Organised by the London Parks & Gardens charity, London Open Gardens 2025 opened the gates to more than 100 green spaces usually closed to the public across the capital.

The annual weekend fundraiser offered Londoners exclusive access to rooftop terraces, community-run plots and historic enclosures, including 10 Downing Street and Marlborough House, the headquarters of the Commonwealth.

With climate change and funding cuts placing pressure on urban greenery, this year’s theme spotlighted the role green spaces play in wellbeing.

A visit to Marlborough House with the director of London Parks and Gardens Trust Tim Webb was first, and he outlined the mission behind the event and the significance of London’s 4,000 green spaces.

Webb said: “London’s parks are more than pretty backdrops – they’re essential infrastructure.

“Open Gardens is about showing the hidden gems that people walk past every day without realising their value.”

Two more exclusive sites in southwest London were visited: first, the Spurgeon Estate Community Garden where, six years ago, the residents transformed a patch of land into a flourishing space of nature and friendship.

Later, the rooftop garden at the Ismaili Centre in South Kensington, home to the UK’s Ismaili Muslim community, which opened in 1985 as the first Islamic building of its kind.

Each garden certainly told a story of care and of London’s ever-growing need for protected green spaces.

Watch the full video to learn more about these hidden spaces.

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After spending more than 15 years working for big names in the spirits industry, including Moet Hennessy and Pernod Ricard, Yves Cosentino decided to launch his own coffee liqueur brand: Algebra. 

In his lab located in Streatham, the entrepreneur produces coffee liqueur which is then sold to bars and restaurants, in London and the UK as well as in a couple of European countries. 

Entrepreneurship has been a steep learning curve.  

Cosentino said: “You make a ton of mistakes initially, and you think, this is absolutely crazy, why did I ever start?

“I was always a bit of a geek when it comes to spirits. 

“But I was more interested with what was going into the bottle than, you know, the marketing side of it.

“But then you learn, you get better and then it becomes almost second nature.”

The coffee liqueur is one of the key ingredients for the Espresso Martini, a cocktail that is back in fashion. 

Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller, drinks experts, editors and former bartenders themselves, knew the cocktail’s inventor, Dick Bradsell. 

They know all about the legend behind the origins of the drink in the best London bars.

Watch the full story below for more.

Thanks to bartender Lina and the Funkidory bar in Peckham for preparing the cocktails!

Algebra bottle picture credit: Aron Farkas

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Brixton Village has announced the return of its grassroots chef competition aimed at spotlighting the next generation of food talent.

Brixton Kitchen was launched in 2019 and won by Nigerian-born Adejoké Bakare, who went on to become the first black woman in Britain to earn a Michelin star in 2024 for her West African restaurant, Chishuru.

This year’s competition will once again search for semi-professional chefs who have honed their craft through supper clubs, residencies, or pop-ups, with a strong emphasis on entrants who have connections to Brixton.

Bakare, who will return as a judge for the 2025 edition, said: “I am so grateful for the opportunity I was afforded by Brixton Kitchen. 

“Brixton Village is such a unique place, and I’m excited to be part of this year’s competition.”

The winner will be awarded a six-month residency in a sought-after unit in Brixton Village’s Market Row, as well as mentorship from hospitality experts. 

Training will cover essential areas such as finance, intellectual property, and restaurant marketing.

Over the summer, 20 shortlisted chefs will take part in three rounds of cooking challenges, judged by a of industry professionals.

Finalists will serve a full dining experience to the public in July, with the winner crowned on Thursday 31 July.

ing Bakare on the judging are celebrated restaurateur Robin Gill, and food writer and chef Gizzi Erskine.

The relaunch is part of Brixton Village’s ongoing mission to local enterprise and celebrate culinary diversity. 

The market is home to over 40 restaurants and bars serving food from across the globe, including Venezuelan, Nepalese, Jamaican, and Japanese cuisines.

Brixton Village general manager Diana Nabagereka said: “Brixton Kitchen is back, and I am personally thrilled for the summer ahead.

“It’s been a joy to watch the incredible Adejoké go from strength to strength after starting out on Market Row, and I can’t wait to see what talent we can platform this year.”

Previous Brixton Kitchen contestants have launched successful ventures such as Sarap, Ruben’s Reubens, and sustainability-driven restaurant Fallow.

Entries are open now, and will close on Sunday 15 June.

Feature image: Brixton Village

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Peruvians make up a large proportion of the Latin population as they migrate to London in search of new opportunities.

