What’s New

Meet the Local Singles

If you’re single and bored of dating apps, Bridge Baker are calling for Fulham locals to join them at their “Meet the Local Singles” evenings. This new series of social sessions take place at their 811 Fulham Road Bakery and Pizzeria. The evenings are small informal gatherings of approximately 20 singles, with the emphasis on a relaxed an easy environment for single locals to chat, make new connections and enjoy a midweek night out.

The next event takes place on Thursday 20 (at 7 pm) and Fulham resident, owner of Bridge Baker Gauri Nafrey told Urban Village LDN more. “At the suggestion of a local customer we’ve started hosting these events for singles. There’s no speed dating, or formalities we just provide a lovely opportunity for single individuals 25+ to mix and mingle over food and drink - the old fashioned way - face to face. We can’t guarantee equal numbers of men and women but we will try our best”.

So SW6 singletons if you’re finding it hard to meet new people, and apps tricky to navigate, the team at Bridge Baker would love you to join them at their next event. The ticket price of £22 includes a freshly baked pizza and a drink (a choice of wine, beer or a soft drink). Tickets must be pre booked before the event starts at 7pm. Dress code is smart casual and you can find out more on the link below.

Druce Real Estate

There are a few new real estate alternatives popping up alongside those who’ve been long established in our urban village. One of those newbies is Druce who, although they’ve been in existence since 1822, are new to SW6. They’ll be opening their first Fulham branch this month at 62 New Kings Road (Hally’s, Koji end!). To herald their arrival they’ve currently got a “no strings attached” 0% commission offer on both sales and rentals. This is open to all clients in SW6 and they are also happy to offer free market appraisals for anyone interested in understanding the current market.

Describing themselves as a boutique agency, Druce offers an extensive range of services including property management, asset management, sales, and lettings to customers both locally and internationally. They have other London branches including Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill and beyond the UK they’ve expanded internationally with offices in Dubai, Singapore, and Vietnam allowing them to offer cross-border real estate services.

Urban Village LDN caught up with Iqbal Miah, an associate at Druce and a former resident of Fulham. “I know the area and the community well because I used to live on Munster Road. We’re keen to collaborate with local businesses and have just filmed a social media area guide showcasing businesses and our neighbours on the New Kings Road. Although our doors don’t open until mid-March we have already started operating in the area and we’d love to hear from residents who are interested in selling or renting their property”.

Charm Bar

Accessories of Old is a treasure trove, a real Aladdin’s cave of vintage and dead stock jewellery; definitely worth popping in for a nose around next time you’re passing. There’s an interesting back story to this SW6 business run by local residents Lisa and Jon Goldsmith after Lisa’s grandfather started the business in 1918 in South Africa. From both Fulham locations, the Railway Arch on Munster Road and the Parsons Green Depot, they sell jewellery to the public, film, TV & theatre companies and vintage dealers.

As well as being a fantastic destination for magpies and jewellery lovers both locations now have have charm bars in store. They’ve started hosting charm jewellery making parties, a great idea for a girls night out, a hen do or birthday parties. These events can be hosted at Accessories of Old either during the day or in the evening and Urban Village LDN spoke to Jon who told us more. “Events seemed like a natural extension to what we do and we’ve really enjoyed meeting party goers and hosting them here in our charm rooms in Fulham. Basically how it works is you choose a chain and then select as many charms as you wish, to add to bracelets or necklaces.  Most people choose 5, 7 or 9 charms, but this is totally up to you to decide what you feel works best for you. Prices start from £20 for a 18ct gold plated, or silver plated, vintage chain, plus 5 charms, but this is just a guide and the price may vary a little, depending on how many charms you choose”.

You’ll need to book in for your event or the charm bar if you’re a party of five and over. Simply head over to their website and fill out the booking form. Parties of less than five can usually come in on a walk in basis. Jon told us “if there is no room in the charm room, we will find you another space. We have never had to turn people away from making their jewellery …yet!”.

