853 exclusive: Greenwich borough residents are being encouraged to get out and spend locally as the council begins planning for a potential recession. Council leader Danny Thorpe has warned that the borough is planning for the risk of a post-lockdown crash – with the council itself already facing a budget gap due to Covid-19. His […]
Coronavirus Stories
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Bike shops booming as pandemic forces people off buses and trains
Bike shops in southeast London are seeing their businesses boom as people choose bicycles over buses during the Covid-19 lockdown. Retailers report seeing more people taking up cycling for recreation and as an alternative to commuting in light of the pandemic. Sales are on the up nationally, with Halfords reporting demand for hybrid bikes – […]
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‘We couldn’t just do nothing’: The boatyard company that made 10,000 visors for key workers
There are a few signs that the South Dock Marina in Rotherhithe is finally creeping back to normality. On Friday, a welder fired embers into the air while repairing a rusted hull and a carpenter put the finishing touches onto a new porthole that he had carefully assembled. For the last three months, workers have […]
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What’s in the box? How Covid-19 has transformed Blackheath’s Age Exchange
A vital charity in Blackheath reinvented itself in a matter of days as it fought to keep up with the strange new world that Covid-19 plunged it into. Age Exchange was due to celebrate its 35th year supporting the community before the country locked-down. The Blackheath charity is a national body that supports dementia sufferers […]
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Volunteers’ facemasks are just the ticket for SE London’s bus drivers
A forgotten bag full of colourful fabrics inspired a designer and a team of volunteers to create thousands of facemasks for “extraordinary” people who have continued working during the lockdown in south east London. Corinne McManus, a studio owner who runs Atom Designs in New Cross, and her partner Ben Roberts launched their sewing collective […]
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‘People really want to help’: Hundreds helping Greenwich Mutual Aid group
Just four days after Cathy Wang set up a quick Facebook page, the Greenwich Mutual Aid group had already begun helping some of the borough’s vulnerable people. Now it has hundreds of volunteers helping their neighbours and working alongside Greenwich Council’s community hub. “Within a day of setting it up we had 800 members – […]
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Volunteers’ Help Lewisham Hospital effort aiding 200 NHS workers a day
Volunteers have stepped up to create a vital support group serving up to 200 exhausted NHS workers from Lewisham Hospital each day. Laurence Smith, a 34-year-old cycle courier, and Julie Commons, a childminder who has lived in the area for decades, have been quick to establish what is now a huge and vital resource for […]
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The Charlton cafe owner giving back to the community after a break-in
The owner of a Charlton cafe offering free lunches to the vulnerable says he is giving back to the community following an outpouring of support after a break-in last year. As the coronavirus outbreak turns the lives of vulnerable residents upside down, Michael Lauricourt, along with his wife Mimi and an employee from the Old […]
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