In 2013, around 145,000 Latin Americans lived in London, according to the Society for Latin American Studies.

Lambeth and Southwark are notable areas where Latin Americans reside with the large majority being Brazilians and Colombians.

Due to the political and economic turmoil, Peruvians have come to London to build a new life in the English capital.

Speaking about the difficulty of transitioning and moving to a new country, Peruvian journalist César Gamarra said: “You have to adapt to the country that takes you in.

“The country is not going to adapt to me, I have to adapt to the country.”

Watch the full story below.

Third-party footage credit: ucuzucuyorum via Pixabay , antonlukin via Pixabay

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The prestigious International Booker Prize celebrated its six shortlisted authors and translators with a special readings event at London’s Southbank Centre on Sunday 18 May.

With excitement building for the winner’s announcement at the Tate Modern on Tuesday 20 May, nominees Anne Serre, Banu Mushtaq, Hiromi Kawakami, Solvej Balle, Vincent Delacroix and Vincenzo Latronico, alongside their translators, gathered at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room to deliver readings and answer questions about their novels.

Beginning in 2005, the famous literary prize recognises the important work of translation with a £50,000 prize divided equally between the winning author and translator.

Chair of the 2025 judging Max Porter said: “Our selected six awakened an appetite in us to question the world around us: How am I seeing or being seen?

“How are we translating each other, all the time? How are we trapped in our bodies, in our circumstances, in time, and what are our options for freedom? Who has a voice?

“In discussing these books we have been considering again and again what it means to be a human being now.”

Hosted by University of the Arts London (UAL) professor, critic and broadcaster Shahidha Bari, the event gave a platform to these thought-provoking books through powerful readings in their original language followed by their English translation. 

Bari interviewed each author-translator pair about the themes of their books, writing process and the challenges of translation.

Following this, a Foyles pop-up stall in the entrance allowed audience to purchase copies of the shortlisted books and have them signed by the authors. 

The six shortlisted books, translated from five different languages, present a diverse range of narratives.

They ranged from AI mothers raising synthetic children in a futuristic setting, to the strength of girls and women navigating patriarchal societies in southern India.

Other themes touched on were a character trapped in a repeating day, the desperate cries of migrants aboard a small boat in the Channel, the pain and beauty of a lifelong friendship shaped by mental illness, and a couple’s quest for genuine connection in a world shaped by digital curation.

Translated fiction has continued to grow in popularity since the inception of this prize, particularly among a younger demographic.

According to the latest data compiled by the Booker Prize Foundation, 25-34 year olds purchased almost a quarter (24.9%) of all translated fiction in the UK in 2022.

The second-highest purchase group is 13-24 year olds, which means that book buyers under the age of 35 constitute almost half (48.2%) of all translated fiction purchases.

The International Booker Prize is significant not only as a celebration of literary excellence but as a bridge between cultures, languages, and perspectives.

By recognising the finest works of fiction translated into English, it shines a spotlight on global voices that might otherwise remain unheard, fostering empathy, understanding, and appreciation for the rich diversity of human experience. 

Porter said: “Translated fiction is not an elite or rarefied cultural space requiring expert knowledge; it is the exact opposite.

“It is stories of every conceivable kind from everywhere, for everyone. 

“It is a miraculous way in which we might meet one another in all our strangeness and sameness, and defy the borders erected between us.”

More information on the International Booker Prize can be found on its website.

Featured image credit: Sasha White

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Large numbers of defecting Labour voters have given the Green Party confidence they will win the Herne Hill by-election on 1 May.

After defeating Labour in the St Ann’s (Haringey) by-election on 10 April, the party is backing Paul Valentine, an actor who has featured in HBO’s House of the Dragon television show, to close the 504-vote gap from the last election and defeat Labour candidate Stephen Clark.

The Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction election was called after Labour councillor Jim Dickson, who served on the council for more than 20 years, resigned from his position eight months after being elected MP for Dartford.

Valentine said: “Every time that a Green has been elected, they have demonstrated that they’re there for the long haul and there to work hard, which is what I want to try and do in this ward as well.

“Jim Dickson beat a Conservative to Dartford, and congratulations to him, but really you should then stand down [as a councillor].

“We’ve been a ward – a big one, with an 11,000 electorate, long and winding – a three-councillor ward, functioning with only two councillors.

“I just don’t think that’s morally right. I want to live in an area that has three councillors out of three working for the area.”

Valentine, who is running for the second time after losing out to Labour in 2022, is campaigning on a platform of protecting public spaces, improving housing, ensuring council ability on spending, and cleaning up the streets.

