Tooting Newsie Weekly Newsletter
A new mural, free school meals scheme expanded, join a local rugby team, food and drink deals, new openings and more this week in Tooting!
The UK's biggest inflatable obstacle course is on Tooting Common! The Tuff Nutterz 300 metre long course (with a 6m tall slide) is open until this Sunday 17th August!
The gargantuan inflatable maze is packed with fun and challenging obstacles for all ages to complete, including massive slides, climbing walls, hanging rails, balance balls and more!
There’s also delicious food and drink, including burgers and hot dogs, pastries, cakes, hot and cold drinks and more (veggie options available) – and you’re also welcome to bring your own picnic!
Sessions last 1 hour and 45 minutes, giving you loads of time to explore. Don't miss out on this fantastic family fun event!
More info and booking HERE.
The next Mega Skip Day takes place from 9am this Saturday 16th August, 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 skips will be in the following places:
• Barringer Square, SW17 8EE
• Balham Park Road, SW12 8EA
• Burr Road, SW18 4SQ
• Shuttleworth Road, SW11 3DY
• Eastwood Street, SW16 6PT
• Wildecroft Road, SW15 3AP
• Bartholomew Close, SW18 2HH
More info, including details of what you can bring and when the skips will be open, via Wandsworth Council.
Tooting-based Chuk, of Homes With Chuk, catches up with independent mortgage advisor Katy Eatenton every week to keep up to date on what’s going on in the mortgage market.
Chuk tells us, “I want to be able to advise on all aspects of the property market, and Katy’s invaluable expertise is helpful to both myself and my clients.
"Katy is always sharing some golden nuggets about what you need when buying a home with a mortgage – because let's face it, unless your lottery numbers have come up, most of us need a little help!”
Here’s Chuk and Katy with just a few snippets. See Homes with Chuk for the latest insights – and feel free to DM him on what you’d like to hear him and Katy talk about!
Chuk Agudosi is a personal local property advisor. For more info, email chuk@tootingestateagent.co.uk, call 020 8092 0200, or pop into Tooting Works at 89 Bickersteth Road and ask for him at reception!
☀️ 30 DAYS FOR £30 at Hotpod Yoga South Wimbledon THIS SUMMER!! ☀️
Experience Hotpod Yoga's immersive heated pod for just £1 per day! 37°C of pure bliss with calming scents and music that'll melt your stress away.
Whether you're brand new to yoga or ready to deepen your practice, they've got you covered with classes for every level.
✨ What you get:
• Unlimited classes for 30 days
• All their signature heated pod sessions
• Expert teachers
• Mats and towels sorted for you
Book by this Sunday, 17th August, via their website.
Hotpod Yoga South Wimbledon is located at 8 Morden Road, SW19 3BH, just by South Wimbledon tube (only a couple of stops from Tooting). More info via their website.
Meet Julita Reszkiewicz, Marketing Executive at Howden Insurance Tooting, who has been part of the Howden team for 10 years. A proud Tooting local, Julita understands how important community is to the people who live here.
Over the past few years, she’s been dedicated to bringing people together and giving back. She supports the Polish community through her work at Pol-Plan, Howden’s Polish-speaking brand, whilst also managing diverse marketing activities at Howden Tooting.
She tells us, “My role focuses on helping local businesses and organisations grow. I organise networking events and offer free advertising opportunities to support their local presence. I also work closely with local schools and actively supports charities through fundraising and volunteering.
“Living in Tooting gives me a unique insight into the needs of the community, and I’m passionate about raising awareness of insurance and making it more accessible to everyone.
“Last year, I was nominated for the Women in Insurance Awards, a proud moment that recognised my marketing ability to connect with both the Polish audience and the wider local community.
“Tooting is more than just where I live – it’s home. I love being able to support local people and businesses, and I’m proud to help build a stronger, more connected community.”
Howden Insurance Tooting is located at 149/155 Mitcham Road, SW17 9PG. Pop in, call 0208 672 3375, or visit their website to find out more.
A fantastic new mural has been created on the corner of Tooting High Street and Moffat Road, by renowned artist Robert Vargas, who travelled all the way from Los Angeles to produce the work.
