Choose a playground design for Swaby Gardens

Enable, the contractors who maintain parks in Wandsworth say:

Wandsworth Council are redesigning the existing junior playground in Swaby Gardens and would like your view. 

 Up to £163,000 of funding has been secured from NCIL (Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy) to refurbish the junior playground and move the toddler play equipment to be part of the new design. Wandsworth Council secures NCIL funding from development projects in the local areas and invests the funding in local community facilities.

There are three designs to choose from, each aimed to improve movement and physical activity among children of all abilities.

The purpose of the refurbishment is to:

1. Redesign the layout and join the junior and toddler playgrounds.
2. Provide an accessible playground for children of all abilities.
3. Provide exciting play equipment that has; climbing, swinging, rotating, sliding, balancing and stretching features.
4. Offer a range of challenging, energetic strength building play experiences to help build children’s self confidence and tests the limits of their capabilities.
5. Create a place for social interactions, to help children learn how to negotiate, cooperate, compete and resolve conflicts.

Come along to the public consultation meeting on Tuesday 14 February 11am to 4pm at Earlsfield Library to talk to representatives from Enable Leisure and Culture and give your view in person, or have your say online here.

Online consultation is open from Monday 6 February to Sunday 19 February.

For further information please contact:

Teresa Constantinou, Playground Development Officer, tconstantinou@wandsworth.gov.uk

Enable Leisure & Culture manage and deliver the parks service on behalf of Wandsworth Council.

Looking for a new class for your baby or toddler?

Then take a look at Talking Tots…  not your average class, Talking Tots provides fun, interactive classes for all babies and toddlers that gently boost early communication and language skills, as well as social confidence.

Help give your child a head start and prevent common speech and language problems from arising in the first place. With the number of pre-school children with speech and language problems having increased substantially in the last decade, there is a lot that parents and early years workers can do to help develop children’s communication skills. The good news is that helping to boost your child’s communication and social confidence isn’t rocket science and Talking Tots founders Lisa Houghton and Tracey Park, both experienced paediatric speech and language therapists, advise parents to spend lots more time talking to children, using games, songs and rhymes to help build children’s vocabularies and develop their awareness of words and sounds.

These principles are used as the basis for Talking Tots classes which help to develop some of life's most important skills, including concentration and attention, self-esteem and social confidence, pre-literacy skills, communication skills, and sharing and taking turns.

 The unique Baby Talk programme (for babies aged 4 to 12 months) provides a series of fun, interactive and informative workshops that offer a fantastic opportunity to learn about early child communication skills and what you can do to support this important life skill. Topics covered include an introduction to early communication skills; listening and attention; eye contact; turn taking; copying; and exploring sounds.

For toddlers aged 12 months and above, the Sprites and Sprinters classes have lots of fun and action packed structured games, with exciting props, singing and rhymes. Activities are carefully designed to encourage children’s natural desire to communicate, by building vocabulary and helping them to understand and talk about the world around them.

For more information, please visit our website (www.talkingtots.info/swlondon) and our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/talkingtotsswlondon). Email us at swlondon@talkingtots.info to secure your place or for further information. 

Cheer up your February with a New Year pantomime

Join the Magdalene Players for their 38th Family Pantomime Cinderella at St Mary Magdalene Hall, Trinity Road, near Wandsworth Common from the 2nd to the 5th of February 2017. This famous rags-to-riches story brought magically to life as Cinderella meets her handsome Prince, but her ugly step sisters want to stop her going to the grand ball! Will her friend Buttons be able to help, and will her Fairy Godmother magic her up a dress and a coach? Will the Prince find the foot that fits the crystal slipper, and will everyone live happily ever after? Get your tickets now for a magical night to remember!

Thursday and Friday performances at 7:30pm, Saturday matinee 2pm and Saturday evening 7pm, Sunday Matinee 2pm Tickets: £12 and concessions £10. Thursday all Tickets £10. Group concession available: buy 10 tickets, get 10th free (to take advantage of the group concession please contact the box office directly on the number below; all tickets must be purchased together in one transaction).

Box Office: 07535 925268/Online booking: www.magplayers.org.uk (and more info)

A historical year ahead in Earlsfield

The local history dynamo that is Geoff and the Summerstown 182 project is setting up for another busy year ahead. Below are some key dates for your diaries, and keep an eye on their website https://summerstown182.wordpress.com/ for the latest. You can also follow the project on Twitter @summerstown182.

