What’s New & Happening in Fulham

What’s New

Support Local

Doors to many of our local Fulham restaurants, pubs and watering holes as you know re open on 4 July. We can only begin to imagine the hard work and preparation that has gone into getting businesses COVID secure, on line booking systems functioning and new ways of ordering up and running. So as lockdown lifts again and the stay at home mantra changes we hope the Fulham community continues to support local, including all our independent retailers that opened up last month, and those suppliers we found a god send during lockdown.

We fear that many businesses will continue to struggle, especially hospitality with reduced capacity, covers etc, and we are already hearing that some local endeavours won’t make it out of lockdown such as Slice Fitness/Cupcake Family Club who won’t be reopening (although they retain an on line presence with Slice Fitness) and Re Centre in Hammersmith.

We will keep updating the web-site, as we evolved in the early stages of the pandemic and during lockdown so we too will pick our way out of it and continue to adapt. We are providing free listings and continue to utilise our on line space as a free resource for users and businesses. If you’d like to recommend a business/service, local restaurant or retailer get in touch urbanvillageldn@gmail.com and tell us why? We like our listings to be tried and tested!

Although we hear we have competition incoming we hope you continue to support our endeavours and spread the word about Urban Village LDN; after all we are still the only Fulham dedicated web-site/on line magazine and we were the first!

Gluten Free Granola

Early subscribers may remember we featured Fulham Resident Jeremy Jaffe, aka The Food Agent, in “Made in Fulham” last year. For many years The Food Agent have been supplying gluten free oats and producing granola for a host of restaurants, high end hotels, members clubs and coffee shops and now they’re bringing these products direct to consumers via their on line shop.

Jeremy told Urban Village LDN “working with respected British farmers, we source only the finest certified gluten free oats which we use to create the highest quality granola for the best value. We work directly with the farmers to get the freshest product at the keenest price. So now we can pass that on to you”. 

We didn’t know that oats are naturally gluten free, you learn something new every day, but are often cross contaminated with other crops such as wheat and barley during the farming process. The Food Agent work with specialists in gluten free production and their on line shop is currently selling luxury fruit and nut and no nut vegan granola. There are plans to introduce new products and Jeremy told us to expect different flavours and keto/protein options soon. Lucky us - we’ve already taste tested the luxury fruit and nut (gifted) - and although we find some granola to be a bit of a tough chomp, that was not the case here. The Food Agent granola is a delicious combination of sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, sultanas, raisins, almonds, cashew, pecan and hazel nuts with just the right amount of sweet with the addition of demerara sugar and maple syrup. The on line shop is now open and you can order x 6 bags of 500 g granola for £29.94 - the no nuts version is £25.50

Palace Gardens re-open

In case you haven’t heard, the Fulham Palace gardens re-opened on Monday 29 June

The gardens are open seven days a week from dawn until 6 pm and, as always, entrance to the grounds is free of charge. The walled garden will be open from 10.15 am to 4.15 pm with entrance FREE for all “Friends and Patrons”. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to sign up as a Friend of Fulham Palace which means you receive a Membership card and are allowed free access over the next couple of months. The Fulham Palace Trust will be asking for a voluntary donation from all other visitors, this is to help manage numbers in this more enclosed space and as a contribution towards additional opening costs.

The café will also re-open from 9.30 to 17.00 but for takeaway only, at least initially. We can’t wait to find a shady spot on the lawn in what is one of our favourite places in Fulham or to share a socially distanced tea on the terrace.

To become a Friend you can either sign up online (hit link below) or go to the walled garden where staff manning the Entrance can give you a Membership Form to complete and take payment (credit cards, cheque or cash all accepted).

Parson’s Nose launch ultimate burger kit

How do the team at Parson’s Nose do it - always adapting and bringing something new to the table! After experimenting, developing with top chefs, crafting and no doubt perfecting, they’ve now launched their ultimate burger kit.

For £25 the kit for four includes: Parson’s Nose 150 g seasoned British prime aged beef patties, demi brioche buns from Bridge Baker, rashers of their own Parson's Nose smoked streaky bacon, slices of Red Leicester from The Cheese Merchant, crispy fried onion, sliced gherkin and a range of their own brand artisan garnishes including Chipolte Mayo and their award winning Canchelo's chimichurri; the only thing you might want to add is a few slices of tomato and some lettuce leaves.