The artwork, entitled "We Are Just Families Apart", is a community project involving local non-profit goodwill group @pintgiving (Instagram), who tell us that "the mural represents the heritage of the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities in Tooting and their huge contribution, work & dedication to the local area for nearly 100 years. Through the three individuals in the artwork all coming together over a cup of chai, the artwork also signifies unity between all in these hard times."
Visit @therobertvargas (Instagram) to see some great videos of the artwork being produced!
Free school meals will soon be available for hundreds of additional secondary school children in Wandsworth as the council announces a major expansion of the scheme from this September.
The proposal will provide a free school meal to all children in secondary schools who are eligible for Wandsworth’s Access for All offer. Previously, only children whose parents had an income of below £7,400 qualified.
The announcement follows the recent extension of Wandsworth’s School Uniform Support Scheme, which now includes families eligible for the council’s Access for All programme. The scheme provides vouchers worth £45 for children starting Reception and £170 for those starting Year 7 to help with uniform costs.
More info, including how to apply for either scheme, via Wandsworth Council.
Wandsworth residents are being asked to shape how the Council can protect local wildlife, create greener spaces, and ensure nature and people can thrive together.
The borough is home to over 4,000 other species, and Wild Wandsworth, the new Biodiversity Action Plan, aims to boost local efforts to support wildlife, restore habitats and connect people with nature.
For more info, and to take part in a short survey to shape the Biodiversity Action Plan, visit the Wandsworth Council website.
The Furzedown Project Summer Fayre took place last Saturday, raising over £1120 for the charity! There was all sorts on offer, including homemade jams, toys, jewellery, hats, and lots more. Congratulations to all involved!
These sales are an important fundraising source for the Project – they're also hosting a special arts & crafts exhibition on Sunday 20th September, including artwork, photos and craftwork, followed by bric-a-brac sale on 27th September.
The Furzedown Project at 91-93 Moyser Road, SW16 6SJ, is an activity centre and social hub for people aged 50 and over, whose mission is to increase people's sense of wellbeing and reduce social isolation. More info, including how to volunteer, on their website.
Tooting-based women’s rugby team, Bec Belles, are looking for new players!
Bec Belles are an integrated team of deaf and hearing players, so new players can learn rugby and British Sign Language (BSL) at the same time! Training and games are accessible to deaf BSL users, with voluntary Communication Support Workers (CSW).
Last season, the team raised £15,000 for their sponsor, SignHealth, a charity aiming to remove health inequalities for deaf people.
New and experienced players welcome. Pre-season training is at Tooting Common (near the Rose & Crown pub) on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm.
To find out more, email becbellesrfc@gmail.com
SPONSORED CONTENT
A very generous summer offer has been launched by popular local Italian restaurant, La Doc Italian Restaurant on Balham High Road. Owner, Gaetano wants to bring the Italian holiday feeling to those staying local this month!
Dine with La Doc on any day in August – and you'll receive a gift card for the SAME VALUE as your TOTAL SPEND (including drinks!), which you can then use on your next visit - valid on any Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday until July 2026! Full details of how to claim below👇
Since they opened in 2023, La Doc has been welcoming local residents to enjoy their authentic food from across the regions of Italy, as well as their extensive wine list, with fantastic Google reviews!
✨ AUGUST OFFER: How to participate:
1️⃣ You MUST reserve your table in advance (see details below) for any day in August. Mention Tooting Newsie when you book (in the notes, if doing so online).
2️⃣ Dine with them!
3️⃣ Email your receipt to ladoc.balham@gmail.com and they'll email you a gift card for the same value as your total spend!
💳 Gift Card Terms:
📅 The Gift Card is valid for use on any Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday until the end of July 2026 in one visit (please note, they are closed on New Year's Day)
🍴 Redeemable on everything on the 'regular' menu
🥂 No limits – the more you dine, the more you earn!
🎈 Only one gift card per bill – it is not possible to divide the gift card for 2+ people if they pay separately. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer
To book a table, please visit their website at ladoc.co.uk, call Gaetano on 07865 034 118, email ladoc.balham@gmail.com or book via Google.
To claim the offer, mention Tooting Newsie when you book (in the notes, if doing so online).
