Tooting Newsie Weekly Newsletter
Local news, offers, community stories, local sports teams and more – and the last chance to enter the Sprout Secret Postcard event!
Five years ago this month, Jackson Hall was diagnosed with leukaemia. He was two years old in February 2020, when his parents Sam and Shaun Hall noticed a rash that wouldn’t go away.
Concerned, they took him to their local hospital where blood tests were taken – further testing revealed Jackson had T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Now aged seven, Jackson had three years and two months of chemotherapy treatment before he rang the bell to mark the end of his cancer treatment 21 months ago.
Throughout his journey with leukaemia, Jackson received care from both Tooting's St George’s Hospital and the Royal Marsden through their joint paediatric oncology service.
Sam said: “Everyone at St George’s has been incredible. They have been there for us every step of the way and are like family to us. We just can’t thank them enough.”
Full story via St George's.
Meet Liam the Legend, Dons Local Action Group volunteer and Dons fan who's running 150 MILES to raise funds for Dons Local Action Group!
From marathons to ultra-runs, Liam’s got it covered! If you can help him reach his £5k goal, please donate via: https://justgiving.com/campaign/liamruns4dlag
Half Term SW17 Autism Family Group for 4 -14 years old (siblings included) at Tooting Leisure Centre this Monday 17th February, 12pm-3pm, organised by A2ndVoice - Autism Support Group - Tooting. All funds raised will go towards A2ndVoice's Holiday Program.
More info and booking here.
Please email holidays@a2ndvoice.com with any questions.
There's still time to enter Sprout’s Secret Postcard event and help raise funds to support the popular community arts hub in Furzedown!
Pick up a free postcard today in Sprout or Hazel's Cafe (at 74 and 95 Moyser Road respectively), or at Howden Insurance at 149/155 Mitcham Road, or use your own A6 (148mm x 105mm) card, to create your mini-masterpiece. Please put your name and any relevant details on the back and return to Sprout by this Friday 14th February 2025.
The exhibition is open from 25th February to 8th March at Sprout. All ages, skills and mediums can get creative. And there are arty prizes for best artwork by children under 12 (details on their website).
Sprout sells each postcard for £6, with members getting first choice at a special preview event. By taking part creating postcard art or buying a postcard every year, you'll be supporting Sprout's little art space, run entirely by volunteers. Money raised helps Sprout pay the rent, bills and maintain the building to keep it open for the local community and beyond.
Full info via Sprout Community Arts.
Sprout is located at 74 Moyser Road, SW16 6SQ.
Join Forever Fishponds for their Annual Public Meeting at Fishponds Playing Fields in Tooting (accessible via Hebdon Road), 2pm-4pm on Saturday 8th March! Everyone – residents, sports enthusiasts, nature lovers – welcome!
Hear about what’s been achieved in the last year and help shape the future of this local green space. There'll be demos and tasters of what’s on offer at the Fields, plus hot drinks and generous refreshments.
Search "Forever Fishponds" on Facebook or Instagram for more info.
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The Six Nations is back – and to celebrate, the award-winning Indian Room Balham have got a fantastic takeaway / delivery offer running right through until the end of February!
GET 10% OFF + another £9 OFF your order + FREE poppadoms + FREE delivery, when you order direct via their website. Simply use code: 6NATIONS at the checkout! The minimum spend is £25.
Located at 59 Bedford Hill, Balham, Indian Room offers a menu packed full of delicious starters, main dishes & sides.
The restaurant prides itself on making their cuisine as healthy as possible, without compromising on taste. All dishes are prepared without using ghee and therefore, relatively low fat. They don't use any artificial colourings, all meat is British bred from a farm down in Devonshire and only the freshest, seasonal vegetables are used in their cooking.
Most vegetarian dishes can be made vegan on request and they cater for special dietary requirements.
To order online (or book a table), visit their website.
Round Towers Ladies, (who train on Tooting and Clapham Commons and have their home pitch in Mitcham) are back for another season of Gaelic Football, and are recruiting new players of all ages and abilities!
Pre-season training starts at 7.15pm on Thursday 27th of February for a period of 6 weeks at Bethwin Astroturf, near Oval and Kennington tube stations. This will be followed by refreshments at The Hanover Arms in Oval.
If you want to get fit, learn a new skill or just be part of a great community, then they'd love to welcome you! Message them via their Instagram page @roundtowerslondon or email karmentarakeogh@gmail.com with any questions.
Did you know that there’s a skate park and BMX track just down the road from Tooting? Kimber Skate Park in Earlsfield is for ages 8-19 (up to 25 with SEND) is located in King George’s Park on Kimber Road, and is managed by Wandsworth Council.
As well as the park, the space also operates as a youth centre, which holds regular events year-round. It's free to attend, and free to hire skateboards, bikes and scooters. You can also buy skateboards, as well as accessories such as pads, helmets, clothing and more. There’s even a ping-pong table!
The site also offers various holiday programmes and clubs, plus a space for hire for parties (£150 for a 3 hour booking) and other children's clubs.
