an actor and writer with a one-woman show, and a music collective ready to release grassroots works. It’s safe to say these guardians feel right at home in a theatre.

“We were in a guardianship for two years before and we kind of learned how to deal with living in a guardianship. ‘How invested do you get?’ Fully invested is the answer, really.” – Sam

Bearing the largest record collection seen in South London and enough synths to put Kraftwerk to shame, this music collective known as ‘Longreel Records’ has completely committed to filling the Ovalhouse walls with music and art once more. As the final group of artists and creatives make their home at Ovalhouse, it is an appropriate time to reflect on Ovalhouse’s history as a culturally significant establishment and an incredibly valuable humanitarian organisation. As such, we met with Deborah at the property to meet the guardians and tell us about the true history of Ovalhouse.

The original Ovalhouse building was founded in the 1930s as a Boys Club that offered opportunities such as debating, boxing, chess, camping and model aeroplane workshops to young people. In 1961, the club took a sharp turn with the appointment of Peter Oliver as the warden. He replaced football with drama, and despite the “Oliver Must Go” graffiti left by disgruntled football fans, this was ultimately an incredibly positive change marking the beginnings of what would become Ovalhouse. What used to be the chapel for the Boys Club eventually became the theatre that premiered Piers Brosnan’s first production, complete with a live donkey who called Ovalhouse home for the three-day run. Ironically, this former chapel became “the crucible of 1960s experimental theatre… every new wave of theatre has started in there. Every time there has been a thing like ‘is this even legal’ it’s been in there.”

Alongside these cutting-edge artists who were pushing the boundaries of theatre and audience sensibilities, the focus on nurturing young people remained. The model of youth participation Peter and his wife Joan implemented at Ovalhouse placed ownership and democracy at the heart of their program. This practice of self-determination continued to be a core value at Ovalhouse and extended to include external groups such as the Black Panthers Youth organisation who would have meetings at the property. Art does more than imitate life, it is a true expression of the time in which it’s made. For Ovalhouse, art and activism belong together. They resourced the first Pride March alongside the formation of Gay Sweatshop, the leading LGBT theatre company of the day. Deborah recounted the impressive Ovalhouse rap sheet:

“The growth of theatre by black artists saw writers, actors and directors like Bernadine Evaristo and Paulette Randall develop their careers, and Graeae Theatre, the country’s first professional disability-led theatre company, now led by Jenny Sealy who co-directed the opening of the 2012 Paralympics, had their first paid performance at the venue. Sanjeev Bhaskar, musician Nitin Sawhney, Pierce Brosnan, Meera Syal, Tim Roth, Artistic Director of the Manchester Royal Exchange Roy Alexander Weise are all amongst the many artists who found an early home at Ovalhouse.”

 

The Ovalhouse model always placed artists first. In creative industries, nothing is more important than a ‘room of one’s own’. Ovalhouse not only offered the space for performance, but also the facilities and space for workshops and rehearsals. Through this holistic, creative approach the building became as much a part of the art as the people. The retro-futuristic turret, aka ‘The Garrett’, was draped in silks as aerial artists brought a new dimension to the space. The doors that open into mid-air, two stories above the car park, became the balcony from which audiences witnessed the murder of Mercutio as he was run over by a twoc’ing Tybalt. One rehearsal studio, now a beautiful guardian bedroom with a New York loft vibe, was filled ankle deep with eucalyptus so when you walked on it the scent billowed up. This was a project done with Mark Storor who held workshops with, and worked on, this project with a group of young refugees. If nothing else, the scorch marks in the lobby from the demolition party indicate a theatre that isn’t afraid of art.

The guardians are not the first artists to make their home here. The label ‘Immersive Theatre’ barely scratches the surface of the dynamic and spatially cognizant work that was crafted and performed at Ovalhouse. For three weeks, a theatre company took up residence in the upstairs theatre, eating only the food the audience provided. That is, until the monotony of crisps and apples – and at one point a whole raw chicken – reached crisis point and they accepted fiscal donations for a take-away. Ovalhouse also ran Time Bomb Theatre where they would bring young people straight from school on a Friday, set a 48-hour clock and work with them night and day to develop their own piece. These pieces were often installations across the building, making the most of the quirky spaces with tailor-made theatre.

At the heart of Ovalhouse lies the main theatre. The floor is like the rings of a tree, each layer marking a different era, a different manifestation of Ovalhouse. In spots the parquet floor can be seen and wooden floorboards peep through. Today the final layer for the theatre floor is a collection of rugs that would not be amiss in an 80s recording studio. The guardians have set up a keyboard station centred around the original Ovalhouse piano which has the fingerprints of South London Jazz all over it; a stand-out alumnus being South African jazz pianist Bheki Mseleku. The walls are peppered with art from various residencies, hanging signs and the scars from years of experimentation.

