We provide housing for those in need in Edgware. We have three sites – two at Stonegrove and one in Park Grove. In total we have 23 dwellings ranging from single bed flats to 3 bed houses. We select our residents based on their need and their connection to the local area.
We may not currently have any vacancies but if you are interested in housing, please email Catherine.taylor@dandaalmshouses.org.uk
We are a registered charity and a Registered Social Landlord. Our Vision and Mission is to:
Almshouses are more than just buildings; they are living communities. Our community is supported by dedicated staff and committed trustees:
Facilities Manager
Lachlan ‘Lachie’ Munro studied interior design/architecture and worked as a designer, architect, engineer, and project manager for various organisations, including BBCTV. He established his own retail design consultancy in Covent Garden, and has designed for French Connection, Reiss, Virgin Megastores, The Ministry of Sound, The Ivy, Wetherspoons, Lloyds Pharmacy, Superdrug, British Airports Authority, Oddbins, Woolwich Building Society, Lakeland, and many more. He has worked extensively in Eastern Europe and was a visiting lecturer to the British Higher School of Art & Design in Moscow.
‘Lachie’ holds first-class honour degrees in History and Political Philosophy and has a PhD in History & Literature from the University of Glasgow. To date he has published three academic history books with Edinburgh University Press and Palgrave Macmillan, as well as other published works.
Residents’ Clerk
Catherine is the residents' clerk at the almshouses and has been a trustee for over 20 years. She had 25 years' experience as a care worker and as an activities and training co-ordinator in day care for older people with Barnet Council.
Clerk to the Trustees
Mike has a background in the Civil Service, the music industry and most recently packaged music and film manufacturing. He retired from manufacturing in 2021 and took up the position of Clerk soon after. He is a regional representative of the Almshouse Association, enjoys playing the drums and is a keen football fan.
Nick Mearing-Smith is nominated as a trustee by Barnet Council as a local councillor in Edgware, where he lives. Nick was a city councillor in Bristol before he moved to work in London. He is a chartered accountant. He founded a cable television/telecoms business that is now part of Virgin Media. He has been the finance director of major UK companies and a director of companies in France, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Before retiring he worked as a chief financial officer of a manufacturing business in Thailand.
Lucy is the Councillor for Edgware Ward and Deputy Leader of the Opposition on Barnet Council. She was elected in 2022. Lucy focuses on Education and Adult Social Care and is particularly passionate about improving support for young carers, having been one herself.
Outside the council, Lucy works as a Senior Policy and Public Affairs Executive at Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP, where she supports the firm’s campaigning, lobbying, and PR work. Before that, she spent five years working in Parliament, most recently as a Senior Caseworker for Dr Ben Spencer MP. As well as being a trustee of Day’s and Atkinson’s Almshouse Charity she is also a trustee at Stonegrove Community Trust.
Neil is a retired practicing chartered accountant, having grown up in London but spent most of his Working years in Orkney, the island group off the north of Scotland.
Whilst back in London for 5 years, he discovered in 2015 that he was the illegitimate great-great-grandson of Charles Day. He has since written a book about Day, his life and times, entitled 'Dickens's Favourite Blacking Factory' in which the history of the almshouses is fully covered. The book is available on Amazon and Waterstones. Neil now lives in North Queensferry, Fife.
Neil was happy to become a trustee of the charity, not only because of his family connection, but also to offer his professional expertise in the charity's administration.
I became a trustee at Days and Atkinson’s almshouses in December 2019.
I am very proud to be part of a team of very committed and enthusiastic trustees all of whom have very specific skills relevant to the work of properly running and managing our almshouse in the best way we know how. Our residents are a mix of different ages, single people, small family units, some of whom are disabled but still relatively independent.
I have spent over 35 years working full time within the Citizens Advice service, principally offering help and advice in the areas of housing, benefits and low level debt. I work with residents when it comes to my attention that they need extra help and advice. Together with the residents clerk, we often organise information days at our office run by appropriate local organisations and charities. I have also worked in another charity for older people advising them on a national helpline in relation to care issues.
I love the fact that our almshouse is a real community of residents helping each other out in times of need and enjoying each other’s company at organised social events. It is such an excellent housing model.
Trustee
Peter is a Chartered Civil Engineer with a 50 year background in construction and property development. During his time as Development Director with Barratt Homes he was responsible for the nearby redevelopment of Stonegrove. Peter has been a Trustee for over 15 years.
Simon has been a trustee of the charity since 2010 and Chair of the trustee board since 2015. He is the local parish priest [https://edgwareparish.org.uk/stpeters/] and the delegated representative of Edgware Parish. This means he offers pastoral care for residents and staff at the charity. During the regeneration of the local estates, he worked with the church, local residents and other stakeholders to deliver the award-winning, innovative joint community and church centre OneStonegrove [https://sct.london/]. He is passionate about the role almshouses can play in easing the housing crisis.
