Dear LPG,

 For the past 10 years I have been living in John Penn House, a sheltered accommodation complex in the New Cross area.  When I moved in back then, I thought that being there would be good for me as I got older, but there is one drawback.  The building that I live in has two floors, but for all that it is reputed to be the only multi-floored sheltered accommodation left in the Borough of Lewisham which does not have a lift.

Over the years I have forged friendships as we neighbours have created our little neighbourhood community, and there have been many changes.  Most positive; such as the opportunity to have the Linkline service and the weekly visit from our housing officer which has now become a daily occurrence.

When I first moved in, climbing the stairs to my first floor flat was not a problem but, over the years, it has become a challenge for me.  Now I find myself only able to confidently negotiate the stairs with assistance which is not always available to me when I really need it, and so for the past two years I have been hardly able to leave home at all. 

I hear you say “So why don’t you move?”  I have to answer by observing that, though I often feel like a prisoner in my flat, I am reluctant to move because I have spent years perfecting the decor and making my home exactly the way I would want it.  I feel it would now be physically and financially impossible for me to start that process again.  That aside, and in spite of my mobility issues, the waiting lists for such a move is long and with no local relatives to assist me I would not be able to recreate the surroundings that I have now.

But all this has changed recently because of the intervention of our latest housing officer, Beth Pryor, who has meant that a chairlift has been installed which will make so much difference to so many of the residents.

So, I think that I speak on behalf of all the tenants here, when I say a heartfelt thank you to her for the real difference that the recent installation of a lift has made to us all.

HH, New Cross