Tooting Newsie Weekly Newsletter
More festive events, a fundraising Fish Fry, Christmas appeals, a fabulous Christmas house, new openings and more...
🎄 A special Christmas edition of the monthly Furzedown Farmers’ Market takes place THIS SATURDAY 6th December, 9.30am-1.30pm – the perfect opportunity to pick up some fresh produce, fantastic Christmas gifts, enjoy the superb hot food & drink on offer and enjoy live festive performances from local legends, Ford Performing Arts, along with Christmas carols! It’s free entry and dogs are very welcome!
The increasingly popular Market is a brilliant fantastic place to enjoy a Saturday morning / lunchtime, with 30 stalls from top quality local businesses selling all sorts of produce, including meat, smoked trout. honey, homemade jams & cakes, along with crafts, gifts, books, plants, coffee & more!
As well as this Saturday, the Market takes place on the first Saturday of every month, with the next one starting back in the New Year on Saturday 7th February.
Furzedown Farmers’ Market is located at Penwortham School, Penwortham Rd, London SW16 6RJ – just down the road from Tooting!
See @furzedown_farmers_market (Instagram) for more details!
The Sprout Arts Christmas Market in Furzedown is now open, with 34 fabulous local artists, makers and businesses taking part!
The pop-up shop is packed with lots of unique gifts to suit everyone, including quirky Christmas decorations, festive foods, fragrance, jewellery, ceramics, home-wear, fashion, toys and more.
This is the biggest fundraiser for Sprout Community Arts, which is run on a not-for-profit basis by local volunteers. Every sale makes a huge difference to the talented local small businesses (and to Sprout)!
The Urban Wine Company will also be popping up outside on Saturday 6th, 13th and 20th December, so you can stock up on festive fizz too!
Sprout’s Christmas Market is open every day from 9am to 6pm at 74 Moyser Road, SW16 6SQ, with late nights on Thursdays until 8pm and on Saturdays until 7pm. It will close on 23rd December. More info via their website.
Traditional Fish Fry at Tooting Works by local chef Michael, this Friday 5th December, 4pm-9pm!
Each meal costs £10, with all proceeds going to Crisis Support Charity in Jamaica, who are helping rebuild communities affected by Hurricane Melissa, whilst supporting burn victims across the island.
There’ll be fish, meat, and vegan options available. Enjoy your food in the Tooting Works Event Space or collect your order from the rear gate on Charlmont Road – look for the Jamaican flag. 🇯🇲
Reggae legends Dub Vendor will also be on the decks! 🎵
📍 Tooting Works, 89 Bickersteth Road, SW17 9SH
There’s lots happening for all ages in libraries across Wandsworth (including Tooting) this December, including Christmas activities, coffee mornings, reading groups, digital inclusion programmes, kids’ activities, poetry, meet the author events, Pokémon Club, and lots more!
Full list of activities and libraries via Better UK.
Join Deen City Farm (just down the road from Tooting) for festive fun this Christmas! Enjoy a variety of events, including a chance to meet Father Christmas, a magical pony or horse ride, Christmas crafts and a festive trail around the farm!
Deen City Farm, at 39 Windsor Avenue, Merton Abbey, SW19 2RR, is an urban farm with an educational focus in Merton. They teach the local community about the rural environment and where their food comes from. They have an active volunteering programme as well as a Riding School offering affordable lessons to the local community.
More info, including how to book for their Christmas events, via their website.
Tooting-based property advisor, Homes With Chuk, has info for homeowners looking to sell in the wake of this week’s Autumn budget…
“With the Autumn Budget now confirmed, there were actually very few changes affecting the majority of the property market.
“The Budget keeps stamp duty where it is — there’s no change to stamp duty for buyers, meaning moving costs remain stable.
“A ‘mansion tax’ surcharge has been confirmed for high-value homes—important if you own or are considering buying a home valued at £2 million plus (from April 2028).
“If you’re a landlord or thinking of buying-to-let, property income tax rates will rise by 2 percentage points from April 2027 — but this won’t affect regular homeowners selling their main home.
“For the majority of Tooting, Balham and Streatham homeowners, the takeaway is that the Budget doesn’t change things drastically — which makes it a good time to think about selling, especially if you’d like a fresh start in the new year.
“If you’re thinking of selling, your home has been on the market for some time (16 weeks plus) without the interest you hoped for, or you just want to chat about the current market, feel free to reach out. I’d be happy to talk through how a fresh, focused marketing plan (with social media and renewed exposure) could give your home a new lease of life.”
To find out more, email Chuk at hello@homeswithchuk.co.uk, call 07940 546 190, DM him at Homes with Chuk, or pop into Tooting Works at 89 Bickersteth Road and ask for him at reception!
Local painter & decorator, Adrian Cupros, has been working on all sorts of residential & commercial properties in and around Tooting, and has availability for new jobs, both big & small!
Adrian has run his own decorating business for over 20 years, and prides himself on delivering work of the highest quality, on time, and on budget.
Whether it’s an exterior or interior job, wallpapering, woodwork, furniture or more, Adrian can advise on the best materials and help you decide on colours to get your home or business exactly as you want it!
To get in touch and for a free quote, email adrian.cupros2@gmail.com or text/call 07754 478 961.
You can also visit his Instagram to see more fantastic examples of his work!
Only three weeks until Christmas – have you got your tree yet? 🎄🎄🎄 Tooting’s Sw17 Premier Trees have trees of all shapes and sizes at 882 Garratt Lane (just by Tooting Leisure Centre)! Trees start at just £25, and as always, they’re offering FREE local delivery!
