First Wandsworth Community Heritage Grants programme announced: a London Borough of Culture legacy.

The programme supports local artists, historians, creatives and community organisations to uncover, celebrate and share the stories, people and places that have shaped the borough. From preserving Battersea’s women’s history and exploring the democratic legacy of the Putney Debates, to amplifying East and South-East Asian voices, capturing intergenerational memories and creating new opportunities to connect with local heritage, the funded projects will engage residents across Wandsworth throughout 2026 and leave a lasting cultural legacy for future generations.

Intergenerational Stories of Place Heritage and Connection                  

Father-daughter team Crispin and Esme Green have taken over Sprout Arts this August, using the space for their creative practice, and drawing on their personal family histories as a starting point to connect with some of Wandsworth’s history and heritage. Against a backdrop of artwork, they have devised a series of free heritage talks and creative workshops, running from 5 - 29 August 2026.

On 13 August, join Tooting History Society to learn about the long-forgotten hospital of Tooting - recalling the lives and years of the old Tooting Asylum. On 20 August, Jeanne Rathbone from the Battersea Society will share the remarkable story of the Bransons, a family of artists and activists from Battersea. And an exhibition of paintings made while Crispin was working as an art tutor in HMP Wandsworth forms the backdrop for a panel-led discussion on restorative justice and rehabilitation and prison/punishment on 26 August.

There will be a chance to join a friendly singing workshop led by the local leader of The Great Gustos, and father and daughter will run three mindfulness wellbeing workshops on themes of Place, People and Connection. The residency ends with a community party on Sat 29 August.

All are welcome to visit Sprout Arts residency program in August and join in a range of talks and workshops inspired by the borough’s local heritage of people, place, and connecting our past to the present day. - Crispin Green, Lead for the Artist in Residence at Sprout Arts

• Events running Wednesday to Sunday from 5 – 29 August 2026.
• Sprout Arts, 74 Moyser Road, Furzedown, SW16 6SQ
• Discover the programme

Inspiring Women of Battersea     

History Speak CIC is turning Jeanne Rathbone's much-loved Inspiring Women of Battersea walking tour into a self-guided audio experience. 

Jeanne, a long-standing Battersea resident, writer and community campaigner, has spent years researching and sharing the stories of women who shaped the borough. As her in-person walks come to a natural end, this project preserves not just her research but her distinctive voice, humour and storytelling style for future audiences. Join us on one of Jeanne's last in-person walks and become part of the legacy.

During the walk, we will record the audio along with audience interaction that makes an in-person experience special. The finished audio tour will be hosted online, letting people explore Battersea's women's history independently and on demand. The project closes with a free community sharing event at the ROSE Community Clubroom, Nine Elms, in November 2026. Tour attendees and the wider community can hear selected stories, learn how the tour was made, and share their own memories of Battersea's history. 

We are excited for the opportunity to preserve the Inspiring Women of Battersea walking tour. The story as told by Jeanne is a valuable piece Battersea’s intangible heritage.” - Manasi Pophale, Producer History Speak CIC            

• Walking tour: Sat 11 September 2026, 11am. Free.
• Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TN
• Sign up

Youyang Song: ESEA Voices of Wandsworth: Celebrating East and South-East Asian Stories      

ESEA Voices of Wandsworth: Celebrating East and South-East Asian Stories is a free creative storytelling programme for East and South-East Asian adults who live, work or study in Wandsworth.

Join a welcoming series of small-group workshops where you can celebrate your heritage, meet new people, and explore identity, belonging, memories and cultural traditions through storytelling, creative writing and voice. No previous experience is needed. Whether you want to try something creative for the first time, reconnect with your cultural background, or simply meet others with shared experiences, you are warmly welcome.

Together, we'll explore inspiring creative exercises based on memories, food, music, traditions and everyday life, helping you develop original work in a relaxed and supportive environment. You can take part in the way that feels right for you, whether through writing, speaking, listening or performance. If you would like to, you'll also have the opportunity to contribute to an audio storytelling piece created with Riverside Radio and share your work at a small, invite-only event.

The programme celebrates the rich diversity of East and South-East Asian communities in Wandsworth, creating a welcoming space for creativity, connection, confidence and belonging.

ESEA Voices of Wandsworth: Celebrating East and South-East Asian Stories creates a welcoming space where East and South-East Asian people can celebrate their heritage, share stories and connect through creativity. I hope participants leave feeling more confident, inspired and connected to one another and to the borough they call home. - Youyang Song, Lead Artist

Artist Youyang Song was one of 10 Global Majority artists who participated in the Culturally Mindful programme during our year as London Borough of Culture. This project is also a Culturally Mindful Legacy Commission, a legacy programme of London Borough of Culture 2025.

• Saturdays from 24 October - 28 November 2026, 10am to 11.30am. Free.
• R.O.S.E Community Clubroom, Ascalon Street, Battersea, London SW8 4DL          
• Advance registration is required as places are limited. To join the workshops, please register your interest via the online form.

This is a small-group programme designed as a series of connected sessions, so we encourage participants to attend as many sessions as possible to get the most from the experience. 

Putney Debates 2026

October 1647: in the English Civil War, King Charles has been defeated, not by a royal rival but by the commoners of the Parliamentary forces. The centuries-old assumption that monarchs ruled by divine will has been overthrown. The world has turned upside down. What now? 

At St Mary’s Church in Putney, representatives of the victors’ forces, from foot-soldiers to generals, debate the future and consider ideas that remain contentious today: a written constitution, human rights, overhauling the law and parliament, and massively extending the right to vote. 

Putney Debates 2026 is an exploration through plays, art and discussion of a unique event in the history of democracy, at the very place where that event was held.

Putney Debates 2026 is a fantastic opportunity to explore a key moment in the history of democracy that happened right here in Wandsworth. We are delighted to be creating this event with local writers, artists and performers. - Nick Eisen

Putney Debates 2026 focuses on a piece of local history of national and arguably global significance. 

• Sat 7 & Sun 8 November 2026, St Mary’s Church, Putney High Street, London, SW15 1SN

Retracing Wandsworth: Your Community Atlas Workshops

Retracing Wandsworth is an ongoing project, documenting anecdotal histories, stories of everyday life and impacts of change within the borough. Artist Alexandra Stuart-Lyon will lead a series of free intergenerational workshops open to children aged 7-11 and adults aged 65+. 

The Your Community Atlas workshops explore map-making and storytelling, offering participants the chance to reflect on Wandsworth’s rich social history, while sharing the places that matter to them, and the memories that make our borough special. Selected work will be featured in a collective exhibition. 

Wandsworth has a rich social history with residents carrying memories of everyday life since World War II. I am thrilled to be collaborating with local community groups on a project that highlights the stories and experiences that make our borough unique. By bringing people of different generations together, we are collecting memories of the past and capturing the way people interact with the borough at present day. Comparing the two will allow us to reflect on what has been lost, transformed or reinvented. The workshops will encourage participants to see their own experiences as an important part of the borough's living history. - Alexandra Stuart-Lyon

• To take part, you must be a Wandsworth resident and member of either Sparkle or Regenerate-Rise community groups.