South West Londoner • 14th September 2025

Living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

At present, people with PMDD in the UK visit health professionals for 4 to 14 years before receiving a correct diagnosis.
William's experience at the doctor's office was no exception to the rule:
"I spent years going back and forth to GPs and was constantly told it was 'just PMS' or that it was down to my lifestyle.
"One GP told me I was being dramatic. Another suggested I might have bipolar disorder because of my mood swings - without...

South East Londoner • 21st July 2025

Children in care receive free hairstyling and haircare education

On a Saturday morning in East London, a hair salon was repurposed into a sanctuary of validation and education for black and mixed heritage children in the foster care system. 


Saturated with the sounds of hairstyling equipment and energised with the vibrant rhythm of afrobeats, 35 hairstylists worked on children’s hair in professional harmony, as they exchanged tips, traded products and offered each other the occasional helping hand. 


In the periphery, foster parents socialised amongst th...

SoundCloud • 14th September 2025

PODCAST: The international poetry slam rewarding poets with generous cash prizes

Who said slam poetry can't be fun?

In this episode, The South West Londoner joins Edinburgh native LOUD POETS at their competition IAMLOUD in Hackney Showrooms.

In this heat, 12 poets go head-to-head for the chance to win a £200 cash prize.

If they win, they'll move onto the IAMLOUD final, hosted at the Edinburgh Book Festival to compete for £3,000 - the largest monetary award for slam competitions.

We spoke to IAMLOUD directors Katie Ailes and Kevin Mclean, who are creating opportunities o...

South West Londoner • 14th June 2025

WATCH: International beard community hosts annual contest for charity

An international society of bearded men banded together in a historic London pub to raise money for children living in poverty.


The London Chapter of the globally recognised brotherhood, The Bearded Villains, hosted their 10th anniversary of Villainfest at the Dickens Inn on Saturday 7 June, a day enriched with festive activities to raise donations for Little Village charity.


A total of £7,000 in donations were raised for the baby bank charity, funded by entry tickets, a raffle, an auctio...

South West Londoner • 16th May 2025

Is TfL losing the battle against heat on the Victoria line?

The Victoria Line stubbornly remains the hottest underground line, according to new TfL data, resisting the numerous cooling efforts enacted by TfL and presenting little potential for change.


Dubbed after Queen Victoria, the Underground line recorded an average temperature of 28 degrees Celsius in 2024, the same average as 2023, closely followed by the Central Line with 26.8.


Temperatures hiked as high as 31.1 degrees in August 2024 – the hottest month of the year – superseding August in...

South West Londoner • 28th July 2025

WATCH: The London brewery turning invasive weeds into pints of beer

A West London brewery has recently added a unique sour made from an invasive weed, contributing to their quirky selection of beverages with ingredients sourced from their surrounding farm. 


Tucked away in Horsenden Farm, Perivale Brewery offers pints brewed with farm grown ingredients, including their brand new sour Knot Welcome, made from Japanese Knotwood.


Scoured from a nearby council plot of land, this plant beer is the perfect example of the sustainable practices Horsenden Farm follow...

South West Londoner • 2nd April 2025

The best pubs to watch the 2025 Boat Race and what to expect

In celebration of the 2025 Oxbridge Boat Race, pubs along the southwest London riverside will engage in festivities involving live music, food stands and outdoor bars. 


The iconic Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race will uphold its historic rivalry of 185 years on Sunday 13 April, stretching across the Thames from Putney to Mortlake. 


This year’s Championship Course will oversee the 79th Women’s Boat Race and 170th Men’s Boat Race, an event typically attracting over 250,000 spectator...

South West Londoner • 21st July 2025

UK porn sites under pressure to tighten child safety measures

Children as young as eight are watching online pornography, a UK regulator has warned as pressure mounts on adult websites to tighten age verification measures.  


In their latest report, online regulator Ofcom has unveiled that an average of eight per cent of eight to fourteen-year-olds in the UK have visited a pornographic content service within a month.


Services likely to be accessed by children, such as online adult services, have until 25 July to implement more robust age verification...

South West Londoner • 12th March 2025

Westfield London’s new sensory room promotes inclusivity for all

A free sensory room commemorating a student with cerebral palsy has opened at Westfield London as a measure of greater inclusivity and accessibility for all consumers.


The room was designed to provide a tranquil space for individuals with sensory processing disorders and cognitive conditions including, but not limited to, ADHD and autism.


It commemorates Mia Wedgbury, who was a pupil of Jack Tizard School and community champion for playground inclusivity in Shepherd’s Bush.


Jack Tizard...

South West Londoner • 28th July 2025

TfL services sport new look in celebration of 25th anniversary

Transport services across London have been given a new look to highlight improvements made to the network in celebration of TfL’s 25th anniversary. 


Eight different transport services, including a zero-emission bus, DLR train, and Jubilee and Elizabeth line trains, are wrapped in a new design depicting a timeline of advancements made to the transport network in the last 25 years. 


These milestones include the introduction of the Oyster card in 2003, wheelchair accessibility across all buse...