The guardians at this property are an appropriate encore for this house of art. As Deborah said, “It’s almost so cheesy that it is now literally a home for artists!” The similarities between the guardian mentality and the theatre mentality are apparent to both guardians and Deborah. These two ways of life require thriftiness, fortitude, a desire to create and a desire to foster community. They make the most of the space they are given and rely on swapping and exchange of labour when they can. The guardians’ rooms speak for themselves. Their clean-cut furnishing, the carefully planned colour schemes, and the pristine array of audio equipment and instruments have transformed the former offices, weightlifting space, recording studio, and rehearsal rooms into a beautiful home. The guardians’ previous guardianship was in a factory outside of London. The change to living in a property built for art has made all the difference for them:

“It has given us a lot of inspiration. Compared to the old guardianship where it felt like we were battling the guardians and the building to be able to be creative, here it has been embraced. You feel that, in the general vibe of things. You wake up and you want to create, it’s very positive.” – Mat

 

With the construction of Brixton House well underway, this period of reflection is coupled with an excitement for what is to come. The spirit of adventure, experimentation and social consciousness that was born at Ovalhouse will live on in Brixton. As Deborah compiles the rich history of Ovalhouse, the new artistic director Gbolahan Obisesan looks ahead with the Brixton House programming with a focus on social justice and equal opportunity. The guardians at Ovalhouse could not be more pleased with their new home, and this final artistic residency is a fitting dovetail into the new era of Ovalhouse.

If you have a vacant building and you would like to find out how our bespoke service can work for you, contacts us today for a free consultation report with our recommendations on how best to protect your building.

E info@thelowegroupltd.com
T +44 (0) 207 856 0171

The post Ovalhouse: A Home for Artists appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

At LOWE, we aim to support those who give so much to society, and in 2019 we launched our LOWEkey Prioritisation initiative. The scheme prioritises key workers in our properties, providing them with an affordable living solution within close proximity of their workplace. In addition, to recognise all that the NHS have done for our society in the past 18-months, we have partnered with YOO Developments in providing a series of 1-bedroom flats exclusively for NHS workers in Aldgate East.

Furthermore, we are all about bringing communities together and understanding the difficulties that people may be facing, especially during this challenging period. In 2020 we introduced the LOWE Ambassador Programme which supports LOWE Guardians in their individual projects or charitable schemes, facilitating mentorship and volunteering opportunities, and we use our wide reach as a platform to advertise important causes put forward by our guardians. Our ambassadors are representative of the LOWE community.

As life starts to adjust back to normality, we will continue to help and support people where we can. Property guardianship can help to tackle the housing crisis, and our LOWE properties can provide a safety net for up-and-coming creatives, entrepreneurs, and charitable organisations alike. We love to see the talent that our Placemakers hold, the entrepreneurial skills of our Innovators and the heart and dedication of our Contributors.

So, if you are looking for a low-cost accommodation option in unique and amazing spaces, and would like to learn more about becoming a guardian, please do get in touch: Or, if you’re interested in becoming a LOWE Ambassador, drop Guardian Manager Joe, joe@loweguardians.com an email.

The post Good News Stories to come out of the Pandemic appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Our Plaistow Head Guardian, tech whizz and all around DIY genius James, showed us exactly how guardianship should be done.

So here is…

James’ Guardian Guide to Making the Most of Unprecedented Times

Step 1: House Dinners

Ever heard of “too many cooks”? When there are 12 people in the house each with their own agenda in the kitchen, things can get busy. For our Plaistow guardians, James said the ultimate life-saver was cooking and eating together. Not only does this ensure everyone touches base with another human during the day, but it also means that the guardians can buy in bulk and cut down on costs. With a rota for chef and sous chef of the day, no one is overburdened with responsibility and no one is stuck eating chicken nuggets every day.

Step 2: House Proud

When you live somewhere for a while it’s easy to get settled into your established space and forget the latent potential in those nooks and crannies you walk past every day. James and his fellow guardians have not fallen into this trap. To date they have:

• Created an office work space for people working from home, helping ease the burden on communal spaces and offer a quiet zone.
• Cleaned out the shed to create a workshop that is well stocked with tools and materials.
• Arranged the living room aka cinema room to accommodate all 12 guardians for movie marathons (nothing like a Tarantino marathon to kill time).
• Cleared an inordinate amount of green waste to better enjoy this unbelievable spring weather.

Step 3: Pump up the Jam

By repurposing a crazy variety of buildings, the living spaces available through guardianship are often so much more extensive than those available in traditional renting. Our Plaistow property has the unique feature of a full playground, a basketball hoop and it has a lot of space. For the Plaistow guardians this space meant one thing – a ping pong table. A communal effort acquiring the table has resulted in a sharp increase in guardian competitiveness and we have some hopeful late entries into the deferred 2020 Olympics table tennis competition.

