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SPORT

Issue 1805 Est: 1988

50p

September 10th 2026

southwarknews.co.uk

WHITE ELEPHANT? Development facing the chop over 10% target See page 6

Peckham Rye frozen for 10 days as century-old landmark could fall

FAULTY TOWER! See page 4

Three schools. One shared vision.

See page 4

NO TEENAGE GIMMICKS AT MILLWALL EXCLUSIVE

BE A FRIEND OF DOROTHY’S

Meet the couple behind new lesbian pub See page 3

EXCLUSIVE

FREE SCHOOL UNIFORMS AVAILABLE See page 2

Find out about our schools’ Open Days: Or visit: chartertrust.org.uk/open-days-secondary

2 NEWS Contents NEWS

EDUCATION Page 12-17

The uniforms will go to families with children who receive free school meals EXCLUSIVE

OPINION

By Alex Orr

Page 18

SOUTHWARK COUNCIL will provide 7,000 free school uniform items to pupils in the borough to mark the start of the school year.

Page 20

PUBLIC NOTICES Pages 23-27

SPORT Pages 29-32

In partnership with charities Donate to Educate and PECAN, the council will distribute the uniforms to families with children who receive free school meals in Southwark. The uniforms, which have come from excess stock donated by major retailers that would have otherwise been sent to landfill, are all new and unbranded. The council said the initiative was designed to help ease the financial pressures facing many households at the start of the school year and supported the administration’s ambition to create an “affordable borough”. Families will be able to collect the uniforms

Shirts being sorted for Southwark’s school uniform project from the Ann Bernadt SEND Family Hub at 29 Chandler Way in Peckham, with exact dates and times to follow soon. The council said it would monitor demand before considering whether to distribute some uniforms to family hubs elsewhere, ensuring stock was managed effectively and the impact of the scheme was maximised. Southwark is one of three London councils, all south of the river, taking part in the pilot

scheme alongside Labour-run Merton and Wandsworth. It comes after another successful scheme in Liberal Democrat-led Sutton, with the Lib Dems calling for free school uniforms in Southwark since 2023. Deputy council leader Victor Chamberlain said: “This is a huge win for our campaign, and will make a massive difference to families at the sharpest end of the cost of living crisis.”

“Everyone deserves a great start in life,” he added. “Families should not have to struggle to provide the most basic items for their children, so I’m delighted that this scheme has launched to ensure that children and families across our communities can access vital essentials, regardless of their circumstances.” Across the three boroughs more than 20,000 school uniform items have been prevented from going to landfill. Cllr Rebecca Corn, Southwark Executive Member for Education and Care, said: “Every child deserves to feel ready and confident for the school year, and we know the cost of school uniforms can put real pressure on families. “This scheme provides practical support, helping families manage back-to-school costs while ensuring children have the essentials they need to thrive at school.” Cllr Corn added: “We look forward to continue working with our partners to expand the scheme so that even more families can benefit.” Paul Kent, Founder of Donate to Educate, said: “The first day of school for any child should be an exciting occasion, one that can shape their future. “We want every child starting school to have everything they need to feel confident, happy and excited about the start of their education.”

Southwark and Lambeth ‘facing exodus of primary school pupils’ There could be thousands fewer primary school pupils in Southwark and Lambeth by the end of the decade

CLASSIFIED

Pages 2-11

SOUTHWARK COUNCIL PLANS TO PROVIDE 7,000 FREE SCHOOL UNIFORMS FOR LOCAL PUPILS

By Alex Orr SOUTHWARK AND Lambeth are facing an exodus of primary school pupils, with thousands fewer school kids expected by the end of 2029.

