Tooting Newsie Weekly Newsletter
The UK Cold Water Swimming Championships returns after 6 years! Plus local charity news, offers, a free running group, and lots more going on in Tooting!
Tooting Bec Lido hosts the Cold Water Swimming Championships THIS SATURDAY 25th January – the first in 6 years (as the last time was pre-Covid in 2019)!
There'll be entrants from around the globe, freezing races, hot tubs, saunas, cheering, bunting, stalls, food and drink, plus so much more at this amazing community event at the UK's largest outdoor pool!
The Opening Ceremony takes place at 9am, with races, the hat parade, awards ceremonies, a world record attempt, a raffle, and more taking place throughout the day. Entry is £5 for spectators. For more info, visit their website.
The next Mega Skip Day takes place from 9am this Saturday 25th January, 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:
• Church Lane, SW17 9PP
• Acanthus Road, SW11 5TY
• Malva Close, SW18 2JU
• Larch Close, SW12 9SY
• Putney Park Lane, SW15 5HU
• Orchard Estate, 5 to 19 Bell Drive, SW18 5PZ
• Hyacinth Road, SW15 4LW
More info, including details of what you can bring and when the skips will be open, via Wandsworth Council.
Safety improvement work begins on Burntwood Lane (which connects Wandsworth Common to Garratt Lane in Earlsfield), this Monday 27th January.
During the works, vehicles will still be able to use the road, and no road closures are expected as the works proceed over the coming year.
The measures to be implemented are:
• Cycles lanes from Aboyne Road/Tranmere Road junction in both directions which are segregated in some locations all the way up to Sandgate Lane.
• Wider and smoother pavements.
• Continuous footways (also known as Copenhagen Crossings) at the side roads for easier pedestrian access, showing the pedestrians right of way more clearly.
• Four new zebra crossings, and
• one new toucan signalised crossing near the junction with Sandgate Lane.
A public consultation took place in January 2023 and the plan was adjusted to take residents’ feedback into account. The revised scheme was unanimously approved for implementation at the Transport Committee in November 2023. Detailed design work took place and were followed by a further statutory consultation.
More info via Wandsworth Council.
Want to find out about roadworks in your area? The Causeway Technologies One Network interactive map shows roadworks, which are planned, in progress and completed in your local area. More info on their website.
The Be Enriched Tooting Canteen serves up a free feast every Friday lunchtime at Tooting United Reformed Church on Rookstone Road! The canteen aims to improve people's well-being while developing a stronger sense of community, particularly for those who are socially isolated.
Everyone is welcome, including vulnerable groups and those affected by addiction, mental health concerns, low or no-income parents, asylum seekers, and the unemployed. Every week, volunteers cooking up a delicious and nutritious meal using surplus food.
The Tooting Community Canteen can be found at Tooting United Reformed Church, Rookstone Road, SW17 9NQ and is open every Friday, 1pm-2.30pm. Find out more via Be Enriched.
Local walking group Walk and Talk Wandsworth are looking for volunteers to lead or support their weekly Saturday morning walks on Tooting Common!
The Walk and Talk group on Tooting Common has been running for nearly two years now and they are always looking for new volunteers to join them.
No experience is required, just a willingness to walk and chat for an hour and the ability to commit to one Saturday a month.
Volunteers either lead the walks or support by chatting to participants and making sure that everyone feels included.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please email tcwalkandtalk@gmail for further details.
Go Walk and Talk Wandsworth are a friendly group who meet at 10:30am every Saturday at the cafe on Tooting Common (just to the west of Bedford Hill and south of Hillbury Road.) No booking required.
For more info about the group, visit their website.
RSPCA South London Branch have been working with South Thames College (STC) for their Sustainable Fashion project!
STC students visited the RSPCA shop at 71-73 Upper Tooting Rd and took items from which the shop couldn't sell due to stains and damage, repurposing them into beautiful new creations!
These are now proudly on display at the Tooting shop, so please head down for a look! For more info, see their latest blog.
Do you have a musical instrument you can donate? Dons Local Action Group, in partnership with The Jack Lonergan Foundation, are providing FREE musical instruments to young people from low-income families across southwest London, breaking down financial barriers to music education.
If you have an instrument to donate, please email DLAGinTune@donslocalaction.org
Dons Local Action Group aim to help those in the local community to fight poverty, and provides food parcels, household goods, furniture and appliances. They also offer laptops through their Keep Kids Connected initiative for children who do not have access to online learning. More info via their website.
The Jack Lonergan Foundation promotes musical education, primarily aimed at young people who may not have the access to equipment or teaching resources. More info via the The Jack Lonergan Foundation website.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Get up to £500 OFF Teeth Straightening (Invisalign), Composite Bonding or Fixed Orthodontic treatment this January at the award-winning Ten Dental + Facial on Balham High Road! And if you go ahead with treatment, you'll also receive FREE teeth whitening treatment worth £500, with a guaranteed B1 shade!
