SoWN News June 2026
- Jun 16
- 9 min read
This month we join our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbours in celebrating Pride Month, a time to acknowledge, celebrate and support LGBTQ+ communities around the world. This week is also Refugee Week when we celebrate the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
This month we also have lots of updates to bring you about activities in the area including the SoWN Forum and the start of the Emma Cons Gardens summer programme. It’s a great month to get involved and enjoy what’s on your doorstep.
Inside this issue:
SoWN Forum, Thursday 2 July at Oasis Hub
Emma Cons Gardens Summer Programme of Arts, Culture and Community Events
Sustains Us Garden Party at Emma Cons Gardens – Thursday 18 June from 5pm
South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us updates
Reimagining the River workshop highlights
Career Insights guest lecture with Untitled Practice
Affordable, life-changing counselling available in the Waterloo area
Have your say:
Newington Gardens Playground refurbishment consultation
My Dog Sighs mural consultation
Park Plaza volunteers help Jubilee Gardens bloom
Local events:
London Festival of Architecture - Community life after dark, Thursday 18 June
Regular meetups for refugees and asylum-seekers
Coin Street Pride Month panel discussion, Monday 22 June
Lower Marsh Lates 2026: Your Ultimate 90s Cinema Experience
Lambeth Local History Forum walk, Saturday 27 June
Age Well Here Directory - how to get your online or paper copy
Spotlight on... Louise Whitworth, South Bank Employers’ Group and South Bank BID
SoWN Forum: Question Time with Waterloo & South Bank councillors Ibrahim Dogus and Doug Buist.
Come along to the Forum to meet the local Lambeth councillors and ask questions such as:
What are their top three priorities for the ward over the next 12 months?
With recent budgetary pressures, which local services or projects must be protected?
How will they actively gather feedback from residents and involve local people?
Date: Thursday 2 July
Time: 6pm
Place: Oasis Hub, 1 Kennington Road, SE1 7QP
After the meeting, we invite everyone to join us at the Emma Cons Gardens summer event - details below.
Emma Cons Gardens to come alive with free summer programme of arts, culture and community events
The Emma Cons Gardens Trust is proud to present Reimagining Emma Cons Gardens, a free summer-long programme of inspiring arts, culture and community events taking place every Thursday from 18 June until 17 September 2026.
Designed to showcase the incredible potential of this little-known public space, the programme will transform Emma Cons Gardens into a vibrant destination for creativity, wellbeing and connection in the heart of Waterloo. Through a series of performances, workshops and community activities, the Trust hopes to demonstrate how the Gardens could become a thriving community hub with further investment in arts and public realm improvements.
All events are free to attend and open to residents, workers and visitors alike. Find out more and view the full programme here.
Sustains Us Garden Party at Emma Cons Gardens – Thursday 18 June from 5pm
Join the Sustains Us Garden Party on Thursday 18 June for a free Clean Air Day celebration of greener living. Enjoy live music, food and activities while discovering how local organisations are working together to improve air quality. Take advantage of a free Dr Bike session, join a guided tree walk, and get practical tips on cycling and greener travel. Come along, get inspired and find out how you can help create cleaner air for everyone.
See more details and register here.
Reimagining the River workshop highlights
On Thursday 21st May South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us were delighted to gather our local community in Reimagining the River. In partnership with St Johns, Thames Estuary Partnership and the Environment Agency, they brought together 70 local residents, landowners, organisations, businesses and statutory bodies. This also formed part of St John's Rivers of Life Festival.
Together they explored how the need to strengthen local flood resilience – through raising the Thames river wall – can be reframed as not just an infrastructure challenge but an opportunity to think more creatively about the river and riverside. It was wonderful to see the community sharing local stories of connection to the river and their visions for its future. Find out more here.
Career Insights guest lecture with Untitled Practice
In April, South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us hosted a Career Insights guest lecture with Untitled Practice to urban planning and urban design Masters students at LSBU. Untitled Practice are developing our South Bank and Waterloo Green Infrastructure Delivery and Investment Strategy and so are engaging with stakeholders across the community through its development.
This session explored green careers tackling climate change, biodiversity, environment and human health - with a spotlight on landscape architecture and how students might interact with it through their professions. They introduced our broader Sustains Us programme and opportunities for students to get involved before Untitled Practice shared live insights from the Green infrastructure Delivery and Investment Strategy work underway, example projects from around the world, and possible career pathways into this style of work.
Students wrapped up with the chance to access mentoring with Untitled Practice and get hands-on experience supporting upcoming workshops as part of the Strategy development.
Affordable, life-changing counselling available in the Waterloo area
Waterloo Community Counselling (WCC) is a local charity that has provided affordable and accessible mental health support to people living in London for over 30 years.
WCC currently has capacity for new referrals to its Affordable & Accessible Counselling Service - an important resource for local residents and employees seeking professional mental health support. The service offers flexible, longer-term counselling (up to two years) at a cost designed to make ongoing therapy sustainable, helping individuals manage challenges such as stress, anxiety, and major life changes while maintaining resilience at work and at home.
One client describes the impact: “Counselling has been transformative and significantly changed my life for the better.”
Alongside this, WCC is inviting local businesses and professionals to support its Big Give campaign during Small Charity Week (22–29 June 2026). During this period, every donation is matched £1 for £1, doubling its impact and helping expand access to vital mental health support across the community.
Funds raised will directly support people who might otherwise be unable to access help, ensuring that no one is turned away due to cost and enabling WCC to meet growing demand across central London.
How local organisations and individuals can get involved:
Newington Gardens Playground refurbishment consultation
Southwark Council is planning an exciting new playground for Newington Gardens and they want your feedback.
