The Northcote Road Summer Fete and other summer fun: Your weekly What’s On activity guide from NappyValleyNet

Dear NappyValleyNetter, 

Welcome to your weekly What’s On activity guide from NappyValleyNet!

 Summer in the city and the air is still.  And hot.  Gloriously hot.  SW19 is buzzing with the regular pop, pop, pop of tennis balls, the sun has got his hat on and so have we.  The arrival of Wimbledon means the Northcote Road Summer Fete is just over a week away!  It’s our NappyValley community at its absolute best.  Cars are gone, pedestrians rule and revel in all that the area has to offer, from well-stocked stalls, delicious food and drink and fun activities for kids (big and small) to an array of performances from some of the many classes – and children – in the area.  By tapping into our calendar regularly, you’ll keep up to speed with all the local goings-on and it won’t just be on fete days that you feel the local love! (click here).

 On the move?  Make the most of our property pages which we bring to you with PrimeLocation and four local agents.  Search under postcode, price, number of bedrooms – all the usual criteria – but we have one brilliant difference.  Click on the drop-down menu and you’ll find all the local Wandsworth and Lambeth primary schools.  Choose the one at the top of your list and all the property for sale or to rent in that school’s catchment will come up! (click here).

 Take a look at these four homes from our Preferred Property Partners this week

For sale with Rampton Baseley is a 5-bedroom family house set ‘Between the Commons’ and near to many good local schools, stretching to over 2700 sqft, beautifully presented and fully extended, including a full front to back basement …click here for more details

 To rent with Douglas & Gordon is a 3-bedroom Victorian house on a quiet road ‘Between the Commons’ extremely convenient for local schools, newly decorated throughout and with a fabulous sunny garden …click here for more details

 Available to rent with Marsh & Parsons is a 2-bedroom penthouse apartment with amazing entertaining space and multiple roof terraces, located very close to Clapham Junction …click here for more details

 On the market with Hamptons International is a 4-bedroom terraced house in Clapham Old Town refurbished to an incredibly high standard throughout, with a landscaped garden perfect for entertaining and a cellar area used as a utility room …click here for more details

The sun is shining and there’s a busy weekend just around the corner.  Enjoy! 

Blackshaw Theatre are back with their witty and madcap take on Alice in Wonderland following a sell-out at Battersea Library for the Wandsworth Fringe.  This time falling down a rabbit hole in Streatham, you can see Alice, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee in action, dodging the Queen of Hearts this weekend.  Funny for grown-ups and great for children, Lewis Carroll would be proud! …click here for more details

Do you have a little ‘Starlet’ on your hands?  Then go along to the Let’s Act musical theatre classes free open morning this Saturday.  Little ones from 2 to 5 can find out what Freddy the frog has been up to and see if the Hungry Caterpillar is still hungry! …click here for more details

If you work in the childcare industry, then you might be interested in this full day training course on Brave Boys and Behaviour run by Third Door this weekend.  Help to raise attainment levels for boys and help them become confident, capable and creative. Sounds good to me! …click here for more details

How about a change of scene to free your mind!  Somuchmore are running a day’s Mindboost on Saturday up in Primrose Hill.  You’ll be encouraged to switch off your phone and unplug from the madness to join in on a free 60 minute Yoga and Mindfulness session.  The whole family is welcome, including the children.  You can’t start ’em too young! …click here for more details

Little Folk with Albo brings his folk style cabaret for the very young to The Bedford, promising a gentle but energetic first live music experience for 0 to 5s with acoustic, folk style music and audience participation heartily encouraged…tune up those vocal chords! …click here for more details

The Woodfield Fair is on Tooting Bec Common this Saturday afternoon.  Stalls aplenty with live music including the Melodians Steel Orchestra and Dantastic, the children’s entertainer.  Sounds like the whole family will be up and dancing. …click here for more details