There is daily Yin Yoga in the morning which has an incredibly good turn out every day. James found the Yin Yoga especially helpful as sitting at a computer all day, especially at home where the ideal work conditions can be hard to reproduce, has been hard on his back. After a spot of yoga, a work out in the home gym or a circuit in the garden, our East London guardians channel the spirit of Michael Jordan as the abandoned basketball hoop gets a daily dunking.

Step 4: Huh, You’re Pretty Good at That

NBA Jam aside, we have some incredibly talented people living at this property who are really good at what they do. With this extra time together James and the guardians have arranged a skill swap to get a free education out of a bizarre situation. This property has a disproportionate number of tech savvy people and one guardian has been working on COVID-19 quarantine game so being a guinea pig has been a great team bonding exercise.

On the skill swap timetable these guys have: Game Design, Open mic night, carpentry, bike workshop, choir practice, coding workshop, cinematography + editing. That’s just for 2 weeks! Watch this space, after the lock down lifts the most capable group of guardians will be emerging.

Step 5: Pull Together

As the global situation has changed, so too has life in Plaistow. James told us of the early days of the pandemic when he and some other guardians fell ill. He recalled his gratitude to his house mates who brought him food and continuously checked in on him. Checking in is the most important part of these isolation times. No one is going to be happy every day during this period. Being cut off from friends and family is immensely difficult and James and the Plaistow guardians have found it vital to check in with each other as they all adhere to their strict no-guest policy. Try to go beyond a casual “how’s it going?” and make sure your housemate has the space to talk if they need it.

We are constantly amazed by the ingenuity of our guardians, and we are grateful to them for leading by example by being safe and taking care of each other. There are no two ways about it – quarantine is hard. But by taking steps like James and the Plaistow guardians to help each other and improve each other can make it that much more doable.

The post Guardian Life in Lockdown appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

The inspiration for this inner city burst of joy came from your standard housemate movie night. The flick? 1996 comedy classic The Birdcage, featuring Robin Williams and the unique Miami style of the 90s. Stepping out of the dreary brown-grey palette of Upper Street and into this vibrant haven is like a scene from Pleasantville as you can’t help but be uplifted by the feng shui of the room. Complete with cocktail bar and animal print it took Demetri and Pip one year of hard graft (I hear sanding for two days straight is a great way to lose weight) to achieve this DIY miracle.

Aside from the paint, everything that was used to build was scavenged or given. The deluxe amphitheatre is built from the boards initially used to board up the windows, the feature mirror was picked up from the set of a photo shoot and the zebra print – well that’s just inspiration.

Demetri and Pip mention how good it feels to have people come into their home and have their eyes pop out. Not many artists get to live inside their masterpiece, and Demetri is endlessly amazed that not everyone is taking advantage of the freedom guardianship offers. Future plans for the property involve a 2 metre cactus, a recording studio in the vault and a workshop.

Pip and Demetri, Highbury & Islington

Guardianship has given Pip and Demetri the freedom to cultivate their daily lives. Not only have they nurtured their habitat but they can now pursue their respective creative endeavours whilst living in the heart of London, giving them access to resources and opportunities that would otherwise be unobtainable.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this unique guardianship is how casual Demetri and Pip are about their achievement. In Demetri’s eyes, anyone is capable of this work but he believes the effort and skill required to build is always over estimated, unnecessarily putting off the inexperienced DIY hopeful.

About Pip

After completing his qualification at the Drama Studio London, Pip spent 7 years working as an actor on various projects. His vision gradually expanded beyond performance night, and Pip now works as a creative producer pulling strings behind the scenes to give grass-roots productions the stage. Pip also runs a VR tech company with another guardian at the property bringing a new dimension to theatre through technology.

About Demetri

Demetri attended the National School of Furniture where he got his BA in Contemporary Furniture Design. After doing interior design for a period, it became clear that the corporate environment wasn’t for him and so Demetri branched off into his own creative endeavours. After some time spent building sets, he is now pouring his heart, soul and time into his fashion start-up whilst also working as the Head of Maintenance at a golf course.

If you have a vacant building and you would like to find out how our bespoke service can work for you, contacts us today for a free consultation report with our recommendations on how best to protect your building.

E info@thelowegroupltd.com T +44 (0) 207 856 0171

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Just two years after founding Trik Pae made the Forbes 30 under 30 in Industry, and then in 2019 she made the Financial Times’ 100 Bame leaders influencing the tech sector and was a Forbes Under 30 Honoree. It’s safe to say that after an enormous amount of hard work, Pae is making waves. Through this recognition of her achievements Pae makes one thing clear: the value in this publicity lies not in the fame, but rather the opportunity for mentorship, to show other young people what is possible if you think creatively and don’t ever give up. 

Chatting with Pae

I sat down to talk to Pae about her journey and the role that guardianship had to play.  Pae was one of the first people to move into LOWE’s oldest property, Chelsea Police Station back when the company was Lowe Cost Living and our founder, Tim, was experiencing for himself the wild ride of starting your own business. In 2016 Pae found herself with a Masters from Imperial, a visa that was running out, the beginnings of a business and no home.