Find out more about the club, its opening times, and the services offered via their Facebook or Instagram page.
Thanks to Josh and Aaron for showing us around!
Congratulations to Tooting resident Dan Draper, who's presenting the Friday Early Breakfast slot on BBC Radio 1 throughout February!
This follows Dan's stint at BBC Radio 1 over the Christmas period, where he hosted Breakfast Show Anthems on the 30th & 31st of December!
Tune into Dan's show every Friday in February, 5am-7am. Find out more via the BBC.
Treat yourself or your loved one to a massage or facial this Valentine's at Tooting's Akhere Therapies! Local skin therapist, Rachel Akhere offers all sorts of facial treatments & therapies from her quiet & cosy studio in Tooting Bec, with 5 Star Google Reviews!
Rachel combines the latest skin therapy techniques and proven science to achieve great results and give you or your loved one some quality time to unwind, relax and recharge!
To find out more & to book an appointment or purchase a gift voucher, visit akheretherapies.com
Akhere Therapies is located at the Revive Studio, 249 Balham High Rd, Tooting Bec, SW17 7BE
Sales Property of the Week from Aspire Furzedown: a beautifully presented and thoughtfully extended two-bedroom freehold house in the sought-after Totterdown Fields conservation area.
The ground floor features a bright front sitting room and a stunning extended kitchen/breakfast room with bi-fold doors opening onto a private southwest-facing garden.
Upstairs, you'll find two bedrooms, a well-appointed bathroom, additional storage space, plus ample loft storage.
Located on Cowick Road, just moments from Tooting Common, Tooting’s buzzing shops, cafés, as well as both Tooting & Broadway markets.
Interested? See the Aspire website or visit the team at 58 Moyser Road, London, SW16 6SQ, call 020 8769 7900, or email furzedown@aspire.co.uk
We're sad to report that Jardins sans L'eau in Tooting Market is to permanently close this Saturday 15th February.
Owners Ray and Glyn tell us, "we are sad to leave the market and our friends. it is time to re-evaluate ourselves, due to challenging trading conditions and what we want to do for a work/life balance.
"Smaller items will still be available around London and other parts of the UK through selected outlets. And of course, our loyal customers will know how to get in touch via phone, email or Instagram."
London’s Air Ambulance, London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade have come together to support NHS Blood and Transplant’s appeal to Londoners to help book and fill appointments to give blood at one of the capital’s seven donor centres (including at the Tooting Donor Centre).
Through their day-to-day life-saving work, the emergency services teams see first-hand the need for blood supplies, from attending road traffic collisions, stabbings and shootings, through to fires, falls from height, and incidents on the rail network. First responders rely on supplies of O negative blood as it is the universal type that can be safely transfused to critically injured patients at the roadside.
Stocks of both O negative and B negative blood remain under particular pressure and more donations are urgently needed to keep these types in good supply. The NHS in England remains in Amber alert for low blood stocks.
NHS Blood and Transplant is appealing to donors to fill over 20,000 empty appointments at town and city donor centres across England, following high demand for blood over the festive period and into the start of the new year.
Blood is constantly needed to help the NHS treat patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery, and O negative blood is mostly used for emergency treatment. Each donation can save or improve up to three lives.
As well as O negative and B negative donors, people with Ro blood are also particularly needed. There is an ongoing need for more donors of Black heritage to help patients with sickle cell who need ethnically matched blood. First time donors who don’t know their blood type will find out after their first successful donation.
To book an appointment visit www.blood.co.uk, use the GiveBlood app or call 0300 123 23 23.
Households in the borough of Wandsworth can now get two free bulky waste collections every 12 months. Wandsworth Council will take up to four items or 12 sacks of waste for free. If you want more items collected, you can pay extra.
If you run out of free collections, you can pay the council's standard charges for more collections.
Collections for landlords and DIY waste collections are not free.
For more info (including what items can and can't be collected) and to book a collection, visit the Wandsworth Council website.
Unfurl Studios has opened at 531 Garratt Lane, offering Pilates, barre, yoga, breathwork, meditation, women's only classes, pre and post-natal classes, and classes in a heated studio!
Owner, Harriet, tells us, "Whether you're a seasoned yogi or just starting your wellness journey, we've got something for everyone. With classes for all levels, Unfurl is all about making fitness FUN, accessible, and a place to feel supported. So grab your mat, bring your energy, and let’s move together!"
More info and booking via their website.
Congratulations and good luck to Harriet and the team!
Tooting Broadway tube station, c. 1928. The station was opened on 13 September 1926 and was built to the designs of S.A. Heaps, who was probably responsible for much of the interior detail, and Charles Holden, who designed the exterior, including the London Transport symbols which adorn the top of the columns over the entrance. The station is a listed building and was built on the site of a large house that used to be the residence of Mr James Fisher, an auctioneer and property dealer.
From Balham & Tooting in Old Photographs by Patrick Loobey, ISBN: 0-7509-0722-3
Love is definitely in the air on Moring Road in Tooting, with this fantastic Valentine's display!
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