September Newsletter

Hello there! 

Autumn is fast approaching - soon golden leaves will begin to scatter and the days will shorten. As we navigate the on-going changes that have emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, I hope you're finding ways to cope and to take care of yourself and those around you. Change often brings about an awareness of the systems around us, many of which we are discovering more and more are flawed, broken even. We are more aware than ever before of the crisis's our world is facing - from climate change and food insecurity to widespread unemployment.

Times of crisis never fail to present new opportunities to re-imagine, to rebuild and to revolutionize. We are coming to realise that things can't go on has they have done. More and more, we are beginning to take personal responsibility for the way we live our lives, the way we treat and relate to each other and the world we temporarily inhabit. It is during these uncertain and difficult times, we find our need for connection to spaces, stories, solutions and communities, even greater. Read on for news, recommendations, tour dates, and projects. 

Living London wandering tours will resume from October 1st 2020. In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic I have specially selected and carried out risk assessment for upcoming wandering tours. Living London will mitigate against possible risks to ensure the safety and well-being of the guide, attendees and members of the public. Each wandering will take place outdoors and groups will be limited to a number of 10 people per walking tour. After much thought and consideration, I decided it best to start running my tours again. I hope they will offer attendees a sense of belonging, connection and possibility during these trying times. 

The Department of Culture, Media and Sports have confirmed that guided tours can go ahead according to clause 2.2.2 of the Government Coronavirus Guidance; “Guided tours of up to 30 people may take place indoors or outdoors provided businesses undertake risk assessments in line with this guidance document and put any necessary mitigations in place.” For more information and guidance on Living London walking tours during this time, click here.

Upcoming Tours

Secret Gardens Wandering, Saturday 3rd October - 11am - 1.30pm

Explore some of London’s beautiful secret gardens and find out the stories behind them! We’ll be visiting some very special gardens on this wandering, including the imaginative and dreamy St Dunstan-in-the-East church garden, a hidden community garden with a little library, and Cross Bones, an old burial ground for paupers and prostitutes recently made into a community garden, a moving place of remembrance.

Secret Canal-Side Wandering, Sunday 11th October - 11am - 1:30pm

Join me for an autumnal canal-side wander from Warwick Avenue to Westbourne Park. Along the way we’ll be visiting London’s oldest gardening centre Clifton Nurseries, wandering through the whimsical Meanwhile Community Gardens and taking in Erno Goldfinger’s iconic Trellick Tower. I’ll be sharing stories of the people and communities that make the spaces so special and connect each hidden space to a dozen others, giving you an insight into some of London’s hidden communities.
 

Sunset Riverside Wandering, Saturday 31st October, 5.30pm - 7.30pm

Explore Greenwich Peninsula at sunset on this wondrous and cosmic riverside wandering and hear stories of the people and places that make the area so interesting. Along the way we’ll be following The Line sculpture trail, seeking out ‘A Bullet from a Shooting Star’ and ‘Quantum Cloud,’ we'll look out for birds in the area surrounding Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park as well seals in the Thames. We’ll end at Thames Barrier, one of the largest movable flood barriers in the world. 

Each wandering will take place on a monthly basis until further notice. To book onto to an above tour, click here.

Earlier this year, I began working with Virginia, Director of Lambeth Larder an amazing and important social enterprise. Lambeth Larder connects people to emergency food and other support by producing free resources. We don't have food, but we do have information to share.

During the Covid-19 crisis, we will be updating the Lambeth Larder website regularly to help support local people and groups. Get in touch if you'd like to work with us, or want more information or have information to share. For more information, click here. 

Writing/ Book Projects

I'm glad to announce that I will hopefully be releasing my latest book towards the end of this month! Apologies for the delay! In addition to working on On Belonging, I've also compiled a book of poetry entitled London Wanderings and re-edited my first novel Freegan Freedom and book of short stories Between a Reverie and a Hard Place. I'm hoping to self-publish and release London Wanderings later on in the year and the other two books next year. Over the years I've written so many books, mostly out of the sheer enjoyment of writing. Much of my work remains unshared, but more recently I've decided to change that. I'm so happy to have finally gotten to the stage where I've enough time to revisit and develop old projects. Watch this space!

On Belonging, Reflections of a Renegade Guide  

Returning to Lahore after almost a decade, wandering guide and community worker Saira Niazi reflects on what it means to belong on both a personal and a universal level.

In a series of personal essays on topics including exploration, love, faith, transience, mental health and being a woman of colour, Niazi shares her strange and unlikely journey towards becoming a wandering guide. She draws upon the stories, experiences, and insights of the extraordinary people she has met along the way, from monks and mudlarks to storytellers and scientists, and celebrates the many different kinds of beautiful lives that exist. 

Product Remixed Podcast: Curiosity and Community with Saira Niazi

I really enjoyed talking curiosity, creativity and community with a the lovely Frances, a senior product manager from San Francisco for her amazing new podcast - Product Remix. Click here to listen to the full interview.