Whilst desperately trawling SpareRoom, Pae stumbled across an ad for this police station that was undergoing refurbishment for communal living. It was within walking distance from her laboratory at Imperial and had a flexible monthly rolling contract – could it be that good? At the viewing, Pae met LOWE founder Tim.  She had a frank conversation with him about her position as an entrepreneur who just needed a foothold in London until she could everything off the ground. Needless to say, it worked, and she moved in within weeks.

“This particular guardianship genuinely became a crucial part of my journey, back then if I didn’t find a place to stay, I would not have had enough money to stay to begin with”

Pae was initially concerned that living with 42 people would be a grim return to dormitory living. Instead what she found was a building of like-minded people forming adult relationships built on mutual respect. “Some days I would come home [to Chelsea Police Station] and I would be so down. Having a start-up you have ups and downs. But you have someone to share it with and because people have such a variety of backgrounds that whatever you encounter, whatever favour or support you want, there would be someone in that building who knows someone.”

The network was an unexpected bonus of living at the property. When you put 42 driven, creative and interesting individuals in a building in the heart of London, the network is going to be rich and far reaching. Founding a start-up means you are constantly faced with new challenges that you have no experience in. The guardianship mega network means you have ready access to someone who has. Pae said that early on she was struggling with negotiation and, sure enough, someone in the building used to work in a consultancy firm and had experience with software customer support. She was put in touch with the right people and received the support she needed.

London can be a brutal place for young entrepreneurs as the high rent and fast paced private sector present a seemingly insurmountable barrier. But if you can address the housing issue it gives people a chance to get on with the important stuff. Chelsea Police Station offered the initial stability and foothold Pae needed to get Trik off the ground. Pae took full advantage of the opportunity Tim was able to provide, shortly after being awarded the exceptional talent visa which solidified the future of Trik. The flexibility and affordability of guardianship gives our innovators a chance to save and easy access to a professional and social network in London. Pae was not the only start-up founder to grace the halls of Chelsea Police Station, and all of our properties are full of interesting and entrepreneurial people. We are constantly amazed by the powerful journeys our guardians are on, and proud of the humble role we have to play in them.

“What I tell people is that when I started here I had nothing. No friends, no connections, no money, no visa, no house – absolutely nothing. So if I can do that then anybody else can do it to. I want to share that story, that if you don’t give up you’ll find a way. And I found a way to be able to sort all of these out eventually.”

Millie Watson – Community & Social Manager

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Dr Julius-Cezar MacQuarie, also known as ‘JC’, has lived in a property managed by LOWE since July, sharing the space alongside a community of over 20 other guardians. Greeted with smiles and hugs, we met JC at a coffee shop just around the corner from Angel tube station and settled down to chat about what he’s been up to. We discussed everything from his days working at Pizza Express so that he could fund his MA, to his current work as an anthropologist and NHS practitioner.

JC described his home at City Road as a wonderful place that is more than just ‘affordable accommodation’. He says that the community of guardians is such a positive atmosphere to be in and with his work sometimes being a tough environment, it has been great for him to be able to come home to fantastic people that make everyday life just that bit better.

There has been a lot of sacrifice and struggle involved along JC’s career path, all motivated by his passion to help others and give back to the community through his job. His work is based around the city’s night-time economy and this branching from his initial focus on sex workers and growing to encompass London’s ‘invisible people’. As part of an NHS outreach project, he aims to help vulnerable women who have ended up in a life of sex work and abuse, offering access to protection and hot coffee while they work on the streets and help them with any personal problems. He spoke of an occasion where he spent several hours in a police station with a woman who had been severely abused but achieving little success. It can be a frustrating career path to have chosen given how difficult it can be to attain change and results, but JC is determined to give back to his community.

His research focuses mainly on researching the impact of the night work has on people’s mental health, social life and relationships. In addition to his work with the NHS, he has found that there are high rates of abuse towards night workers, especially those with a large female demographic like cleaning. JC spent 8 months working mainly at night to experience the lives of those he was studying, knocking off for Friday beers at 9am. What started as a concern for sex workers grew into a general concern for the lack of representation of your local bartender, the night manager at the petrol station, a concierge and your office cleaner.  JC certainly suffered the consequences of sleep deprivation and a not-so-thriving social life, showing just how dedicated he is to his research and to making progress so that we have better policies and legislation towards the night workers that are an integral part of our society without whom we could not function.

JC plays a vital part in his outreach work, since plenty of the people that he interacts with are foreign. Being multi-lingual, JC importantly acts as a translator for many vulnerable women. His dedication to his work is incredible and his caring personality is evident whenever you speak to him. Hearing that he feels LOWE provides so much more than just a roof of his head is really heart-warming and he hopes that we continue to be a company that puts the guardians at its heart.

