Jeff Bezos spent £50m in Venice. We raised £50,000 for local charities

Plus: How Wimbledon's Championships are an example for the government to follow

Jul 17, 2025

Good morning, Wimblers — I hope that everyone is enjoying the lovely weather.

The Championships are over! I’m sure that many of our readers watched the finals on Saturday and Sunday. As much as we love the tennis, it’s also nice to know that we can relax now (and that we can get a reservation at a local restaurant!).

This week we’ve got your usual news snippets, a very old-world property of the week, some great recommendations and an interview with a mentor from Regenerate: a charity that supports young people’s development in South London. Around the same time that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was spending £50 million on his obscenely expensive Venice wedding, the good people of Regenerate were in the same city: raising money to help young people across South London.

Do get in touch if you have any ideas: zak@thewimble.com.

Happy reading!

News snippets 🗞

⛑ A ‘mischievous’ tortoise has been rescued from a house in Merton after starting a blaze and torching its own home. The naughty tortoise knocked over his heat lamp, which fell onto the hay — a combustible material — in his aquarium. Crews from Mitcham, Wimbledon, Tooting and Wallington fire stations were called at 11.40am on Thursday 10 July. The fire was under control by 12.22pm. The crew also rescued a dog from the property, who was hiding under the stairs. Read more about it here.

🥇 Jason Cowley’s recent article in the New Statesman argues that the government could “learn a thing or two” from the All England Club. Why? Because the AELTC “works right on so many levels” in a country where the common complaint is: “Nothing works.” Cowley isn’t the first to point out just how efficient the AELTC is. In his 2021 essay, John Lanchester pointed out how the All England Club purchased pandemic insurance at the cost of £1.5m a year in the aftermath of the 2003 SARS epidemic. At the time it seemed a tad excessive, but when Covid struck in 2020, the AELTC cancelled the tournament and “trousered” cheques for £174m. That is, as John Lanchester argued, “what a competent government looks like”. Both articles are worth a read, whether you think that the AELTC is a well-oiled machine or not. Either way, share your opinions below:

🛑 TfL is to close Church Road and Lower Green West Mitcham Street for two months. The roads are shut from Monday 14 July until mid-September due to “joint water and gas main works” according to TfL. The closures also mean that several bus routes will be diverted, which you can read about here.

🗒 One of our readers pointed out last week that the link to a previous article about the proposed AELTC expansion was behind a paywall. If some of you weren’t able to access that article, there’s a free link to BBC’s coverage here.

Property of the week 🏡

This house was built in 1863 and has been owned by the same family for decades… and you can tell! I love how traditional this house looks. There’s something grand about it, something almost stately. The house has four bedrooms, three reception rooms, an entrance porch and a cloakroom. (So plenty of room for you Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery parties.) But what’s the damage? Well, this charming antique home will set you back £2.6m. So, not exactly cheap but worth it — at least in my book. Check out more photos here.

The Wimble’s to-do list 🎭

🎭 Twelfth Night at Cannizaro Park: Mayhem Theatre Company is performing Twelfth Night as you’ve never seen it before. The evening promises everything from farcical clowning to magical music, all whilst sitting under the beautiful summer sun (just as Shakespeare intended). Tickets are £22.50 for adults and £10.50 for children.

Where: Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon Village

When: Wednesday 23 July - Saturday 26 July, 7.30pm

🙋‍♀️ Ask the experts at Wimbledon Museum: Get ready to learn about Wimbledon’s rich history from the chair of the local history group, Michael Norman Smith, and his colleague Sheila Dunman. Ask all of your burning questions, whether that be about historical landmarks or famous Wimbledon families. The event is free and no booking is required.

Where: Wimbledon Museum, Wimbledon Village

When: Saturday 19 July, 2.30-5pm

🎻 St John’s lunchtime recital: Soprano Charlotte Brosnan will be accompanied by pianist Robert Mingay-Smith to perform songs by Bridge, Previn, Goodall and Puccini. The event is free, though donations can be made at the recital.

Where: St John the Baptist

When: Friday 25 July, 12.30pm onwards

🦅 The Boy with Wings: I reviewed this lovely children’s show last week, which you can read here. It’s only on for a limited time, so do grab a ticket for you and the kids. The show is a great fun, with live music (rap battles included), some great costume designs and an immersive set. This is not one to miss – grab your tickets here.

Where: Polka Theatre

When: Saturday 21 June – Saturday 16 August

🦋 Butterfly and Dragonfly walk: Follow local volunteers Sam Riley and Les Evans-Hill as they teach you about the Commons’ vast array of butterfly and dragonfly species. The walk will take in the Plain, woodland, Bluegate Pond, Hookhamslade Pond and Queensmere Pond. Refreshments will be available before and after the walk. The event is free of charge but there is a suggested £5 donation to support Wimbledon and Putney commons. Book your spot here.

Where: Ranger’s Office, Windmill Road

When: Saturday 26 July, 2-4pm

✨ MATERIAL GURLS by Mel and Luqwanda: Head to Tunnel 267 for a night of drag debauchery. The event will feature lip sync performances, audience interaction and a surprise guest performance. This event is 18+ and tickets can be bought here.