Protecting Carnegie Library and Brockwell Park have become especially important issues in this by-election, with petitions currently gathering steam to stop funding cuts to the library and to respond to concerns surrounding Brockwell Live music festival and its impact on the park and surrounding community.

The election – which is also contested by Local Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, and others – will choose one candidate to the 63-seat Lambeth council, of which Labour currently hold 57.

A Lambeth Labour spokesperson said of their candidate Stephen Clark: “Stephen has a strong track record of standing up for local residents, successfully campaigning for a new lease at the Carnegie Library Hub.

“Over the past year, he has been out listening to residents and championing the issues that matter most.”

Clark is campaigning with the promise of prioritising better local housing, cleaner and safer streets, and improved accessibility at Loughborough Junction Station. 

Meanwhile, Cllr Ruairidh Paton, who won the St Ann’s by-election for the Greens, said of his victory: “We spoke to more than 2000 residents and we heard the same story time and again.

“People are struggling with bills, soaring rent and food prices, and feel abandoned by politicians who don’t care about them.”

Paton won 55% of the vote, with 1,059 votes, nearly double Labour’s total, and with a margin of victory equalled only once in the 23-year history of the ward.

Reacting to Paton’s election success, Valentine said: “They ran their campaign so well and they really did in Haringey what I’ve been trying to do here as well: just speaking to people.

“People in Haringey felt like they weren’t being listened to, and it’s the same here.”

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A new free women’s coding club launched in Lambeth earlier this month aims to create tech opportunities for women.

Running weekly on Saturdays, this club is just one of many initiatives run by Millennium Community Solutions (MCS) teaching valuable tech skills to those who want to learn, giving access to the right tools and helping build a more inclusive future. 

Initially founded in 2021 by Rev. Gail Thompson, MCS provides free coding workshops and digital assistive technology to individuals of all ages and abilities. 

She said: “It doesn’t just start with the workshop itself or the subject matter.

“It also starts with access to the venue. We also take into people with disabilities and the elderly. 

“We have a lot of assistive technology such as tech to help people who have visual problems, and we make sure we have track pads.

“So we cater for everybody.” 

MCS teaches programming languages like Scratch and Python which are accessible and widely used in the data science, machine learning, and game development fields. 

STEM Women research shows that representation of women in STEM remains low, at just one quarter of the overall workforce, and at the current rate of change, equal representation in STEM won’t occur until the year 2070.

MCS is almost entirely volunteer-led, with only coding tutors paid for their time. 

Rev. Thompson added: “Millennium runs on ion and doesn’t run on money. 

“Most people involved are there because they want to be.

“None of us get paid, but we don’t want to. We do it because it needs doing.” 

There is huge demand for MCS courses and with funding from Lambeth’s Changing Lives Fund, they employ five attendees at the end of their 14-week and 40-week courses. 

Their mission is not just in teaching coding but creating opportunities and careers for women. 

Organisations like MCS are integral to tackling the gender gap in technology on a community level, with Women in Tech data showing that 90% believe it would benefit the technology sector to have a more gender equal workforce.

Lucy Gore was inspired to learn code by a friend and in 2019 founded Kozi Course, a residential coding course, after being frustrated by the restrictive stereotypes accompanying STEM careers.  

Gore said: “I did linguistics and humanities at school, and really enjoyed those subjects, but I wasn’t ever taught that coding could be creative or linguistic in the way that I think it is.

“One of the things that’s really damaging is it’s seen as nerdy and lame. 

“The reality is that these people – coders and developers – are ruling the world. 

“They are the people that are going to be in charge of all of our livelihoods.” 

She added that although she doesn’t work full-time as a software engineer now, she wouldn’t be where she is if she hadn’t gone down the engineering route. 

Kozi Course created meaningful opportunities for those that attended, with four now in full time employment and six who interned at digital tech companies within software development teams. 

Gore is proud of the course for opening up the world of STEM to people who didn’t fit the mathematics stereotype. 

London-based web developer Leo Gilmour faced challenges pursuing a career in tech as a woman. 

This isn’t abnormal, with a Women in Tech survey showing that 76% of women working in technology have experienced gender bias or discrimination in the workplace. 

Gilmour recalled the sexism she faced at university fairs, conferences and in an early job interview. 

She said: “I went to the computer science open day at Oxford when I was looking for what to study, and I was the only girl in the whole room.

“All the other kids stared at me with a sort of disbelief and fascination.” 