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The experience with LOWE was almost “too good to be true!”

Lucy and Mackayla left Australia together last year to come to Europe and
after travelling the continent for 7 months, they decided to settle down, here
in London. Lucy is a healthcare assistant at the London Clinic in Regent’s Park
and Mackayla is currently an in-home carer working in Wandsworth and prior
to this was working in a classroom for children with autism. They were living
in Tooting Broadway beforehand, and unfortunately experienced excessive
rent in a poorly maintained flat with a non-responsive landlord. This meant
that the majority of their wages went straight on accommodation and they
felt that they couldn’t fully enjoy the city. However, since being with LOWE
Guardians, Lucy and Mackayla told me that they are able to explore London
a little more and make the most of their time here, with the situation seeming
almost “too good to be true!”.

Similarly, Jordan needed an affordable housing solution to complete her
studies, so we were more than happy to play a small part in making this year
a little less stressful for her. Brought up in Cumbria and having spent her
undergraduate years in Bath, Jordan then moved to Cambridge to work for
the NHS as an assistant psychologist, initially hesitant to make the move to
London. She highlighted that this year will help her along the path to a career
in humanitarian settings or in a non-profit organisation dedicated to mental
health.

Finally, we have Rob, a veteran guardian that lived alongside our founder Tim
in LOWE’s very first property. As a photographer he made it clear that living
in London is almost a necessity in the industry and as he enters his fourth
year as a guardian, he highlighted the flexibility and freedom that being with
LOWE has allowed him and his career. At the beginning of the summer, Rob
moved from our Chelsea Police Station, where he was the Head Guardian,
to this smaller residential property, showing just how guardianship can work
at different stages of your life. He said that Chelsea Police station was ideal
when he first moved to the city and many of his closest friends were made
through living there so would recommend it to anyone nervous about finding
friends when coming to London, a place that can sometimes feel isolating.
Naturally as time has gone on, he fancied a change to a quieter lifestyle and
fortunately we were able to find something suitable.

Jordan, Lucy, Mackayla and Rob are all great examples of where guardianship
can help key workers, young professionals and creatives to focus on their
careers without the stress of extortionate rent prices. As we expand and
take on more properties and more guardians, we can hopefully allow more
people to pursue careers that can make positive changes in society. It was
really encouraging to hear that living with LOWE has allowed these guardians
to do so, unhindered by inflexible tenancy agreements or unaffordable rent.

The post Too Good to be True! appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Unless you have been living under a rapidly melting glacier, you’ve probably got the climate change memo – as a global society we can’t keep going the way we are. With the Great Pacific Garbage Patch large enough to gain sovereignty (it’s three times the size of France just FYI) and children bearing the burden of the climate movement it’s easy to be disheartened. We are constantly talking about keep cups, debating plastic straws and policing our rubbish. But why isn’t construction and property a part of the conversation?

Housing is one of those things that has a finger in every problem pie. It draws class lines, it financially rinses young people and key workers such as nurses, police officers and trades people and it deprives the city of diversity and soul. And no, it’s not just a matter of giving smashed avocado a miss or more strict budgeting as some people would have you believe. Between 2011 and 2018 the average rent price rose by 21.7% whilst average monthly earnings creeped a measly 8.1%. In Greenwich renting prices have risen 50% while the average increase in wages was only 7.2%. Those are eye-watering figures with the potency of brown onions (is anyone else’s allergies playing up..?).

You might think you’re going mad as you compete with other unfortunate house hunters to fork out over half of your income for a mouldy basement flat with one window and a welcome party of mice. This feeling of insanity is heightened as you walk to your 9th viewing of the week and pass countless homeless people sitting outside vacant buildings in the heart of the city. Not only is it morally questionable (at best) but it is also completely illogical. Guardianship offers a viable solution that is both environmentally sound and socially invaluable; and it is something people need to start taking seriously.

You’ve noticed since you arrived in the city that there are people everywhere but none of them make eye contact with you. You’re uncomfortably trying to maintain a semblance of personal space on the tube as you, and seemingly the entirety of London, make the journey back to your gloomy money pit. As you acquaint yourself with the armpit of the man next to you you realise that you haven’t seen a familiar face for a day/week/month. Moving to a new city is always going to be challenging, but making friends shouldn’t be the hard part. Guardianship not only gives you a roof over your head but it also gives you the opportunity to make your own family. All kinds of people choose guardianship and, odds are, they’re your people as guardianship leaves the shadows of anonymity and becomes a first choice for many young professionals.

Guardianship is simple logic. We don’t need more buildings, we need to fully utilise the ones we have. We don’t need to pay obscene amounts for rent, we need smarter options. We don’t need to face London alone, we need spaces to connect and grow. Guardianship is by no means the be all and end all of the recycled property debate, but you don’t need to be a Greta to realise the environmental and social benefit of the system.

