It's official: These are the best businesses in the borough
Plus: Wimbledon makes the list of 'Best Places to Live' in the UK
Good morning, Wimblers — I hope that we’re all having a lovely week!
It’s been quite an eventful week for us at The Wimble. Just last Thursday, we attended the Merton Best Business Awards — more on that later — and we had our Caddi Club event on Tuesday evening, so thank you to all of the readers who signed up for that. We’re also in the process of finalising our Christmas print edition — if any Wimblers have any particular recommendations for things to do in the area for Christmas, send them my way: zak@thewimble.com.
The start of October marks the end of Sustainable September, and what a month it was. There was everything from runway shows to vintage markets. Check out Love Wimbledon’s Instagram post below for the highlights.
This week, we’ve got your usual news snippets, some great recommendations, another ridiculous property of the week and two mini-features.
Happy reading.
The best businesses in Merton 2025 🎉
Merton’s Best Business Awards took place last Thursday, and the evening was a hoot. It was an honour for The Wimble to be nominated for “Best Use of Innovation” — thank you to the judges for considering us! The awards ceremony was held at the New Wimbledon Theatre, which gave the evening a lovely sense of grandeur. A special thanks goes out to the catering team who looked after nominees, guests and hosts all evening. But enough gushing — let’s see who the best businesses in Merton are:
Merton’s Champion Business: Bombay Delight
Best Use of Technology: Mindible
People’s Choice Award: Bombay Delight
Best Creative Business: Lost Boys Set Building
Best Start-up/Micro Business: Two Teaspoons
Best Environmentally and Socially Responsible Business: Sustainable Merton
Best Use of Marketing: Really Helpful Club
Best SME Business: Sean McInnes Sports
Best Enterprising Young Professional: Rachel Pereira
Best Community Impact: Go Inspire International
Best New Business: Abbey Mills Market
Best Use of Innovation: Nippy Networks UK
Best Food, Drink & Hospitality: Two Teaspoons
Best Sport, Health and Wellbeing Business: Merton School Sport
Merton’s Best Business: Sean McInnes Sports
Well done to all the nominees and runners-up. It was a fantastic evening celebrating the very best of our borough. Do check out all of the businesses that won (and were nominated) here.
News snippets 🗞
✨ The magic of Disney is coming to Wimbledon Quarter this half term with their pop-up exhibition of The Lion King. Attendees will be able to explore some of the iconic masks, puppets and costumes from the outstanding West End show, which is now in its 26th year at the London Lyceum Theatre. The exhibition is being held as workshops, and these workshops must be booked beforehand. Click here to reserve your spot. It’s entirely free, but spaces are going fast.
🏡 Muddy Stilettos has released their “Best Places to Live 2025” guide, and Wimbledon has made the cut! In the London category, SW19 placed 5th, right behind East Dulwich, Wandsworth, Kensington and Islington. (But we all know that we should really be number one.) It’s no surprise that Wimbledon has ranked so highly when you consider the schools in the area, the local shops, bars, restaurants and the transport links to Central London. Read more about the results here and check out the full list here.
🏉 A major sport-for-development programme launched in Merton this September. The Merton SWITCH partnership programme aims to engage 1,500 girls in rugby over the next two years. Fresh off the back of England’s outstanding performance at the World Cup, the programme will deliver rugby sessions alongside coach training and wellbeing workshops in schools and clubs. The initiative, which is part funded by the borough, costs £80,000 and is supported by a wide range of partners, including the Rugby Football Union (RFU), London Broncos, Star Scheme, London Sport and Merton School Sports Partnership. Read more about it in Merton’s press release here.
📈 Merton has just revealed plans to reset the council’s bold vision for the future of Morden town centre. The plans aim to create a thriving new neighbourhood, attract more businesses and investment, and build quality and affordable homes in the centre of Morden. The vision is to create a modern, inclusive and vibrant area, and make Morden a destination filled with opportunity. Read more about it here in their press release.
🏥 Merton’s Children’s Nursing Team promoted health and inclusion at the borough’s Big Sports Day. The event was designed to inspire young people, champion inclusive access, and promote the benefits of physical activity for all, according to their press release. Hosting the event in East Merton carried particular significance: the levels of deprivation and childhood obesity in the area are higher than average, and many families face barriers to accessing sports and healthier lifestyles.
🚨 A man who tried to film a woman using the toilet at Wimbledon station has been jailed. Finlay Riley, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism in court. The incident took place around midnight on 24 May last year, when the victim and her boyfriend both went to use the bathrooms at the station. Riley was seen loitering around the women’s toilet before following the victim in. Following the incident, police officers issued an appeal featuring CCTV images of Riley to the media and to the public through the British Transport Police social media accounts. Read more about how Riley was caught here.
