Musicians without festivals: surviving another year of uncertainty
“I feel like my memory of the South London jazz scene in full swing is already fading, because I just …
Features Archive
Mayor announces accommodation plans for 10 homeless families
A building in Brockley, Lewisham is set to be transformed into temporary accommodation for 10 homeless families but figures show …
As art galleries reopen, a guide to the best exhibitions
Art galleries in east and south-east London reopened last Monday and whether an art-lover or not quite, this list will …
May 26, 2021/
Arts, Arts Features, Features, Upcoming, What To Do This Week/
How Croydon is tackling rough sleeping
Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham and Croydon councils have received government grants of over £1m to tackle rough sleeping, Croydon receiving the …
Return of festivals: What you should expect this summer
South East Londoners can expect a very different festival experience this summer, as festivals prep for their return on June …
May 23, 2021/
Arts Features, Coronavirus, Croydon, Features, Summer, Tower Hamlets/
Independent tales: Bookshops’ struggle to survive the pandemic
The country has been in lockdown on-and-off for over a year now and people have used their time at home to …
May 13, 2021/
Community, Coronavirus, Features, Lewisham, Meet The Traders, Tower Hamlets/
Not going away? From festivals to parks, our guide for a stay-at-home summer
by Fenella Breaks and Monet Olrod As Londoners face yet another summer stuck in the UK, why not make the …
Decoding the language of Business Improvement Districts
The psychology behind how Business Improvement Districts market themselves
April 21, 2021/
Data, Features, Lead Stories, Uncategorized/
Debate: How should anti-social behaviour be tackled in town centres?
A local activist and the CEO of Croydon's business district give the arguments for and against Public Space Protection Orders …
April 21, 2021/
Croydon, Data, Features, Lead Stories/
Welcome to Croydon: the Stop and Search capital of South London
On day 2 of our investigation into Business Improvement Districts we examine policing in the Town Centre
April 20, 2021/
Crime, Croydon, Data, Features, General Features, Lead Stories/
Your East London guide to Summer events 2021
As the government’s gradually lifting Covid restrictions, this summer is looking up for many of us. There are many East …
April 19, 2021/
Arts, Community, Croydon, Events, Hackney, Lewisham, Music, On The Doorstep, Summer, Tower Hamlets, Upcoming, What To Do This Week/
Clean, Green, Sterile: who’s city is it?
In London, there are over 66 Business Improvement Districts and new ones form each year, but little is reported on …
April 19, 2021/
General Features, Uncategorized/
Can business run a city? In many places, it already does
To cut costs, struggling councils have allowed business groups to take partial control of services, policing, and public space
April 19, 2021/
Croydon, Data, Features, Lead Stories, Uncategorized/
Eight ways to fight air pollution from your doorstep
Day 3: An invisible menace like air pollution can be a daunting adversary. How can we fight something we can’t …
April 16, 2021/
Features, Uncategorized/
Why air pollution is a social justice issue
Day 2: As new data highlights how socially-deprived communities are disproportionately exposed to air pollution in London, local campaigners are …
April 15, 2021/
Features/
Mother Earth: the local parents fighting air pollution
Day 2: Air pollution in the capital is reaching dizzying proportions (quite literally). Meet the mothers who have had enough
April 15, 2021/
Features, Lead Stories/
Goodbye nine to five – how Covid changed work forever
While some people have hated working from home, for others there is no going back
April 14, 2021/
Coronavirus, Features, Lead Stories, Uncategorized/
How clean is the air where you live?
