Local stories

Pawpadour

Pawpadour Dog & Cat Grooming is located in Tooting and their services include Teddy Bear cuts, Asian Fusion styles, breed-standard trims and ultra sonic teeth cleaning. Founder Wiktoria Blazynska shares her story.
Local stories

VLH Fashion

IWD spotlight on Valerie Lawrence‑Hylton, founder of VLH Fashion, sharing her journey from council officer to designer creating empowering clothing for curvy women.
Local stories

Home Community Cafe

IWD spotlight on Meg Fry, founder of Home Café, a community hub tackling isolation and creating connection through inclusivity and local support.
Local stories

Ascetic Aesthete

IWD spotlight on Asma Sharapova, founder of Ascetic Aesthete, sharing her inspiring journey, love of perfume, and support that helped her business grow.
Local stories

Pizza Metro Pizza

Diego Palladino, founder and head chef of Pizza Metro Pizza, has been serving authentic Neapolitan pizza in Battersea for over 30 years. A Napoli native and world champion pizzaiolo, he’s known for his 72‑hour fermented dough and iconic metre‑long pizzas, a true Battersea staple this National Pizza Day.
Hannah Sykes outside the Loney Miller window she painted
Local stories

HannDrawn

Hannah Skyes is an illustrator and founder of HannDrawn a local business that creates bespoke window and wall murals for brands and local businesses. This Christmas she has created Christmas windows for many businesses in Wandsworth. Read about her work here.
Local stories

SOMA Yoga Wandsworth

Gea Krajcar, founder of SOMA Yoga Studio in Battersea Reach, studied maths and computer science before teaching yoga at the University of Washington. Now in London, she won Health & Wellbeing Business of the Year at the 2025 Wandsworth Awards.
Local stories

Cargo Bike Care

Founded by lifelong local Nick Von-Vader and partner Maeva Fabre, Cargo Bike Care is a mobile bicycle repair service dedicated to keeping families moving safely on cargo bikes—especially on the school run. Maeva shares their story.
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Waste Not Want Not Battersea

Hadas Hagos, founder of Waste Not Want Not Battersea, transforms surplus food into opportunity, community, and sustainability while championing inclusion for newcomers to the UK.
Local stories

Well Kneaded – Couples Special

Bridget & Lance Callaghan, a husband-and-wife couple, run Well Kneaded, serving regeneratively sourced food while creating job opportunities for young adults.
Local stories

Quick Brown Fox – Couples Special

Award-winning video production agency founded by husband-and-wife duo Victor Castejon & Karina Perdomo, Quick Brown Fox has been crafting compelling content since 2014.
Local stories

Australian Vintners

Ben Harvey and Paul Bartram, lifelong friends and Wandsworth residents, founded Australian Vintners in 2023 to bring unique, undiscovered, and great-value wines from Australia to the UK.
Local stories

On Point Property Management

Anna and Victoria Agyekum founded On Point Property Management and the Ghana Property & Lifestyle Expo to connect the diaspora with property investments in Ghana and London.
Local stories

Take a Bite and Smile

Chiara launched Take a Bite and Smile two years ago at Northcote Road Market. Here, she shares her journey from customer management to creating traditional Italian pastries with a plant-based twist.
Local stories

Mona’s Munch

We spoke to Mona, founder of Mona’s Munch, about bringing her passion for international vegan and vegetarian cuisine to Wandsworth and the journey of creating a unique, ethical dining experience.