We’re told there are limited supplies for online delivery but if you order before 12 noon you can hopefully get the kit on the same day (dependent on stocks and excluding Saturday and Sunday). Click and collect has also just been reinstated in store and Parsons Nose’s updated opening hours are Mon to Sat (10 - 5)/Sunday (10 - 4). Whilst you’re on line ordering why not add a 5 kg bag of their of eco friendly charcoal from the Oxford Charcoal Company?

Bubblelicious

We let you know about Drink of Fulham when they first opened. No sooner had Fulham residents Zara & Callum opened, after all their hard work whilst juggling life with their first baby, they had to shut up shop on Fulham Palace Road due to lockdown. Since reopening after the easing of lockdown they have added some delicious new items to their summer offer. Why not head over say hello, particularly if the Alphabet streets are your Fulham patch, and check out their range of artisanal gelatos (served in a cup or cone) with flavours including Kinder Pingui, Full on Chocolate and Banoffee pie, mango and raspberry sorbets and their amazing bubble waffles.

Could they be the only place in Fulham serving bubble waffles? Drink of Fulham’s combinations include Nutella lover (vanilla latte ice cream, strawberries, smarties and nutella), Honey I’m home (chocolate, honeycomb gelato and crushed honeycomb) and Matcha Madness (matcha base, vanilla ice cream, raspberries and granola sprinkles).

If you’re looking to stock up they have an incredible selection of craft beers and fine wines for sale. They’ve recently started a free same day delivery to SW6, SW3, SW5 & SW10 for £30 min orders. They endeavour to deliver your drinks cold and within an hour of you placing your order, if you order before 5 pm. Orders placed after 5 pm will be delivered the following day. Perfect service for small gatherings, socially distanced at home drinks, last minute BBQs, dinners, picnics in the park or special occasions.

Opening hours have now been extended: Thursday & Friday 11 am - 4 pm/Saturday 9 am - 7pm/Sunday 10 am - 4 pm)

What’s Happening

Fulham Good Neighbours lockdown support

Urban Village LDN enjoyed speaking to Jamie Hilton, Director, of Fulham Good Neighbours about the work they’ve been doing during lockdown. Since 1966 Fulham Good Neighbours (FGN) has provided older and disabled people with neighbourly support in their homes and gardens.

Their vision “to create an inclusive community where neighbours look out and care for each other” and mission to “enrich the lives of older and disabled residents of Fulham by providing practical help, creating opportunities to contribute to society, connect with others and live life to the fullest” has certainly been put to the test during lockdown. With the closure of their community centre at Rosaline Hall they, like so many others, have had to adapt and move as many of their free services as they could online.

Jamie told Urban Village LDN “older and disabled members of the community have been hit particularly hard by the Coronavirus lock-down. As such we have had to think creatively about how we adjusted and transitioned our services to maintain safety for all. Projects such as the chair based exercise and art groups have gone online; we will look to maintain these services alongside the in-person version of these once it is safe to do so. The befriending and reading groups are now both via telephone, as is digital inclusion support. Our Good Neighbour Scheme, providing support for essential tasks, has seen a huge surge in demand and we have introduced new projects such as online gardening workshops”.

To date during lockdown:

27 beneficiaries have received free hot meals, food packages and toiletries; delivered up to four times a week

84 residents have received technical support to prevent digital exclusion

118 have attended the online art group 

250 have attended online chair based exercise classes

300 essential tasks have been completed including shopping, medication delivery, dog walking etc

521 befriending phone conversations have taken place to prevent social isolation and exclusion

“The last volunteer who came was perfect, the shopping was perfect. I phoned to say thanks you for the help. It's wonderful.”

"I like her, it’s such a good match. She’s been great and offered to call twice a week and we speak often now. She even went to the pharmacy to take my prescription. She brought it to the door and I’ve seen her. I know what she looks like now! It’s been good since I’ve meet you at Fulham Good Neighbours, it doesn’t feel so lonely."

