Tooting Newsie weekly newsletter!
Lots happening in Tooting – when isn't there? – with more Christmas events, a New Year's Party, a history of Tooting's musical heritage, Christmas gift ideas, new openings, and so much more!
Join Furze Nights for a spectacular New Year's Eve party in Tooting Market – with 2 floors of music!
After selling out all their events in the market, Furze Nights have something special planned this NYE, with two floors of music programming, DJs, lighting and visual upgrades, and plenty of surprises planned to mark the New Year celebrations!
Furze Nights was started in December 2023 by Tooting locals Olie Ogden (aka “Revlow”), Milly Murray, and Tom Mclarnon as a response to the lack of local opportunities to enjoy dance music. “It brings together music, art, culture, and people,” Milly said. “It’s a chance to enjoy some amazingly talented musicians and DJs, relax with friends – the response has been amazing!”
The event will run into the early hours at the Mezzanine in Tooting Market, with a 4am close.
Tickets and more info here.
Find out about Tooting’s astonishing musical heritage this Saturday at local historian Geoff Simmons’s FREE event! The Grade 1 listed Tooting Granada hosted such musical legends as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Lulu, Sam Cooke, the Kinks and many more, and Geoff has stories galore about their performances – and even where they stayed in Tooting!
Join Geoff’s tour at 2pm on the steps of Buzz Bingo (formerly the Tooting Granada) this Saturday 14th December! More info and booking here.
THIS WEEKEND at All Saints, Tooting – Carol Singing on Friday 13th December at 6:30pm in the Churchyard (hot drinks on offer!), and on Sunday 15th December at 10am, check out the Church's Nativity Play, followed by a Carol Service at 4pm (with mince pies & mulled wine afterwards). All welcome!
All Saints Church is located on the corner of Brudenell Road and Franciscan Road, SW17 8DQ.
Join Santa this Saturday for a day full of Christmas cheer at Totterdown Street Market! Here’s what’s happening:
• Santa in the Grotto: Meet Santa between 12pm–3pm for festive photos in a magical snowy setting.
• Santa’s Walkaround: Catch him spreading joy in Tooting at 11:30am – be sure to say hello!
• Live Music: Starting at 1pm, fabulous local choir The Great Gustos will fill the air with festive tunes.
• Festive Drinks: Enjoy mulled wine and more from Unwined in Tooting and Graveney Gin.
• Christmas Market: Shop the indoor and outdoor market, featuring amazing pop-up artisans with unique gift ideas!
Don't miss out on a day for the whole family to enjoy! More details via @totterdowntreetmarket (Instagram).
The next Mega Skip Day takes place from 9am this Saturday 14th December, 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.
More info, including details of what you can bring and when the skips will be open, via Wandsworth Council.
Balham’s independent bookshop, Backstory - London bookshop has all your Christmas gift inspiration sorted! Pick up a copy of Backstory's Christmas Gift Guide in the shop or visit their website for the digital version.
Each of Backstory's booksellers has picked out their 2024 favourite reads plus there are great gift ideas for any member of the family or friend, young and old.
And, if you're looking for a book related gift with a difference, how about a Backstory book subscription?! Their subscription is a book related gift with a difference, where a book is chosen each month especially for the recipient, based on their likes and dislikes!
The subscriptions are available for both adults and children with different durations to choose from. Subscribers can even choose to receive their books monthly, every other month or even quarterly, so it's perfect for all readers.
Or maybe you know somebody who would love to join Backstory's non-fiction or fiction book clubs, unique as the author themselves joins the meeting. They meet each month on Zoom, so it's a perfect present wherever you live. Authors who have joined the book clubs this year include Samantha Harvey, VV Ganeshanthan, Michael Magee, John Vaillant, Ian Dunt and Katya Hoyer.
Backstory also has a bar where you can sit and enjoy a drink whilst reading a book from a coffee made with Volcano Coffee Works beans, to beers supplied by local Belleville Brewing Co. and great wine from Noble Rot co-founders (one of Backstory owner Tom's favourite haunts when he was a journalist) Keeling Andrew.
Backstory is dog friendly and located a couple of minutes walk from Balham tube station at 71 Balham High Road and open every day in December (apart from 24th-26th December) 10am-6pm, and open until 9pm Thursday and Friday.
You can also browse & order online via their website.
Biriyani Waala opens at 1.30pm this Saturday 14th December at 326 Balham High Road (a few doors down from Tooting Bec tube), with FREE biriyanis for the first 100 customers and 50% off their menu for the day!
See their website for more info!
The Truro has opened at 47 Upper Tooting Road (where Meat & Shake was previously located), serving South African street food, seafood, chicken and more!
Open 1pm-10pm Sunday to Thursday, and 1pm-11pm Friday and Saturday for eat-in and takeaway – delivery also available on Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats. Vegetarian options available, and all food is HMC halal certified. Strictly no alcohol.
Visit their website for more info.
Congratulations and good luck to the team!
RELOCATED IN TOOTING MARKET – Ding Ding UK, serving Hong Kong inspired food, has moved into the middle of Tooting Market, where Lone Fisherman was previously located (whom you can now find by the Totterdown Street entrance).
Congratulations and good luck to William!
Cafe Chai Wala is to open at 93 Upper Tooting Road, where Meadi was previously located.
Khoob London, selling Pakistani clothing and bridal wear, is to open at 118 Upper Tooting Road, where Griller was previously located.
Tooting’s award-winning gin distillers Graveney Gin in Tooting Market have four fantastic varieties of gin available for Christmas, with FREE local delivery (often same day delivery in Tooting)!
Gins include their limited edition Festive Fayre gin (awarded Craft Gin Club’s Gin of the Month), and their Figges Marsh gin, which recently received a coveted International Wine & Spirit Competition award! Perfect for the gin lover in your life!
