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South West Londoner

South West Londoner: first for all your online news, reviews, features and sport from across Wandsworth, Merton, Richmond, Kingston and Lambeth.

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Featured Writers

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Benjamin Youell

I'm an NCTJ-qualified journalist working as a news reporter at the Daily Star Online. I have experience in both regional and national news. I completed a history degree at King's …

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Georgia Rowe

Digital Journalist at LBC and Reporter at The Londoners

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Julius Lawless-Master

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Lucy Reade

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Abraham Armstrong

London-based journalist. Interested in politics, local democracy, social affairs, and arts & culture.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ab...

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Lucy Bloxham

NCTJ qualified journalist and communications expert with seven years' experience in writing, editing, and publishing content on digital platforms.

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Latest Articles

How one man hopes to tackle loneliness by filling empty chairs across pubs in London

After losing his friend Rob, 29, to suicide, Dean Perryman decided very early on to use the complexity that surrounded his grief to create Empty Chairs, a campaign set out to show up, make space for people, and tackle loneliness. While December often marks a time filled with festive celebrations, …
By Kara Evans | Trainee Journalist
• South West Londoner

Half Moon Putney and the decline of London's live music venues

With pubs, clubs and music venues closing down, London’s live music scene is under threat. Yet iconic venues like the Half Moon Putney give a glimmer of hope; a promise that all is not yet lost. Everyone knows it. Music is better live. So much energy, passion and power is …
By Danny Weller
• South West Londoner

Half Moon Putney and the decline of London's live music venues

With pubs, clubs and music venues closing down, London’s live music scene is under threat. Yet iconic venues like the Half Moon Putney give a glimmer of hope; a promise that all is not yet lost. Everyone knows it. Music is better live. So much energy, passion and power is …
By Danny Weller
• South West Londoner

Rising Stars: how international nurses are powering London’s healthcare

Amid doctors’ strikes, pay disputes and anti-migration rhetoric, the dedication and excellence of London’s international nurses and healthcare staff has been recognised by the Royal College of Nursing’s Rising Star awards. These awards celebrate those who go above and beyond in their roles, improving patient outcomes, supporting colleagues, and shaping …
By Danny Weller
• South West Londoner

'This is not reform, this is revolution': London Iranians speak out | South West Londoner

A crowd of more than 3,000 people gathered outside Downing Street on Sunday to protest against Iran’s bloody crackdown on anti-government dissidents. Organised by the Iranian Committee for Freedom, in collaboration with Jewish advocacy group Just Stop Hate, there was a strong desire for change amongst demonstrators who called for …
By Megan Norcott
• South West Londoner

A demonstration of confusion: Divided protesters criticise Trump’s capture of Venezuelan President | South West Londoner

Protesters decried President Trump’s seizure of the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, outside Downing Street last night as they called on Sir Keir Starmer to condemn US actions against the Latin American country. Approximately 250 people gathered to hear speeches and voice their opposition to American adventurism abroad, as fervent protesters …
By Megan Norcott
• South West Londoner

WATCH: Thanksgiving is the new dining trend in London

Restaurants and food critics are reporting a surge in interest for Thanksgiving dinner in the UK, particularly in London. Research by the food retailer Ocado shows searches for foods associated with Thanksgiving like pumpkin spice, Herr’s buffalo blue cheese curls and Newman’s Own ranch dressing are up 550%, 410% and …
By Lucy Baldwin
• South West Londoner

How London artists are bringing joy to run down communities | South West Londoner

London based artists Alice and Katie have set up a company called A&K art where they paint murals in London to help bring joy to the communities. Their aim is to spruce up unloved areas and bring life back into the spaces. They have worked on various projects such as …
By Lucy Pughe-Morgan
• South West Londoner

WATCH: Richmond cooking charity tackles food poverty and social isolation

A cooking charity based in Richmond is planning to expand across more London boroughs – including Putney and Wandsworth – if more funding can be secured. Cooking Up – who currently operate out of community hubs in Hampton, Whitton and Ham – offer free cookery classes to people who’re eager …
By Ben Sturt
• South West Londoner

Live facial recognition: 3.5 million faces scanned, Black Londoners still disproportionately flagged | South West Londoner

In 2025, more than 3.5 million Londoners’ faces were scanned by the Metropolitan Police — resulting in just 1,010 arrests, three per every 10,000 people scanned. Live facial recognition is a form of biometric-enabled technology that works by scanning faces in real time, identifying them based on characteristics like the …
By Charlotte Lang
• South West Londoner

Harsh immigration rhetoric ‘failing’ honour-based abuse victims, experts warn | South West Londoner

Experts have warned that Labour’s anti-immigration policies are ‘failing’ honour-based abuse victims in the UK by heightening fears of deportation in the reporting and prosecution stages. Conviction rates for “so called honour based abuse” (HBA) are at the lowest level of all flagged crimes for the 2024/25 period, with only …
By Megan Norcott
• South West Londoner

Children cause a substantial and long-lasting reduction to women’s monthly earnings | South West Londoner