Pop in to see them Monday-Friday 9.30am-8pm, Saturday 9am-7pm and Sunday 9am-6.30pm, or DM @sw17premiertrees (Instagram) for orders and enquiries.
And head to our Instagram for a chance to win a tree for you and a friend!
We’re sad to report that the Wandsworth Oasis charity shop at 127 Mitcham Lane in Furzedown has permanently closed, along with their location in Balham.
The charity would like to say a big thank you to the wonderful local community, their volunteers and everyone who has donated and supported them over the years.
The closest locations to Furzedown to shop, volunteer or donate are Amen Corner and Tooting Bec. Visit their website for a full list of their branches.
London Ambulance Service (LAS) were called at 10.05pm last night (1 December) to reports of a road traffic collision in Tooting Bec Road, SW17.
An LAS spokesperson said:
“We sent two ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an advanced paramedic and an incident response officer to the scene. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.
“We treated a patient at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre.”
We’ll share more information as and when we receive it.
Happy 30th birthday to The Early Pregnancy Unit at Tooting’s St George’s, who recently celebrated with a visit from the midwife who set it up in 1995!!
Gill Costello established the unit after recognising the urgent need for pregnant women to have rapid access to scanning and bereavement support.
Since then, the unit has cared for more than 270,000 women through its walk-in service on Monday to Friday (emergency care on Saturdays).
No GP referral is required and is open to any woman who is less than 14 weeks pregnant and experiencing symptoms they find concerning.
More info via St George’s.
Congratulations to Tooting French bistro & steak house, Bordelaise who are further expanding their empire through the opening of a third branch on Maple Road in Surbiton! This comes hot on the heels of the opening of their second branch in Epsom & Ewell in early summer.
They haven’t got an opening date yet (aiming for late December / early January), but Bordelaise owner, Oliv would love to invite Tooting residents down to the Surbiton branch when it does open its doors and will be sharing news of a special launch offer in due course.
You can follow all the updates via their website, via their socials, and, of course, right here on Tooting Newsie!
Tooting-based food charity Be Enriched’s Winter Appeal is LIVE and they need your help!
Across South London, more people than ever are choosing between heating and eating. This winter, Be Enriched aims to ensure no one faces the cold months alone, but they can only do it with your support.
From December through January, they’ll provide:
🍲 Hot, nutritious meals at their Community Canteens
🌡️ Warm, welcoming spaces for isolated neighbours
🚍 Affordable fruit and veg through the Food Bus & Food Float
🎨 School holiday meals & activities for children who rely on free school meals
♻️ Surplus food rescued and turned into thousands of healthy dishes
Your donation makes a direct, real-world impact:
💛 £5 = warm drink & snack
🍽️ £15 = festive three-course meal
🛒 £30 = weekly affordable food shop
🎨 £50 = food & activities for children
🎁 £100+ = keeps their winter projects running
You can donate to their Crowdfunder.
To find out more about Be Enriched, including how to volunteer, visit their website.
AFC Wimbledon Foundation have launched their Christmas Appeal to bring festive cheer to children at Tooting’s St George’s Hospital! ⚽🎁✨
On 11th December, AFC Wimbledon players and Foundation staff will visit St George’s to deliver gifts and spend time with young patients.
They’re asking the community to donate towards presents for children at St. George’s, and to contribute to their Club Together Bursary.
If you can, please donate – more info/donation link via their Justgiving page.
Whoville in Tooting! There’s a fantastic festive Grinch display on Moring Road in Tooting, complete with interactive cut-out characters to put heads through for selfies!
Healthwatch Wandsworth were recently hosted at Howden Insurance Tooting, in an evening that championed local voices on health & social care experiences, including patients’ groups and volunteers.
Delicious food was provided by Tooting’s Taabiir Asian Cuisine, and there was fantastic music from local collective, Assorted Beat, who have been performing together for over 10 years.
The event was also attended by Ruils, a user-led charity supporting Disabled children and adults with long term health and mental health conditions to live life to the full; and Rethink, a Wandsworth and Richmond advocacy service providing comprehensive advocacy support to people facing challenges, discrimination, or complex decisions about the care they receive.
Healthwatch Wandsworth, who are an independent champion for people in Wandsworth who use health and social care services, would also like to find out about local understanding and/or experience of NHS PALS (Patient advice and Liaison Services), and ask residents to fill in their short, and anonymous, questionnaire here.
Howden Insurance Tooting is located at 149/155 Mitcham Road, SW17 9PG. Pop in, call 0208 672 3375, or visit their website.
NEW TO WANDSWORTH TOWN! The Purple Owl has opened, a BRAND NEW Pottery & Arts Space that offers Craft Beers, Great Coffee, Predominantly Vegan Deli, a central Cocktail Bar, with Friday Night Live Music & Saturday Night DJs.
Sips and Paints never looked so appealing…
📍Unit 1 Delta Business Park, 10 Smugglers Way, SW18 1EG
For full info and bookings, visit their website, email info@thepurpleowl.co.uk, or call 0208 166 6393.
Discount Bazaar is now open at 35 Tooting High Street (where Aldi was previously located), selling toys, homewares, luggage, bedding and more. Check in-store for opening times.
Discount Bazaar is a temporary tenant, as the space is under offer for a permanent lease. We’ll keep you posted...
Congratulations and good luck to the team!
COMING SOON TO TOOTING: Graft Hair Clinic is to open at 7 Upper Tooting Road. We’ll keep you posted...
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