Welcome to your South Bank and Waterloo Neighbours newsletter.
This newsletter contains:
Join us for Wonderful Waterloo (and South Bank!) - Thursday 20 March, 4 - 7pm
Emma Cons Gardens Cycling Challenge
Guided walks for refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants over18
Updates
SBEG update on unlicenced traders on Westminster Bridge
South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us
Elders
The Old Vic development
Low and no costs things to do around the area
Southbank Centre
Old Vic
National Theatre
Spotlight on... new SoWN Programme Coordinator, Charlotte Glazier
Join us for Wonderful Waterloo!
We are delighted to invite you to SoWN's Showcase & 5th Birthday Celebration.
Join us for a free, fun, informal event showcasing some incredible projects in South Bank and Waterloo making our area an even greater place to live and work and strengthening community connections.
Date: Thursday 20 March 2025
Time: Drop in any time between 4pm and 7pm
Location: Crypt of St John’s Waterloo
Who: All local residents, workers and businesses
RSVP here
Registration is not essential but it helps us to know numbers.
What to expect:
🪡 Reflections of SoWN’s journey over the past 5 years.
🪡 Project Showcase – discover inspiring initiatives in South Bank and Waterloo funded through SoWN
🪡 Community Connections – find out about local organisations and how they can support you
🪡 Refreshments & entertainment
Come along and find out more.
Emma Cons Gardens Cycling Challenge
James Jenne-Cons is doing a cycle challenge to raise money for the regeneration of Emma Cons Gardens (opposite the Old Vic ) in the heart of Waterloo .
James' dad is Paul Cons, chair of the Emma Cons Gardens Trust. The money raised will be used to improve and maintain Emma Cons Gardens, create community activities and celebrate the life of Victorian Pioneer Emma Cons! Emma Cons founded The Old Vic and Morley College.
James is the first cousin 5 times removed of Emma Cons.
Over the next six months, James is going to cycle between every single station on the London Underground (272 stations and more than 250 miles). His aim is to raise £2,500. You can contribute here.
James says: "Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me".
Free guided walks for refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants
Between May and September this year, Waterloo Community Counselling are running 6 free walking tours for refugee, asylum-seekers and migrants who are above the age of 18.
Each walk will have a different theme and focus, and will take the group on a different route in and around the North Lambeth area.
This project is generously funded by the London Eye Community Chest grant in partnership with Lambeth Council and supported by South Bank & Waterloo Neighbours.
Participants are encouraged to contact info@waterloocc.co.uk where they will be supported in getting registered on to the project in advance of the first outing.
Updates
Unlicensed traders on Westminster Bridge
Local collaborative working between partners, including the Police, South Bank BID, and Lambeth Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Enforcement Officers and Community Safety Patrol Team, has led to two repeat offenders of unlicensed street trading on Westminster Bridge being handed significant fines.
With these teams collaborating to build cases against both offenders, in January, at Croydon Magistrates Court, one offender was convicted of 18 offences under the London Local Authorities Act 1990 and fined £11,388. An order was also granted that ensures their peanut trolley will be seized if they are caught trading again. A second offender was handed fines totalling £1,326 for two offences, plus the forfeiture and destruction of seized items.
South Bank BID and local security and policing groups remain committed to working collaboratively to deliver results for the community, including residents, businesses and visitors, who are all impacted by unlicensed trading"
South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us
There's lots happening on the Waterloo Sustains Us Project. Below are updates on three of the workstreams:
Heat network feasibility funding update: https://sbwsustainsus.org/2024/12/06/green-energy-feasibility-study/
Funding for Sustainable Drainage design work in Waterloo East: https://sbwsustainsus.org/2025/01/17/innovative-sustainable-drainage-design-planned-for-waterloo-east/
Environment Agency flood roundtable with riverside landowners: https://sbwsustainsus.org/2025/01/29/south-bank-flood-risk-roundtable-a-collaborative-step-towards-climate-resilience/
Elders - Thriving to 100
Over 40 people attended the Elders Thriving to 100 event on 26 January. The event received really positive feedback and requests for more of these events.