She was put off by this experience and applied for engineering instead, eventually dropping out and teaching herself to code.  

She said: “I’m sure there are lots of women and girls who decide maths, science and computing aren’t for them because they think those subjects can’t be for them.”

Despite these hurdles, she emphasised the importance of community initiatives like the Lambeth women’s coding club and Code First Girls, which provide accessible paths for women and girls to learn coding.

She added: “It’s so important to fill the gap, because we live in a society where if you don’t take the right A-Levels, we’re led to believe that a particular door is closed forever, but that ultimately just isn’t the case. 

“You don’t need any special, prerequisite skills to learn how to code.

“It relies on an innate human understanding of logic.”

Featured image credit: Christina Morillo via Pexels.

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South London residents and LGBTQ+ spaces showed for the trans community in the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling at a Parliament Square protest.

The court’s 16 April ruling the ‘man’, ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ under the Equality Act 2010 are defined as a person’s biological sex led to concerns transgender men and women will be forced to use lavatorial and other facilities which align with that.

Londoners ed the thousands-strong demonstration organised by trans activist groups to protest against the court’s decision three days later, and urge others to stand with the trans community.

Brixton resident Martin said: “I think the police were shocked at the popularity of the demonstration, which is great.

“It was a super joyful but angry mood, and I think it was affirming to know that it is a tiny but powerful cabal that’s transphobic, and the public is with us.

“I am not so hopefully about a positive change to the law for trans people, but we will keep pressuring this government.”

South west London has long been at the forefront of London’s LGBTQ+ scene, boasting popular spaces, events and offering a welcoming space for the whole spectrum of the community.

While many organisations have expressed their , the real-life impact of the ruling is still to be felt.

Clapham‘s LGBTQ+ bars, pubs and prominent figures were among those which took to social media in of trans patrons, reaffirming a commitment to provide safe and inclusive spaces.

A major concern for LGBTQ+ people when attending entertainment venues in relation to the ruling is around the use of toilets, and the that non-gender-conforming patrons would be confronted when trying to use their preferred facility.

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, a long standing staple of LGBTQ+ nightlife in Vauxhall, posted: “We stand proud, tall and united with you as we continue the fight for acceptance, respect and the chance to live and thrive as our own true selves.”

The RVT hosts a multitude of LQBTQ+ events throughout the year, with popular drag artist Myra Dubois among those to perform there.

Dubois said: “At my show we don’t laugh at anyone, we laugh together at ourselves because life is beautiful and stupid and we’re equal in our ridiculousness.

“LGB and especially T people are very welcome at my shows, bigots with hate in their hearts are not.”

Featured image: Benji Stephenson

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The Guest at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham is a cyclical meditation on migration and the climate crisis, set in a near-future reality where rising temperatures force people to flock northwards.

The play centres around a ‘Groundhog Day’ style scene in the garden of Joe, played by Graham Turner and Ricky, played by Stephanie Jacob, who is also the show’s writer. The chemistry between the pair was warm and believable, and bore all the markings of a long-suffering yet tender relationship. 

As the two bicker amicably, finish one another’s sentences, and complain about the scorching hot temperatures, Hannah (Erica Tavares-Kouassi) enters the scene, with broken English and a need for help.

Jacob’s writing is wonderfully inventive, reimagining the myriad outcomes that could arise from the slightest increase in paranoia, benevolence, or rage. Turner came into his own as Joe in the more imioned moments, spiralling quickly to a level of possessiveness and nationalism which has become all-too recognisable in the era of Reform. 

For Jacob, the structure preceded the story, as she had previously used the repeated scene device in a play at Trafalgar Studios.

She said in an interview before the show: “It’s like our lives really: we wake up each morning and lots of days are pretty much like yesterday, with the same shape but slightly different, and our experience slowly accumulates.

“I thought there’s a sort of bigger story here that could be more about politics or world events.”

She workshopped a number of scenes last year along with dramaturg and director, Lucy Richardson, and consulted migrant charity groups as part of her research.

The repeated scenes are bookended with monologues from Hannah detailing life in migrant hotels, the discrimination her child faces in school, and her history of domestic abuse and debt. For me, these monologues were a real highlight of the show, with Tavares-Kouassi giving a true tour-de-force, and depicting the full spectrum of human experience with breathtaking versatility. 

Her Hannah was incredibly likeable and resilient, whilst also suffering from pride and a mercurial quickness to anger not unlike that of Joe. 