We felt it only fitting that we conclude with some words from Joyce a Fulham resident who has been involved with the Fulham Good Neighbour Service since the early 1970s; she also takes a mean selfie. Joyce started as an office volunteer and became a senior member of staff until her retirement. Joyce has now become a beneficiary attending pre lock down pub lunch clubs, is currently taking part in exercise sessions via Zoom and is still volunteering at the age of 92.

“As I expected, as soon as coronavirus arrived in this country FGN started making contingency plans. Their HQ, Rosaline Hall, was not suited to social distancing so staff prepared to work from home. Social groups, meeting there or elsewhere, could no longer take place and befriending volunteers could not continue to visit people in their homes. The gardening and decorating projects had to be suspended. This meant contacting, individually, all the participants, not only to keep them informed but to find out whether they had any needs which FGNS could meet (I was one of those telephoned). Weekly telephone contact was arranged with those who felt they would benefit. Where shopping was involved, this was undertaken under strict isolation conditions, with delayed payment arrangements to avoid handling money, i.e. an honesty system. I myself (luckily not living alone) am now in regular phone contact with a vulnerable person, thus fulfilling FGNS’s overall aim to enable older people (I am 92) to continue to take an active part in their community.”.

If you know anyone that needs support please get in touch. Sadly a large chunk of their income has been lost due to the cancellation of the annual Parsons Green Fair, and so now more than ever they are looking to the public for support with fundraising please contact info@fulhamgoodneighbours.org or get in touch on 020 7385 885

Take a look at the Fulham Good Neighbours Art Group on line art exhibition here https://fgns-art-group.weebly.com/

Free Cakes for Kids

Local resident Monika got in touch to tell us about Free Cakes for Kids Fulham. This new group was set up in May as part of a non profit nationwide organisation which was founded in 2008 by Henriette Lundgren in Oxford and has since grown to nearly 60 volunteer groups around the country.

This group of amateur bakers share the simple belief that every child deserves a birthday cake no matter what their circumstances. Monika told us “we bake birthday and celebration cakes for families who find it difficult to provide a birthday cake for their child for reasons such as financial hardship or illness. All cakes are baked 100% by volunteers, who operate locally and independently in their own private kitchens. Our cakes are homemade and delicious, usually featuring the child’s favourite theme and colours such as their favourite football team, Disney princesses or Cartoon character. We do this because we love baking and are passionate about our communities. We bake cakes for families in need. A single birthday cake may not end poverty or hunger, but it will make a huge difference to the birthday child and their families”.

Free Cakes for Kids Fulham is a growing community and they are working to secure more referral partners and recruit enthusiastic and talented volunteer bakers to bake the cakes for children in the area who might not otherwise have a cake to celebrate their birthday. In the first month of setting up the group they agreed a referral partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank, Crosslight Advice and are working to connect with more organizations and Fulham bakers.

We Rise Together

To celebrate inspirational acts of human kindness in Hammersmith and Fulham during the COVID-19 pandemic the council have launched the “We Rise Together” awards. The community has certainly risen up to the many challenges presented by these unprecedented times. Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham says “If there’s anything uplifting to come out of this terrible pandemic it is the inspirational acts of kindness that have been happening in a myriad of ways each day during the current pandemic. I want us to celebrate these thoughtful and often heroic acts, to reflect how our community has come together with resilience and compassion. That is why we are launching the We Rise Together awards to mark those individual and collective kindnesses that have helped and inspire all of us”.

The categories include:

Individual - someone who has selflessly devoted their time to help their neighbourhood or wider community during the current crisis.

Community organising – a local organisation or group of neighbours that has swung into action to support vulnerable residents or to adapt their activities to ensure people stay connected.

Local business – a local company that has used its skills or facilities to support the local community and ensure people can access the goods and services they need.

School or college – a local educational establishment that has worked hard to ensure that students and families are supported and has adapted to help them learn in new ways.

Technological or creative innovator – a person or organisation that has developed new solutions that have helped to protect people, enabled them to keep connected in new ways or ensured they can get the support they need.