When: Tunnel 267, The Broadway

Where: Thursday 24 July, 7.30pm

‘As long as you’re walking up the hill together, you feel less alone’: In conversation with a young mentor from Regenerate

It’s hard to put into words just how much work Regenerate has done for young people in Southwest London, but I’ll give it a go.

Founded 25 years ago, Regenerate was designed to help young people on estates in Roehampton, Putney and beyond. The charity has grown over the years, inspiring young people – ages 10-25 – to build strong relationships, find a purpose and contribute positively to society. Not only do they guide young people through their youth club and sports activities, but they also offer one to one mentoring schemes for those needing guidance in school and the world of work.

The Wimble spoke to Maani who has been working as a mentor for Regenerate for the past year and a half.

The Wimble: Tell me about your role as a mentor.

Maani: Day-to-day, I travel around London and I meet with young people. I talk with them about what they’re going through, what they’re struggling with. These sessions are spaces where young people, mentees, can talk about their emotions, how they’re getting on at school and how confident they feel. It’s really about listening to them. It also depends on the age of the mentee. If you’re working at our coffee shop Feel Good – the age range is 16-25 – then we might focus on work etiquette like getting to your shift on time, not leaning on the counter or using your phone during the service. But if you’re a mentee in school (10-18 years old) who is in a difficult spot, then we’ll focus on why you’re in that spot, why you’re having trouble at school. It’s about giving those young people a chance to breathe and to take a minute and figure out why they’re in that situation.

There’s a lot going on for young people, no matter what stage of life they’re in. I think my role as a mentor is about breaking down the parts of a mentee’s life that are tricky and then guiding them to be the best version of themselves.

How long have you been a mentor?

I’ve been a mentor for about a year and a half but I’ve been involved with Regenerate since I was about five or six. They used to have this double-decker bus that they would drive around the estates in Roehampton where I grew up, and they’d have a PlayStation on there and they’d do youth club sessions which I’d attend. For as long as I’ve been conscious, Regenerate has been there. When I was 16, Regenerate took me and some other young people on a trip to Romania. It was my first time getting on a plane. And being guided through that experience was so important for me.

I think I’ve learnt a lot from being a mentor. I’ve realised that different people require different strategies, and a lot of my job is figuring out which approach is going to work for which mentee. But I’ve also learnt a lot about myself. I can see myself in the people that I mentor. I was just like them less than five years ago, and I can see the mistakes that I made. Knowing my own mistakes helps me to guide others away from them. They can’t avoid all of them, but if I can get them to avoid one or two then I feel like I’ve done my job.

Why do you think that role models are important now more than ever?

I think role models are important because they’re not only people that you can look up to; they’re people who can have a positive influence on your life. Without role models, it’s very easy to follow the wrong person or the wrong path. It’s so important to be able to look towards a person who is not just doing the right things but is a human being too – someone you can relate to. Role models shouldn’t just be celebrities; they should be people that we know, people that we can talk to. A role model is also someone who has usually gone through a similar situation to you. It’s also someone who can tell you when you’re making mistakes – maybe even that they’re disappointed in you – but that it’s ok and that they’re there to help.

Youth clubs have been closing down for years in London. What impact do you think that this has had?

I think that there’s an enormous shortage of spaces for young people. And because of that, they need to go to places and make those spaces their own; that’s why you find so many young people hanging around in shopping centres and car parks. I remember going to youth clubs as a kid. It was some of the best times that I ever had. Maybe a young person hasn’t got a PlayStation or Wi-Fi working at home, and so the youth club is just a space where they can go and meet other young people and… relax. Youth clubs are all about community. Young people need that community.

Let’s talk about your recent bike ride with Regenerate. You and the rest of the team cycled 1,000 miles from London to Venice and raised over £50,000 to support your mentoring work. What was that experience like?

It was hard [laughs]. Nothing can really prepare you for the scale of it, both mentally and physically. Waking up one morning and realising that you’re going to cycle 120 km is a shock. But it was also a huge bonding experience for everyone involved. There were 25 of us who made the cycle – staff, supporters, alumni and current beneficiaries – and the level of encouragement that we had for each other made it feel as though we were this tribe cycling from London to Venice.

Some people on the trip hadn’t been on a bike for more than an hour before. Visualising what this cycle meant for them really kept me going. I mean, it was tough for all of us. We were all going through it, but we were going through it together. We were all pedalling up the same hill. And don’t get me wrong; sometimes you’d have to get off and walk. But as long as you’re walking up that hill together, you feel less alone.

Question of the week 🔍

Last week, I asked who the youngest man to win the Wimbledon men’s singles was. The answer: Boris Becker. (Easy!)

Q: Which of these artists did not play at Wimbledon Palais?

You’re up to date 👋

Thank you for reading this week’s edition. Do check out Regenerate’s website and be sure to head down to their coffee shop Feel Good in Southfields and Battersea Power Station. (It’s excellent coffee – and I’m not just saying that because they were so nice to me.) Keep sending in your photos, ideas and stories: zak@thewimble.com. Other than that, have a great week and we’ll catch you next time.