Alan Slingsby 1949 – 2026 It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of Alan Slingsby, our editor. Alan died at home suddenly and unexpectedly - we believe of heart failure - on 28 January. Throughout his life, Alan dedicated himself to impartial and high quality journalism, and as…

Top Papal honour for Brixton equality campaigner Yogi Sutton, a parishioner of Brixton’s Corpus Christi catholic church, received one of the highest honours for a lay person in the faith at a ceremony at the Brixton Hill church yesterday (25 January). In recognition of her tireless work…

Blog Dog of the Week The sausage strolls The Blog and Bugle team had the absolute pleasure of meeting Ned, Bruno, Ronnie and Frankie, a string of dachshunds on their sausage strolls in Brockwell Park. This lively bunch are all chums who were clearly loving their doggy camaraderie under the…

Freezefest at Brockwell lido The rain stopped and the sun put in an appearance for Brockwell Swimmers’ first Freezefest today (24 January). But the water in the pool was 7.8ºC, and the Met Office’s “feels lie” temperature for Brixton was 5º,so it was not the day for a leisurely couple of lengths.…

Brixton’s Black, bold and beautiful creators Tamara Barton-Campbell “Black, bold and beautiful” and creating “sexy films that bang”. That’s Brixton’s Renaissance Studios. Founded in 2017, the women-led production studio nestles opposite the bustle of Brixton station and a short walk from the David…

Now Clink can deliver your canapés Image: © Harry Pseftoudis The charity behind Brixton prison’s acclaimed Clink restaurant has launched nationwide catering and bakery delivering high-quality food. Like its restaurants, The Clink Charity’s new venture, Catered by Clink, will support the…

Police appeal for witnesses following rape in Brixton Police are appealing for witnesses and information following a rape at an address in Pulross Road, Brixton, on Thursday, 8 January. A woman reported to police that she had been raped in the early hours of Thursday, 8 January, and an immediate…

Brixton Rec closes to fit new heat system Brixton Rec is to close for three or four days while a new energy centre, which the council says is to improve heating, hot water and overall reliability across the building, is installed. The Rec currently shares infrastructure with International House,…

Year of success for Brixton blood donor centre Embargoed until: 00:01 Thursday 22 January 2026 Brixton donor centre manger Rexford Osei-Bonsu outside the centre in the Bon Marché building on Brixton Road Brixton’s blood donor centre next to Marks and Spencer is celebrating its first birthday today…

Brixton’s KFC diners get a bloody reminder The unnerving sights and sounds of barely clothed women having their throats cut outside KFC in Brixton today (21 January) stopped passers-by and fast food customers in their tracks. It also attracted the attention of six police officers who kept a…

Remembering Sam King and the Windrush in Brixton Without Sam King, there would be no Windrush Day, no Windrush Square in Brixton, and the Empire Windrush itself may well have been forgotten. So it is fitting that Brixton, the spiritual home of the Windrush Generation – which itself would probably…

Council consults on Acre Lane ‘bus priority corridor’ Lambeth council has opened initial consultations on new bus lanes for Brixton’s Acre Lane. It has received funding from Transport for London (TfL)’s Bus Priority programme to improve bus journey times on Acre Lane, and to make buses more…

Lambeth among London areas worst hit by job losses The number of people employed in the borough of Lambeth fell by 2% in the year from December 2024 to December 2025. This places the borough among the weakest employment performers in London, according to data published by the employment and pay…

The D.A.R.E. podcast: mentoring and coaching at your fingertips Professor Miranda Brawn The D.A.R.E. podcast, hosted by former Lambeth equalities commissioner Professor Miranda Brawn, will feature an impressive range of guests for its third season. From Baroness Doreen Lawrence, founder of the…

Brixton library to host Alex Wheatle memorial Brixton library will host a celebration of the life of Alex Wheatle, the Brixton Bard, in February. When he passed in March 2025, the literary world lost one of its leading lights. Alex Wheatle was an award-winning novelist who wrote for both young…

New cold-water championship at the lido Brockwell FreezeFest, the lido’s first cold-water swimming championship, promises fast races, freezing water and a brilliant mid-winter atmosphere, say the organisers, Brockwell Swimmers Club. The “bold new winter swimming event” is at the lido from 10am to…