Tavares-Kouassi said: “There is no black and white in the sense of ‘this character’s bad’, ‘this character’s good’.

“It’s definitely important for theatre to just go, ‘this is a mirror. Have a look at yourselves. Do you like what you see? If not, what can we do about it? How can we change?’

“It’s a motive for change.”

For me, the play certainly succeeded in provoking these kinds of reflections. It trod the line wonderfully of balancing the needs of the incoming migrant with those of the rooted couple, treating the concerns of both with great consideration and nuance. 

Jacob has described the play as being a ‘serious comedy’, in part, she said, because she thought punters may be put off by the assumption that it would be a mentally and emotionally draining play, given the topic of migration. 

I thought the more humorous moments were handled with great levity, and, as Jacob says, they are a welcome relief to the audience, contrasting against the more uncomfortable moments, such as the excruciating scene involving a sanitary towel, where the discomfort was maximised to its full extent.

As may be expected of a play of this nature, I found the structuring did cause a little dragging in the middle, and perhaps could have done with the removal of some more inconsequential scenarios, but the ending provided the perfect balance of closure and questions, and rounded off the cyclicality in a highly satisfying way.

The Guest is thought-provoking and ominous with a real standout performance from Tavares-Kouassi in the titular role.

Jacob said: “Comedy means hope, and for me it’s a hopeful play because they constantly, in almost all the what ifs, find some moment of connection. And when you connect with people, you your best self.”

THE GUEST – Omnibus Theatre

Picture credit: Héctor Manchego

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The founder of a boxing initiative for children and adults with autism has been shortlisted for Volunteer of the Year at the annual Lambeth Civic Awards.

Mark Chilvers, 56, has been running the ‘Boxing for Autism‘ scheme for three years at Miguel’s Gym, in collaboration with boxing coach Keshia Simms.

He first set up the classes after seeing Miguel’s training in the park during the pandemic whilst out with his son, now 15, who is autistic.

He said: “The idea of being picked out makes me feel a little shy about it if I’m honest, but it’s nice to have received that pat on the back and recognition.”

Chilvers first proposed the scheme to the Lambeth division of the National Autistic Society (NAS), in which he is a committee member, as a worthy use of funds leftover during Covid. 

He collaborated with Simms, whose mother had previously fostered many children including one autistic girl, and was therefore familiar with how autism presents.

Their first classes were attended by around half a dozen children, but demand has grown over the past three years, and, thanks to a grant from Lambeth Council’s ‘Changing Lives’ social value fund, Boxing for Autism has been able to hold a second class on Sunday mornings for teenagers and adults. 

The organisers have put together a circuit class involving boxing combinations with punching bags, races, and floorwork. 

They have adapted the gym to the participants’ needs by switching off the music and beeping timer, and creating a large visual timetable of the session so that children can follow the order of exercises. 

Chilvers said: “One of the most rewarding parts has been to see the enthusiasm of the young people and some of the older participants, the teens and young adults.

“For some of them, it’s a highlight of their week.

“It’s nice to have provided them with an extracurricular activity that they feel welcomed and included in.”

Parents are invited to stay in the room during sessions, and can stay on the sidelines, or participate in exercises.

Chilvers explained that the classes provide an opportunity for parents to share experiences and offer to one another. 

“Parenting SEN kids on your own can become potentially quite an isolating experience because there are some things that are not suitable or not available to our children.” 

The classes have been hugely popular, with families travelling from other boroughs including Southwark and Croydon to in. 

Chilvers said: “I’m glad that it works for the families that do regularly attend, but I think it would be great if these sorts of opportunities were more widely available.

“I suppose the reason I set it up as a volunteer is because I saw there was a potential need for my own son, and it didn’t exist.”

Chilvers was nominated for the award by the chairperson of the Lambeth branch of NAS, as well as by parents of children who have participated. 

He voiced his hopes that the nomination may help when applying for future grants, for which there is much competition. 

He said being shortlisted would hopefully show his own commitment and that of volunteers and families that attend, and could make Boxing for Autism stand out from other bids.

Funding from Lambeth Council has provided the scheme with financial security throughout 2025, but Chilvers said it would have to be reacquired on a year-by-year basis. 

Chilvers also highlighted the work done by NAS, who run coffee mornings for autistic adults, ‘Sensory Sundays’ for young children, and light up the London Eye in purple to celebrate World Autistic Acceptance Month.

The Lambeth Civic Awards ceremony will take place on 22 April.   

Picture credit: Mark Chilvers

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