Day 1: Air pollution is London’s biggest challenge, with millions of Londoners being exposed to unhealthy levels. What is your …
April 14, 2021/
Features/
Viet-Cajun seafood and painted nails – how to start two new ventures during lockdown
Many people have began small businesses selling from home during lockdown, but one enterprising Hackney woman has set up two wildly different …
April 14, 2021/
Hackney, Meet The Traders/
Meet the man behind 100,000 free meals to frontline workers
When the pandemic first hit, Sujan Katuwal was tempted to close down the Nepalese restaurant that he had been running for more than 10 years. But his wife, Bandana, suggested …
April 14, 2021/
Community, Coronavirus, Lead Stories, Lewisham, Meet The Traders/
Air pollution: your questions answered
Day 1: Do you know your NO2s from your PM2.5s? Do you know if you are at risk? Our guide …
April 14, 2021/
Features, Lead Stories/
How Goat Girl guitarist beats cancer and works on new album On All Fours
If you’ve had your ear placed firmly to the concrete of South London’s bustling music scene over the last few …
Clean air: it’s time for action
Follow our series on air pollution for the next three days. #ELL4CleanAir
April 14, 2021/
Features/
Voices of Lockdown
For weeks, we have been trapped in our homes, which overnight became workplace, favourite restaurant and gym. We talked to …
April 14, 2021/
Coronavirus, Features/
Hundreds of ‘cultural gems’ get recovery fund
By Esmae Palmer and Monet Olrod More than 100 organisations across Eastlondonlines boroughs have received financial support from the Government’s …
April 14, 2021/
Arts, Arts Features, Community, Croydon, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets/
The headmaster behind the LGBTQ+ headlines
Nicholas Hewlett sits down with a calm and poised energy for our Zoom chat. Academic books are organised neatly on …
‘It’s a huge global event, a massive burden of stress’
As part of These 4 Walls series we look at how Londoners dealt with their mental illnesses behind closed doors, …
April 14, 2021/
Coronavirus, Data, Features, Lead Stories/
Shaniqua Benjamin: from a college dropout to Croydon’s first poet laureate
When Shaniqua Benjamin dropped out of university in 2013 she never thought that one day she would become the first-ever …
April 13, 2021/
Croydon, Local Hero, People/
Lockdown in your own words
To collectively fight the pandemic we have been trapped in our comfort zone…. our homes. They became our workplace, favourite …
April 13, 2021/
Community, Coronavirus, Features/
Behind closed doors: Domestic violence in lockdown
Lockdown restrictions have made women vulnerable in their own home. Not able to escape their abuser and nowhere to go, …
April 13, 2021/
Coronavirus, Data, Features/
The ELL Guide to gyms re-opening from today
From today, April 12, gyms and other types of indoor leisure are reopening in England as the covid lockdown eases. …
April 12, 2021/
General Features, What To Do This Week/
Eight ways lockdown has changed our homes and habits
For almost a year, Londoners have been trapped inside the four walls of their homes. To mark the start of …
April 12, 2021/
Coronavirus, Features/
Meet the intensive care nurse whose Covid poem goes viral
When Chloe Kerwood sat down at 2 am on April 2 to write her poem about the mental and physical …
April 11, 2021/
Community, Coronavirus, Croydon, Features, Health, Local News, People/
Meet the entrepreneurs of Covid
The pandemic has left many local businesses on their knees – but not all. From the drive-in wedding planner to …
Meet three of Sunak’s forgotten three million
Over three million people have been left in the lurch after falling through the gaps for government grants. Three different …
April 8, 2021/
Features/
First austerity, then Covid – how can councils balance the books?
With falling incomes and increased expenditure, further cuts to local services are inevitable. Only more government spending can prevent this
Can our High Streets survive the pandemic?
During one week in lockdown, we spoke to local traders on Deptford High Street. What follows is snapshot of how …
April 6, 2021/
Features/
Grant us our future: will local businesses ever recover from Covid?
A series by Isabelle Walker, Niamh Houston and Caitlin Tilley Small businesses in the Eastlondonlines boroughs have experienced a steady …
Making blankets for the homeless – out of crisp packets
Despite experiencing a demanding few months making blankets, Keare Pearce-Downey cracks a friendly smile on the Zoom call. The 34-year-old …
How can we bridge London’s digital divide?
We speak to CEO of charity Good Things Foundation Helen Milner on the tools needed to fight digital exclusion