A new newsletter comes to Wimbledon
Welcome to The Wimble: Wimbledon's brand-spanking new newsletter
Dear Wimblers (we’ll see if that name sticks) — welcome to your very first edition of The Wimble!
The Wimble is a weekly newsletter coming from the heart of Wimbledon. You can expect a fresh edition to land in your inbox every Thursday morning. There will be local news, recommendations for the coming week and as much about Wimbledon as we can possibly fit. Our focus is community-led journalism. The Wimble is a place for locals to read about culture, lifestyle, history, and everything in-between.
My name is Zak Asgard and I’m the writer here at The Wimble. I grew up close to the area and still have fond memories of the town and my weekly kickboxing classes (I was never any good). You’ll find me running around Wimbledon with a pad and pen, talking to strangers, uncovering local scoops, engaging with the community, turning up to every event I can, and generally looking flustered. Please do reach out and make yourself known. I’d love to hear from you — newspapers like The Wimble are held up by their readers. If there is something you want covered, a new opening you’d like me to feature, a story that needs telling, or a simple question you want to ask, email away. You can contact me at zak@thewimble.com
Look out for our monthly features, our periodic news scoops, and our annual in print roundup of the year’s best stories.
I think that’s enough with the preliminaries for now. Happy reading!
Snippets of the week 🗞️
🎭 Jimmy Carr kicks off his tour of Laughs Funny at the New Wimbledon Theatre — though his performance has received mixed reviews, The Times gave Carr a respectable ⭐️⭐️⭐️ review — the article noted, however, that his seediness is ‘incarcerating rather than liberating’.
🎷 The Drifters are coming to Wimbledon … again! The American group that shaped and defined the history of rhythm & blues music are coming to the New Wimbledon Theatre as part of their upcoming UK tour. If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can grab your tickets here.
Property of the week 🏡
Looking like something out of a Luca Guadagnino film, this four-bedroom Wimbledon property is currently on sale for £1,975,000. You can almost imagine Ralph Fiennes flaunting his way across the patio, Negroni in hand, the Rolling Stones blaring as he goes. Can I personally afford it? No. Would I buy it if I could? Yes. If you’ve got a bit of change lying around and think you’re stylish enough to live here, head over to Rightmove.
The Wimble’s to do list 🏟:
🥊 Box Fit classes at the Wimbledon Quarter — it’s free workout time. No excuses. Our Parks, backed by Merton council, are offering free exercise classes at the Wimbledon Quarter every Saturday. Head over to the website and book your space.
Where: Wimbledon Quarter, Courtyard
When: Saturday 8th June, 9:30am-10:30am
🍷 Magda Pedrini comes to Friarwood Wines for a day of sampling — Pedrini, whose vineyards lie in the heart of the Gavi appellation, is a seasoned winemaker. She’s coming to Friarwood Wines in Wimbledon Village this Saturday and you can pop along to sample some of her wines. You can read all about her work on her website.
Where: Friarwood Wines, Wimbledon Village
When: Saturday 8th June, 1:00pm - 5:00pm
💃 Songs Under the Summer Sun: Let’s Go to the Movies. I don’t want to tempt fate, but the weather has taken a turn for the better in recent days. The sun is shining, the grass is green, the pollen has turned our noses into leaky taps. What better way to spend your weekend outdoors than watching a group of talented performers sing and dance their way through some of cinema’s biggest numbers. Expect Rodgers & Hammerstein and modern day musical hits. It’s La La Land in SW19. Grab your tickets here.
Where: Cannizaro Park
When: Saturday 8th June / Sunday 9th June, 1:00pm and 5:00pm both days
🎨 Drawing with Miguel — join Miguel Galue for a life drawing workshop in the Wimbledon Quarter. Don’t worry, it’s clothed — I repeat, clothed — and utensils will be provided. Whether you’re an aspiring Edward Hopper or still drawing stickmen, this class is for all levels. Read more about it here.
Where: Wimbledon Quarter, Courtyard
When: Saturday 8th June, 11:00am-12:00pm
Q&A: Wines, Wimbledon and apps 🍷
Wine is the second most consumed alcohol in the world, but with countless grape varieties and producers, the process can feel overwhelming. Nick Richardson has over 25 years of experience in the wine trade. He’s worked for Friarwood Fine Wines for three years and spends his time between the branches in Wimbledon Village and Parsons Green.
