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Community action/Southwark

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Attribution: Philralph
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Location Southwark, London
Coordinates 51° 30' 14.13" N, 0° 6' 17.88" W

The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Southwark.

Southwark
London
UK
Europe
Earth
  • News ‘Hopeful and imaginative’: introducing the UK’s ‘best’ new building, positive.news (Oct 17, 2025) — London care home built to tackle social isolation wins major architecture award
  • News Coin Street: How co-op ownership can keep the bulldozer at bay, thenews.coop (Apr 07, 2025)
Read more
  • News London, San Francisco and Beijing achieve ‘remarkable reductions’ in air pollution, theguardian.com (Mar 12, 2026) — Cycle lanes, electric cars and other interventions have helped 19 global cities slash levels of pollutants by more than 20%
  • News East London is at high risk of extreme flooding – here’s how to limit the damage, theconversation.com (Feb 11, 2026)
  • News How a London energy co-op is trying to bring power to the people, thenews.coop (Feb 06, 2026) — We speak to Giovanna Speciale, CEO of South East London Community Energy, about its work towards an inclusive transition
  • News Record-breaking heat and dry spring leave parts of England without water, reuters.com (May 29, 2026)
  • News The English restaurant turning hospitality on its head, positive.news (May 27, 2026) — At a pay-as-you-can restaurant in Stroud, radical hospitality and good food are bringing strangers together
  • News Britain’s green transition should belong to everyone. Why is Labour so intent on stopping us having our say? George Monbiot, theguardian.com (May 27, 2026)
  • News Amsterdam, along with other major European cities, bans public adverts for meat and fossil fuels [BBC], Daily Alternative (May 22, 2026)
  • News How reindeer herds, nature and Sámi culture can thrive when forests are restored across northern Europe, theconversation.com (May 15, 2026)
  • News Rewilding giants: captive elephants rehomed in Europe’s first sanctuary, theguardian.com (May 07, 2026)
  • News Amsterdam, along with other major European cities, bans public adverts for meat and fossil fuels [BBC], Daily Alternative (May 22, 2026)
  • News Solidarity fields in Syria: Reviving local seed production, globalvoices.org (May 21, 2026) — A community garden on Damascus's edge is quietly rebuilding Syria's agricultural memory
  • News How reindeer herds, nature and Sámi culture can thrive when forests are restored across northern Europe, theconversation.com (May 15, 2026)

Networks and sustainability initiatives

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UK and international events

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UK events

  • Event Jun 1 - 7, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Neighbourhood Watch Week, ourwatch.org.uk
  • Event Jun 1 - 7, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Volunteers Week, celebrating and saying thank you to the millions of volunteers across the UK, volunteersweek.org
  • Event Jun 5 - 8, 2026 (Fri - Mon) — The Big Lunch, the first weekend in June every year, everyone is invited, anyone can join in and whatever food people bring to the table is there to be shared, edenprojectcommunities.com
  • Event Jun 6 - 14, 2026 (Sat-Sun) — Great Big Green Week, celebrating communities taking action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces, greatbiggreenweek.com
  • Event Jun 07, 2026 (Sun) — Open Farm Sunday, farmsunday.org
  • Event Jun 8 - 14, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Bike Week, annual celebration showcasing cycling and how brilliant it is!, cyclinguk.org
  • Event Jun 8 - 14, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Carers Week, carersweek.org
  • Event Jun 15 - 21, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Loneliness Awareness Week, lonelinessawarenessweek.org
  • Event Jun 15 - 21, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Better Transport Week, annual, week-long celebration of sustainable transport, bettertransport.org.uk
  • Event Jun 15 - 21, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Refugee Week, refugeeweek.org.uk
  • Event Jun 18, 2026 (Thu) — Clean Air Day, actionforcleanair.org.uk
  • Event Jun 19 - 21, 2026 (Fri - Sun) — The Great Get Together, annual celebration organised by The Jo Cox Foundation, helping unite people, bridge divides, and tackle loneliness, while showing the collective power we have as a community, jocoxfoundation.org
  • Event Jun 29 - Jul 3, 2026 (Mon - Fri) — National Co-production Week, scie.org.uk

UK community action events

Global or international events

  • Event Jun 03, 2026 (Wed) — World Bicycle Day, The bicycle is a "symbol of sustainable transport and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate." (United Nations), June 3 each year, un.org
  • Event Jun 05, 2026 (Fri)World Environment Day, June 5, annually, worldenvironmentday.global
  • Event Jun 08, 2026 (Mon) — World Oceans Day, June 8 each year, worldoceanday.org
  • Event Jun 12, 2026 (Fri) — World Day Against Child Labour, every year on June 12, ilo.org
  • Event Jun 17, 2026 (Wed) — World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, each June 17, un.org
  • Event Jun 21 and all of June — World Localization Day, worldlocalizationday.org
  • Event Jun 22, 2026 (Mon) — World Rainforest Day, June 22 is World Rainforest Day, worldrainforestday.org

2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events

Cosmolocal discovery club

Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.