They propose a unique riverbank-themed playground featuring:
A landmark “fish” play structure for climbing, exploring and social play
A nature themed playground including butterflies, frogs and insects
Inclusive play for all abilities, including wheelchair-accessible features
Sensory play elements with planting and educational features
Spaces for creativity, adventure and discovery
Share your views here or join in person on Saturday 20 June, 11:00am to 1:30pm, Dickens Fields, Falmouth Road, SE1.
My Dog Sighs mural consultation
My Dog Sighs is an internationally-renowned street artist is planning to paint a mural at Concert Hall Approach this summer. The team are asking local people to take part in a consultation to help shape the project.
Are there any landmark people, places, events that should be considered for inclusion within the mural?
Are there any particular colours associated with the area or colours that should be avoided (e.g. rival football team colours)?
You can find more information about the project here. Please send answers to mds.secret.project@gmail.com by 30 June
Park Plaza volunteers help Jubilee Gardens bloom
In May, a team of hard-working volunteers from Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge and the PPHE regional office spent a day helping to care for Jubilee Gardens. Their efforts included mulching hedgerows, composting tree pits, planting, edging flower beds and tackling weeds – all important tasks that help keep the Gardens healthy, colourful and thriving.
The support of volunteers makes a real difference, helping to ensure this much-loved South Bank green space remains welcoming for residents, workers and visitors alike. A huge thank you to everyone who took part, and to Park Plaza for its continued support of Jubilee Gardens.
Local events
London Festival of Architecture - Community life after dark
Regular Meetups for Refugees and Asylum-Seekers
Coin Street Pride Month lunchtime panel discussion
Examine how social infrastructure and community spaces can reshape the night-time city into one where everyone feels connected and included.
Date: Thursday 18 June
Time: 5 - 6.30pm
Place: The View, Sustainable Ventures, County Hall
From cultural excursions to hands-on workshops, Waterloo Community Councelling has a range of engaging experiences designed to bring refugees and asylum-seekers together.
Date: various
Time: various
Place: various
Celebrate LGBTQ+ visibility, equality and community with a panel discussion on progress, pushback and what to do next. Everyone welcome - residents, colleagues and friends.
Date: Monday 22 June
Time: 12.30 to 2pm
Place: Coin Street neighbourhood centre
Lower Marsh Lates 2026: Your Ultimate 90s Cinema Experience
Lower Marsh Lates returns with FREE 90s films on the big screen, live performances, and exclusive food and drinks deals on an iconic and historic market street – all wrapping up beneath the glow of a ‘Waterloo Sunset’.
Upcoming dates:
Lambeth Local History Forum local walks; Gardens Forgotten and Gardens Hidden
Join the Lambeth Local History Forum on an interesting and revealing walk around Waterloo and Lambeth Marsh to discover the history of Pleasure Gardens, market gardening and opens spaces developed over the past 250 years.
Date: Saturday 27 June 2026
Time: 2.30pm
Meeting point: Meet at the Millennium Green, Baylis Road Entrance SE1 7AA
Book here. Free 20 places available.
Age Well Here Directory launch
On 27 May, Carole Milner and the local Elders group launched the Age Well Here Directory, a practical and inspiring new guide for older people and those who support them.
You can access the directory here or pop into the Coin Street neighbourhood centre to collect a paper copy or copies.
L to R: Iain Tuckett (Coin Street), Carole Milner, Helen Manley (Coin Street), Care Choices, Cllr Hellen Benavides, Cllr David Watson.
Spotlight on... Louise Whitworth, South Bank Employers’ Group and South Bank BID
What’s your role in the South Bank and Waterloo area?
I'm Marketing and Communications Manager at South Bank Employers’ Group and South Bank BID. A big part of my job is showing off the huge variety of things there are for visitors to enjoy across the area through our South Bank London brand. I also share with our business community the great work that our busy team are doing across a variety of areas, including place management, sustainability, advocacy and destination marketing.
How do you spend your free time?
I am subscribed to a couple of arts memberships, so I try make sure I really make the most of them by getting to the cinema or an exhibition at least once a week. Lots of gardening. I got a mini greenhouse for Christmas and I've been working on a container garden to green up my patio – it's surprisingly intensive keeping an eye on all the seedlings and pots. And for the rest, hanging out with family. My sister and brother-in-law and their kids live really close by so we spend a lot of time together.
Who are your three dream dinner party guests?
My Queen, Beyonce!!! What an honour and a privilege. I ADORE her. She doesn't even need to sing, although of course it would be great if she did a little number.
I've been reading Margaret Atwood's memoir – what an icon and a trailblazer. I am a huge fan of her speculative fiction, especially the Oryx and Crake series, it'd be great to hear her perspectives on the day’s affairs.
And Jessie Buckley. I went to a Q&A with her recently at the BFI and she is absolutely charming and incredibly interesting – perfect company for Margaret and our Queen B.
What’s your personal motto or a principle that you live by?
You only get this one go at living your life and nothing lasts forever. Do things that make you happy and that make the world around you a good place to be in. Try to be aware when fears and anxieties are taking over the times that could be filled with something more positive and joyful. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. Life is too short to be filled with negative energy. Try stay in the moment and be grateful for the here and now whenever you can.
Who do you nominate for a SoWN spotlight?
Lucien Topolski. He is an art historian working on the preservation of the incredible archive of work by the artist Feliks Topolski at Topolski Studio. The studio has such a unique energy and I really admire how he has carried forward the spirit of his grandfather’s work and approach to art, and kept this historic space right in the heart of South Bank alive.
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