South West Londoner

As the UK marks Mental Health Awareness Week this week, the need to improve access to mental health support and reduce waiting lists for care is ever-more at the forefront of our minds. One particular category of those requiring help is young people, with NHS Digital figures revealing that 18% …

Over thirty years on from where it was first played in 1991, Josie Rourke’s revival of Brian Friel’s Olivier award-winning play is back at London’s National Theatre, with a truly remarkable cast. It’s early August 1936 in Ballybeg, County Donegal, a fictional town created by playwright Brian Friel. In a …

A mother and daughter brought a kick of US flair to the early morning crowds gathering to watch the coronation at one of the giant viewing screens in Hyde Park. Kate Kirkwood, 50 and her daughter Emma, 19, emphasised their huge desire to be a part of the coronation celebrations …

The King alongside Queen Consort Camilla arrived at Westminster Abbey – the site of every coronation since 1066 – in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach wearing red velvet cloak and naval trousers. The order of service began with the King declaring “In [God’s] name and after his example I come …

A royal superfan who moseyed all the way from Texas to take in the Coronation scenes says she cannot support a decolonised crown. Mari Boepple from Houston, Texas camped out on the Mall since Thursday afternoon for a prime spot with her friends, as they did for William and Kate’s …

A painter braving thunderous downpours and crowds hours before the Coronation said it was worth it to immortalise another memorable royal day. Charles Minty, 41, from Bath, has kept his spot on the Mall secure since midday Thursday, despite swelling crowds and clouds. He said he was motivated by his …

The busy streets of London for King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday will not be to everyone’s taste but don’t worry, nobody has to miss out on any festivities as Kingston has an array of celebrations to join in on throughout the weekend. Kingston Council, All Saints Church, Kingston Music …

A new exhibition highlighting the tragedy of Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ will open next month at the Imperial War Museum. The exhibition comes amid ceremonies commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely brought to an end 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland. Ian Jeffers, Commissioner of …

People using mental health services are two and a half times more likely to have HIV than the general south London public a new study has suggested. Research led by King’s College London has revealed that 2.47% of people who have been in contact with mental health services in the …

A disabled Eurostar passenger was abandoned on a train at St Pancras station – despite booking wheelchair assistance ahead of her travels. Jacqueline Jackson, 55, from East Sussex, had arrived in London from Paris last week when staff left her stranded on the train. Jaki, who was diagnosed with ALS …

Kingston artists and pole dancers have teamed up for a unique life drawing session in support of the area’s young creatives. Not My Beautiful House, a community led shop, gallery and event area located in Kingston’s Market Square partnered with Pole Ninjas to create a unique experience that merges the …

Experimental rock band Banana Apocalypse are not the first band to get their start at The Troubadour in Earls Court. Open since 1954, it has hosted musicians including Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix and there are even rumours The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have graced its stage.

A Richmond councillor is running in this weekend’s London Marathon in aid of a bereavement support charity. Alexander Ehmann, a Liberal Democrat serving St Margaret’s and North Twickenham, is raising money for The Compassionate Friends. Ehmann, who lost his brother to suicide, decided to fundraise for the charity after his …

Parliamentary incumbent Munira Wilson was unanimously reselected last night as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Twickenham. Wilson was elected MP for Twickenham in the 2019 General Election, succeeding the Lib Dems outgoing leader Sir Vince Cable in the constituency. Cable joined Wilson at last night’s reselection event at The Exchange …

The Council of Europe’s GRETA expressed deep concern last month over the Illegal Migration Bill, detailing that it would be a step backwards in the fight against human trafficking. Suella Braverman’s Illegal Migration Bill, currently in the report stage in the House of Commons, is a plight to “remove those …

*Content warning: this piece contains references to sexual assault* Victims of modern slavery continue to be branded as criminals for “exploiting” systems in place to support them because of the rhetoric used in illegal immigration legislation. Nevertheless, there was a 9% increase in child victims of human trafficking in 2021, …

Lisa Langseth’s “The Woman Who Turned Into a Tree” has arrived at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham and will continue until 22nd April. The play, shortlisted for the New Diorama Untapped Award 2023 reworks the Ancient Greek story of lead character Daphne, who is played by Bathsheba Piepe. The play …

Ahlam’s You Bury Me arrived at the intimate Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond on Monday and will continue showings until April 22nd. The play is about the city of Cairo and the lives of six young characters within it, including Rafik (Nezar Alderazi), Tamer (Moe Bar-El), Osman (Tarrick Benham), Alia …

There were 162,000 homeless Londoners, including 78,000 children, in temporary accommodation over Christmas, according to London Councils, and numbers are expected to increase due to the cost-of-living strain on personal finances. In response to London’s escalating homelessness, on the 23rd December 2022, the government announced the Homelessness Prevention Grant to …

On 22 March Histrionic Productions welcomes its new immersive experience Peter Rabbit: Easter Experience in Covent Garden just in time for Easter. The family friendly experience entails a mix of live performances to puppetry of everyone’s favourite Beatrix Potter characters such as Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny to the not …

Kingston Council has paired with Genuine Solutions to create a way of raising funds for the Mayor’s Charitable Trust by recycling unwanted mobile devices from 1 to 31 March. The scheme aims to recycle mobile devices which then can be data-wiped before being pressed for re-sale. The Mobile Mop Up …

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a new £3 million annual investment package to improve the Met police’s support of victims of crime. At London’s first Victims Summit on Friday, the Mayor emphasised the importance of victims in the justice system, saying he hopes to create a justice system that …

Several people gathered together to commemorate Kingston’s candle making heritage. MA Architecture student, Farah Anwar was the engineer of the procession which came to light due to her architecture course’s unit being titled ‘Dreams, Myths and Fairytales.’ With this is mind Anwar dived into Kingston’s past and unveiled the different …

The Sims 4 is adding an array of inclusive components to the game on its next free base game update on the 14 March including c-section scars, stretch marks and birthmarks. This update comes not long after the previous one which introduced breast binders, shape wear and an option to …

Carl McCluskey took over from his grandmother at the The Chancellors pub in Hammersmith in 2020, rapidly shaping it into one of the UK’s best spots for a slice. Behind the classic London pub facade, he’s perfected a pizza base through combing the recipe he adopted while training in Brooklyn …

Tickets for the much-anticipated Eurovision Song Contest went live today at 1pm, however tickets were only available internationally via Ticketmaster. Tickets ranged from £30 to £290 for the semi-finals, and £80 to £380 for the grand final shows. Ticketmaster only allowed customers to purchase one show at a time which …

Many children could miss out on World Book Day tomorrow, due to school strike action in London. Tomorrow marks the 28th annual World Book Day celebrated internationally through fundraising, to dressing up as beloved book characters. However, teachers across the capital will strike tomorrow as part of an ongoing pay …

Ahead of the Formula 1 2023 season this weekend, the F1 Arcade near St Paul’s Cathedral is the place to be. The arcade has 60 full motion car racing simulators, big screen TV’s show casting the races, mini reaction games and a cocktail bar and kitchen. The simulators cost £15.75 …

Results of the UK pilot of the four-day working week are in, as 92% of participating companies agree to continue to use the four-day working week structure. The concept of the four-day working week is simple: working at 100% productivity, for 80% of the time, but for 100% pay. In …

You can board a train to London St Pancake from Southeastern railway stations, for one day only. Commuters marvelled at the board at Southeastern stations this morning, which seemingly following tradition, they renamed London St Pancras International station to London St Pancake. While the purpose of the annual tradition is …