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Charles Dickens Primary School during the school run

MILLWALL NEWS

Issue 1804 Est: 1988

Editor: Kevin Quinn Reporters: Evie Flynn; Alex Orr Sports Editor: John Kelly Sports reporter: Will Scott Arts Correspondent: Michael Holland Digital Transformation Editor: Katherine Johnston Media Partnerships: Anthony Phillips Advertising: Clarry Frewin, Mandy Stong Design: Dan Martin, Ann Gravesen Finance: Em Zeki - Tel: 0779 883 3758 em@cm-media.co.uk Subscriptions/Announcements: Katie Boyd Managing & Commercial Director: Chris Mullany Managing & Editorial Director: Kevin Quinn Published weekly on a Thursday at: Community Matters Media Ltd 1 Bermondsey Square, London SE1 3UN. News and Sport: 020 7231 5258 Advertising: 020 7232 1639 News: news@southwarknews.co.uk Advertising: hello@cm-media.co.uk Printed by Iliffe Print. Tel: 01223 656500 www.iliffeprint.co.uk

50p

September 3rd 2026

ESSE REJOINS LIONS ON LOAN

southwarknews.co.uk

PEARLY GATES

Peckham says goodbye to King George

CALLING TIME ON CHEAP BOOZE See page 5

Wetherspoons faces bingo hall transformation See page 4

See page 4

Three schools. One shared vision.

GREENHOUSES IN SOUTHWARK PARK See page 19

CAN HE DO IT? See Page 10-11

Can the Prime Minister end rough sleeping in Southwark?

Find out about our schools’ Open Days: Or visit: chartertrust.org.uk/open-days-secondary

The two South London boroughs will be amongst the worst-hit in England, according to new data from AI company Skubl, which predicts both Southwark and Lambeth will lose more than 13% of their current pupil cohort. There are set to be 2,500 fewer primary school pupils in both Southwark and Lambeth, with Sutton, Merton and Kingston

upon Thames also badly hit. The average drop in primary school pupils in inner London is expected to be 9.4%, compared to just 4% across the country as a whole. This data comes after the News reported Southwark and Lambeth had lost more than 14,000 residents in a single year. The council has previously expressed concerns about a plummeting birthrate in Southwark, which is currently 36% lower than 15 years ago. The administration acknowledged high housing costs were a key cause of families leaving the borough.

The Southwark News is proud to be the only independent, paid for newspaper in London Southwark News started life as the Bermondsey News in 1987, as an A-4 photocopied sheet of paper and rapidly grew to cover the entire borough and the surrounding area. As the borough grew, so did the newspaper. It is owned and run by Chris Mullany and Kevin Quinn. Former reporters for Southwark News, they bought the title in 2002, after the founder Dave Clark died suddenly from cancer four years earlier. A dedicated team of staff work tirelessly to cover as much of what is going on as possible and strive to ensure that a community-led, independent newspaper can survive and excel in a market dominated by national and multinational media groups.

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NEWS 3 By Molly Hunt WHEN BETH White and Molly McCabe met on a dating app just over a year ago, they had no intention of starting a business. But once they got together, they quickly realised they had a shared ambition - to one day open their own lesbian pub.

Beth, 36, from Southampton and Molly, 32, a south-east London native who was born in King’s hospital and grew up in Crystal Palace, had both spent the majority of their careers in film and TV. But in April this year, amid a changing industry and jobs that felt increasingly under pressure, they decided to take the plunge and pursue their dream. They found a space on Coleman Road in Camberwell, which was formerly the St George’s Tavern. “We walked in and we were just like, this feels right” Molly says. “There were so many things that pieced together that kind of made it work. I used to live two minutes from the pub so that was one thing. Beth is from Southampton – and it’s just off Southampton Way. And it’s on the corner of Rainbow Street, which felt really appropriate.” Beth continues: “It’s a complete mess, but there was just something about it that we thought - we could make this really good. It’s got the bones of something that could be amazing.” They decided to name the pub Dorothy’s, a homage to the legendary lesbian club Gateways that existed on King’s Road where the password to get in was Dorothy’s, and which for a long time was one of the only places in London where lesbians could meet openly. Molly and Beth wanted to open a “sapphic space” as they noticed a lack of these kinds of venues, especially in South London. “There’s not really many places that are dedicated to sapphics. There’s so many one-off nights, which are great, but we want to create somewhere permanent, that you can just go to randomly, that you don’t have to plan a month in advance,” Molly explains. “We wanted a space where people won’t be judged by anyone else or have funny looks if they kiss their partner or hold

