Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Sad news, UK Cohousing pioneer Sarah Berger died peacefully in her sleep March 23

[oz (oz]

No Sarah was not at the Oakland conference - nor was Diana.... Oz


On Wed, Mar 27, 2013 at 4:44 PM, Kevin Wolf <kevinjwolf [at] gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Diane
>
> Was Sarah the vibrant woman from the UK who came to the US cohousing
> conference in Oakland last year?  Wow, that would be a shock. she seemed
> young to me.
>
> I hope all is well. N Street is doing well.
>
> Kevin
>
> On Wed, Mar 27, 2013 at 3:52 PM, Diana Leafe Christian <diana [at] ic.org>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > Hello,
> >         Sarah Berger, one of the burning souls of Laughton Lodge
> Cohousing
> > in
> > Lewes, England, and with Mark Westcombe of Forge Bank Cohousing in
> > Lancaster, a pioneer in the UK Cohousing Network, was  ill with cancer
> > for several years, and on March 23rd died peacefully at home. She and
> > Mark attended the International Cohousing Summit and annual Coho/US
> > conference in Seattle several years ago, and the next year's Coho/US
> > conference in Boston. I liked her very much and felt sad about her
> > illness, and now sad we don't have her anymore.
> >         Here is the announcment on the UK Cohousing Network's website:
> > http://cohousing.org.uk/news/731/sarah-berger-died-peacefully-23rd-march
> >         Below is Mark Westcombe's tribute to Sarah last year when she
> > resigned from the UK Cohousing Network.
> >         Diana
> >
> >         Mark wrote:
> >         "Sarah Berger, long-time communard of The Community Project at
> > Laughton Lodge, Lewes and lifetime activist has been the UK Cohousing
> > Network’s public face for many years. She has embraced her role as ‘Ms
> > Cohousing UK’ with what I’ve learnt is her customary cavalier attitude
> > – much gusto, no-nonsense authority and a certain sassy charm. Sarah
> > will of course cringe with the thought and wrap my knuckles for the
> > inherent sexism, but the playful Sarah will also delight in the
> > mischief and secret pride that she can still turn heads.
> >         "Sarah initiated the network in summer 2005 to continue the
> > momentum
> > that came together at the 1st UK Cohousing Conference in Lancaster
> > earlier that spring. She continued to herd the cats that make up the
> > board until autumn 2010 when, for reasons of ill health, she chose to
> > step down. It has been no mean feat to coordinate the aims and
> > activities of so many volunteer board members, often with different
> > strategies and opinions, and to leverage a coherent message and
> > programme of work from us. She has been quite unique at unifying us
> > all. She has also been quite a nag going “on and on and on” by phone,
> > email, mobile and text reminding me, at least, of some damned
> > commitment that she exhorted from me under duress. I have admired this
> > capacity to be quite an obviously charming and successful nag, but
> > I’ve yet to manage to emulate it, or indeed defend myself against it.
> >         "Sarah has achieved many successes for us, in this slow and
> tiring
> > world of cohousing. She’s won grant bids from the Coop to keep us
> > afloat; project work from NESTA to explore Housing Associations’ role
> > in cohousing; gained us entry with many chief executives; enticed the
> > great and the good to policy events; lobbied government quangos and
> > policy makers to recognise cohousing; hosted Grant Shapps at Laughton;
> > brought The Americans over, Chuck Durrett and Katie McCammant, on a
> > whirlwind 5 event tour of the UK last year; got us into the press; and
> > created a bridge with Hanover, now embarked on their first projects.
> > She has stayed committed, often in the face of scepticism and great
> > setbacks, to bringing best practice to the community and to ensuring
> > affordable cohousing had its place. She has done most of this
> > unrecognised and unrewarded, and underpaid on those brief occasions
> > when there was some paid work.
> >         "Sarah has been a dear friend over these six years, quite a tall
> > order, challenge of a friend at times. I’ve enjoyed strategising with
> > her, sometimes gossiping; working alongside her whilst lobbying,
> > possibly at the House of Lords, or otherwise on the dining table;
> > enjoying celebratory London pub dinners after our small triumphs; and
> > what at times felt like buccaneer trips to the US and Sweden as we
> > speed dated and extracted every ounce of possible value from cohousing
> > pioneers and peers there – again, generally at personal expense. It
> > was fun; it was engaging; and it has been a privilege to work aside
> > such a determined visionary with exemplarily social values and zeal.
> >         "On behalf of the board Sarah, and all the hopeful and future
> > cohousing communards, can I say a huge thank you for your sterling
> > work and generosity of spirit towards cohousing; and as a friend
> > extend a wrap-around hug to you."
> >         —Mark Westcombe, UK Cohousing Network Board Member (2005-Current)
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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