Property of the week 🏡
While this is undoubtedly a huge house, it gives off a sort of luxury bachelor pad vibe — just look at that smart TV above the bathtub. This four-bedroom Victorian home has a separate studio home (bigger than my current flat!) and an elegant spiral staircase. But what’s the damage? This particular home will set you back £1.85m. Check out more photos on Rightmove.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎨
🖼 Art Below Autumn Show: Ad Lib Gallery, in collaboration with Art Below, will be showcasing artworks by a number of artists on billboards across Regent’s Park, Hyde Park and Pimlico tube stations. To coincide with their billboard campaign, they will also be showing works by many of the participating artists at their gallery in Wimbledon. There will be a private viewing on Thursday 9 October, which you can RSVP to here.
Where: Ad Lib Gallery, Wimbledon Village
When: Thursday 9 October – Sunday 19 October
🏰 National Treasures: Saving London’s Museums and Galleries in WW2: This lecture by Caroline Shenton explores the gripping story of how a group of heroic curators and custodians saved Britain’s national heritage during the Second World War. As Hitler’s forces gathered on the other side of the Channel, men and women from London’s national museums and galleries packed up their treasures and forged secret plans to evacuate their collections to safety. Tickets are £10 and can be booked here.
Where: The Sacred Heart Church Hall
When: Wednesday 8 October, 8pm
🍷 Southern Rhône wine tasting at Artisans Depot: The Wimbledon Chase gem that is Artisans Depot is back with another wine tasting. Following a welcoming glass of sparkling, expert Ian Shaw will present six wines from Southern Rhône. Tickets cost £35 per person and can be booked by emailing artisansdepotwimbledon@gmail.com or getting in touch via Instagram.
Where: Artisans Depot, Wimbledon Chase
When: Wednesday 8 October, 7.30–9pm
📽 Wimbledon International Short Film Festival: Polka Theatre is screening the fantastic award-nominated short films from a shortlist of around 300 international entries. Award categories include animation, drama, comedy, documentary and environmental film. You get to vote on the night for your favourite film too, with the Audience Award. Tickets are £14.25 for general admission and £7.50 for under 25s. Book here.
Where: Polka Theatre
When: Saturday 11 October, 6.30–10pm
🧀 Love Wimbledon local market on the Piazza: Welcome back to the monthly market offering a delightful mix of artisan stalls. Whatever it is that you fancy, this market has it: from Bombay Delight’s award-winning curries to secondhand vinyl classics courtesy of So Pop Vinyl.
Where: The Piazza, Wimbledon
When: Saturday 4 October – Sunday 5 October, 11am – 6pm
🍾 Pol Roger Champagne Masterclass: Pol Roger has been around for 175 years, and in that time the champagne powerhouse has carved out a serious reputation for itself. Discover the remarkable range of Pol Roger Champagne, including the Brut Rosé 2018, the Blanc de Blancs 2015 and the esteemed Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2015. Tickets are £55 and include five different champagnes to taste as well as some nibbles, cheese and charcuterie.
Where: Amathus, Wimbledon Village
When: Thursday 9 October, 6.30-8pm
Wimble readers take the Caddi Club by storm ⛳️
A couple of weeks ago, I put a call-out in The Wimble for readers who fancied a free game of golf at the Caddi Club: the biggest indoor golf venue of its kind in Europe. Nearly 40 of you got in touch to express your interest, which was lovely to see. In the end, we had a group of 10 strong golfers turn up (myself not included: I am still terrible at golf).
It was a lovely evening, and the staff at the Caddi Club took care of us throughout the night and made everyone feel welcome. A huge thank you to Nadia, Adam, Adeel, Phil, Joe and Justine (and her lovely family) for coming and giving it a proper go. Obviously skill levels vary at these sorts of events, but the beauty of the Caddi Club is that there are options for everyone, regardless of whether your ability is that of Rory McIlroy or Mr Bean.
I asked one of our attendees, Joe Connolly, to sum up the venue in three words. Here’s what Joe said: “Fantastic friendly facility.” Nice bit of alliteration there — thanks, Joe!
Like many of our readers, I’m what you would call an “amateur” golfer. By that, I mean that I can’t swing a club to save my life. But luckily the Caddi Club isn’t just about being a semi-pro on the driving range. In fact, they’ve started a new scheme called Work From the Club, which is essentially their version of hot desking. For £15, you can work in their lovely lounge from 7am to 5pm, use their Wi-Fi, have unlimited tea and coffee, snack on a pastry, and they even throw in 30 minutes of bay time so you can take your work anger out on the driving range. Check out Caddi’s website here for more details.
The Caddi Club are already gearing up for Christmas, so check out their events page to see what’s coming. Pay & Play is available on their website, and for the keen golfers among us there are four membership spots left to grab.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I asked you which site in Wimbledon was bombed in 1940 during the Blitz. The answer: Centre Court.
Q: In which year did The Wombles perform at Glastonbury?
You’re up to date 👋
I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of The Wimble. A big shout out to all of our readers who signed up for the Caddi Club event. We’re looking to do more events like it — both with the Caddi and beyond — so keep your eyes peeled. Please keep sharing The Wimble with your friends and family. And do check out the nominees and winners of this year’s Best Business Awards.