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 …
People 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 …
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 …
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 …
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/
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/
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 …
‘A piece of cake’: the silver surfers who got online
Elderly people are the least likely group to get online: 42% never use the internet at all. Will the pandemic …
Life on the wrong side of the digital divide: Joanne’s story
With limited internet access, applying for jobs is almost impossible, and even shopping for food is tricky. Here, a local …
Digital life after death: how to help the bereaved in a pandemic
With the death rate far higher than is usual, and traditional funerals outlawed, the digital divide means some people can't …
Losing his mum and wife at a young age leads Gary Coy to change lives of others
Gary Coy, a former City worker, began extensive charity work after losing his mother and wife. The traumatic events led to …
Meet the dyslexic ‘Croydon legend’ who inspires people to believe in themselves
Following a long day starting with an early morning cycle, Lee Townsend still maintained his bubbly personality when speaking with …
Meet the new chair of Croydon Women’s Football
Emma Bowell, the 29-year-old civil servant from Croydon, is taking over the role of chairperson for Croydon’s Women’s Football Club …
‘Breathing kills’: Meet the school girls behind the sign
If you haven’t seen the ‘Breathing kills’ signs that have been put up around London by a group of teenagers …
Eating Disorder Awareness Week: Opening up the conversation
Covid-19: The joys of working at a testing site
The pandemic has forced many of us to stop working but also created different kinds of job. One of our Eastlondonlines reporters, …
March 2, 2021/
Coronavirus, People/
Valentine’s Day 2021: Love in the time of Covid
How has the pandemic affected lovers? To mark Valentine’s Day, EastLondonLines speaks to three couples about the impact the virus …
The poet giving BAME youth a chance to rewrite Croydon’s history
While the museum stays shut, the borough’s poet laureate is helping young people in the area introduce a contemporary twist …
February 9, 2021/
Arts Features, Features, People/
Solving the Catch-22 for the homeless by giving them an address to call their home
A social-enterprise tackling homelessness, is currently being piloted in Lewisham. ELL spoke to its founder, Chris Hildrey. For people who …
Invest in and listen to Croydon’s young people: social activist Jonelle Awomoyi
With groups such as Extinction Rebellion and the Black Lives Matter movement, young people are now more engaged than ever …
December 2, 2020/
Community, Features, General Features, Local Hero, People/
The doctor and green activist: attacked by the alt-right and challenging Labour on its own turf
Alex Armitage is often photographed in his scrubs and his image fits the image of a young earnest doctor. But …
November 30, 2020/
Features, Local Hero, People/
Parenting during a pandemic
When Lewisham residents James and Amy Howard welcomed their son Wolfie in February, they were quite relaxed about the pandemic. …
June 1, 2020/
Community, Coronavirus, Features, Lewisham, Local News, Lockdown lifestyle, News, People, Society/
Religious groups’ outreach work during Covid-19 Lockdown
June 1, 2020/
Community, Coronavirus, Lockdown lifestyle, People, Tower Hamlets/
Stepney City farm shares gardening tips
Gardening at home is trending as lockdown heads into its 51 day, with compost selling out and online tutorials gaining …
May 13, 2020/
Community, Health, People, Tower Hamlets/
We Need To Talk: About our children in lockdown
Tanya Campbell-Rochester, 45, has been practicing as a therapist in Lewisham for the past six years, specialising in counselling for …
May 11, 2020/
Features, Health, Lewisham, Lockdown lifestyle, People/
Good deeds in Hackney, Lewisham, Croydon and Tower Hamlets during lockdown
The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown has seen many volunteers and charities step up to help the most vulnerable members …
May 8, 2020/
Community, Coronavirus, Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, People, Tower Hamlets/
We Need to Talk: Taking care of our relationships during Covid-19
As the lockdown enters its seventh week, challenges are emerging for couples, and putting a spotlight on relationship issues. Three …
May 7, 2020/
Coronavirus, Croydon, General Features, Lockdown lifestyle, People, Tower Hamlets/
When one job isn’t enough, it’s time for a side hustle
On the final day of #ThePerfectStorm, our series on debt, we spoke to four Londoners who have turned their passions …
April 18, 2020/
General Features, Lead Stories, People/
‘Working to pay off my debt landed me in hospital’
Getting out of debt can push people to breaking point. On day 3 of #ThePerfectStorm, one local ex-debtor recalls how …
April 18, 2020/
General Features, Lead Stories, People/
In debt? Could you be suffering from ‘financial PTSD’?
On day two of #ThePerfectStorm, we spoke to financial wellbeing coach Catherine Morgan, about “emotional spending” – and how, for …
April 17, 2020/
Features, Health, Lead Stories, People/
Rabbi Herschel Gluck: ‘We are not here to be vigilantes; we are here for justice’
Racist and religious hate crime across all Eastlondonlines boroughs has increased by 40 per cent. But our communities are fighting …
April 15, 2020/
Crime, Features, General Features, Hackney, Lead Stories, People/
The community worker getting Croydon’s young cooking and trading
With his experience in street trading and a desire to support teenagers with help from his family and the community, …
First COVID-19 case in Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets saw its first case of the Coronavirus yesterday according to Public Health England (PHE). The council …
March 10, 2020/
Croydon, Environment, Hackney, Health, Lead Stories, Lewisham, Local News, News, People, Society, Tower Hamlets/
Meet the young lawyers working pro-bono to make a difference
EastLondonLines speaks to three members of a Tower Hamlets student-led pro-bono clinic, who work in their free time to help …
March 9, 2020/
Features, Local Hero, People, Tower Hamlets/
The campaigner building networks for black women in Croydon
From childhood ambitions of wanting to be a doctor, to setting up Croydon’s new supportive network for black women working …
Forty-eight hours in the life of Tower Hamlets’s homeless
The numbers of rough sleepers in Tower Hamlets are on the rise – again. Recent figures showed a rise of …
March 2, 2020/
Features, General Features, People, Tower Hamlets/
The grassroots social movements in Hackney making a difference
Social movements are trending. From Extinction Rebellion to #Metoo, the yellow vests in France and Las Tesis in Chile, citizens are …
‘Lack of care’ in Croydon Hospital
Croydon University Hospital has been graded ‘requires improvements on all the main and important categories’, according to a report. Care …
February 14, 2020/
Croydon, Health, Lead Stories, Local News, News, People/
NHS desperate for male blood donors
Men in four South London boroughs are being urged to come forward to give blood to help increase supplies across …
New Year New Team
Goldsmiths MA in Television Journalism students have now taken over from their MA Journalism colleagues to run our independent local …
January 16, 2020/
Education, Lead Stories, Lewisham, Local News, People, Society/