Z: Talk to me about Friarwood. Would you say people know about it through community and word of mouth, or the brand name itself?
N: The brand carries some weight, that’s certainly true. And there’s some history behind us. We’ve been going since 1967, even though the Wimbledon branch has been here for five years. But there is also a level of service, of delivering above and beyond what you might expect to get on the high street. With the three senior managers, crikey, they have 70-80 years experience between them — that might even be a conservative guess. People know we have an exceptional range already. We deal with small suppliers with an emphasis on quality.
Z: Let’s talk about The Village. Do you think Wimbledon’s locals are particularly knowledgeable with their wines — any more than other areas of London you might have worked in?
N: You do have people with a degree of wine knowledge, so you’ve got to know your chops. But I think a lot of people want to be guided by us, even if they do have a degree of wine knowledge themselves. People are very keen to hear what we have to say, to have our input, and to talk about the wines. Our role as retailers, for me, is as crucial a role as any place I’ve ever worked. And that makes it a nice environment to work in.
Z: Absolutely. If, for instance, someone needs advice on what to buy for their mother in law’s birthday, you’re here to help.
N: It’s nice to think we’ve built up a reputation for that reliability. I also get people coming back in and saying, “We had this on Saturday. Everyone at the party loved it.” And that’s the kind of feedback you love.
Z: Where should someone go who is just getting into wine?
N: Talk to your local wine merchant. I’m not anti the apps, they’re a wonderful tool, in the same way I’m not anti-supermarket wines. But a good skilled merchant has all of the passion, the enthusiasm and the knowledge. Wherever you want to go they can help unlock it.
Z: I agree. The apps can be great but they miss that personal touch.
N: I use this analogy: when you’re looking at a peer review on something like Amazon, sometimes you’ve got people reviewing a music style they don’t like. That doesn’t take you any further. If you’re using a wine app and someone simply doesn’t like sauvignon blanc and feels in a position to give it one star, it’s not taking you any further. Whereas you can have a conversation with myself or one of my colleagues and we’ll say, “There’s this plus and this minus point, where do you want to go?”
Z: Talk me through the weekend wine tastings you do.
N: The ‘Meet the Producer’ tastings are fantastic. You’ll never meet someone as knowledgeable or as passionate about their wines as the producers themselves. And you see people get swept up in it. They’ll go home, often with a bottle, sit down with their friends, and say, “I met the guy who made this.”
Z: It’s about the story, right?
N: Wine is about the story. And good merchants can give you that story and that’s what people like. No amount of ticketing in supermarkets will ever deliver what we’ve got stuck up here [he gestures to his head].
Music, puppets and fossils: a trip to Polka Theatre 🎭
In 1979, the Polka Theatre became the UK’s first theatre dedicated to producing shows for children. Last week I had the pleasure of watching the theatre’s latest show, The Colour of Dinosaurs, and now I can’t stop humming a tune about a Psittacosaurus on my way to work. The production is excellent; with a tight run time of 60 minutes, the ensemble (the five musicians / performers) and Dr Jakob Vinther (the famed palaeontologist whose research was key in understanding the colour of feathered dinosaurs) guide the audience through a journey of learning, puppetry and song. Catch it before it finishes its run this weekend.
Where: Polka Theatre
When: 11th May - 9th June
Tickets: Here
Question time with The Wimble 🔍
Q: The golden statue atop the New Wimbledon Theatre dome, colloquially known as the theatre’s angel, is a representation of who? Hint: she’s the Roman Goddess of [what?]. Another point if you know her name.
Head over to our Instagram or Facebook (the links are on our home page) and comment your answers beneath the photo. I’ll pick an answer at random. The winner gets a pot of honey from the Wimbledon Quarter’s Rooftop Farm. Got it? Nice.
You’re up to date 👋
I hope you enjoyed your first edition of The Wimble. I’d like to thank the Wimbledon Quarter for funding this project! Please share the newsletter if you enjoyed it, and if someone has sent it to you then don’t forget to subscribe. The idea is for the newspaper to grow over time. If you want to give me some leads, offer some recommendations, or simply chat, just pop me an email at zak@thewimble.com. But for now, have a great rest of the week!