Tooting Newsie weekly newsletter
The first of our weekly newsletters! All the latest news, offers and more in Tooting!
Totterdown Street Market reopens this Friday 15th November, marking the start of weekly artisan markets every Friday to Sunday, 10:30am- 4:30pm, leading up to a spectacular Christmas celebration in partnership with Wandsworth Council and Tooting Market!
More info via Totterdown Street Market Instagram.
South London Swimming Club (SLSC) FREE Taster Sessions are back at Tooting Bec Lido on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November, 11am-1pm!
SLSC are hosting taster sessions for anyone interested in trying out cold water swimming and to see what SLSC is all about!
SLSC advise that if you are new to cold water swimming, then please take this first session easy, and to bring warm clothes to change into afterwards. Any questions, please email info@slsc.org.uk
Book via Eventbrite for Saturday here and Sunday here.
NEW TO TOOTING! Starting this Thursday, popular bar and club Mezzanine in Tooting Market are thrilled to announce a new partnership with South London Vinyl Experience for a new monthly event – and vinyl spinners are invited to step up to the decks and play their favourite tracks!
Open Decks takes place on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 7pm to midnight (next event: 14th of November), organised and hosted by DJ Gaffer of South London Vinyl Experience!
Mezzanine Tooting champions the local vinyl scene by creating a space where people can not only appreciate music, but also share it. Their Open Decks Vinyl Night invites anyone who loves vinyl to step up to the decks and spin their favourite music. From funk and soul to reggae, rock, and everything in between, the night is a melting pot of genres, tastes, and personalities. More info on their Instagram.
LIVE MUSIC every Friday at The Corin rooftop bar in Tooting Broadway!
The Corin re-opened under new management earlier this year, with an exciting new food and drinks menu – and every Friday they host talented live musicians playing the best of soul, R&B, jazz, indie and pop. Not only that, but there's Happy Hour from 5pm until 8pm, with £7 cocktails, £4 beers and £4 wines!
Performances start from 8pm. Book a table here to guarantee a spot – walk-ins are also welcome!
You can also enter our competition on Instagram here to win a £100 bar tab at The Corin! Competition closes at noon on Friday 15th November.
The next Mega Skip Day takes place from 9am this Saturday 16th November, in seven locations around Wandsworth, including Tooting.
Mega Skip Days are an opportunity for people to dispose of bulky items for free. Large skips are placed in neighbourhoods around the borough for all local residents to use.
The skips are open to residents of the London Borough of Wandsworth only. Proof of address may be required on the day.
The Tooting skips will be located at Ritherdon Road, SW17 8QQ, and Stathdon Drive, SW17 0PN.
More info, including details of what you can bring and when the skips will be open, via Wandsworth Council.
Join local historian Geoff Simmons on a Walk of Remembrance this Sunday 17th November, 2pm-4pm, to mark the 80th anniversary of when a V2 rocket exploded in Hazelhurst Road in Tooting, destroying 100 homes and killing 35 people.
The walk will feature the memories of people who were there that day, and willconclude with a ceremony on the site where the V2 landed.
Click here for more info and to book your free ticket.
There's no Tooting Common parkrun on Christmas Day this year, but there will be one on New Year's Day – Wednesday 1st January 2025, at 9am!
Festive Tooting Common parkruns are as follows:
• Saturday 21st December, 9am – festive attire very much welcomed!
• Christmas Day NO EVENT
• Saturday 28th December, 9am
• New Years Day, Wednesday 1st January 2025, 9am
Parkrun needs lots of volunteers for their festive events, so please email Ken with your parkrun ID at tootingcommon@parkrun.com
Transition Town Tooting host a FREE fixing and mending session on Saturday 23rd November at Tooting United Reform Church, Rookstone Road, SW17 9NQ – perfect if you who have sewing and mending that you need advice on, or have broken electrical or electronic items you don't want to throw away!
More info via their Facebook page.
To celebrate the launch of London Marathon training season, Instant Physio in Tooting is running a "Refer a Friend" prize draw, giving you the chance to win a package of 3 massages!
How It Works: for every friend you refer who books and attends their initial assessment, you’ll receive an entry into the prize draw. Not only that, but your friend will also receive 10% off their initial assessment.
There’s no limit to how many friends you can refer, so the more you refer, the greater your chances of winning.
The prize draw will take place on Thursday 22nd November at 12:30pm!
Terms and conditions apply.
Instant Physio specialises in treating knee pain, back pain, neck & shoulder pain and sports injuries. Pop in and see them at 261 Balham High Rd, SW17 7BD, call them on 020 3488 2698, or visit their website for more details.
