Lonely in London – How Guardianship can bring people together.

It’s a strange reality that the bigger the city, the more developed the infrastructure and the larger the community – the more lonely the people who live there tend to be. As the largest metropolitan area in western Europe and the capital of one of the world’s largest economies – London can be a very lonely place indeed.

Living within the M25 brings pressures just as it brings opportunities. Very (very) high costs of living demand hard work and ever-increasing commitment to professional development, and while working hard to build a career is a great and noble pursuit, and is one of the reasons many come to London in the first place, it can mean that many Londoners simply don’t have the time nor the energy to develop their relationships and social lives in the city.

The vast majority of us know what it feels like to be lonely, and we’ve all had quiet, lonely moments. However – many clinical studies have shown that long-term loneliness can be disastrous for our health1. These can include a greater risk of developing dementia in later life, high blood pressure and depression – among others.

Live-in-Guardians helps landlords save huge sums of money on security and rates by providing guardians to reside in properties that would otherwise lie empty and unused, and many of our guardians are those young professionals working hard to build their future. They universally seek to make the properties they reside in feel like a home, and, in doing so together, form meaningful relationships that can stand the test of time.

One group of guardians, Noda, Mason, Byron and Laura – have formed friendships out of their guardianship that last to this day:

“Live-in-Guardians has been so accommodating about our preference to stay together as a group, which has resulted in us building a wonderful bond and becoming a really positive influence in each other’s lives.”

Mason Keefe, 26

The story of the unlikely quartet began after saxophonists Mason and his friend Byron Bradwell (28) started living with professional percussionist Noda Fernandez, 52 from Greece.

“Being a musician means I keep very strange hours, so it’s helpful to be living with a group of people that operate in a similar environment and understand that I don’t leave that house at 8am every morning. We’ve all become conscious of each other’s lifestyles and know how to support one another.”

Noda Fernandez

The trio met while acting as guardians at the Hurlingham Pub in Fulham:

“We have been so lucky with the properties that Live-in-Guardians have found for us to live in. Two have been pubs which are wonderful spaces to live in!”

Byron Bradwell

Then, in 2018 their quartet was completed with the arrival of 29-year-old illustrator Laura Watkins, who was amazed at how much space she had to herself compared to the very low cost of living:

“I have so much space to myself here and we have a huge garden which will be really fun in the summer. […] I feel like I have known these guys forever. They made me feel so welcome when I moved in and we regularly get together in the kitchen for what we call family dinners.”

Laura Watkins

Property Guardianship with Live-in-Guardians offers professionals the chance to live in London, while not being crippled with enormous rents and living costs – helping them move forward in life, while meeting some great people along the way!

To find out more about Live-in-Guardians, visit https://www.liveinguardians.com/

Sources

[1] https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/threat-to-health/ Retrieved 14/01/2020