SoWN News 17 March 2026
- Mar 17
- 7 min read
Welcome to the latest South Bank and Waterloo Neighbours newsletter. As spring begins to brighten the South Bank and Waterloo, we’re happy to share news and updates to support creativity, connection, and community spirit. Whether you’re looking to get involved locally or discover new cultural experiences, we hope you find something that inspires you to connect with your community.
Inside this issue:
Join us for the SoWN Forum on this Thursday 19 March at 6pm at Rambert
Sustains Us Residents Group tonight, 17 March
Explore London creativity on the River Art Walk - 20 - 21 March
Volunteer at the Waterloo Action Centre
Multitudes at the Southbank Centre, 16 – 30 April
Backstage Cafe & Bar at the Old Vic - discount for residents
Spotlight on... Polly Waterworth from We Rise
Join us for the SoWN Forum on 19 March 2026
The next SoWN Forum will be held on Thursday 19 March and is being hosted by Rambert, 99 Upper Ground, SE1 9PP.
The Forum is a great chance for residents and businesses to come together, hear what’s happening locally, and connect with others in the community.
The Forum starts at 6pm. The agenda will include:
Update on Current local issues from MPs and local Councillors.
Planned protests in London 16 May 2026 Mark Gallacher Lambeth Safer Neighbourhood Metropolitan Police.
75th Anniversary of the Festival of Britain Warren Forsyth Director of Estates The South Bank Centre and Giles Goddard St John’s Waterloo.
Waterloo Community Counselling Lucian Dee Community Partnerships & Fundraising Manager.
Introduction to SC1 – Helen Santer Head of Partnership.
Waterloo Elders Directory Carole Milner.
If there's anything you would like to see on the agenda, please let us know.
The following Forums will be held on Thursday 11 June, Thursday 17 September, Thursday 10 December
Sustains Us residents group meeting tonight
Last spring, South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us launched the Sustains Us Residents Group – a collective of South Bank and Waterloo residents coming together to help shape a fairer and greener neighbourhood.
Run by SoWN, the group builds on previous work of the SoWN Environment Group to continue supporting local action on issues that matter to residents, like waste, air quality, greening and sustainable transport.
If you're interested in attending tonight or in the future, email Nola.
Explore London creativity on the River Art Walk this March
River Art Walk is a weekend art trail bringing together major galleries, independent spaces, and working artist studios across the South Bank, Southwark, Lambeth & Waterloo.
Following the Thames and the streets nearby, RAW invites audiences to explore exhibitions, events and open studios. Encounter art at every scale, from seeing internationally recognised institutions to meeting artists at work in their own spaces.
Make Space Studios, an artist led studio community based in Waterloo is the RAW HUB and will be hosting open studios on Friday 20 March 6 to 9pm and Saturday 21 March 12 to 5pm. Home to more than eighty artists, designers and creative practitioners working across painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, fashion, installation, music and interdisciplinary practice. The studios provide long term affordable workspace while supporting collaboration, experimentation and public engagement.
For Make Space Open Studios 2026 visitors are invited to enter working studios, meet artists directly, view works in progress, attend workshops, live performances and guided tours, and experience the diversity of practices produced within the building.
The Open Studios programme also includes a printmaking workshop led by Geraldine van Heemstra, a sculpture workshop with Ramon Rave, portrait photography sessions with Juliet Sheath, have a go at stone carving, live music performances and a guided studio tour introducing visitors to the ‘Soft Transition’ exhibition across communal spaces.
@riverartwalk @makespacestudios
Visit the Eventbrite page for more information and to book.
Volunteer at the Waterloo Action Centre
With the increasing needs and decrease in other sources of help Waterloo Action Centre is looking with more people who can give time to helping others.
Volunteer opportunities include:
Solicitors and barristers who can give their time fortnightly to offer free legal advice on Thursday evenings for prebooked advice appointments. This service has been running since 1972.
Anyone with a background in helping local older people/people with disabilities to get the welfare benefits and other things they need. WAC has an experienced staff member 3 days a week who can offer support and point people to further training.