Geoff says: "We are open to any other ideas or suggestions. If you would like to play a part in this project, please come along to our next meeting on 17th January in St Mary's Church Hall."

**Now Tuesday 4th April 7.30pm

Friends of Summerstown182 Meeting Oral History Workshop

St Mary's Church Hall (entry from Keble Street) SW17

Learn how to capture stories using camera and sound at this oral history workshop. More details coming soon to FOS182 about our planned trips to The London Metropolitan Archives and The Imperial War Museum.

Saturday 28th January 2pm
Summerstown182 Winter Guided Walk, Earlsfield

Starts 2pm at St Mary's Church, Wimbledon Road, SW17
A delightful winter amble through the industrial heartland of the Summerstown182 passing locations where many of them once lived. Also featuring the Corruganza Strike, Wimbledon Stadium, the Lost Streets of Earlsfield, Coppermill Lane and Garratt Mills.

**NEW Thursday 23rd February 6.15pm
Bringing a Wandsworth war memorial to life, Tara Arts, Earlsfield
Learn more about the experiences of Jamaican soldiers in the First World War, to coincide with the production of 'Chigger Foot Boys.' Tickets for the talk are £3 and they have a beautiful refurbished venue but space is limited so you will need to book!

 

**Now Saturday 25th February 2pm

Summerstown182 'Waterloo Sunset' Walk, Lambeth

Starts 2pm outside St John's Church, 73 Waterloo Road, Lambeth, SE1 (off Waterloo Bridge roundabout close to IMAX cinema)
In a unique diversion from our usual orbit, we use Charles Booth's maps to track the movements of the family of one of the Summerstown182 in the Lambeth area, 100 years ago. A fascinating insight into the much-changed area between Waterloo Station and The Elephant and Castle.

Saturday 11th March 2pm
'Women of Summerstown' Guided Walk, Tooting/Earlsfield Celebrating Women's History Month

Starts 2pm at St Mary's Church, Wimbledon Road, SW17

This very special walk will celebrate the stories of the mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters and daughters of the Summerstown182 and examine the effects of the war on the home front.

Monday 13th March 2pm DETAILS TO BE CONFIRMED

Tribute to 'Forgotten Soldier' William Mace
Streatham Cemetery, Garratt Lane, SW17

13th March is the centenary of the death of an underage soldier from Tooting who served for 18 months with the South Wales Borderers. He became sick and was discharged from the army, died of TB and is buried in an unmarked grave. There is no formal recognition of his service. We will be holding a short simple ceremony that day to remember him.

Tuesday 4th April 730pm

Friends of Summerstown182 Meeting MORE DETAILS TO BE CONFIRMED

St Mary's Church Hall, (entry from Keble Street), SW17

Saturday 22nd April 2pm
Guided Walk in celebration of Corporal Edward Foster V.C. 

'Tiny Ted's Tooting - The Dustman V.C.'Starts, 2pm St Mary's Church, Wimbledon Road, SW17

Corporal Edward Foster from Fountain Road won the Victoria Cross 100 years ago this spring at Villers-Plouich. This walk remembers his bravery and covers significant locations in the area where he worked and lived. We will also visit his grave in Streatham Cemetery.

Friday 28th April 8pm
Wandsworth Historical Society Talk

'The First World War memorial in Summerstown and its 182 stories'

Starts 8pm, Friends Meeting House, Wandsworth High Street, SW18

ALSO, more details coming soon on -

- our second 'Heritage Roadshow' in Tooting Library
- a plaque to commemorate the 'Lost Copenhagen Running Grounds' of Garratt Lane
- talk/exhibition visit to learn more about extent of Indian and Caribbean involvement in the First World War, including potential visits to the Muslim Burial Ground and Peace Garden in Woking and the Chattri Memorial near Brighton - talks/presentations on Summerstown182 to the Furzedown Project, Generate, Wandsworth U3A, The Streatham Society
- we will continue our workshops with Burntwood School and are about to start our involvement with Smallwood Primary

Wandsworth Jumble Trail

"A Jumble Trail is like a car boot sale but on your street, communities co-ordinate to set up stalls outside their houses to sell bric-a-brac, toys, vintage clothes, cakes or whatever.

The whole thing is coordinated online at jumbletrail.com providing visitors with a colour coded map to explore the treasure on sale in your neighbourhood."