It’s the Honeywell Primary Summer Fair sponsored by Hamptons International this Saturday too, so go along and join in on all the fun of the fair, from food and drink to enjoy, various stalls to peruse, performances to admire and a Bake Off to take part in and devour! …click here for more details

Calling all domestic gods and goddesses! It’s the Honeywell Cupcake Bake Off on Saturday and Lords of Notting Hill are sponsoring it, so get blending, mixing and decorating, and three lucky bakers will win a selection of baking equipment.  Take a look here for your recipe to success! …click here for more details

If you’re going to the Hampton Court Flower Show this weekend (running until Sunday 5th July), be sure to visit Henri Le Worm’s children’s garden which includes a recipe garden, Henri’s edible shed, a livestock area and a schools demo section, all brightly coloured with plenty to touch and feel while they learn more about Henri and his friends’ adventures. …click here for more details

Fairs, fetes, festivals, summer, summer, summertime….

So we’re into July and the countdown has begun!  We’re not quite onto number of sleeps yet (that’s next week) but it’s very much within our sights. We’ll see you at the Northcote Road Summer Fete on 12th July.  Please come by to say hello if you can spare the time between rides, performances, eating, drinking, shopping, socialising and watching the tennis… …click here for more details

And opening their doors on the same day to invite you in to their Vitamix Demonstration is Lords of Notting Hill.  Go see the King of Blenders in action and lap up the healthy smoothies and ‘mocktails’ on offer.  Pick up some top tips, hear about the health benefits for the whole family and some great ideas for healthy ice cream.  Plus, you’ll be given a £25 voucher to spend in store with every Vitamix purchase…tempted?  See you there! …click here for more details

And the following weekend it’s the All Saint’s Summer Fete in Tooting, with a bouncy castle, cake stall, home produce, lucky dip, book stall, train display and more!  It sounds like you won’t be going home empty-handed from this one. …click here for more details

Busy mums, busy children, busy babies, busy families.  There’s something for everyone…

Who knew there was a historic link between Liberty & Co and the River Wandle in Merton, where much of their fabric printing took place? Go along to a talk onLiberty Fabrics design & history at E & A Wates which will look at the creative process in designing The Secret Garden, the latest Liberty Art Fabrics for interiors.  Only £5 a ticket and you’ll be raising money for charity and be in with a chance of winning a Liberty cushion.  Fab! …click here for more details

If you have a second baby on the way, you might want to go along to The Baby Care Company’s Second baby preparation class.  It’s split by age gap, so you’ll meet mums in a similar situation and pick up some tips on how to manage with the extra little person in your midst, from bedtime to bath time, meal times and routines …click here for more details

The Herne Hill Harriers will be working hard over the summer holidays at their Startrack Summer Athletics Training at the Tooting Bec Athletics Track.  Running each weekday of the holidays, children aged 7 and up will be able to pick up some great tips from top coaches in track and field out in the fresh air. Fantastic value too. Run, Forrest, run… …click here for more details

Did you know you share 90% of your DNA with a mouse (maybe I won’t jump on a chair next time..) and 50% with a banana!  Cancer Research UK has just opened aLondon Art Trail, featuring many different artists and their take on DNA.  Each sculpture is individual (of course) and you’ll find fun facts at the bottom of each one.  From Trafalgar Square to St Paul’s to Parliament Square, there are twenty-one to find.  A whole lot of summer fun! …click here for more details

It’s the Get Active Wandsworth Festival in mid-July so head on down to King George’s Park and join in on free sports – old favourites and new-fangled ideas, demos, taster sessions, a climbing wall, activities for the children, and it wouldn’t be summer without face painting and a bouncy castle! …click here for more details

Plans are hotting up for the Ickle Pickles Summer Party on Wandsworth Common which promises to be a fantastic fundraising event with funfair rides, giant inflatables, children’s entertainers, food and refreshments.  It feels like summer’s never been so busy, nor so much fun, fun, fun! …click here for more details

That’s it for this week.  Whatever you do, enjoy the sunshine!

Love,

Annabel & the NappyValleyNet team xx