https://billiewhite.journoportfolio.comRSS Feed for Billie WhiteenSun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://soundcloud.com/billie-white-316800603/the-organisation-redefining-the-slam-poetry-night-out-where-poets-are-rewardedWho 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...Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://soundcloud.com/billie-white-316800603/the-organisation-redefining-the-slam-poetry-night-out-where-poets-are-rewardedhttps://swlondoner.shorthandstories.com/livingwithpmdd/index.htmlAt 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...Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://swlondoner.shorthandstories.com/livingwithpmdd/index.htmlhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/28072025-londons-transport-services-sport-new-look-in-celebration-of-tfls-25th-anniversaryTransport 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...Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/28072025-londons-transport-services-sport-new-look-in-celebration-of-tfls-25th-anniversaryhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/food-drink/28072025-watch-the-london-brewery-turning-an-invasive-weed-into-a-pint-of-beerA 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...Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/food-drink/28072025-watch-the-london-brewery-turning-an-invasive-weed-into-a-pint-of-beerhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/21072025-uk-porn-sites-under-pressure-to-tighten-child-safety-measuresChildren 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...Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/21072025-uk-porn-sites-under-pressure-to-tighten-child-safety-measureshttps://www.selondoner.co.uk/news/21072025-children-in-care-receive-free-hairstyling-and-haircare-educationOn 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...Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.selondoner.co.uk/news/21072025-children-in-care-receive-free-hairstyling-and-haircare-educationhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/04072025-children-take-over-station-announcements-for-tfls-25th-anniversaryYoung Transport for London (TfL) ‘Superfans’ broadcast birthday messages across London stations to mark the network’s 25th anniversary yesterday.  Out of 300 contestants, 25 children aged five to 16 were selected to announce birthday wishes at their local station from the early morning until 8pm.  Train passengers may have been surprised to hear a young voice announcing “happy birthday” and “mind the gap” on their daily commute in London, broadcast at tube stations, the London Overground,...Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/04072025-children-take-over-station-announcements-for-tfls-25th-anniversaryhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/life/14062025-watch-international-beard-community-hosts-annual-contest-for-charityAn 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...Sat, 14 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/life/14062025-watch-international-beard-community-hosts-annual-contest-for-charityhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/16052025-is-tfl-losing-the-battle-against-heat-on-the-victoria-line#:~:text=The%20Victoria%20line%20has%20remained,heat%20generated%20by%20trains%20breaking.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...Fri, 16 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/16052025-is-tfl-losing-the-battle-against-heat-on-the-victoria-line#:~:text=The%20Victoria%20line%20has%20remained,heat%20generated%20by%20trains%20breaking.https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/food-drink/22042025-twickenham-pub-to-reopen-and-transform-six-years-after-closureA beloved Twickenham pub which closed six years ago will reopen in June as a games and entertainment pub, backed by a half a million-pound investment. The former Roxie Steak and Tap, which shut its doors in 2019 is undergoing renovation starting this month to reopen as The Rose & Lion. Heineken-owned Star Pubs and award-winning pub operators Steve Orme and James Thomson have invested £520,000 to bring the unique pub experience to Twickenham.  Orme said: “We were blown away when we first...Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/food-drink/22042025-twickenham-pub-to-reopen-and-transform-six-years-after-closurehttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/02042025-the-best-pubs-to-watch-the-2025-boat-race-and-what-to-expectIn 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...Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/02042025-the-best-pubs-to-watch-the-2025-boat-race-and-what-to-expecthttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/12032025-westfield-londons-new-sensory-room-promotes-inclusivity-for-allA 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...Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/12032025-westfield-londons-new-sensory-room-promotes-inclusivity-for-allhttps://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/06032025-ukrainian-social-club-remains-resilient-as-three-years-pass-since-russian-invasionThe Ukrainian Social Club in Twickenham and Hounslow is attempting to raise £3,000 to support activities catered to refugees, with last week marking the third year of war in the country. Founded at Twickenham‘s Prosperity Cafe, which acted as a humanitarian hub to provide aid to those displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the club aims to provide a safe space and comfort for Ukrainian refugees.  Founded by Alina Luts and Maria Kurianova after they met at the cafe, the...Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/06032025-ukrainian-social-club-remains-resilient-as-three-years-pass-since-russian-invasion