"Recycle for London is working in partnership with Wandsworth Council and Jumble Trail to bring you this free event. Recycle for London helps Londoners to recycle more by providing them with information and motivation to recycle as much as possible, no matter where they are in the capital.

Please be aware it is the responsibility of each householder to ensure the public highway remains accessible, so please ensure your stall is in your garden and not on the pavement, and there is no rubbish left in the street after the event.This is a community event, organised by locals and open to everyone.

Please contact wandsworthjt@gmail.com if you have any questions."

This Trail is championed by local dad Guy Dorrell from Faircatch.

The Wandsworth Jumble Trail is taking place on Sunday 9th October from 11am to 4pm. Sign up and see who's got stalls online.

New Lidl store opens this week on Plough Lane

The team at Lidl have been in touch with details of the opening celebrations for their new store on Plough Lane. They say:

"Lidl UK has confirmed that its new store on Plough Lane in Wimbledon, London, will open its doors for the first time to customers at 8:00am on Thursday 11th August, with FA Legend Peter Shilton in attendance to cut the ribbon to the brand new supermarket.

As well as offering customers the chance to sample some of its award-winning products, Lidl has teamed up with football legend Peter Shilton as part of their ongoing partnership with The FA as Lead Partner of FA Skills, the grassroots programme for children between ages 5 – 11 years old. To celebrate the grand opening, the supermarket is inviting local families to meet the star and take part in the ‘Football Trolley Chip Challenge’, all under the guidance of the ex-England keeper, with prizes being handed out to those that take part. The challenge will take place straight after the store opening and ribbon cutting, with Peter helping the public to finesse their footballing skills until 9:15am. With limited spaces, families are encouraged to arrive early for a chance to play and win.

Following the exciting launch, for the first week of trading customers will be able to enjoy 50% off selected fruit & vegetables including Oaklands Baby Potatoes for 44p (1kg, was 89p), Mango for 42p (each, was 85p) and Sweet Potatoes for 47p (per kilo, was 95p).

The new supermarket, which marks a multi-million pound investment in Wimbledon forms part of the company’s ongoing expansion plans in the UK which will see its existing store portfolio of 630 stores increase to up to 1,500. The 1,631m² store has created 40 new jobs and boasts state of the art facilities including an in-store bakery, customer toilets, baby changing facilities and ample parking.

Lidl UK’s Regional Head of Property, Chris Young-Wootton, commented: “We would like to thank all those who have played a part in bringing this new Lidl store to Wimbledon and we appreciate the support of Legend Peter Shilton. It is wonderful for us to be able to create more jobs and investment opportunities in the area and we can’t wait to start serving our multi-award winning products to the local community.”"

Floreat Wandsworth fair this weekend

Floreat Wandsworth's summer fair is on this Sunday from 2-5pm.

Save the date! Come along for a fun afternoon of activities & support our new school! @GoEarlsfield @NappyValleyNet pic.twitter.com/Zc5zoAcBVa

— Friends of Floreat (@Floreatwandptfa) May 25, 2016

Parents petition for safety gate on Garratt Green

A petition has been launched to get a gate installed on Garratt Green. 

Petitioner Libby D'Arcy says:

"Garratt Green is a lovely park used by families, sporting teams, schools and the general surrounding community.  It is surrounded by busy through roads, a school and a children's playground.  It is in the park that you see young children learning to ride their bike, kicking a ball with family and friends and general examples of family life.  Recently we have seen two children on separate occasions chase their ball out of the park and onto Burntwood Lane - they are just being children.  On one occasion it was a very near miss and the car was only yards away from knocking a young child down.  We need a gate to stop this happening.  The children's playground within the park backs onto a busy road and is gated, although the gate is easily opened by a toddler.  Children often open the gate to let themselves in and out of the area - meters away from yet another busy through road.  Please help us get a gate for the park to prevent a fatality."

Thanks to Dan Watkins for the nudge. 

Get Active Wandsworth 2016

The Get Active team write:

"Since it began in 2010, the Get Active Wandsworth Festival (GAWF) has inspired over 35,000 people to become healthy and active.

The festival was established to capitalise on the ‘feel good’ effect expected from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Hundreds of providers from all over Wandsworth attend the festival showcasing the very best the borough has to offer in sport and physical activity, and it’s absolutely free.

We’re currently planning for the Get Active Wandsworth Festival 2016 which will take place on Saturday 9 July 2016 in

King George’s Park
Wandsworth
SW18 4DN.

