I grew up in the Peak District in England, surrounded by hills, small villages and the kind of communities where people still knew their neighbours. For the past 33 years Northern Ireland has been my home, and like many people I’ve watched how the way we live has changed. Our houses have become bigger, but our sense of connection often feels smaller.
As a juggler I’ve performed at festivals across Ireland. I’m also a board member and tutor with Streetwise Community Circus, which uses ‘social circus’ to engage with people who are often excluded from cultural life – including disabled people and older adults. Through circus, you see how quickly trust, cooperation and joy can grow when people share space and creativity together.
Those experiences have shaped how I think about community. We often assume that if we move to the right place we’ll somehow end up in a caring neighbourhood. But the truth is that strong communities don’t happen by accident. They happen when people are intentional about how they live together.
That’s what drew me to co-housing.
Co-housing communities are made up of private homes clustered around shared spaces, with residents actively involved in designing and governing their neighbourhoods. The model began in Denmark in the 1960s and has spread around the world. It offers a different vision of housing – one where connection, sustainability and cooperation are built into the design from the start.
Here in Northern Ireland, the Portaferry Co-Housing project is exploring what that might look like locally. It’s not about everyone thinking the same or sharing the same beliefs. In fact, diversity is part of the strength of these communities. What matters is sharing certain values – kindness, cooperation, sustainability and mutual support – and expressing those values through how we live alongside one another.
For me, co-housing represents something hopeful. It asks us to imagine housing not just as buildings, but as the foundation for stronger, more resilient communities.
At the Imagine! Festival event Co-Housing: The Radical Idea of Neighbours Who Know Each Other, we’ll explore how this idea works in practice, why it matters now and how projects like Portaferry might inspire new ways of living together in Northern Ireland.
Because the real question isn’t just where we live.
It’s how we choose to live with each other.
Co-Housing: The Radical Idea of Neighbours Who Know Each Other Tuesday 24th March, 8:00pm–9:30pm, The Deer’s Head, Lower Garfield Street, Belfast (Free – donations welcome)
Bob The Juggler