In this episode, we chat with Saira Niazi -  the founder of Living London, a platform featuring London’s hidden gems through workshops, tours, and a blog. Saira is also a community worker and a writer of a forthcoming book! I first met Saira in London back in 2018, where she showed me an insider, authentic look at London. I can’t wait for you all to meet Saira. ⁣⁠⠀
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Stay tuned to hear about:⁣⁠⠀
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- How Saira started Living London, and what exactly is a wandering⁣⁠⠀
- The role of curiosity in creativity ⁣⁠⠀
- The power of story and building true connection⁣⁠⠀
- How builders (tech or otherwise) can start getting to know their communities better⁣

Nowhere Trails

Over the last six weeks, I've found myself wandering, writing and (v remote) working from different places in the UK. Having been shielding since March, it was really nice to traverse open spaces, discover hidden lonely gems and to find alternative ways to get around. I'm hoping to create a series of 'nowhere' trails that cover lesser known and lesser frequented parts of the UK, from empty stretches of chalk downs, to sparse beaches and forgotten stretches of the Grand Union canal. Watch this space!

BENK + BO: One Day

One Day is an ongoing project sparked by the Covid-19. In the days of isolation we would like to focus on what we do best; bringing people together. We will continue to post One Day every Wednesday going forward. See our instagram stories to experience these peoples One Day in action. For more click here and to discover some amazing stories.

Earlier on this summer, I shared a day in my life during lock-down with Benk + Bo together with some words on what I do as part of their amazing One Day series. For the full interview, click here.

A text, song or film that everyone should experience.
Searching for Sugarman – a really interesting and beautifully made documentary on two fans search for Detroit based musician Rodriguez. Rodriguez’ story has inspired me to do things out of joy and love, and to live freely without having too many expectations. 

What is the story behind your profession/ passion? 
I’ve always been loved exploring London’s hidden gems, talking to different people, and collecting and sharing stories through writing, photography and storytelling. Years ago, I founded a blog called Living London. Through my blog, I would document my unlikely explorations of spaces – from underground temples to eco- squats. Shortly after, I decided to lead tours that would connect hidden gems in different areas across London and bring them to life through storytelling and sharing anecdotes of people and place. In addition to the tours, I began to organise a variety of events and creative workshops, all of which were rooted in exploration and community. I think it’s really important to amplify diverse voices and to celebrate the work of pioneers seeking to create positive change and I try to do this wherever I can.         

How do you want people to react to your work / passion? 
I guess I would like people to come away from a tour or an event feeling a sense of connection, warmth and belonging. My tours and events have always sought to be genuinely inclusive – I love to bring people together from all walks of life, to evoke a sense of possibility and wonder.

Your greatest achievement? 
I recently finished writing a book of personal essays whilst in Lahore called On Belonging, Reflections of a Renegade Guide. I feel like the book is a culmination of ten years of learnings. In my book, I share my unlikely and layered journey towards becoming a guide. I also share stories of the people I’ve met and celebrate the many different beautiful kinds of life that exist. 

What traits do you treasure in other people? 
Curiosity and kindness.

Living London Recommends:

Watch: Extinction: The Facts With a million species at risk of extinction, David Attenborough explores how this crisis of biodiversity has consequences for us all, including putting us at greater risk of pandemic diseases. A really eye-opening documentary, that ends on a hopeful note. 

Book: A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a "Course in Miracles" Marianne Williamson People are taught to be separate from one another and to compete to get ahead, that they are not good enough the way they are. This work provides a spiritual travel guide back to the truth people were born with and and shows how to accept back into their hearts the love that has been denied. I'm recently rereading this book, it's uplifting, hopeful and full of stories and spiritual gems. It makes for good reading during trying times. 

Articles:

At 31, I have just weeks to live. Here's what I want to pass on, Elliot Dallen

'But everybody dies, and there will always be places and experiences missing from anyone’s life – the world has too much beauty and adventure for one person to see.'

Big Wolf & Little Wolf: A Tender Tale of Loneliness, Belonging, and How Friendship Transforms Us

'We spend our lives trying to discern where we end and the rest of the world begins. There is a strange and sorrowful loneliness to this, to being a creature that carries its fragile sense of self in a bag of skin on an endless pilgrimage to some promised land of belonging.'

On Despair and the Imagination

'We could go and look up a few old and trusted friends and suggest that we all live together in an unconventional small and supportive commune. We can rid ourselves of the toxic values we grew up with and become – in the best way – outcasts and eccentrics.' 
 
Explore your Neighbourhood! 

Have you discovered any hidden outdoor gems or traversed new walking routes lately? I would love to hear and share your wandering stories! Please send your findings to info@livinglondon.org. Lately I've taken to cycling around London and have discovered lots of hidden green routes. 

Thanks for reading and hope to see you at a wandering tour soon! 

Stay Safe and Well! 
Saira x