SoWN News 25 November 2025
- csaunders935
- Nov 25
- 8 min read
Welcome to your South Bank and Waterloo Neighbours newsletter.
As we head into the festive season, there’s there’s plenty happening across South Bank and Waterloo. Our next South Bank & Waterloo Neighbours Forum is on Wednesday 10 December and we hope to see you there. We’re also shining a spotlight on sustainability, festive events in the area, we’re calling on businesses to support local food banks and if you’re passing through Waterloo Station, don’t miss a stunning new mural.
This newsletter contains:
Upcoming SoWN Forum *new date* Wednesday 10 December at the Backstage, Old Vic
Christmas Carols by Candlelight, Sunday 21 December
Become a sustainability champion
Christmas at Coin Street
Ensure no-one in Lambeth and Croydon goes hungry this winter
New Waterloo station mural
Spotlight on... George Thomas, volunteer at Waterloo Action Centre
Come to the SoWN Christmas Forum - Wednesday 10 December at the Backstage, Old Vic.
Our Christmas Forum will be held on Wednesday 10 December at 6pm - a day earlier than previously circulated. We're grateful to the Old Vic Theatre for hosting us in the wonderful new Backstage space.
Come and see the new space, and stay for a Christmas drink after the meeting!
The agenda for the forum includes:
An update from local MPs and councillors
Presentation on plans for Gabriel's Wharf
A celebration of all that SoWN has achieved over the last year, with our partners
Report back from previous Forums
The meeting will be followed by a Christmas drinks reception to meet and catch up with local people. It’s a great way to connect with neighbours in a relaxed and welcoming setting.
Dates for 2026: Thursdays at 6pm - 12 March, 11 June, 17 September and 10 December.
Christmas Carols by Candlelight, Sunday 21 December
Enjoy an evening of Christmas music with performances from St John’s Choir, Coin Street Community Singers, and Take Note Singers. After the service, stay for mince pies, mulled wine, and Christmas stalls.
This event supports two local community projects, Coin Street’s youth programme and Room For You. We’re aiming to raise £1,500 to help fund their vital work, so while admission is free, a £10 donation is suggested where you can. This event is very popular, so we recommend getting your ticket soon to avoid missing out.
Sunday 21 December, 5pm, doors open 4.30pm
St John’s Waterloo, SE1 8TY
Become a sustainability champion
A new initiative is taking root in South Bank and Waterloo, bringing neighbours together to tackle climate challenges in practical, creative ways. The Resident Sustainability Champions project will run primarily from Waterloo and the Stockwell Community Centre’s Green Hub, with strong links to Morley College sites. Initially planned for up to two years, the programme aims to recruit and train local residents as Sustainability Champions who will co-design and deliver inclusive, hands-on activities.
From climate-literacy sessions and repair workshops to upcycling projects, swap shops, and climate-friendly cooking classes, the Champions will help create opportunities for everyone to learn and take action. The teaching garden will play a key role in connecting people with nature while building skills that reduce waste and strengthen community belonging.
Champions won’t just lead activities, they’ll listen.
Gathering neighbours’ priorities, taking part in climate training, and shaping workshops and events will be central to their role. They’ll share simple, everyday sustainability advice with households and community groups, host welcoming social gatherings to reduce isolation, and encourage participation across nearby estates. Champions will also support basic monitoring by collecting feedback, completing short surveys, and noting activity data such as attendance and items repaired or swapped. This will help the project learn, adapt, and demonstrate its impact. Their insights will also feed into termly Sustainable Development Steering Group meetings online.
The project will start on a voluntary basis, with plans to seek external funding for future growth. Residents who want to make a difference are invited to get involved. If you’d like to join the Sustainability Champions programme, or simply share your thoughts, please fill out the survey and contact Aysel Mehdiyeva at aysel.mehdiyeva@morleycollege.ac.uk.
Christmas at Coin Street
Christmas is on the horizon are there are plenty of events and activities for you to get involved in at Coin Street.
Toy Drive and Care Packages
Each festive season, the Coin Street team delivers care packages and gifts to local people in need. The cold months can be a long, lonely, and difficult time for many, and even more so for those on a low-income, without close family or friends living nearby.
For the toy drive, they're in need of…
New and unwrapped toys for ages 0-17 years, including baby toys, sticky bricks, Lego, dressing up outfits, cars, books, arts and crafts, mindful colouring in, and stationery.
For care packages, they’re in need of…
Supermarket gift cards (including Sainsbury’s and Tesco).
Adult sized hats, gloves, socks, and scarves.
Help support the community by ordering from the Amazon Wishlist or drop items at Coin Street neighbourhood centre (108 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH). Please donate by Friday 12 December.
Carols by The River
This much loved festive event is back with live music, a children’s art activity, food, drink and plenty of Christmas gifts to browse and buy. There will be special offers from Gabriel’s Wharf vendors and the space will be transformed with festive lights, decorations and more.