Bath White and Molly McCabe hope to turn the run down building into a new lesbian pub

BUILDING UP DOROTHY’S Meet the couple behind Camberwell’s new lesbian pub their hands, where if they want to hit on someone, they’ve got a 99% guarantee that they are the right sexuality.” They credit the Old Nun’s Head in Nunhead as an exception. “I think there’s obviously a lot of pubs closing, a lot of queer venues are closing, but I think of them doing so well, and it makes you think, there is a need for this and people will come if you do it right.” They have big dreams for Dorothy’s. As well as wanting to serve a sub-£6 pint and house white wine, they also plan to have kitchen residencies as well as supper clubs, women’s sport screenings, LGBTQ+ discussion groups, charity collaborations, and eventually a podcast exploring lesbian history. And they are in

the process of partnering with a range of lesbian-owned alcohol brands. However, opening your own pub is no easy feat, especially without any direct experience running a hospitality business. The space requires a lot of work before it can open. “Right now, it’s a tip. The kitchen got condemned. So we’ve got to get a whole new kitchen in. It definitely needs a complete redecoration. We went round with an electrician the other day who said basically the whole thing needs rewiring”, Molly says. All of this led to Beth and Molly starting a crowdfunder - which has currently raised over £24,000 - and making Instagram and Tiktoks to help them raise

the awareness and the money needed to get the pub up and running. And, as well as money, Beth and Molly say over 130 people have got in touch offering help in many forms - from brand partnerships and accountancy to painting, plumbing and electrical work: “People were lining up saying, we can help you… I do genuinely think, if you need something done, get a lesbian to do it”, Beth says. Beth and Molly say they want Dorothy’s to be a safe place in a world that feels “a bit mental at the moment”. Their goal is to make it as inclusive and accessible as possible, and to showcase as many different aspects of the diverse community as possible, describing Dorothy’s as somewhere “where

someone can come into the venue and go, ‘oh, that person looks like me, or has maybe similar life experiences to me’… and hopefully feel automatically more comfortable.” They still have their work cut out for them, but Beth and Molly are confident they can achieve their goal. They received their premises licence recently, and the plan is to open in October. One first date and a lot of hard work later, their pub dream is about to become reality. To support visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/dorothyslesbian-bar Follow @dorothys.ldn on Instagram

Deptford brewery to celebrate 10th birthday with ‘pagan lager festival’ Friday September 11 - Saturday September 12 By Myfanwy Fleming-Jones A DEPTFORD brewery is marking its 10th birthday with a two-day lager festival featuring live music, street food, dancing and a giant sausage roll.

Das Harvest Fest, organised by Villages Brewery and local craft beer retailer Hop Burns & Black, returns to Deptford on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12. The annual festival was launched in 2021 to put Deptford on London’s beer map while raising money for local charities. Villages Brewery taproom manager Greg McCarron-Shipman said: “Villages’ mantra is ‘To Do Things that Bring People Together’ and Das Harvest Fest is certainly that. “Each year, in the spirit of the harvest, we look to give back to the local area, so with some good old pagan pageantry and

barrel rolling, plus this year the return of Deptford’s Longest Sausage Roll, made by our good friends at Toad Bakery, we’ll all be dressed up for the harvest parade to raise funds for Lewisham Foodbank.” This year’s celebrations will mark a decade of Villages Brewery, with specially brewed beers on tap alongside a selection of rare German imports from Hop Burns & Black. Food will be provided by Hardy

Yard Pizza and Pratt Schneiders. The festival will run from 6pm to 11.30pm on Friday, September 11, and from 3pm to 11.30pm on Saturday, September 12. Tickets cost £14 and include a Das Harvest Fest glass, a free pint of Villages beer and 10% off merchandise and festival special beers. Walk-ins are also welcome.