Having children leads to a substantial and long-lasting reduction in women’s monthly earnings, according to the Office for National Statistics. Data spanning 2014-2022 reveals that women lose an average of £66,000 in total earnings in the five years following the birth of their first child — according to the ONS. …
By Maxine Brigue
• South West Londoner

Female victims of knife crime increasing amid violence towards women and girls crisis | South West Londoner

The number of female knife crime victims has surged in the last five years, despite the launch of the Mayor’s violence against women and girls strategy in 2022. The number of female victims across London have increased by 28%, from 2,217 in 2020 to 2,838 in 2024, data from the …
By Ella Beadman
• South West Londoner

Football hooliganism in London has not returned to pre-pandemic levels

Since fans returned to stadiums following the pandemic, football-related disorder in London has escalated and remains above pre-2020 levels, according to data from the Home Office. The number of banning orders and arrests have risen sharply across the capital, particularly at the largest clubs, with West Ham topping the table …
By Lucy Reade
• South West Londoner

Waiting lists for London social housing more than double in some boroughs | South West Londoner

The number of people on social housing waiting lists has increased by more than 150% over the past decade in some London boroughs, amid an investigation into how local councils allocate their housing stock. The London Assembly Housing Committee is seeking to understand variations in social housing allocation policies, and …
By Abraham Armstrong
• South West Londoner

UK’s shrinking pub map takes its toll, but London stays afloat | South West Londoner

The UK is known for three things: our monarchy, tea and pubs. And in the last 25 years, the UK has lost both the Queen and more than 15,000 of our trusty pubs (although tea is certainly still being drunk). British pubs are central to how our country operates, serving …
By Lucy Pughe-Morgan
• South West Londoner

Women continue to face disproportionate levels of assault on Tube | South West Londoner

Reports of sexual assault on the tube continue to overwhelmingly target women, according to recent data from the British Transport Police. More than seven in ten reported sexual offences across the Underground network involve female victims aged 13 and over, while a further 12.6% of reports are exposure. The Northern, …
By Tara Russell
• South West Londoner

Labour risks making graduate employment crisis worse by cutting level seven apprenticeship funding | South West Londoner

Labour risks making Britain’s graduate employment crisis worse by cutting funding for high-level apprenticeships, a leading provider has warned. In the past 15 months ministers have already come under fire for their tax raids on private schools, their Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and now over 21s, many from disadvantaged …
By Ella Manning
• South West Londoner

Accessibility gaps in nightclubs for visually impaired community | South West Londoner

The greatest barrier to accessing nightlife establishments is the lack of disability awareness training, according to members of the visually impaired community. Conditions associated with visual impairments have often been likened to appearing drunk, with some eye conditions presenting eyes as red, shaking, rolling or glazed. Many have reported incidents …
By Ella Beadman
• South West Londoner

Introducing juubi: the new grassroots music collective sparking hope for London’s independent music scene

In a city where music venues and local pubs are closing their doors, a new London-born grassroots music collective celebrated its first birthday. At Brixton Jamm, the juubi collective celebrated the continuation of their mission to keep grassroots music and nightlife alive in London. Under the tagline ‘enjoyment is your …
By Danny Weller
• South West Londoner

E-scooter casualties are higher in London than any other part of Britain | South West Londoner

One fifth of all casualties caused by e-scooter casualties in Britain 2024 were sustained in London according to government data. There were a total of 1,387 casualties, 279 of which occurred in London according to the latest analysis of police data provided to the Department for Transport. Five people died …
By Lucy Baldwin
• South West Londoner

How illegal subletting is helping young renters afford to live in London | South West Londoner

Young people are turning to illegal subletting to cope with London’s ‘exploitative and difficult’ private rental market. Subletting is when tenants let out all or part of the place they live to a sub-tenant and depending on your housing agreement this could be a breach of contract. It can offer …
By Kathryn Schoon
• South West Londoner

‘You shouldn’t have gotten pregnant in the first place’: UK mother shares birth trauma experience amid maternity ward inquiry | South West Londoner

Despite the UK having one of the world’s most advanced maternity systems, one in three women experience a traumatic birth in this country. That is around 500 mothers a week. On 9 January 2024, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Birth Trauma established the first national inquiry in the UK …
By Lucy Pughe-Morgan
• South West Londoner

Council funerals more than double in Lambeth as cost of dying soars across London | South West Londoner

Council-organised funerals have more than doubled in Lambeth — raising concerns about deprivation and the soaring cost of dying in the capital. ‘Public health funerals’ are carried out by local authorities when no prior arrangements have been made and there are no relatives willing or able to pay for a …
By Abraham Armstrong
• South West Londoner

The Brits helping deliver aid to Ukraine in their spare time  | South West Londoner

While governments debate strategy and sanctions, a quiet army of British volunteers have found their own ways to help keep Ukraine’s wheels turning through the war. “It’s like being in a Second World War film or a Western — another era. Sandbags on either side of the old carriages taking …
By Emily Driver
• South West Londoner