The festival will showcase and provide activities for:

• children and families
• young people
• adults
• local sports clubs, organisations and workplaces
• older people
• disabled people

To see the sort of activities we offer download the programme from the Get Active Wandsworth Festival 2015."

For more information or to register as a provider, volunteer or attendee, visit the website.

New classes in Earlsfield for babies and toddlers

The Talking Tots team has been in touch to let you know about their new classes in Earlsfield. They say:

"Talking Tots has recently launched brand new fun, interactive classes in Earlsfield that gently boost preschool children's communication and social skills. For babies and toddlers, these friendly and exciting classes can help to develop some of life's most important skills, including concentration and attention, making learning easier; self-esteem and social confidence, vital for making new friends; pre-literacy skills, helping pave the way for reading and writing; communication skills, helping little ones express themselves; and sharing and taking turns, helping everyone get along better.

The unique Baby Talk programme (for babies aged 4 to 12 months) provides a series of fun, interactive and informative workshops that offer a fantastic opportunity to learn about early child communication skills and what you can do to support this important life skill. Topics covered include an introduction to early communication skills; listening and attention; eye contact; turn taking; copying; and exploring sounds.

For toddlers aged 12 months and above, the Sprites and Sprinters classes have lots of fun and action packed structured games, with exciting props, singing and rhymes. Activities are carefully designed to encourage children’s natural desire to communicate, by building vocabulary and helping them to understand and talk about the world around them.

This is not your average class – it’s a great way to support your child’s development and make sure your child gets a head start before school. For more information, please visit our website (www.talkingtots.info/swlondon) and our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/talkingtotsswlondon). Email us at swlondon@talkingtots.info to secure your place or for further information."

Free herb-growing workshop on Wednesday

Corner Space’s Health Reach project offers a variety of activities for individuals and families in Wandsworth to improve your health and wellbeing. Based at the community clubroom on the Henry Prince Estate, they offer:

• Weekly yoga classes for women every Thursday, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm.
• Educational & creative family workshops where you can meet new people whilst learning to make different things that will be of use to you personally, for your home or environment. 
• Corner Space will soon be launching a walking group for Earlsfield and neighbouring areas. 

The next workshop is this Wednesday: 

FREE Family Workshop: Growing Herbs from Seed on Your Windowsill (pdf link)
Wednesday, 18th May 2016, 1 pm to 3 pm
Henry Prince Estate Community Clubroom

For information or book a place please phone Sophia on 07950 220214.

Seeds and materials will be supplied. Bring your old containers, if you have any, for planting seeds.

Free refreshments available.

Council offers free street party celebrations

Wandsworth council have got into the swing of the Queen's 90th celebrations. They say:

With the nation preparing to celebrate this historic royal milestone the council is urging people to get together with friends and neighbours to host a memorable street party.

And to encourage more people to take part, councillors have decided that the £50 charge for organising a royal birthday street party should be removed. Now there will be no charge – meaning residents can spend a bit more on flags, bunting, food and drink. 

As well as waiving the fee, the council has also stripped away all the bureaucracy and red tape for hosting street parties. All the information that’s required to arrange a road closure and fulfil the legal requirements can be submitted online via a simple questionnaire.

This simple procedure means there is nothing to stop residents setting up tables and chairs and staging a great neighbourhood get-together to mark this historic occasion.

The Queen’s actual birthday is on April 21, but there will be a series of national events between May 12 and May 15, while the official birthday celebration will be held on Saturday, June 11 when this year’s Trooping the Colour takes place at Horse Guards Parade. Further nationwide celebrations are planned for Sunday, June 12 to coincide with the Patron’s Lunch - a huge street party for 10,000 guests on The Mall.

The borough is already hosting 34 street parties and is hoping to build on that tally and perhaps surpass the 67 that were held across Wandsworth to celebrate the 2011 royal wedding. All the residents who have previously paid for a royal birthday road closure are being reimbursed.

Residents must bear in mind that there are some streets that cannot be closed for a party. These would include main roads whose closure would create too much congestion in the area, Transport for London controlled red routes, or those which are part of a bus route.

To find out more about street closures and to apply online visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/streetparties. Organisers can also call (020) 8871 6712 or email streetworks@wandsworth.gov.uk for advice.

Free squash taster sessions start this Friday

For 14-18 year olds only, sadly!

