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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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Mackenzie Whittaker

Trainee journalist at News Associates

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Liv Facey

Freelance Journalist, Researcher & Producer

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Kara Evans | Trainee Journalist

I am currently a trainee journalist, studying for the NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism at News Associates, driven by the belief that news should be accessible and comprehensible for all. …

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Emma Guinness - Journalist

Hello! My name's Emma Guinness and I'm a freelance NCTJ Gold Standard journalist with bylines around the world. I specialise in covering human interest stories, film and television, and topics …

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Maya Kaur Dhillon

NCTJ in Multimedia Journalism at News Associates.Spanish & Linguistics at University of Oxford. Whilst I study for my NCTJ, I am looking for freelance or permanent roles in broadcasting and …

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Abbie Ingham

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Latest Articles

Love Letters exhibition brings record crowds to National Archives

The National Archive’s ‘Love Letters’ exhibit has been an unparalleled success, drawing its highest ever visitor count in a single day. On Valentine’s Day, the free exhibition, located in Kew, Richmond, drew 759 people to the National Archives, a stark increase from the rolling weekly average of 158 visitors per …
By Riana McConochie
• South West Londoner

LISTEN: Young Labour - what's gone wrong and what needs to change? | South West Londoner

Young people are abandoning the Labour Party. Anger over Gaza, repeated U-turns, and internal purges of the left have all contributed to youth membership plummeting from 100,000 to 30,000. So, who are the remaining young people in the Labour Party – and what do they think needs to change?
By Abraham Armstrong
• South West Londoner

Why my great-grandfather was exiled to London from Uganda | South West Londoner

The sun seemed to never set on the British Empire, until it finally did. As the spirit of liberation enveloped Africa in the 1960s, the British reluctantly acknowledged that the writing was on the wall. One by one, nations across the continent tasted freedom from decades of European colonialism. But …
By Kisakye Busuulwa
• South West Londoner

WATCH: New community hub to open in Brixton | South West Londoner

In Angell Town, Brixton, work is underway on a new community hub for local residents in south London. upCYCLE is a social enterprise established in July 2020, when founder Philip Dobson began fixing bikes destined for landfill and donating them to charities, in the midst of the pandemic and Black …
By Abraham Armstrong
• South West Londoner

Thailand's food diplomacy serves up success - with a pinch of salt

The United Kingdom’s love of Thai food is undeniable. A recent YouGov survey polled Thai as one of Britain’s favourite cuisines, only behind Chinese, Indian and Italian food - which have long been established here. Thai food has muscled its way into the UK’s extremely competitive hospitality sector, with more …
By Ben Sturt
• South West Londoner

‘Stop demonising grey squirrels,’ says animal advocacy charity

An animal advocacy charity says that grey squirrels have been unjustly labelled as an ‘invasive species’, following Red Squirrel Awareness Day on January 21. Urban Squirrels, a London-based wildlife trust, has appealed for the plight of the grey squirrel population since the introduction of the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and …
By Clelia Frondaroli
• South West Londoner

WATCH: Singletons ditch dating apps in favour of activity-based in-person events

Singletons are increasingly looking to try something new with in-person dating events that get you doing rather than swiping. The Antiswipe was set up in May 2024 by change consultant manager Natalie McGinn, who was fed-up with dating apps and wanted to build a community of like-minded people who could …
By Charli West
• South West Londoner

87-year-old former Mayor of Richmond visits schools in Ukraine | South West Londoner

Most pensioners would consider an active warzone a far cry from the ‘perfect retirement’, but the former Mayor of Richmond thinks differently. On top of spending his weekends playing golf and meeting up with his his friends, Robin Jowit, at the age of 87, has just returned from his most …
By Kisakye Busuulwa
• South West Londoner

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

Black people severely underrepresented amongst university professors in London | South West Londoner

There are more than 25,000 professors in the UK – but only 250 of them are black, new data shows. In all but one university, black people make up less than 20% of the staff, accounting for roughly 5% of staff at two thirds of all universities, with the majority …
By Kisakye Busuulwa
• South West Londoner

Trump’s approach to international relations puts the UK in a precarious position | South West Londoner

The United States of America has abducted the head of state of one country, talked of invading another and threatened a third country with military strikes – all in the last couple of weeks. After conducting a military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the nation’s President Nicolás Maduro being …
By Kisakye Busuulwa
• 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

The increasing popularity of the 'petnup' | South West Londoner

While prenuptial agreements are fairly well-known these days, their counterpart – the petnup – has been slowly gaining traction. Although ‘prenups’ have long been frowned-upon as a means of anticipating a breakdown in the relationship at a time when it ought to be at its strongest, they have had a …
By Kisakye Busuulwa
• 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

“Nothing new for black mothers”: Data shows black babies are almost twice as likely to die in NICU | South West Londoner

Black mothers are unsurprised at the recent revelation that their newborn babies are 81% more likely to die in hospital before being discharged, according to a study by academics at the University of Liverpool. The results of the study, that examined data on more than 700,000 babies, came as little …
By Kisakye Busuulwa
• South West Londoner

OBR official sympathetic towards young people feeling targeted by the Budget

Young people have been left feeling incensed after the Chancellor announced the annual cash ISA limit has been reduced from £20,000 to £12,000 for under 65s. Rachel Reeves made the change as part of a raft of measures in this year’s Budget and claimed that it was to encourage Brits …
By Kisakye Busuulwa
• 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