The deadline for nominations is Friday 10 July and you can nominate anyone who lives, works, studies or volunteers in H&F or any community organisation working in the borough using the form below. All entries will be considered by a panel of judges. There will be three awards for each category and plans for awarding the winners will be announced soon. Due to the current circumstances winners can’t be awarded in person but alternative plans are being worked on.

Made in Fulham

It never fails to surprise us what a talented bunch you Fulham folks are. Each month Urban Village Ldn introduces you to THe Fulham face behind an idea, product or business and ask them what they love about being a local resident. This month we talk to Kim Perlow from Link UP London.

How long have you called Fulham home? I moved to Fulham almost 10 years ago and have loved the green spaces and sense of community. I remember the second time I went into a shop and the owner remembered me from a week before. Prior to moving here, I had been living in the same place for 5 years and this had never happened, so I knew that living here would be different from the outset!  

Tell us a bit about yourself/and your family. I am originally from New York but have been living internationally for the past 23 years. After working in Azerbaijan and Croatia on programmes developing the charity sector in these countries, I moved to London with my husband and it has now become home, and we love it! We have 2 boys ages 9 and 15 and a lovely red fox Labrador puppy who is keeping us very entertained.

What’s your favourite local haunt and why?   We are so excited that Bridge Baker opened and has thrived at the end of Studdridge Street. We have wanted a really good bakery on Wandsworth Bridge Road for years and this has definitely met this need!

What is your slice of Fulham heaven and why? We spend a lot of time in South Park with our dog and have gotten to know many of our neighbours there, it’s a wonderful little gem. I also love walking along the river and in the gardens in Bishop’s Park and eventually ending up in the lovely Palace café for a coffee.

What have you missed about Fulham life during the pandemic? I truly miss going out to restaurants (and having someone else do the cleaning up!) and having leisurely coffees with friends in one of our many local cafes. However, it’s been quite wonderful to not have the constant flow of airplanes!

What local shop/service/business has helped make life easier during the pandemic? Bridge Baker continued to supply bread, pastries and sandwiches along with some fruits, vegetables, eggs and flour. Randell’s also was always well stocked. We tried to order from local restaurants to support them and were excited to find Manuka Kitchen and Brooklyn Pizza which have become family favourites along with Thaiphoon.

If you could do one thing to improve Fulham what would it be?  Improve the traffic flow. It is the most frustrating thing about living here. That is one thing I didn’t miss during lockdown!

Tell us about Link UP London and how it came to be.  While working at a policy organisation a few years back, I was looking to volunteer in a substantive and flexible way and struggled to find a role that fit my schedule. At the same time, at my sons’ school I met many highly skilled women who were on a career break and trying to figure out their next steps. From this, Link UP London’s Skilled Volunteering was formed so that talented women and men could contribute their skills to local charitable organisations in their communities. We aim to make volunteering easy by creating structured, flexible, time-bound opportunities for people to share their skills such as finance, legal, PR/marketing, human resources, social media, strategy and much more, with local charitable organisations. These organisations continue to experience increased demand and decreased resources but are usually unable to afford high level skills that are incredibly valuable in helping them to improve their work and reach more people. As part of our skills mobilization mandate we introduced our ReLaunch Programme in early 2018 and through small group workshops support women on a career break to identify their strengths, build confidence, define a goal and clarify their next steps. While skilled volunteering is not a necessary part of ReLaunch, we have found time and time again that taking part in one of these projects helps build confidence and remember the value of skills quite quickly. I’ve been extremely lucky to have an incredibly talented Fulham resident, Nancy Saichin, join Link UP in 2017 and she has played an integral part of launching our ReLaunch Programme and our overall strategic development.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of starting their own enterprise?   Have a clear plan, build a committed support network, test your services and refine them and then go for it! If it’s something you’re passionate about, and are willing to work for, you will make it happen. Even if it’s slow at first, give it time and stay focused.

What is the key piece of advice you’d give to women looking to relaunch?  Confidence is one of the things that we, as women, struggle with most. Unfortunately, as one of our ReLaunch coaches is fond of saying, there is no magic formula for people to gain confidence. It comes mainly from being willing to put yourself out there and begin to do things. Once you start, even if you stumble a bit, you will be on your way.