Good morning, Wimblers.
A new club has formed in Mitcham providing supported swim sessions for disabled adults. WeSwim, which meets at Canons Leisure Centre every Wednesday, is a London-wide charity empowering disabled adults to get active. This week, I sat down with Harriet Glanville to talk about the work they do and how we, as a community, can support them.
In other news, The Wimble and Wimbledon BookFest are teaming up for a one-off silent reading event on Saturday 17 October (5–6pm). Scroll down for more details.
We’ve also got some breaking local news, recommendations to keep you busy for spooky season and a lovely property of the week.
News snippets 🗞️
💪 Under 16s in Merton will be able to attend free gym classes every week across the borough, starting in October half term. The scheme is part of Merton’s wider ambition to become London’s first Borough of Sport — something that would place an emphasis on getting more residents physically fit as well as celebrating the borough’s sporting heritage. Special instructor-led classes will be available for 11–16 year-olds to book at all three of the council’s leisure centres four times a week and will include strength and core conditioning sessions. Read more here.
⚽ A football fanatic who had been to every AFC Wimbledon game over the past 37 years has died suddenly. Michael Taliadoros, who had watched every one of AFC Wimbledon’s matches since 1989, passed away last week. Michael, known as Mikey T at Plough Lane, could famously remember every score from every game he attended, as well as the exact date. Mikey watched 2,010 Wimbledon first-team consecutive matches. Read more about Mikey’s incredible devotion and passion here.
💦 Wimbledon was hit with another major water incident after a burst main flooded part of Kingston Road in South Wimbledon. The incident forced Thames Water to close the road to westbound traffic between the junction with South Wimbledon and Brisbane Avenue. Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler said the two incidents shone a light on the poor situation of the region’s water infrastructure. Speaking to media, he said, "The past few days have provided more evidence our water infrastructure is at a breaking point.” Read the full article here.
🦉 Children dissected owl pellets at this month’s Wimbledon Common Nature Club, supported by the London Wildlife Trust. Children and their families learned about owls and what they eat, dissecting their pellets in a hands-on learning experience. There is only one resident owl species on Wimbledon Common, the tawny owl. Participants used gloves, tweezers, and magnifying glasses to dissect the pellets. The club meets once a month and is aimed at children ages six to 14. The next session will take place on Sunday 1 November at 9.45am. Click here for more details.
The Wimble x BookFest silent reading hour 📚
The Wimble and Wimbledon BookFest are teaming up for a “silent reading hour” next week. The event is entirely free and will take place on Saturday 17 October (5–6pm) at the Fire Station Café on Queen’s Road, Wimbledon. The first 30 people to arrive will receive a free copy of Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees (this year’s Merton Big Read). The café doesn’t have a huge capacity, so seats for the silent reading hour are on a first-come, first-served basis, although I suspect people will drop in and drop out. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Wimble’s sponsor of the week 🎃
Pumpkin carving is coming to The Fire Station Café. Join Kristine and the team on Friday 30 October (4–6pm) for a session of Halloween fun. The best part? The pumpkin guts end up on the café’s table, not your kitchen floor. Tickets are £7 per carver.
Property of the week 🏡
This unique five-bedroom detached house is full of character. From its wooden beams to that bedroom balcony, it’s certainly an eye-catching home. But what does a property of this size set you back in West Wimbledon? Roughly £1.8 million is the answer. Expensive? Yes. Cheaper than a house of this size in Wimbledon Village? Also yes. Check out more photos here.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎯
☘️ Lord of the Dance: 30th Anniversary: Lord of the Dance, the global phenomenon that redefined Irish dance, is returning to the UK for its 30th anniversary. The tour will feature brand-new choreography and costumes, state-of-the-art special effects and cutting-edge lighting. Ticket prices vary.
Where: New Wimbledon Theatre
When: Tuesday 13 – Sunday 18 October
💨 Merton Air Quality Consultation: Join Merton Council to chat about Merton’s new Air Quality Action Plan and to share your thoughts. This borough-wide event is aimed at residents, community groups, environmental organisations and businesses. It will introduce the AQAP, explain the key proposals, as well as how to complete the survey. Click here to reserve your spot.
Where: Online
When: Wednesday 14 October, 7pm
🌳 Guided Tree Walk at Cannizaro Park: Join arboriculturist Greg Packman as he guides you around one of London’s most diverse tree collections (over 200 species originating from all over the world). Tickets are £10 per person.
Where: Cannizaro Park
When: Saturday 17 October, 11am–1pm
🎻 St John’s October Lunchtime Recital: The October 2026 recital will feature Jelena Makarova on piano. Jelena will be performing Čiurlionis’s Preludes (selection), Diana Čemerytė’s new work, Andromeda, and a selection from Kurtág’s Játékok.