Howden Insurance Tooting volunteered at Tooting's St George's Hospital recently, in partnership with St George's Hospital Charity. Members of the Howden team helped to clear and plant seeds at ‘Clare’s Sanctuary’, a garden for dementia patients.
The idea for the garden came in 2017, when Howden colleague Sue Cole had her mother Clare over from Australia to stay with her. Clare's partner Tony was a keen gardener, and Moira, who runs the Dementia Unit at St George's, got talking with Clare and Tony about how she would love to create a garden for her patients, where they can sit and enjoy the surroundings.
Clare was very excited about this, and it encouraged her to look into it further, as they had run a similar project at their retirement village in Sydney. However, just after their trip, Clare was sadly diagnosed with Parkinson's Dementia – but her interest and encouragement to see the garden flourish at St Georges still remained. Clare sadly passed away in 2022 and the garden was subsequently named after her.
Moira told us, "The garden has been set up as an oasis of calm for the physical and wellbeing of patients, carers and staff as they can benefit from the green space and they have the option to do some gardening under supervision.
“Our garden is also sustainable, environmentally-friendly and the produce we grow in it, are donated to food charities to tackle food poverty.
“John Greco, the head gardener, and I are passionate about the benefits of therapeutic gardens which can help patients on their road to recovery.”
Congratulations to everyone – including the Tooting Community Kitchen (TCK) team, pictured – who slept on the concrete floor at AFC Wimbledon stadium on Saturday night to raise money for Dons Local Action Group!
You can still donate to their fundraiser here.
Meet RSPCA South London Branch's adorable latest addition, Neville!
He is 9 weeks old and was collected by Inspectors after he was found abandoned in a cat carrier on the pavement. Neville is now safe and sound and settling into his foster home.
Please email enquiries@rspcasouthlondon.org.uk if you are interested in adopting.
The annual Balham & Tooting Community Association (BATCA) Multi-faith Peace Ceremony took place on Tuesday evening (12th November) outside Tooting Broadway station.
The local community attended the event, where short prayers for peace and speeches were made by local religious and civic leaders. Dr Kitty Grant of BATCA led the event and introduced the following speakers:
• Fr. Angela Rayner – St. Augustine’s and Holy Trinity Churches
• Iman Hamzah – Tooting Mosque
• Rabbi Adrian Schell – Wimbledon and District Synagogue
• Al-Risalah School year 11 students
• Ali Jaffri, Idara e Jaaferiya Mosque
• Rev Nagase – London Peace Pagoda, Battersea Park
• Cllr. Sana Jafri – Mayor of Wandsworth
• Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan – MP for Tooting
The event was supported by Enable.
Until the end of November, award-winning local dentist Ten Dental + Facial on Balham High Road are offering half-price dental examinations (first appointment) for new patients!
Located on Balham High Road, Ten Dental offer general, family, cosmetic & implant dentistry. They're open late evenings and are welcoming new patients of all ages to the clinic!
To find out more about the range of treatments available and to book an appointment, WhatsApp 07907 366 397, call 020 8675 1798, email hello@tendental.com or pop in and see them at 156 Balham High Road.
You can also visit their website.
NEW TO EARLSFIELD – Lockdown Bakehouse has opened a branch at 376 Garratt Lane, serving breakfast, brunch, coffee, tea, pastries, pies, bread, snacks, beer, and more!
Vegetarian, vegan and halal options available. Open for eat-in and takeaway 8am-2pm this week, with extended hours of 7am-4pm Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm Saturday and Sunday next week. More info via their website.
Does your child need extra tutoring? First Class Learning, Tooting and Balham, run sessions every Monday and Friday 3.30pm-6pm, and Saturday 9:30am-12pm for ages 4-16 in Tooting and Balham!
They teach maths, English, science and verbal and non-verbal reasoning, all in a friendly, welcoming and supportive atmosphere, and their programmes are aligned with the National Curriculum.
Visit their website for more details.
First Class Learning also offer Wandsworth Exam Prep Course for Year 5 Students, starting this month and running to September 2025!
The course covers:
• Verbal Techniques: Step-by-step methods to complete 80 questions in 50 minutes.
• Nonverbal Reasoning: All interconnected techniques covered for effective practice.
Contact Almaaz on 07806 821 159 to secure your place – limited spaces available.
EXPANDING IN TOOTING – Tooting Supermarket at 66 Tooting High Street is to expand into the premises next door. They aim to complete works in the next couple of months. We'll keep you posted...
EXPANDED IN TOOTING! Ana Bela's Alterations & Repairs in Tooting Market has expanded into the next door unit, previously occupied by Needle House tattoo studio.
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