I love Tooting

Meeting Gemma and Jeni their enthusiasm and energy is infectious and their motivation and a commitment to finding ways to Make Tooting a better place for all residents is inspirational. With an ethos that creativity, in whatever form, creates connections, the projects they have created and facillitated have touched thousands of Tooting locals. To find out more please visit their website https://meetandmakespaces.co.uk/ or pop by Love Art in Tooting market to meet Gemma. 

It was a pleasure to speak to local historian Geoff Simmons who has more knowledge of Tooting than anyone I've met. As well as being passionate about the area campaigning for blue plaques to mark people and places of interest, he regularly runs free local walks which I highly recommend you check out. To find out more please check out Geoff's website www.summerstown182.wordpress.com and his social media.

Meeting Issy was a delight as I personally wanted to thank her and her predecessors for the invaluable resource that is the Tooting baby website https://tootingbaby.co.uk/, now also promoted on Instagram  @TootingBabyand Twitter @BabyTooting.

The site provides a diary of tried and tested events for parents and caregivers of children up to school age -  which are drop in and  often free. The site also provides options for parents and caregivers.   

A delightful conversation where once again the sense of the Tooting community resounds strongly and the energy of people like Issy working behind the scenes supports local residents and businesses alike.

In this episode I had a wonderful conversation with Dipa and Lucy, part of Forever Fishponds. Their desire is to imagine and share how Fishponds Fields can be a flourishing green community space in the heart of Tooting. To find out more about Forever Fishponds follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @FFishponds

To find out more about the ongoing calendar of activities on the site please visit: www.enablelc.org/fishponds

Speaking with Jenny from Tooting Healthy Streets it was impossible not to get caught up in her enthusiasm and passion for Tooting. We spoke about what makes Tooting great and also what could be improved; namely the litter and fly tipping challenges, and making the roads and pavements safer for cyclists and paedestrians. Please do follow them on social media @healthytooting

Tooting is lucky to have one of the 12 scrapstores left in the UK. Taking commercial and domestic materials earmarked for landfill, it is a treasure trove for artists, schools and anyone who has a interest in crafting. Access to an ever changing repository of materials for an annual membership fee, users can visit the scrapstore as many times as they want. Speaking with Gill I was suprised that this fantastic initiative isn’t more widespread, as it supports the environment, the arts and the volunteers who find a home there. I urge you to check it out. https://www.workandplayscrapstore.org.uk/

Meeting Mirza from Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) illustrates the welcoming culture of the Tooting community for refugees and asylum seekers, providing support to empower and engage young people, assisting them to feel at home in South West London.

Please do check out their website to find out more https://caras.org.uk/

BONUS CONTENT ALERT: This podcast is a little bit different, I met local resident John White, a youthful 101, to discuss all things Tooting. An amazing conversation over a cup of tea, covering a breadth of topics including his involvement in the Furzedown Project, his love of the Tooting Common and being born in Brixton. John was a joy to meet and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it. 

An insightful converation with Mick, project manager of the Furzedown Project. We discussed how being a member of the Furzedown Project, a community for the over 55s, combats the loneliness and social isoloation sometimes present in this demographic. A cornerstone of the Tooting community, there are many opportunities to help support this not-for-profit organisation engaging with older people in the area. 

To find out more Mick encourages you to give them a call on 020 8677 4283 after looking at what they do on on the website http://www.furzedownproject.org/

Sitting down with Lynn one of the founders of Sprout Arts, a community arts venue on Moyser Road. I reflected on how art positively impacts the health and wellbeing of a neighbourhood. 

In a delightful conversation, the benefits of Sprout Arts to the community became clear and I quickly completed their membership form to become a member which I urge you to do. With new exhibitions hosted fortnightly and a chance to meet the artists and see them create in the venue is a unique opportunity not afforded by the larger galleries and it is this intimacy that makes Sprout Arts so special.

Please do check them out at https://www.sproutarts.com/ and follow them on instagram, twitter and Facebook.