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Future Rural Voices: perspectives on the countryside’s future
Authors: Campaign to Protect Rural England, 2.35 mins.
Date: 2026-05-07
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Local Power, Lower Bills: Up the Energy!
Authors: Community Energy England, 1.38 mins.
Date: 2026-03-10
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Tiree - This is Community Wealth Building
Authors: Scottish Community Alliance, 3.44 mins.
Date: 2025-11-18

Rural sustainability UK, Community energy UK, Community action/Argyll and Bute / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism

Southwark video

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Inside Appleby Blue Almshouse – RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 winner
Authors: Royal Institute of British Architects, 6.48 mins.
Date: 2025-10-09
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Community involvement

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Commonplace Peckham Rye - Peckham Rye CoDesign - People's Republic of Southwark - Pocket Places Peckham

Communities online

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Bellenden Residents' Group - Peckham Residents' Network

Community and voluntary action

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Community Action Southwark, umbrella organisation (or Council for Voluntary Service) for the voluntary and community sector in Southwark - Peckham Voluntary Sector Forum

Food activism

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Glengall Wharf Garden - Surrey Docks Farm - Walworth Garden Farm

Community resources

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Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB) is a development trust and social enterprise which seeks to make London's South Bank a better place in which to live, to work, to visit and to study. Since 1984 CSCB has transformed a largely derelict 13-acre site into a thriving mixed-use neighbourhood.

Maps

Heart of the Elephant and Castle Urban Forest Map, Maps, open data and activism on the Heygate estate, Tom Chance's blog, April 19, 2011

Visions

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Peckham Vision

Climate action

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  • Climate Change Citizens’ Jury, Nov 2021 to Feb 2022, southwark.gov.uk, added 10:03, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

Sustainable transport activism

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Southwark Living Streets

Thames Path W

Cycling activism

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Community Cycleworks, not for profit organisation that runs build-a-bike courses, bikefix, and road and mountain biking rideouts, for young people in the London Borough of Southwark and beyond - Southwark Cyclists

Open spaces

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The London Borough of Southwark, occupying a roughly triangular area south of Tower Bridge over the River Thames, considers itself to be one of the greenest boroughs in London, with its 245 hectares (610 acres) of public parkland. There are more than 130 such green areas, ranging from the large areas around Dulwich and Southwark Park in Rotherhithe to the many sports grounds and squares.

Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) is a horticulture, gardening and management of urban open space charity, based in Bankside, the southern bank by the River Thames, Southwark, Central London, England. BOST works local communities and organisations in London, such as Tate Modern community garden, to improve, create and enjoy the parks, gardens, green spaces, and, passive and active recreation areas.

The charity supports a network of parks, community managed green spaces and open spaces groups to carry out consultation, fundraise and oversee improvements. This includes help with choosing new play equipment, bespoke garden design and developing new areas, making accessible improvements and re-landscaping.

BOST initiates and runs community gardening clubs, award small grants for local horticulture projects and organises hiring out parks and open spaces for celebratory public and private events. BOST has set up a community garden resource centre with a pond and encourages people to grow their own food - vegetables, herbs, fruit trees and bushes - through 'edible projects', utilising raised-bed gardening and planting. They also provide informal horticultural training, landscape maintenance, garden maintenance, grounds maintenance and gardening work experience in the local parks, gardens and open spaces.

Trees, woodland and forest

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Elephant and Castle Urban Forest - Video: Elephant and Castle Urban Forest, September 2011

News archive

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2009-2020

  • London hospital trust to pay £250k to install LTN for public health benefits, Nov 17, 2020...The Guardian
  • Borough Market to phase out plastic bottle sales with free fountains, Aug 23, 2017...The Guardian
  • Fossil Free Southwark: Our Story, Dec 14, 2016...gofossilfree.org
  • Southwark pension fund to shed fossil fuel investments, Dec 14, 2016...IPE
  • Why comparisons with the Highline are a double-edged sword... September 12, 2015...(secure link not found 11:25, 18 February 2021 (UTC))
  • The planning points 4, February 1, 2014...peoplesrepublicofsouthwark.co.uk
  • London Development Agency to provide £4 million to the Bankside Urban Forest - a programme of works to improve public space in the Bankside area from the riverside to the Elephant & Castle, london-se1, March 10, 2010.
  • Clinton praise for London project, BBC news, May 19, 2009.

About Southwark

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Campaigns

The London Borough of Southwark ( SUDH-ərk) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas were amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. All districts of the area are within the London postal district. It is governed by Southwark London Borough Council.

The part of the South Bank within the borough is home to London Bridge terminus station and the attractions of The Shard, Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe and Borough Market that are the largest of the venues in Southwark to draw domestic and international tourism. Dulwich is home to the Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Imperial War Museum is in Elephant and Castle. Major districts include Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Peckham, Camberwell, and Dulwich.

External links

Page data
Keywords London borough, Visions UK
SDG SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities
Authors Phil Green
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 261 pages link here
Redirects Southwark, Southwark community action
Views 77 page views (analytics)
Created February 12, 2014 by Phil Green
Last edit December 16, 2025 by Felipe Schenone
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