The star authors, journalists and chefs coming to Wimbledon
We chat to the founder of our star-studded BookFest. Plus: the rest of your news updates and recommendations
Morning Wimblers — I hope that everyone is enjoying their week. This is The Wimble’s 12th publication and we couldn’t be happier with the growth so far. Please keep sharing our project and get in touch with ideas, feedback and suggestions. Tap on the share button below!
It’s the time of the year when things slow down. Children are off from school and parents can take a week or two to get away. The pubs are full. Offices are empty. Instagram bulges with photos of friends, relatives and enemies tanning themselves. Life continues, albeit in a sticky and humid way.
This week, alongside your usual news snippets, local recommendations, and property highlights, we spoke to Fiona Razvi, Festival Director and co-founder of Wimbledon BookFest. Scroll down for a discussion on the arts, community-facing projects, and the future of festivals.
Please send in your photos of the week. Get in touch. Enjoy the sun and happy reading!
News Snippets 🗞
🏅 Merton Council awards 23 local organisations with a share of £100,000 — the grant is aimed at ensuring the borough receives sports and physical activities for its residents. One of the successful projects is the All Saints Community Garden which will aim to help families with low incomes by providing them with free produce. Read more about the 23 organisations here.
☮️ Wimbledon holds its annual memorial for Hiroshima — on the 6th of August, the Wimbledon Disarmament Coalition/CND marked 79 years since the atom bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The event was held on Wimbledon Common and those in attendance heard Alison Judge — vicar of Christ Church, Colliers Wood — talk about the devastation caused 79 years ago. Read more about the event here.
⚽️ AFC Wimbledon is the best club for fan engagement — The Fans Engagement Index has ranked The Dons fourth in the country, though Chelsea have seen a monumental rise in the charts. Read more about AFC Wimbledon’s relationship with its fans here.
Property of the week 🏡
What’s better than a five-bedroom house? A six-bedroom house — especially when it comes with a gym. This place manages to be modern and grand at the same time. This house is a socialite’s dream: endless space for hosting and endless amenities to impress. For £4,950,000, it could be yours. Check out more details here.
Keeping book festivals alive — in conversation with Fiona Razvi, director and co-founder of Wimbledon BookFest 📚
Wimbledon BookFest has a long tradition of bringing the most interesting and exciting authors, speakers and personalities to SW19, and this year is no exception. This October, BookFest will welcome Elif Shafak, Richard E. Grant, William Boyd, Mary Berry, Rick Stein, Geoff Hurst, Clare Balding, Tom Parker Bowles, Celia Imrie and many more for ten days of discussion, conversation and learning. I sat down with Fiona Razvi, CEO and co-founder of BookFest, to talk about the history of the festival, the stories that it creates and the need for funding across the arts. Check out the festival’s website for upcoming dates and news.
Z: So, how did the Wimbledon BookFest start?
F: I was working at a local arts magazine in Wimbledon (Time & Leisure) and went to Hay Festival. I was blown away with what they were doing and thought that we should do something similar in Wimbledon. There wasn’t a lot going on back then in terms of cultural offerings in the area, so it was really about developing that in a place where I was living.
This was back in 2006?
We founded in 2006 and ran our first festival in 2007. I spoke to my colleague at Time & Leisure and we set up a public meeting. Back then, there was a great “community feel”; a great energy for something like the BookFest. There were a lot of writers living in the area at that time.
How did you find authors in those initial years? Did you have any particular theme or angle for the festival?
It’s always been about the community and the idea that anyone could come along and find something for themselves. A lot of people assumed that a book festival meant you have to have read the book and discuss it like a book club. But the BookFest is about sharing ideas and stories. That can be through fiction and nonfiction but it can also be through coming to see your hero speak. In the early days, we built up our list through friends and connections but very quickly we became a part of the publishing process.
I was really excited to see that William Boyd is coming this year — I’m something of a huge fan. But the whole list of guests is incredible.
I’m so pleased that he’s coming. He came in our first year — to a bookshop — and people were hanging off the stairs to see him. We’re so delighted that he’s coming back. You take your audience on a journey. Elif Shafak came to speak at the BookFest years ago and she’s also returning this year as a headliner, which I think is really special.
Do you think the festival is about creating stories?