Check Brockwell Hall’s free courses A wellbeing day at the smart new Brockwell Hall will offer tasters of various activities on offer there on Saturday 24 January. You can drop in at any time between 11am and 3pm. Activities include yoga, tai chi, storytime for under-5s, Singing Mamas, health and…

Brixton House launches its 2026 season Brixton House kicks off 2026 with theatre from pioneering artists and a call out for new stories which celebrate the voices of its community. Described by the Guardian as “Captivating and powerful”, Roots Mbili Theatre’s Far Gone is a powerful one-man…

Praise for Lambeth youth justice service Lambeth Youth Justice Service (YJS) has been rated as “Good” by an inspection of its work with children and victims of crime by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMP). “There were many examples of encouraging practice at Lambeth YJS,” said Martin…

Top award for Brixton House theatre Brixton House theatre’s campaign to promote Black Power Desk – a musical produced in September as part of its Uprising Festival – has won a top award. It headed the campaign of the year category in the Stage Awards 2026. Judges said the campaign by Brixton House…

New Show In Brixton’s Tate Library Brixton’s Tate Library is currently host to an exhibition of photographs by people who have experience of homelessness. Organised by the Royal Photographic Society, Our 2025 Journey is a large collection of streetscapes, landscapes, portraits, action shots and…

New Show by Claire Brennan The Soul Awakes is Claire Brennan's new show in Kennington’s Durning Library. Claire has explored a number of different techniques and media on her eclectic artistic journey.  Her current show consists of large organic shapes made from paper and card and reminiscent of…

When beer was banned in Coldharbour Lane The Temperance Billiard Hall on Brixton's Coldharbour Lane today Temperance is not something associated with Brixton’s Coldharbour Lane in recent years, yet it is home to a important landmark for the temperance movement and features in a book on the subject…

Brixton’s new Tube mural commission Renowned British painter and local resident Hurvin Anderson, whose major Tate Britain exhibition opens in March – has been commissioned to create 10th annual mural at Brixton Tube. The new artwork will launch in November, succeeding the current mural by Rudy…

YIPPEE PIE YAY! Pie Hard is back in Brixton Pie Hard returns to Club Silly in Valentia Place on Saturday (10 January). Club Silly and 6FootStories will, once again, be showing the classic Bruce Willis Christmas action movie Die Hard while audience members hurl custard pies at each other in the…

Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton Eddie Tan Tan Thornton playing with the band Kitty. Daisy & Lewis. Image: Wendy Collings/Wikimedia The death has been announced of trumpeter Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton who played in Brixton with many of the musicians who have made it such a centre for jazz and reggae. Born…

Brixton traffic halted by bus collision Brixton Road was brought to a standstill this afternoon (5 January) by the collision of two buses. At 2pm a 109 – which was pulling out – crashed into a 133 to Holborn which was pulling in at the box-junction opposite TK Maxx. Ambulance workers arrived at…

Brockwell Live opponents warn of long-term damage to park Annual music events in Brockwell Park are not a temporary use of the park, but “part of an obviously prolonged and recurring use with lasting effects beyond the event period”, says a major objection to planning permission sought for this…

Effra frozen over

Lambeth parking charges set to soar Lambeth council is preparing to increase car parking charges in Brixton and elsewhere in the borough by up to 49%, raising a projected extra £2.8m in revenue. The total council income from parking fines in the 2026/7 financial year is projected to be near £12m…

Late Nights in Sainsbury’s The colours from the shops and traffic lights were reflected in the street floor, still wet from the evening’s rain. “That was fun.” Alex side-stepped someone as they hurried into the entrance of Brixton Tube. “The encore was incredible.” Lacey clutched onto her bag as…

New year honour for council leader Claire Holland Lambeth council leader Claire Holland Lambeth council leader Claire Holland was awarded an OBE for services to local government in the 2026 new years honours list announced tonight (29 December). The borough of Lambeth was recently named as the…

Blog double dogs of the week We held over last week’s blog dog slot to bring you a special Christmas double dose of photogenic mutts. Although the pair aren’t cohabiting, they do hang out together regularly at Brockwell Park and clearly enjoy each other’s company. The majestic mammothalike on the…