You'll find La Doc located at 205 Balham High Road, open Monday-Thursday, 5.30-10pm; Friday & Saturday, 12.30-10pm. Closed Sundays.
Looking for rooftop cocktails in Tooting? 🍸🥂🍹 AND THEN serves cocktails, wine, beer, and more (with Happy Hour every night!), plus food from Honest Burgers just a few doors down!
Happy hour cocktails – including Mojitos, Tommy’s Margaritas, Palomas and Espresso Martinis (see images for full menu) – are just £7.50, with bottles of Prosecco for just £30, and Peroni Rossa beer for a fiver!
There’s also DJs every weekend, all sorts of games, and a retractable roof juuuust in case of unpredictable weather!
📍54a Tooting High Street, just over the road from Tooting Broadway tube.
Book your table via their website – walk-ins also welcome!
And head over to our Instagram for a chance to win a £100 bar tab!
👋 Hello Tooting! Hello Raynes Park!
Local children's charity shop Little Lives have installed portals in the windows of their shops in Tooting & Raynes Park, so that customers and passers-by can wave at each other!
You'll find the Tooting shop at 87 Tooting High Street, SW17 0SU, and the Raynes Park shop at 50 Coombe Lane, SW20 0LA.
Little Lives is a children’s charity dedicated to transforming the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Their mission is to empower the next generation by providing essential free resources for mental health support, enabling them to build brighter and more promising futures.
Find out more on their website.
DISEÑO barbers, offering “fresh fades & sharp cuts” has opened at 28 Trinity Road, Tooting Bec.
DISEÑO (the Spanish word for design), is owned by Cristian, a Colombian native who used to have a barbershop in his home country. Now living in SW17, he’s gone into partnership with Luca from Hopper Coffee House next door and opened his first shop here!
DISEÑO is open 7 days a week, 10am-7pm, at 28 Trinity Road. Book via disenotonsorialartist.booksy.com/a/
Congratulations & good luck, Cristian!
Humberto and Camilla have opened Cozinha do Humberto at 913 Garratt Lane (where Goianão Brazilian Carne De Primeira was previously located) serving gourmet Brazilian 🇧🇷 burgers and a range of Brazilian cuisine (plus an ever-changing lunch menu), desserts, beer, soft drinks and more!
Having previously had a unit in Merton Abbey Mills, Humberto and Camilla are excited to bring their Brazilian flavours to Tooting!
Veggie options available. Open 11am-10.45pm Sunday to Thursday, 11am-11.45pm Friday and Saturday for eat-in, takeaway and delivery on Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Please note the kitchen is closed 3pm-6pm each day, but the venue is open for drinks.
More info and menu via their website.
Congratulations and good luck to Humberto, Camilla, and the team!
REFURBISHED IN TOOTING: Green Monkey in Tooting Bec has a fantastic new look and a revamped brunch & lunch menu – and to celebrate, they're giving away Brunch for 2 to 2 of our followers to enjoy with a friend, over on our Instagram page!
New owner, Rusty tells us:
"It's the same staff and the same great vibe, but with added love, care and attention! We're serving freshly-brewed speciality coffee, all-day hearty brunches and now have tasty lunch items on the menu too, along with a whole range of homemade sweet treats."
Green Monkey is located at 2d Tooting Bec Road (opposite Tooting Bec tube), SW17 8BD, open Monday-Friday, 6.30am-4.30pm & Saturday & Sunday, 6.30am-5pm.
Please note: the food is not halal.
Flashback to Totterdown Street in Tooting, c. 1907.
At one time an old pump and drinking fountain stood here to quench the thirst of local residents. Frank Staff, former mayor of Wandsworth, used to tell an amusing story of how this street got its name from olden times when inhabitants used to cross Totterdown fields here, and in so doing had to traverse the narrow strips of cultivated land and literally 'tottered down' to Tooting!
However, the name probably derives from old English and is a composite of 'Tot', a look-out place; 'aern', a house; and 'dun', a hill. This suggests the location of a possible look-out post, and may even refer to the old Saxon tower of the original St Nicholas Church.
From 'Balham and Tooting in Old Photographs' by Patrick Loobey, ISBN 0-7509-0722-3
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