Really, we want to bring stories to Wimbledon. This year we’ve got some events focusing on Korea. There’s a significant Korean population in New Malden and I think on a local level we’re trying to speak to every part of our community and make sure that they are a part of the festival. Stories often happen years later. What we hear from people your age is that they’ll have stories about visiting the BookFest from when they attend with their school. That really moves me. All of the subsidised places at the festival are for those who wouldn’t usually get them. There was a young woman who came to our event on the Black Tudors many years ago when she was at a state comprehensive in the area. She came to work for me last year and said, “You know, I went to Birmingham Uni to study history and that was sparked by the BookFest, it made me look at history differently.”
I wanted to ask about a recent article in The Bookseller, where you said, “Once we’re gone, we’re gone.” What did you mean by that?
This is a much bigger arts sector problem. In short, it’s about sponsorship. If we don’t have enough sponsorship, we’re in trouble. Ticket revenue is only half of our income, the rest is sponsorship and individual giving. With funding going down across the sector, there’s a lot of talk about the arts becoming a preserve of the elites. Twenty years ago, it seemed like anything was possible — you could just get on and do things. Now, things are really hard to do.
Who can step up to help the BookFest and other festivals like it?
We’d love more support from corporations. The money should filter down, really. Individual giving is also a huge asset. We’re very lucky that Wimbledon is such an affluent area in that sense and we’d urge the community to come forward. I mean, the arts are in a very difficult place right now. We value the arts because life is more fulfilling with them. But once they’re gone, it’s too late. It’ll become: “I used to love that thing I used to go to.” There’s currently a great call for support. Between now and the festival is a key time to get the message out there that festivals need your support.
Wimbledon BookFest will run from the 17th-27th October. You can book your spaces here.
This year’s headliner is Elif Shafak — she will be in conversation about her new novel, There are Rivers in the Sky, on the 27th October, book a ticket here.
Photo of the week 📸
This week’s chosen photo — “probably Wimbledon’s most colourful character” — was taken by Sally Gibbons. Thank you Sally! Keep sending in your photos of the week (there may be a backlog at times, but I look at them all and I love all them!). zak@thewimble.com.
The Wimble’s to do list 🎯
🎡 Wimbledon Quarter’s Summer Celebration — celebrate the Quarter’s brand new helter skelter and carousel with a day of activities (face painting, arts and crafts, rides and more). There will also be ice-cream, popcorn and candyfloss (so those of you with sweet tooths will be happy). And just to entice you even more, it’s free entry for all! More details here.
Where: Wimbledon Quarter’s Courtyard
When: Saturday 17th August, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
🏃♂️ Lunchtime circuits on the Piazza — Nuffield Health are running an outdoor fitness class next week. Book a class and get your first month free when you commit to a 12-month contract (I can never stick to a workout routine, believe me). Book a space here.
Where: The Piazza
When: Tuesday 20th August, 12:30 PM - 1 PM.
🍷 Wine tasting at Jeroboams — Wines of the America. Take a wine tour from Oregon to Uruguay this week. Try whites and reds from across the two continents and see what all the fuss is about. Me? I’m a fan of Daou’s wines. Expensive? Yes. Incredible? Yes. Here’s to hoping that one of their wines features. Book your spot here.
Where: Jeroboams, 77 High Street, Wimbledon Village
When: Friday 16th August, 6:00 PM - onwards
☕️ Cuppa with a Coppa — head over to the regular session where residents are given a chance to discuss local issues with police officers. More info here.
Where: The Windmill Tearooms, Wimbledon Common
When: Tuesday 20th August, 10:00 AM
🥬 Village Farmer’s Market — it’s your weekly fresh produce shop. Head over and grab some proper food. Stalls rotate each week. Be sure to get there early and send some photos when you’re there (zak@thewimble.com).
Where: Village High Street
When: Sunday 18th August, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Question of the week 🔍
Last week I asked you which famous science fiction novel features Wimbledon as the sixth landing spot for the Martian invasion. The answer: War of the Worlds.
Q: Which famous actor starred in Oliver! and was born in Wimbledon?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you so much for reading. Please keep sharing our newsletter and please, please, please get in touch! Send in your photos of the week. Send me some conversation starters. Talk to me about Wimbledon. Tell me about your rare factoids. Let’s keep the conversation going — and please comment below. That’s all for now. See you next week.
Great issue! Considering it’s August , there is still lots to do in Wimbledon 😊
What was result of photo comp