Clink restaurant retains Brixton prison role Brixton prison's Clink restaurant The Clink restaurant at Brixton prison is safe for a further five years. There had been fears that a competitive tendering process would see The Clink Charity that runs it forced out of the prison. “This is a…

Slade Gardens event raises £2k Last Saturday’s Winter Fair and Makers’ Market at Slade Gardens raised an impressive £2k to help maintain the playground, despite weather that threatened to blow down… https://brixtonblog.com/slade-gardens-event-raises-2k/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Royal Mail warns of threat to daily Brixton deliveries Parts of Brixton may not receive mail six days a week, Royal Mail said today in a regular “movement of mail through our network” announcement. Postal code SW2, which covers the South of Brixton and reaches as far as Tulse Hill, is included in…

Council plans 32 event days in Brockwell Park Drone shot of Brockwell Park in June 2025 showing the extent of festival use of the park Lambeth council has published planning application documents for the 2026 Brockwell Live events in the park and opened consultation on them that runs until 31…

Council raises Loughborough Estate concerns with government Lambeth council has asked the government to reform laws governing tenant management organisations (TMOs) following serious concern about the Loughborough Estate. The former council estate is run by a TMO, which receives several million a…

Brockwell Park campaigners suggest ‘smaller, community led’ country show The Protect Brockwell Park (PBP) campaign that opposes large music events in the park today (6 December) expressed its “delight” that Lambeth council has withdrawn its appeal against the High Court ruling PBP won earlier this…

Council blames cash crisis as country show cancelled Lambeth council today (5 December) announced the cancellation of the annual Lambeth Country Show which has run uninterrupted for several decades. The move came as the council abandoned at the last minute its appeal against a High Court ruling in…

Make Slade’s Christmas a hit Santa will be making himself at ho-ho-home in the grotto at Slade Gardens Adventure Playground this Saturday, 6 December. And if a sighting of Mr Claus himself isn't enough, there will be free crafts and activities for kids, including rabbit petting. The inspiring…

Silas gets back together with the BCO Silas Armstrong Silas Armstrong, who for two and a half years worked both as a singer and as marketing manager for the Brixton Chamber Orchestra, is getting back together with the BCO over the festive season. He has been working on his own projects, including…

Familiar local faces in second Brixton Film Festival  Reload Brixton’s Ritzy cinema rolls out the red carpet on Friday (5 December) to celebrate the best and brightest talent among local young filmmakers. Organised by the Ascension Agency and other local production companies and film collectives,…

Plans to transform Windrush Square toilets into arts bar move forward A long-awaited vision for Windrush Square is gathering pace, as plans to convert the derelict former public toilets, closed for decades, into a dynamic new arts bar take a significant step forward. At a recent meeting of the…

Gospel Christmas concert for Brixton Lambeth town hall in Brixton will host the Brixton Community Gospel Choir’s annual Christmas concert on 11 December. A Gospel Christmas! Promises a special evening of music, celebration, and community in true Brixton style – with powerful gospel harmonies,…

Christmas comes to Brixton Village Brixton Village launched its Christmas season today (29 November) with Santa and an elfin helper, plus the Wonder Window – celebrating the mix of gifts and celebratory buys on offer in the Granville Arcade and Market Row. A special attraction for each weekend in…

Lido bosses tight-lipped over meeting with bank Fusion Lifestyle, which runs Brockwell Lido, yesterday (28 November) declined to respond to requests from the Blog for details of a meeting over a £13m loan that it is trying to renegotiate. A spokesperson said that the loan – which is due to be…

Festive fun at Loughborough Junction LJ Works in Loughborough Junction is hosting a free community winter fair on 6 December.… https://brixtonblog.com/festive-fun-at-loughborough-junction/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Order Up for Xmas! Fans of Acre Lane’s Aries bakery will be excited to see its signature focaccia recipe included in a mouth-watering new cookbook, launched this week. Order Up is a compilation of recipes from some of London’s most popular cafés and restaurants, whose sales will benefit…

Migration stories at the Ritzy As part of the London Migration Film Festival, Brixton’s Ritzy cinema is hosting a series of illuminating workshops on migration Upstairs this Saturday and Sunday, 29 and 30 November. Three different events on both afternoons aim to shed factual light on one of the…