Where: St John the Baptist
When: Friday 23 October, 1pm
🍷 Bordeaux, Classic for a Reason: For some, Bordeaux’s output is the pinnacle of winemaking. Join Jeroboams to try a flight of six different wines accompanied by cheese and charcuterie. Tickets are £48 per person.
Where: Jeroboams, Wimbledon Village
When: Friday 23 October, 6–7.30pm
🎶 Jigsaw Players: Echoes of the Night: The Jigsaw Players’ Concert Series launches its 2026/27 season with Echoes of the Night, an evening of chamber music exploring mystery, passion, darkness and light. Tickets are £15 for adults and £5 for students, and under 18s can attend for free.
Where: Christ Church
When: Saturday 24 October, 7.30–9.30pm
WeSwim: The new local club empowering disabled adults in the water 🏊🏽♀️
WeSwim launched in 2019 when its founder, Natasha Fleming, saw how difficult it was for adults with disabilities to access opportunities to swim and be active in the water. The volunteer-led organisation now runs clubs across London, with its newest in Mitcham. This week, I sat down with Harriet Glanville, Volunteer Coordinator, to talk about WeSwim’s mission, the work that they do and how we, as a community, can help.
What is WeSwim’s mission?
At its heart, WeSwim is about providing opportunities. Around one in five London adults is disabled, and we know that disabled people are twice as likely to be inactive. But studies have also shown that 80 per cent of adults with disabilities would like to be more active, though they often face barriers. Those barriers can be anything from the cost of living or difficulties in reaching a location to fears of being judged or even wondering who will look after their wheelchair when they are in the water.
WeSwim provides safe, accessible spaces for people with disabilities to swim. Our volunteers are in the water to support individuals and encourage people to chat, which is also a great way to reduce loneliness and isolation. We’re really focused on community and what we call “sharing the joy of swimming”. If you have ever experienced being in the water — that feeling of freedom and weightlessness — then you know just how lovely it can be. Being able to give that to someone else, or being in a group of people sharing that feeling, is an incredible privilege.
How do the sessions work?
All of our sessions are run by volunteers. Mitcham is new, so we still have staff on site to help. Once we have a few more regular volunteers, we’ll be asking some of them to step up and join the committee to run the sessions. Sessions begin with a welcoming chat to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable. Then the volunteers are paired up with swimmers. Our volunteers are there to help with everything, whether that be hydrotherapy exercises or just a simple chat.
Can anyone volunteer?
Yes, of course. Our volunteers are generally united by one thing: their love of swimming. Some may have backgrounds in coaching or working with disabled people, but many of them don’t. I have volunteered for WeSwim for two and a half years and began working for them a year ago. I didn’t have any experience with coaching swimming or working with disabled people. But as I say to our new volunteers, as long as you are a nice person who is kind, empathetic and good at listening, you’ll almost definitely make a great volunteer.
What makes swimming such an empowering experience?
Just the act of being in the water is beneficial for so many people. With physical disabilities, there are those obvious benefits, such as hydrotherapy; the way the water can take a person’s weight to ease muscular pains; stretching. For example, we’ve had wheelchair users who aren’t able to walk because they don’t have enough strength, but in the water (and with the support of our volunteers) they are able to move around and build up those muscles in their legs.
But it’s not just about physical disabilities. For anyone with mental health problems, water can be a regulating force. Swimming is often a meditative experience, and the water can give a sense of calmness and freedom that is really great for those with mental health problems or learning disabilities.
What can the community do to support your work?
The problem is that all of our clubs have quite long waiting lists — some even as long as a year. Though we’ve only had four sessions in Mitcham, the waiting list is already two months. We need more volunteers to get those people into the water. We’re also really flexible; we only ask volunteers to come roughly every other week.
And I think it’s important to explain just how rewarding being a volunteer is. For me, it’s the best thing I do. It’s the most joyful hour of my week, and I always leave feeling more positive and hopeful about the world. It’s so nice to be able to connect with someone directly, to be present in the same physical space as someone without your phone or other distractions, and to see the joy it brings to other people. Ninety per cent of our volunteers feel like their connection to their community has increased. People often think about volunteering as self-sacrifice, but at WeSwim I really believe that the volunteers get as much out of it as the swimmers.
WeSwim meets at Canons Leisure Centre, Mitcham, every Wednesday from 6.30-7.45pm. Check out their website to get involved. Check out their Instagram for social media updates.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I asked you when the statue on top of the New Wimbledon Theatre’s dome was returned. The answer: 1991.
Q: What is the Wimbledon Village Stables famous for in England?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. Please do keep sending in any historical ideas for our Christmas edition: zak@thewimble.com. We’d love to see you at our silent reading hour in collaboration with Wimbledon BookFest next week if you are available (Saturday 17 October, 5–6pm, The Fire Station Café). Other than that, have a great rest of your week and we’ll see you next time.