Urban Wild holiday camp open for bookings

In case you can't read the small print, contact urbanwild@gmail.com for more information and to register. Book by 16th May (£25 non-refundable deposit per person per booking). Only 15 places available.

Meet the author tomorrow at the Leather Bottle

The Leather Bottle team says:

"Our first Story Corner is coming to life with the lovely Clare Luther, a local mum & writer of children's literature. Clare has written a series of books packed full of rhyming verse with wonderfully bright illustrations by Maria Floyd. Little ones are welcome to come along to listen, enjoy, and interact with Clare's stories and characters. There will be a chance to buy personalised signed copies afterwards too. They’re suitable for the very small to 7 years old and make a great present! We're treating the tots to FREE babyccinos ... so gather friends & little ones and come join in the fun! Find out more about Clare's book series here."

 Story Corner at the Leather Bottle, Friday 5 February, 10-11am.

The first Tooting Common parkrun: a runner's report

Go Earlsfield was laid up with a cold last Saturday (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it), but loads of brave locals took themselves out into the somewhat inclement weather to celebrate the first, ever so slightly under the radar, official Tooting Common parkrun.

Readers might know that it's been a long journey to get to this point with many people putting in a lot of time and effort to negotiate with the council. Congratulations to everyone involved, and to the runners and volunteers who turned out. Long may it continue!

So what's it like at Tooting Common parkrun? Intrepid reader Kevin has reported in and tells the story of the day in his own words:

"It was up and out of bed early on Saturday and was still dark outside... I had got all my gear prepared the night before, running shoes, shorts, t-shirt, sweatband and fleece to wear for the walk from the Balham station as the forecast was looking a bit chilly... Energy bar, drink and the all important barcode completed the requirements as I set off towards Tooting Common inaugural "parkrun" yes that is spelt correctly, one word all lower case which is the running phenomenon that is sweeping the country with some 382 venues (growing on an almost weekly basis) with around 80000 runners making the pilgrimage every Saturday morning for the 0900hrs start…

Arriving at the common around 0845 I managed to find the start in good time where assembled there were some 200 runners, several volunteers in their hi-viz tabards, the local MP Sadiq Khan to send us on our way and the founder of parkrun Paul Sinton-Hewitt, CBE!!



Before the start we had several announcements from the organisers and the actual “run” director…. we were given the general housekeeping rules, “keep dogs on leads”, “under elevens must be accompanied by an adult”, please try and keep to the left on the paths as we don’t have exclusive use of the common” And also the course description and directions and number of laps … Suited and booted so clearly not running our local MP gave us a few words, explaining that this had taken a couple of years to get approval and is presently on a six month trial basis….. He then mentioned that the “race” would be starting shortly before being corrected by almost 200 people in good humour “it’s a run not a race”



The course itself had a small start / finish straight, before turning right for a 3 lap “triangle” (see link http://www.parkrun.org.uk/tootingcommon/course/ )

So…. the time had finally come to tackle the 5k and I placed my fleece on the already crowded bench near the start / finish funnel…

Sadiq counted us down, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 go !! and off the 200 runners set for our parkrun adventure…..

The first lap seemed incredibly long and several people passed me, then just as I was setting out on lap two some runners fairly sprinted past me and I soon realised that these were the real athletes and I had been lapped!

There were several Marshalls out on the course to make sure we didn’t get lost and they encouraged, clapped and helped to keep us going each time we passed them…

What a fantastic buzz and atmosphere, every runner was given amazing support and it didn’t matter one bit if you were fast, slow, young old, fat or thin….Everyone was given the same respect and encouragement….

Thankfully each circuit seemed to get shorter and I tried to kick for home on the last straight managing to pass a couple of people before going through the finishing funnel….



Gasping for breath and hardly able to acknowledge the “well dones” from everyone I was given a finishing token, which together with my barcode I took over to be “scanned” to the result would appear on the relevant Tooting Common parkrun page online…

How did I do??? Well remember it’s a run not a race so 185 out of 200 is just fine :)

The whole event seemed to go really well with superb organisation and marshalling with the whole community pulling together to make it work…. I am sure that the trial period will go well so that Tooting Common goes beyond the six month trial and has a regular place on the parkrun events page…..

It was nice to get back home now for a well earned cup of tea, biscuit and a rest….. will I be back again?? Oh yes you can count on that for sure! :) "

All photos from the Tooting Common parkrun Flickr group.