It’s completely free and all ages are welcome. Just turn up on the day and experience the South Bank like never before. Find out more about Carols by The River here.
Saturday, 6 December 2025, 12.30pm - 5.30pm
Gabriel’s Wharf, Upper Ground, SE1 9PP
Christmas Shopping at Oxo Tower Wharf
Get into the festive spirit and support local makers with an afternoon of Christmas shopping at Oxo Tower Wharf. Explore unique gifts from independent designer makers, enjoy roving live musicians, and sip complimentary prosecco as you browse. From jewellery and ceramics to fashion and homeware, find the perfect gift for Christmas. Find out more here.
Saturday 6 December, 12pm–4pm
Oxo Tower Wharf, SE1 9PH
Ensure no-one in Lambeth and Croydon goes hungry this winter
Lambeth & Croydon Foodbank is calling on local businesses to step forward and
help ensure no-one in our community goes hungry through their new initiative: Sponsor a Shelf.
Last year, the Foodbank distributed around 26,000 food parcels, including more than 9,000 for children. As demand continues to grow, so too does the need for food. While food donations from individuals, community groups and businesses remain vital and are hugely appreciated, the Foodbank now finds itself purchasing a significant amount of the food it distributes – an unsustainable situation at a time when more people than ever are turning to them for help.
The Sponsor a Shelf campaign invites businesses to partner with the Foodbank at different levels, by sponsoring shelves that stock essential, fresh or comfort items.
To find out more about the sponsor a shelf scheme, click here or email foodbank@oasiswaterloo.org
New Waterloo Station mural
Have you ever waited 200 years for a train to arrive? Probably not — but this mural celebrates a journey that’s been two centuries in the making.
200 Years of Romance marks the bicentenary of the UK’s railway network, bringing together hundreds of photographs shared by the communities who work on, travel through, and live alongside the railways. Each image — from engineers and volunteers to local history groups — forms part of a vast digital collage that celebrates both the industry and the intimacy of the railways.
Commissioned by Network Rail and South Western Railway, the mural is a joint declaration of love from those who know the network best. Installed in Waterloo Station, the work transforms the concourse into a cathedral-like space, echoing the monumental architecture that has framed countless arrivals and farewells.
In searching for the image that could capture the scale and emotion of the railways, Patricio set off on an unplanned train journey from Waterloo — letting the tracks decide his destination. The trip, filled with moments of quiet perspective and mechanical rhythm, distilled the essence of the railways into three words: Monumental. Industrial. Perspective.
These ideas shaped the final composition — a vast tapestry of shared memories, treated like stained glass to illuminate the structure it inhabits. 200 Years of Romance is a tribute to the enduring allure of the railway: its power, its people, and the endless stories it carries down the line.
Head to Waterloo Station to see the new mural for yourself.
Spotlight on... George Thomas
What’s your role in the South Bank and Waterloo?
I am a volunteer at Waterloo Action Centre 5 days a week. WAC is a member of SoWN.
What was your first job?
I worked in a factory and then on a building site but for many years now I have been a volunteer
with different charities. Now focusing on Waterloo Action Centre where my activities include volunteering with Waterloo Legal Advice Service (WLAS) as well as much else.
I stepped into being the caretaker for WLASs Thursday evenings when Lambeth Council stopped the £10 k a year grant which they had been making towards the caretaking and accommodation costs for that service, including the permanent office WLAS needs for the security of their papers. At the time WLAS was bringing into Lambeth about £250,00O pa of volunteer time from the legal professions. I knew people being helped and agreed with the Attorney General who visited about this time that the service was “resounding with excellence”. Whereas the Council had never visited but their view was that it wasn’t worth the £10K!.
I stepped in to help save the service by volunteering my services as caretaker for the evenings. I still volunteer in this role and still know the Attorney General was right. Sadly it is now a much smaller service but about 30-35 people are helped each Thursday evening. Due to the over demand appointments now have to be booked ahead. I know a great many people whose lives have been transformed by WLAS over the years and the lovely volunteers from the legal professions some of whom are local. More lawyers needed.
What does a perfect day look like to you?
Waking up and getting on with things, including helping others to have a good day too.
Who would your top 3 dinner party guests be?
Members of my extended family but if this means famous people I would like to meet George Orwell
who in his days as a tramp wrote some of “Down and Out in Paris and London” in the Reading Room
of the former Lambeth Library. That room is now the Rear Hall at WAC. I would also like to meet the
daughter of Queen Victoria who opened the building in the 1880s and also to show John Noble
around. He had donated the site and most of the money for the building and I’d love to show him
how many people enjoy it today.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned over time?
Patience – keeps you cool. Helps get to the best in others.
Who do you nominate for a spotlight?
Johnny Walker – lives in Pearman St Housing Co-op, leads on maintenance and repairs at WAC, helps other locals learn DIY skills. Interests include George Orwell and in meeting others with this interest for discussions, possibly in Rear Hall of WAC where Orwell is believed to have written parts of Down and Out during his tramp phase.