The Elders group have received £5,000 from LERA, one of our local residents’ associations, to kickstart the Directory of local services for older people. A big thanks to LERA.
The formal examination of the SADPD (Site Allocations Development Plan Document) is taking place this week. We hope that the site allocation for a nursing home on Gabriel's/Princes' Wharf will be approved.
The Old Vic development
Significant progress has been made and the development is approximately 58% through the construction phase. The timber frame for the main structure is now complete and work has started on the façade. The key focus over the next period includes making the building fully waterproof and completing the brickwork on the Webber Street side.
Low and no costs things to do around the SoWN area
The Southbank Centre in London hosts a variety of free events throughout the year, including live music, art exhibitions, literary talks, and family-friendly activities. Visitors can enjoy outdoor performances, poetry readings, and interactive workshops without spending a penny. The venue also features free-entry spaces like the National Poetry Library and seasonal festivals celebrating culture and creativity. Check their website for the latest schedule of free events.
The Old Vic in London occasionally offers free events, including talks, workshops, and community projects aimed at making theatre accessible to all. Their OV Backstage and Old Vic: In Camera initiatives provide behind-the-scenes insights, while free panel discussions and creative sessions engage audiences beyond the stage. They also run outreach programs and public events as part of their commitment to inclusivity. Check their website for more information.
The National Theatre in London offers a range of free events, including lively foyer performances, backstage talks, and exhibitions. Visitors can enjoy pop-up music gigs, panel discussions, and family-friendly activities throughout the year. The theatre also runs free workshops and digital screenings as part of its mission to make theatre accessible to all. Check their website for the latest schedule of free events.
Spotlight on... Charlotte Glazier
What’s your role in SoWN?
My role in SoWN is that of Programme Coordinator helping to oversee the grant process and support the delivery of £1m NCIL projects in Southbank and Waterloo Neighbourhood, as an outcome of the Neighbourhood Plan.
I am very inspired by SoWN, your journey to date starting as a neighbourhood forum, to leading on the Neighbourhood Plan and more recently SoWN's new role as Grant Provider in the delivery of Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy grants - this is testament to all of your hard work and dedication. As I start my journey with SoWN, I am looking ahead at the opportunities and possibilities of longer-term strategies for the area and it is a very exciting time to be supporting the organisation.
How do you like to spend your free time?
How do I like to spend my free time? I am extremely passion led and purpose driven. I am currently developing a child led/ supported urban street greening stewardship model and have recently been shortlisted for a Churchill Fellowship. When I do manage to get a break, I like walking, being out in nature, by the coast, baking and making crafts with my daughter.
Who would your three dream dinner party guests be?
My three dinner party guests would be Maya Angelou, my grandfather, a 1st generation East End Jew, who passed before I was born and the inventor of the chocolate eclair, Antonin Careme. Conversation would likely hinge on social justice, equality and movement of people. Followed by, discussions on empowerment, impact, influence of individuals and communities. Finally the decadence of the chocolate eclair - symbolising the lighter, sweeter enjoyment of life. Last but not least, I would have to sneak my daughter into the dinner party, if not for the conversation, the eclairs!
What’s the best costume you’ve ever worn to a party?
The best was when I was a Dom Joly dancing bear for the first series of Dom Joly Show. Here it felt like a continous party, I danced at exclusive bear gigs, myself and 4 other bears, dancing alongside The Cure, Gomez, Ian Brown, Mercury Rev and more besides. The downside after filming the series was when I itched my eye, saw something poking out of the corner, and proceeded to pull out a huge clump of bear fluff!
What’s coming up this year that you’re looking forward to?
Loads!!! Last year I spent a lot of time sowing many seeds, and wasn't sure which ones were all going to sprout - yet it turns out they are all germinating and sprouting! I am highly ambitious, yet not ready to count my chickens before they hatch. I am overjoyed to be an independent consultant working on behalf of SoWN and look forward to supporting and helping write this chapter and the next one.