All varieties, as well as gift vouchers for gin tastings, are available from their shop and bar in Tooting Market! And if you can’t make it to the market, then Graveney Gin offers free local delivery (often same day delivery in Tooting) – simply order online from graveneygin.com before 5pm on 20th December for guaranteed delivery before Christmas! Ts and Cs apply.
And why not pop in for a G&T or signature cocktail in Tooting Market!
Open in Tooting Market 5pm-11pm Wednesday-Thursday, 5pm-11.30pm Saturday and 4pm-11.30pm Sunday. See graveneygin.com for more info.
Six new cycle routes will soon be coming to Wandsworth, following extensive public consultation.
The routes will connect popular locations in the borough via back roads, meaning people don’t have to navigate busy major routes on bicycles.
Introducing more cycle routes, including along quieter roads, are part of the Wandsworth Walking and Cycling Strategy, which in turn aims to support many of the key elements of the Wandsworth Environment and Sustainability Strategy. Both strategies aim to improve the health and wellbeing of residents, by making local roads and pavements safer, and the air cleaner.
More information, including the proposed routes, via Wandsworth Council.
Congratulations to Furzedown resident Miriam, who has launched a brand new food and drink magazine – Medlar!
Editor Miriam (who has contributed to BBC Food, Good Food, Olive, Waitrose magazine and more) will be selling copies in person at The Bedford Pub Christmas shopping fair in Balham on the 15th December.
This launch issue is a packed 24 pages and she has plans to launch Medlar as a full-size, quarterly publication in 2025-26.
Inside the latest issue, you'll find gorgeous recipes like leek and bacon dauphinoise, stunning food photography, fabulous illustration, and fantastic stories.
Discover articles about food production, farming and a spotlight on a charity as part of a bake sale feature. The focus is on seasonal food and learning about food together without being beholden to trends.
More info via medlarmagazine.com.
Community Spaces are reopening – the Wandsworth Council funded spaces provide warm, welcoming places for all Wandsworth residents during the colder months. These spaces, some Council-owned and others run by community groups, offer a place to connect, enjoy a hot drink or meal, and access council services.
More info and a full list of spaces via Wandsworth Council.
This December, South London food charity Be Enriched is hosting festive Community Canteen lunches in Tooting and running its Food Bus Project stop at Tooting Leisure Centre, in an effort to ensure that no one is left hungry or alone during the holiday season.
“Christmas should be a time of joy, warmth, and community, but for many in South London, it’s a period marked by hunger, cold, and isolation,” says Kemi Akinola, Be Enriched CEO. “We are on a mission to change that by providing vital support, joy and companionship for those who would otherwise go without.”
Be Enriched’s Community Canteen runs every Friday at the Tooting United Reformed Church, and will be serving Christmas lunch on the 20th December from 12.30pm - all are welcome to join!
Be Enriched is calling on the public to donate to support their activities over the festive period. Even a small contribution can make a tangible difference and each donation directly funds the Community Canteens and Food Bus Project over December.
“We invite everyone to join us in making sure that no one goes hungry, no one spends the holiday alone, and no one is left out this Christmas,” adds Kemi.
For more information on how you can support their Gifts That Give Back Christmas Appeal or to make a donation, please visit their Crowdfunder or email georgia@be-enriched.org
If you're looking to treat your pup this Christmas, head down to brilliant local doggy store, Balham Bark, where Trevor & his able assistant, Frida the miniature Schnauzer, have all sorts of fantastic gift ideas to choose from!
Located on Emmanuel Road, next to the Hyde Farm Café, on the edge of Tooting Common, Balham Bark sell a carefully curated selection of top-quality products, including healthy & delicious natural dog treats & food, gorgeous & stylish collars & leads, fun & tough doggo toys, professional grooming supplies, very comfy beds & lots more!
They’re now also open on Sundays right up to Christmas to help you make your pup’s holiday unforgettable! Swing by and meet their friendly team!
You'll find Balham Bark located at 72 Emmanuel Road, Balham, SW12 0HR, open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-4.30pm.
Experience the ultimate spa for your mouth, with Ten Dental + Facial’s new hygiene 'Airflow' clean! The very latest in dental hygiene technology will leave your teeth feeling fresher, brighter and oh-so-clean!
The 'Airflow' treatment (which costs just £20) can be booked as a supplement at their clinic on Balham High Road, in addition to a normal scale and polish or hygiene visit.
To find out more and book in, WhatsApp 07308 716 397, call 020 8675 1798, email hello@tendental.com or pop in!
Ten Dental is located at 156 Balham High Road. You can also visit their website at tendental.com
Ming's Cuisine are excited for their first Christmas in Balham – and have devised special Christmas Set Menus featuring many of their most popular dishes, to enjoy with family, friends & colleagues throughout December!
They have 3 choices of Set Menu, ranging from £32pp - £40pp, including a vegetarian option.
Dishes on the menus include their mixed platters (vegetable spring rolls, sesame prawn toast, salt & chilli squid, Kyoto pork ribs), Dim Sum, crispy aromatic duck, crispy shredded chilli beef, sweet & sour chicken and wok-fried broccoli & garlic - followed by Christmas Pud!
The independent, family-run Ming's Cuisine serves authentic cuisine from Hong Kong & Shanghai, opened in late June at 191 Balham High Road – and has proved incredibly popular amongst locals, with brilliant Google reviews!
To book a table at Ming's Cuisine, visit their website at mingscuisinebalham.co.uk, text / call 07393 868 898, or pop in at 191 Balham High Road.
Ming’s Cuisine is open 7 days a week from Noon: Monday-Thursday, 12-10pm; Friday & Saturday, 12pm-10.30pm and Sunday.
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