Big Give x Dance West

DanceWest is an award winning charity, based in a purpose built professional quality dance studio at the Sands End Arts & Community Centre (SEACC), and their mission is to enable everyone to have access to dance. Since 2014 they have pioneered dance programmes offering a creative response to issues including poor health, socio-economic disadvantage and unequal access to physical activity. This year they’ve been invited for the first time to take part in the Big Give “Arts for Impact” campaign which goes live on 18 March and runs for a week. Funds raised will support DanceWest’s “Move to Health” programme, a dance and well being programme for adults aged 60 and over which encourages regular movement, improving strength and mobility, reducing loneliness, helping participants stay active and independent.

If you haven’t heard of The Big Give they’re an organisation that brings together large donors, philanthropists, foundations and businesses, the public and charities who need their support. They then match what the public and large funders donate, doubling the difference that everyone, including the charities, can make.

Urban Village LDN spoke to Julia Fitzelle, Director at Dance West to find out more. “We’re delighted that The Big Give have invited us to take part in this campaign, especially as we’re starting to look at further diversifying our income streams in what has been a challenging landscape for the arts. We’ve never been part of one of their campaigns before so we’re looking forward to raising awareness about DanceWest and making new connections. We’re excited to run our first digital fundraising campaign, it’s going to be a whirlwind of a week, not only raising funds for our Move to Health programme but building relationships and extending the DanceWest community”.

DanceWest’s “pay-what-you-can” Move to Health classes here in Fulham foster improved health, combat isolation and loneliness and address critical challenges for adults aged 60 + including the dangers of falls, social isolation, and a lack of regular, enjoyable physical activity. Reduced mobility and strength increase the risk of falls, often leading to serious health issues and loss of independence. Move to Health tackles these issues through fun weekly dance and fitness classes designed to improve physical health, reduce falls and strengthen social connections. Best summed up by one participant aged 74  “Meeting people here is wonderful. We miss each other when someone can’t come. Keeps me motivated and happy. I feel like I’ve achieved something each time. If this program stopped, we’d all be so disappointed.”

The Big Give campaign goes live on 18 March until then you can find out more about DanceWest on the link below. We’re sure with the help of donors from the West London community and beyond, that DanceWest will smash their fundraising target of 4k so the Move to Health programme can continue.

Raymond James, Fulham

Urban Village LDN, before the end of the financial year, sat down with SW6 residents and wealth managers Dasha Plotnikova and Max Scholey from Raymond James, Fulham to find out more about the bespoke service they offer. Dasha told us “one of the main reasons we launched Raymond James, Fulham is that we believe all clients deserve the best service. For us, one of the key components is ensuring people have one port of call, one person to speak to about their financial situation and investments in plain English, instead of being passed around from team to team”.

Dasha and Max believe in building long term relationships so they can guide their clients through the years. Ensuring they can fund the lifestyle they want, support loved ones, navigate big life changes such as moving house, career breaks, pivots or retirement. Raymond James, Fulham start the process with a free initial consultation so that all parties can get to know each other and make sure they are the right fit. Dasha continues “personal finances are, by their very nature, personal. That’s why it is important to find a wealth manager with whom you are comfortable. Every client is different so we create a plan and investment strategy that is individual to them”.

Max picks up the conversation, “when helping people with their finances, there are three main things that we can do. Cash flow planning to see whether you are on track to meet your goals or if any adjustments need to be made. Our bread and butter is investment management. If cash flow planning is the architect’s drawing, then investment management is the building. This is where we carefully select and align investments with a client’s plan putting them in the best position to achieve their goals. Finally, we can introduce financial planning when considering more complex issues such as inheritance tax and estate planning”.

If you’d like to find out more and see how Raymond James, Fulham can help you with your financial goals get in touch with Dasha and Max (Fulham@RaymondJames.com) or find out more on the link below.

Disclaimer: With investment, your capital is at risk.