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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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Melvin Boateng

Multimedia freelance journalist based in London, UK ! I write news stories, features, interviews, opinions and reviews.

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Lucy Dunnet

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Diarmuid Burke

6 years of experience working as in social media before retraining as a journalist.39k followers on European news TikTok.News Associates trained, based in London.

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Daniel Mulhern

Multimedia Journalist

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Lilian Mulholland

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Gabrielle Brown

I am a motivated and versatile journalist with a gold standard NCTJ and strong foundation in journalism, radio broadcasting, and content creation. With experience across news reporting, podcast production, and …

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Latest Articles

WATCH: Folk revival across London as May Day celebrated in Whitechapel | South West Londoner

Over the past few years there has been somewhat of a folk revival taking place across London. Google searches for ‘folk London’ are at a five year high and more and more folk-themed event posters on Instagram and across the city have been advertised. Musician and model Florence Rose turned …
By Lucy Giles
• South West Londoner

London homicide rate hits record low yet little change among women killed | South West Londoner

London’s homicide rate is at a record low, with a decrease throughout the UK yet female homicide figures remain stagnant, fueling concerns that misogyny and violence are contributing to a potential femicide crisis. The homicide rate across England and Wales was 8.6 per million in the year ending March 2025, …
By Demi Caddy
• South West Londoner

Latin Americans in the UK campaigning for recognition | South West Londoner

Latin American campaign groups in the UK have been fighting in another round for recognition from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) ahead of the 2031 census. The Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK (CLAUK) is awaiting a response from the ONS after the consultation for additional ethnicity needs …
By Lucy Giles
• South West Londoner

Number of London households waiting for social housing spirals

The number of households on the social housing waitlist in London has increased by 30% in the past 10 years, data from the London Assembly shows. As of December 2025 there were 341,421 households on the waitlist across London, compared to 263,493 a decade prior. The increase of households on …
By Lucy Giles
• South West Londoner

Record abortions tied to contraception barriers and cost pressures

Abortions in England and Wales have reached their highest level on record, with experts pointing to widespread misinformation, worsening access to contraception, and the cost-of-living crisis as key factors behind the rise. There were almost 278,000 abortions in 2023, according to the latest data from the Department of Health and …
By Katie Bevan
• South West Londoner

Young people fuel cinema’s post pandemic revival but figures remain lower

When cinemas closed during the pandemic and streaming platforms surged, some predicted that this would mark the end of traditional moviegoing and the curtains would close on cinema forever. And while the cinema industry is recovering, figures are still trailing behind those pre-pandemic, the UK Cinema Association’s (UCA) box office …
By Charlie Speed
• South West Londoner

It ain't ogre yet: Shrek's 25th anniversary brings fans back to the swamp "Somebody once told me" that Shrek is back on the big screen | South West Londoner

The fairytale continues for Shrek and Fiona as they return to cinemas to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary. Cineworld is hosting exclusive 4DX screenings of Shrek across the UK, with the Dreamworks classic beginning its limited run from 15 May. Inspired by William Steig’s 1990 children’s book, Shrek debuted in …
By Charlie Speed
• South West Londoner

WATCH: Music history goes under the hammer in London auction

More than 400 rare and sought-after artefacts from music history will go under the hammer this April, as items from some of the world’s most celebrated artists come to auction in London. Propstore, a leading entertainment memorabilia auction house, has announced that the sale – which is open to bidders …
By Katie Bevan
• South West Londoner

“I feel very honoured to try”: Woman to swim English Channel a century on from first to make the crossing

With a gruelling twenty-one miles of cold, choppy sea, the English Channel has challenged even the best long-distance swimmers. Before 1926, no female swimmer had successfully made the trip, until 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle made history with a record-breaking swim. This summer, Bryony Rowe will mark the centenary of Ederle’s monumental …
By Riana McConochie
• South West Londoner

Protests erupt as Lambeth Council approves development of International House | South West Londoner

Protests erupted in Brixton last night over Lambeth Council’s decision to approve the development of International House and the site next door. The campaign group Save International House were joined by tenants of the building to protest on the evening the decision on the planning application was made. Save International …
By Lucy Giles
• South West Londoner

Local campaigners hit out at Lambeth Council for the sale of International House | South West Londoner

A campaign group has criticised Lambeth Council for a redevelopment project which will see the eviction of over 100 not-for-profit organisations, community initiatives, and charities. Save International House also criticized the council for the sale to London Square, a property development company owned by Aldar Properties, which is in turn …
By Lucy Giles
• South West Londoner

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

The Teddington singing group supporting people with dementia

A weekly singing group in Teddington is striking a chord with those living with dementia and their support systems. Led by Carl Speck, 43, the class focuses on what can be offered now for those living with dementia, which is routine, belonging and joy. ‘Singing for the Brain’, launched by …
By Charlie Speed
• 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