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Initially from Kent, Ellis went on to study physics at Bristol University. As much as he enjoyed his studies it became clear to him that it wasn’t the right path long term. In the summer of 2017 Ellis found himself with a desire to find a fulfilling and socially impactful career path but little idea of how to do so. Chance intervened when Ellis was travelling around France with a friend of his who unfortunately suffered a nasty mountain biking accident just before their return. Upon arriving back into the UK the next day, Ellis immediately took his friend to hospital. It was there in the hospital waiting room that inspiration struck – maybe the NHS was the answer.

After some research Ellis discovered the NHS graduate scheme and became intrigued with the possibilities that it provided. His initial excitement at being accepted into the scheme was immediately overshadowed by one thought: ‘Where am I going to live?’

One of the main challenges that Ellis faced when he first moved to London was that his graduate scheme involved rotational placements – a problem involved in many graduate schemes involved across the country. As much as the NHS tries to take the employee’s current residence into account when assigning placements, much of their decision relies on demand and where the employee can provide the most benefit. The result of this was Ellis doing three rotations before the end of his first year.

Ultimately, Ellis found himself having to hop from place to place, often finding accommodation through platforms such as SpareRoom. Like many who have gone through the process, Ellis found the high prices and the lack of community within the private rental sector demoralising, remarking that he had lived in flats where he had gone for days without seeing his flatmates. It’s common knowledge that despite being a city of 9 million people London can feel very lonely at times, and Ellis’ flat share experience did nothing to mitigate that feeling.

Having moved around from flat to flat for a full year, Ellis heard about property guardianship through a mutual friend and decided to take a look for himself.

The first time he looked around the property that LOWE are managing on behalf of NHS Property Services, a government-owned company whose property portfolio represents about 10% of the NHS estate, he wanted to know what the catch was. Coming in at approximately 50% below market rent, Ellis couldn’t believe his luck. He mentioned how living with LOWE also has the additional benefit of the 28-day notice period, which gave him real flexibility to accommodate any future placements or roles within the NHS.

The other benefit that won Ellis over was the emphasis on community. There’s a culture in flat sharing that priorities utility over community, and more young people in Britain are feeling increasingly at a loose end. Having only moved to London recently, he wanted to not only find a place to live but also to meet new people and make a home.

“I’ve got to meet so many cool people. So many of them are now friends, rather than just housemates”

Being able to get back from the hospital each day spend time with his fellow guardians, relaxing and sharing stories, is something that he cherishes and something that we are always keen to encourage.

Community is a big part of LOWE’s policy, and we want everyone to feel as included as possible. This is particularly prominent with young key workers such as Ellis. Being able to attract more key workers to London through providing affordable accommodation with great communities is something that we are extremely proud of and are delighted to be partnered with NHS Property Services, who are instrumental in making this project possible.

This is the first property that NHS Property Services has partnered with LOWE on, and it forms part of NHSPS’ wider commitment to efficient use of the NHS estate to create social value for local communities.

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London-born Jack Badu has been a guardian with us since February, living in a former pub in Battersea. We love hearing about all the wonderful things our guardians are up to, so it was great to sit down and chat to him this week about the current charity work he is involved in with Centrepoint and the Homeless World Cup.

Jack started volunteering with the Homeless FA 5 years ago, an organisation which aims to use football as a means of improving the lives of socially excluded people. He is now head coach of the England women’s team at the Homeless World Cup which is currently taking place in Cardiff, hosting more than 500 players representing over 50 countries, all of which have faced homelessness and social marginalisation. The Homeless World Cup is the product of a six-month self-improvement and educational course run by the charity Centrepoint and works with premier league clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea, where Jack does weekly sessions with the clients at risk of homelessness.

In addition to this, Jack has been involved in many other projects over the years that often use football and sport as a way of bringing the community together and helping to resolve prominent issues in society, such as homophobia and accessible education. We began to discuss his work on the ‘Football Tango Project’, a great programme which brings two very different sports together. Ray Bachelor of Queer Tango London developed and led this project whilst Jack led on the tango-based football practice drills! At the end of the sessions, they would address the impact of homophobia in football and reflect on ways of improving its presence in the sport, helping players overcome the issues of homophobia through tango. ‘Tackling homophobia through Tango for better football.’ He has also worked with the organisation ‘Football Beyond Borders’, an education charity that uses football as an engagement tool to provide young people with the opportunity to achieve their goals and fulfil their potential, and the Black Prince Community Hub which aims to offer first-class sports and education facilities to the local community and schools. All of these projects are so important in our current society and it is essential that we continue to facilitate these programmes and support people like Jack so that they can do what they do.