At your FREE consultation, you'll receive complimentary smile mock-ups to help you decide on the best treatment for you. You’ll also be able to see how your Invisalign or Composite Bonding would look before you say yes to treatment!
This special offer ends on 31st January.
To find out more & book your FREE consultation (£50 refundable deposit required), WhatsApp 07950 958 856, email hello@tendental.com or pop in to see them at 156 Balham High Road. You can also visit their website.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Meet Edward, owner of TIDYO, a Tooting-based cleaning service, which is offering 20% off your first clean!
Edward tells us, "TIDYO Cleaning is a fresh and innovative cleaning service designed to simplify the process of booking a cleaner, while ensuring fairness for hardworking staff.
"The business was born out of a conversation between frustrated local neighbours who struggled to find reliable, punctual, and professional cleaners. Inspired by our shared concerns, I decided to take matters into my own hands – and TIDYO was created.
"People want a clean home, not the hassle and drama that sometimes comes with finding the right cleaner. We set out to build a service that puts customers first, powered by a fuss-free online booking system, while also treating our staff fairly by paying them at least the London Living Wage."
TIDYO Cleaning offers:
• Exceptional Customer Service: With a seamless online booking system, customers can schedule their clean quickly and easily at www.tidyo.me
• Reliable and Professional Cleaners: All staff are fully trained, DBS-checked, and wear name badges, ensuring peace of mind for every customer.
• Fair Pay for Staff: TIDYO is committed to paying cleaners fairly, fostering a motivated and hardworking team.
• Flexible Cleaning Services: From regular cleaning to deep cleaning and end-of-tenancy cleans, TIDYO caters to the needs of busy families and professionals in Tooting.
Edward invites residents to experience the difference for themselves: "Our goal is to make life easier for local families and professionals, delivering a clean home without the drama. Try TIDYO today and discover the calm that comes with a spotless space."
To book your first clean, visit www.tidyo.me and use the code NEWSIE20 by 15th February 2025 for 20% off.
A group of over 20 volunteers, together with Enable Parks Wandsworth, recently braved the cold to carry out path repairs on Tooting Common and build stag beetle loggeries. These log stacks provide a habitat for the beetles to develop as larvae, which can take up to 7 years!
Stag beetles are a priority species in Wandsworth and play a crucial role in breaking down dead wood, recycling nutrients and supporting biodiversity. By creating these habitats, they're working to boost their numbers and support local biodiversity.
For more information about Enable Parks, which works to maintain and improve Wandsworth's parks, commons, playgrounds, allotments and green spaces, visit their website.
Run Talk Run SW17, a free mental health and running community, host weekly 5k runs in the local area at 7pm, and everyone is welcome!
On Mondays, they meet downstairs at the Wheatsheaf Pub in Tooting Bec, and on Thursdays, they meet at The Regent on Chestnut Grove in Balham. There are places to leave your bag at both locations.
Run Talk Run is a friendly, free and supportive group that aims to make both running and mental health support less intimidating and more accessible, offering a safe and open space to talk about how you are doing (the good times, not-so-good times and everything in between).
Whilst the group chats, they run, walk, or jog 5km. Speed or pace isn't important and nobody is left behind – whether you're a seasoned ultra-marathon runner or coming along for your first bit of exercise in a while, all are welcomed and encouraged.
For more info and to sign up, visit their booking page.
Looking for a new activity this January? Tooting-based Bec Korfball Club is offering one month of free training for all newcomers!
Join them every Tuesday evening at Graveney School if you're keen on exploring new things, making new friends, and staying active.
Bec Korfball Club tells us, "Korfball is a fun and exciting sport that anyone can play. It bears similarities to netball and basketball in that the aim is to throw a ball into a basket, but there are several rules that make it quite different to both.
"Uniquely, it is the world's only exclusively mixed-sex sport. This means that all korfball teams must always have four male and four female players on the court at all times. Each player is then in a duel with an opponent of the same sex and must use their speed, agility and skill to break free to shoot and score. This creates a fast, dynamic sport that requires teamwork and cooperation to achieve success.
"Korfball is still relatively unheard of in the UK but it has been around for over 100 years and is played in more than 60 countries around the world and the rules are easy to learn.
Email info@beckorfball.co.uk if you would like to attend their beginner training sessions or for more info.
Graveney School is located on Welham Rd, SW17 9BU.
You may have noticed this rather incongruous blue grave in Streatham Cemetery in Tooting. History website London Overlooked wondered why the grave of Henry Budden, who died in 1907, is so different from the other graves in the cemetery, and so investigated his history and his links with Doulton Pottery. For the full story, visit their website.
Streatham Cemetery can be found on Garratt Lane, SW17 0LT, with entrances on Garratt Lane and Broadwater Road.
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