Mindfulness course for children

A mindfulness course for children is starting next week at Earlsfield Library on Magdalen Road.

Anne writes:

In just 6 hours your child will learn about:

• How their amazing brain works
• How to train their mind to focus
• How to find a steady place
• How to deal with difficult situations
• The power of their story-telling mind
• How to nurture their happiness.

… “paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”

Years 5-6 : Wednesdays 4-5pm
Years 7-9 : Wednesdays 5-6pm

The course runs over 6 weeks from Wednesday 13th January. The fee is £120 (Max 20 pupils - price reduces to £100 over 12 pupils) (Sibling discount available).

Find more information about the course or to book:

Anna Wille
07771 543 623
willeanna@hotmail.com
www.loveliveparent.com

Earlsfield Christmas lights switch on!

It's here, it's here, it's finally here! With the support of lots of local businesses and friends, Earlsfield is finally getting Christmas lights!

On Thursday 26th November, you can join for the official switch on from 4.30 at St Andrew's church. In fact, the organisers promise:

LOCAL RESIDENT & CELEBRITY CHEF

AINSLEY HARRIOTT

WILL BE JOINING THE MAYOR OF WANDSWORTH

AT THE SWITCH ON CELEBRATIONS

PLUS

 

CAROLS FROM BURNTWOOD SCHOOL YEAR 7 AT 4PM

AND EARLSFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL AT 5PM

LIVE WANDSWORTH RADIO BROADCAST

MINCE PIES AND MULLED WINE

SW LONDON TV FILMING

SANTA'S ELF

STALLS

MUSIC

AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE (possibly)

Register at the event page to show your support. You can still make a donation too!

NB I'll be away on the day, sadly, so if you'd like to cover the switch on as a guest blogger for Go Earlsfield, let me know in the comments or via email or social media.

Earlsfield fireworks guide 2015

 

Leather Bottle - 5th November

They say: "It’s that time of year again... The Leather Bottle Firework party is back! Tickets will be available to purchase from the bar or over the phone on 0208 946 2309. Last year they sold quickly so remember to pop in and grab yours before they go. Tickets are £7.50 per person and doors will open at 6pm. We have the fantastic Modern Apes, providing live music and the lovely Nathan from the Aspall team will be here supplying their wonderfully warming mulled Aspall cyder. To top it off, let us warm your belly, with a delicious…Hog Roast! Tasty, slow cooked pork will be available throughout the evening along with a variety of scrummy hot bar snacks!"

Wimbledon Park - 5th November

They say: "There will be two themed performances [and] a funfair, refreshments and stalls open until 10pm. The venue boasts spectacular settings for fireworks displays with clear, unobstructed views in beautiful parks settings. The first display is for younger children, and is Disney themed. The later display has a 'Through the Decades' theme."

Adults – £8.80 in advance, £10 on gate
Juniors – (ages 5-16) £6.60 in advance, £8 on gate
Family – (2 Adults, 2 Juniors) £27.50 in advance, £30 on gate
Ages 4 and under – free

More information and timings.

Battersea Park - 7th November

They say: "To celebrate our longest reigning monarch, this year's theme is "A Royal Night Out". There will be a great selection of food and drink available, including seasonal mulled wine and some exciting new street food pop-ups.

Order tickets from Ticketmaster
£8 up to 6 November
£10 on 7 November
Free to the under 10s with ticket.
Booking fees apply.

Tickets are now on sale at the Millennium Arena in Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ if you do not wish to purchase your tickets through Ticketmaster. Just visit the Millennium Arena Track in the park and go to the Main reception desk. The Millennium Arena is open Monday to Friday: 7.am to 10pm and weekends: 7.30am to 7.30pm. Tickets purchased from the Millennium Arena do not incur a booking fee.

More information and timings.

Local gardening business is blooming

Local small business Natural Urban Gardeners have been putting down roots in Earlsfield. With a focus on natural and sustainable products, they recently visited Number1Daycare to plant daffodils with the children. The children were able to take the pots home to plant in the garden.

Run by Rachel Collison, a local mum, Natural Urban Gardeners are keen to make contact with more schools and nurseries to share their enthusiasm for natural gardening. As the days draw in the thought of spring bulbs is cheering indeed so do get in touch with Rachel at hello@naturalurbangardeners.com if you'd like to work with them.

You can hear more about them on this segment on Wandsworth Radio (33:30 onwards).



See more about Natural Urban Gardeners and what they offer.