Jack says “Being a Lowe guardian is an unbelievable opportunity for me to make a positive change in my local community. I would never be able to do what I do and live in the centre of London. We need more initiatives like this to support young adults and community groups trying to make a positive change.” Prior to moving to Battersea, Jack was living in a flat in East Dulwich, but working in Vauxhall. Many people often see working and living in Central London as unattainable with the rise in rent prices, however, this is a prime example of where we can help to unlock aspirations through affordable housing.

Initially reluctant to live with 10 people, our community and guardian manager Vicci convinced him to give it a go and it seems he has not looked back since, saying that the community environment and family feel living in the former pub has been a great experience. As well as being in an ideal location for work, the affordability of our guardianships he believes has meant that he can do more whilst working and enjoy life just that bit more.

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We recently caught up with Isaac to get his insight on what it was like to be a guardian inside a LOWE property.

Have you been a guardian before?

“Never – it’s not really a concept back in Australia.”

How long have you been a guardian?

“Since December 2018.”

Why did you choose to become a guardian?

“I’d actually spotted an ad reading the Standard, did some research into the company and it looked like a really good program to get involved with. I signed up and a week later I had a new place!”

Was there a reason you decided to become a guardian with LOWE in particular?

“I’d heard some guardian programs were pretty ordinary, but all the LOWE employees seemed to be really vested into the business model, from the moment I signed up to coming into the office and meeting everyone – they all seemed to enjoy their work.”

How did you find out about guardianship?

“Coming from Australia, the concept of squatters rights was foreign to me, I’d only heard about it through other people I’d met since moving here.“

Do you enjoy being a guardian? What is your favourite part? Least favourite part?

“It’s been an absolute dream. I was living in a dive before getting the LOWE property and it’s been nothing but great since. My favourite part is definitely the property we’ve been given, and I honestly can’t think of any complaints I’ve had since moving in.“

How do you think becoming a guardian has had an impact on your life? If at all?

“Definitely, I was pretty flat living at the property I was previously in and the agency was really poorly run so it sort of detracted from my first year in the city. Living in a LOWE property has been brilliant, it’s given me more of an opportunity to travel and the location of our property has opened us up to the entire city being so central.“

Would you recommend guardianship to your friends and/or family?

“I have, and a few have already signed up as Guardians!“

The post Meet our Guardians: A Q&A with Isaac appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Being situated in the middle of a big concrete car park doesn’t bode well for lush greenery, however. We had to plan for everything to be grown in containers, but our requests to access the roof and/or some of the car parking spaces for these were turned down, so we had to get creative with the space that was left. We noted carefully how many hours of sunshine per day fell on the nooks and crannies around our building, and the optimum suntraps were assiduously mapped out. We started sourcing seeds and investigating varieties, and settled on six types of tomatoes (Marmande, Golden Sunrise, Garden Pearl, Sweet Million, Ukrainian Purple and Orange Paruche), two types of peppers (Topepo Rosso and Banana Peppers), two types of aubergine (Purple and White Finger), two types of cucumber (Cucamelon and Lemon Cucumber) and some courgettes.

Suddenly, every available surface was covered in seedling trays, and soon the little blighters were poking through the soil and announcing their presence. Mere days later we had a riot of green on our hands – in the kitchen, in the lounge, on the dining table; on windowsills, footstools and stairs. We ran out of seedling trays and started sawing plastic bottles and tetrapaks in half and using those.

The best growers were the Marmande tomatoes – these are the ‘beefsteak’ ones which will expand almost to the size of a child’s head. They’re rapacious, and started exploding out of their pots almost too fast to deal with. At the other end of the scale were the Orange Paruche tomatoes. Don’t plant Orange Paruche tomatoes – they’re lazy and slow and spindly, and they’ll flop around and fall over and just end up disappointing you. Not one of them looks like it’s even thinking of making anything worth eating.

Very soon the weighty business of potting the plants out into containers began. After a generous donation to the project from Lowe, we were able to afford a poly greenhouse, some plant pots, fertiliser and other equipment. We had some soil delivered by a nice man in a truck. We invested in a compost bin, and someone found a water butt. We found out what ‘hardening off’ and ‘pinching out’ meant. We even researched the latest in anti-snail measures. This was serious.

Our project suffered the first major setback when the greenhouse suddenly collapsed under the weight of pots on its shelves in a stiff wind. We lost a few plants but managed to shore up the damage, reinforce the structure and soldier on.

We’re at the stage now where diligent watering and plant care has conspired to cause outbreaks of tiny tomatoes and peppers to start appearing, and we believe we can smell the most wonderful ratatouille on the horizon. Leaves are growing broad and reaching high to soak up maximum sun. The cucamelons are firing off long shoots which grab and wrap around anything in their path, and one particularly voracious and unruly tomato plant in our main lounge has hit the ceiling and started spreading out along it like some gloriously unkempt Christmas garland.