Volunteers for the WAC reception once a week 9am to 1pm or 1 to 5pm. The reception volunteers welcome people, help them find things they need within the building or sign post them on to where else they can get help. The role requires patience, good listening skills and IT literacy to respond to queries from across the country.
Find out more about WAC here. Email the office to find out more.
Multitudes at the Southbank Centre
This April, experience the Southbank Centre’s Multitudes, an award-winning multi-arts festival that reimagines classical music with world-class orchestras, dancers, visual artists, and filmmakers.
From fashion-inspired scores to a powerful one-man show, every concert offers something completely new to explore, perfect for regular arts-goers and newcomers alike.
Use promo code LOCAL to get tickets for just £5*.
*Subject to a booking fee
Dates: 16 – 30 April
Location: Southbank Centre
Backstage Cafe & Bar at the Old Vic
Whether you are seeing a show, looking for a creative space to work, or searching for your new favourite spot to eat and drink in Waterloo, Backstage at the Old Vic have got you covered. Join them for drinks, breakfast, lunch and dinner, minutes from Waterloo station.
You won’t want to miss their new menu, 777*! From 7pm, enjoy a choice of 7 small plates at £7 each. With delicious small plates and a varied drinks menu, Backstage is the perfect local spot to spend your evenings.
Mon–Wed 8am–11pm
Thu & Fri 8am–12am
Sat 10am–12am
(Closed Sunday)
Browse the menus & book your table here.
Live in Lambeth or Southwark? Enjoy 10% discount on all food and drink in Backstage. Sign up now for free here.
*The 777 menu cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts
Spotlight on... Polly Waterworth from We Rise
What’s your role in the South Bank and Waterloo?
I run We Rise which is a social enterprise with a mission to empower under privileged young people to create successful futures. We have been doing it since 2016 by running high quality real work experience projects for real clients delivered by young people who are paid for the work they do. Through our projects they learn valuable work ready skills and produce something that showcases their talent. To date we've worked with over 1700 young people and delivered youth insight or creative projects for over 70 clients. Recently we loved being based out of the LIHE next St Thomas' Hospital helping young people make films showcasing the exciting life science career opportunities developing across the SC1 hubs including at St Thomas'. Next we are running a creative workshop all about the space around the IMAX. It's incredibly rewarding, the young people we work with always blow us away with their ability.
What’s your favourite thing to do in London?
I love it when I have the opportunity to see London on foot either because I have to get places or purely for leisure. Walking around London and absorbing what's going on is relaxing and stimulating at the same time. There's always so much to see and be inspired by - either from the streetscape, the people and how the city is living and evolving. I really appreciate the years and years of history on our door step and the often interesting juxtaposition of buildings from widely varying eras. I like the ebb and flow that the many new visitors to London bring and I love the fact that there are still lots of really old spaces, museums and places to discover.
Where is the best place you’ve been on holiday?
Years ago in the 1990s I lived in Hong Kong for a year and just before I came back to the UK I visited Beijing. It has stuck with me as one of the most interesting places I've ever visited. It was very different then and was still very traditional with very little commercialization or western influences at all. I think it was a place and time thing that probably can't be repeated as an experience. I was an Architecture student at the time and the impact of the Forbidden City, the traditional Hutong houses and the scale of Tienanmen Square were incredible. Also the volume of people was insane!
If you could live in a movie, which one would it be and why?
I love Marvel movies but I'm not sure I would want to live in one as I think it would be very stressful. Instead I think I'm going to go for a Studio Ghibli one and it would have to be Princess Mononoke so I could see the Forest Spirit and the cute Kodama in real life. I like the spirituality and tempo of the Studio Ghibli animations and their messages. Exploring the sets and avoiding the mysterious dangers that keep cropping up would keep me busy.
What’s at the top of your bucket list?
To read more - sounds very unambitious but with so much technology it's so easy not to read books theses days that I see it as actually quite an aspiration. I'm much more of a visual person so reading is a bit of a challenge but I know how satisfying it is to get into a good book and finish it. A sense of calm also comes with reading that I need more of in my life! I keep trying to read more every year and slowly I'm ticking it off the list. A good story that fires up your imagination and emotions is hard to beat isn't it?
Who do you nominate for a SoWN spotlight?
Patrick Morrison of Furious Goose