We’re planning to find some more soil soon and fill up an old bathtub someone discovered at the side of the road, which would provide a perfect home for some courgettes. Our resident handyman Hugo has made some planters out of old pallets, in which we’ll be growing a variety of herbs to add some sparkle to the veg. We’re saving all the glass jars we use in the house, with a view to making pickles, sauces and preserves to keep over for winter. And our flower beds out front have been planted with roses and should soon explode into a frenzy of vibrant colour and joy. We’re ready for a nutritious and bountiful summer!

Dominic Martin (Brighton Head Guardian)

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5 Benefits of a Guardian Housing Scheme

Here is just a few of the amazing benefits of a guardian housing scheme:

Affordable Living

One of the main benefits of a guardian housing scheme is the affordability. In fact, our guardian housing schemes can save you on average between 50%-60% on housing costs compared to traditional renting. What’s not to love?!

Opportunity to Live in Great Locations

Our guardian housing schemes provide affordable accommodation in some of the most central and desired areas in cities across the UK. So it’s not just the housing costs that you can save money on, being so central in the city can also save you money on commuting costs too.

Interesting & Different Properties

Our property guardian scheme often allows us to look after a whole range of different buildings. From pubs, to schools to even a police station, we’ve seen it all! But that’s what we love about the scheme, creating amazing and unique living spaces in some of the most interesting properties in the city.

Amazing Living Spaces

We always ensure that our living spaces are as unique and homely as possible, often including large communal areas for you to hang out with your fellow guardians. Some of our guardians often request to get creative with the living spaces, which is usually absolutely fine. So whether it’s a gym, a photography studio or freelance space, we love seeing our guardians getting creative!

Forming a Community

All our guardians are vetted extensively, which results in a socially responsible, reliable and professional community of like-minded people who take excellent care of the buildings they protect. Social events are a key part of our guardian housing scheme to encourage all our guardians to create a unique community and form friendships and bonds to last a lifetime.

Like the sound of a guardian housing scheme?

These are just a few of the amazing benefits of a guardian housing scheme, so if this has got your interest, why not apply to become a property guardian? All our guardians are vetted extensively and must meet a few requirements, but if you think you’re right for the role, get in touch today.

The post The Benefits of a Guardian Housing Scheme appeared first on The LOWE Group LTD.

Meet Ezra

Members of the LOWE team met Ezra whist giving a speech to the Princes Trust at Pop Brixton. The team were instantly impressed with Ezra’s contribution and interest during their talk. This resulted in Ezra joining us for some work experience:

Ezra commented on his time with us: “My short time at Lowe Guardians was very insightful and taught me valuable lessons, from writing a professional email, to using excel spreadsheets. Not only have I learnt some of the fundamentals of the property industry, I now understand that there are several avenues to go down within any industry, and property is one of them.”

“I’d like to give the team at LOWE a big thank you for welcoming me into the team and giving me that extra bit of confidence. The company’s ethos and values are impressive, and there is a massive push towards providing affordable housing in London.”

Thank you Ezra for your commitment and support whilst with us. We hope you found it valuable and we wish you all the best for the future!

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“Deciding to build a roof garden has been one of my better life decisions. After all, who doesn’t have a roof garden in Chelsea? With the help of some pallets, housemates, and a few vans the garden came together in about 2 months with varying levels of intensity and beer.

The idea was to add some greenery to a pretty drab roof but seeing as this is the Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea that meant a bit more than a few plant pots. Without much thought I settled on a full grass lawn, a long sofa and some vertical flower beds which will hopefully be covered by vines come 2023.

Please excuse the rough edges… we could have put more effort into some of the aesthetics but no. The idea was to put some pallets down, line them with a geotextile membrane (I swear to never say those two words again), fill with soil and cover with turf. Meanwhile there would be a sofa made out of pallets and some vertical flower beds made out of er… pallets.

Things I learnt:

Don’t overfill tiny flower beds with a million seeds. They will die.

Build a roof garden. Always.”

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After Googling the Bishops Avenue, infamously dubbed ‘billionaires row’, I discovered the mansion came with an indoor swimming pool, billiards room, Jacuzzi and its own football pitch- not exactly the hardest sale. Quickly after, The LOWE Group was officially formed!

The ‘Mansion’ had been left vacant for five years while it’s ‘owner’ had subsequently disappeared. It was a pretty surreal building with some very interesting touches…

I found eight Guardians to move in and took a crash course in property management, maintenance and health and safety. I also moved into the building which gave me an excellent insight into how best to run a Guardian building and ironing out any future mistakes!

What really struck me was the abject waste of usable space in London, symbolised perfectly by the decaying relics littered along Bishops Avenue. Despite widespread anxiety about a shortage of housing supply, government figures suggest there are 610,123 empty homes in England. Of these, 205,821 have been unoccupied for six months or more.

I would strongly recommend a stroll down the Bishops Avenue followed by a pint in the Spaniard Inn afterwards. It is an eye opening experience. And, if you are wondering what happened to my former home, have a read here.

Tim Lowe, Founder & Director

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