Better Bankside

Walk Bankside’s rebellious past Bankside’s unique spirit is shaped by its rebellious past, a past which still echoes through its characterful and historic streets. We regularly host wonderful walking tours for Better Bankside members, which peel back the curtain on hundreds of years of our area’s history, and this summer is no exception. Whether walking the streets where Charles Dickens played truant,[1] visiting our social media famous ‘tiny house’ at 67 Hopton Street, taking a trip to Crossbones Gardens – the burial site of over 15,000 paupers - or see the playing days of Shakespeare brought back to life in Shakespeare’s Globe, there are hundreds of places to uncover and secrets to explore. Our Bankside Walking Tours are open Better Bankside members. Walking Tours to book now: ·      9th June – Inspirational Women of Bankside tour with Look Up London ·      11th August – Black History Walk in Bankside ·      3rd September – Ghostsigns of Bankside tour Book your place here: https://lnkd.in/gfzMg6hs #BetterBankside #Bankside #BanksideLondon #ExploreLondon #WalkingTours #WalkLondon #WalkBankside #BusinessImprovementDistrict #BID #LondonHistory #HistoryTours #Londonmaxxing [1] Lant Street - Bankside London

🪻 Make like our foxgloves... "Keep in the dappled shade today, like this foxglove," says our Urban Gardener Dan Lea, as temperatures hit 28°C in Bankside, and are expected to reach 32°C by Bank Holiday Monday. Foxgloves evolved in partially shaded woodland areas in the UK and western Europe, and tend to avoid the heat. In unusually hot weather, foxgloves often reduce growth dramatically and may droop in the afternoon sun. You can find a surprising number in London's Bankside... If you find yourself drooping in the afternoon sun this Bank Holiday weekend, try an alcohol-free Mai Tai cocktail at SAMA Bankside ,or some underground tequila at Call Me Mr Lucky. Find a list of Bankside's bars here: https://lnkd.in/gwmkgwBX #Bankside #BanksideLondon #BetterBankside #BID #BusinessImprovementDistrict #Foxgloves #UrbanGardening #BankHolidayWeekend #LondonSummer #DappledShade #Heatwave #SE1 #DrinkInTheShade #LondonMaxxing

Office Foodies, The Working Lunch Needs You! Opinion Piece by Nicole Gordon

🍽️ Gastronomic and convivial delights in Bankside: F&D deal of the week Bankside is a veritable treasure trove of restaurants, cafés and bars. Choose from global cuisines or the latest viral foodie trends. To celebrate the huge variety and culinary creativity among our hospitality members, we’ll be highlighting a special offer from one of them every week.   We start with the Angry Crab Shack in Borough Yards. Nestled beneath the historic railway arches, the Angry Crab Shack embodies the spirit of the American South. Enjoy delicious Louisiana-style seafood boils within warehouse-chic interiors.   ⚡ The Angry Crab Shack is offering 10% off all menu items for Buzz Card members 📅 Valid Monday to Friday, from 12pm to 4pm, including drinks.  📌 The Angry Crab Shack, Arch 230, Borough Yards, Stoney Street, London SE1 9FJ   See here for more details: https://lnkd.in/gd_-3vNc #betterbankside #bankside #banksiderestaurants #londonrestaurant #businessimprovementdistrict #bid #banksidef&d #restaurantoffer #seafood #londonfood #londonmaxxing #workinglunch #dealoftheweek #banksidedeal

🎓 Learn something new next week Next week, 18th to 22nd May, is Learning at Work Week. Rachel Nicholson, our wonderful Responsible Business & Inclusion Manager, suggests how to use the week as an excuse to learn something new. Learning at Work Week is an opportunity to explore the many ways Better Bankside can support you in growing professionally and personally. Did you know, formal training makes up just 10% of how we learn and develop at work? Learning from colleagues and peers contributes an additional 20%, but it’s practical experience that offers the most valuable learning and development opportunities. What will you try this Learning at Work Week? Explore all the opportunities available through Better Bankside, and take the next step in your development: ⚡ SEEDL is a free online learning platform for anyone who works for a Better Bankside member. SEEDL offers more than 300 courses that can be accessed live or on demand at a time that suits you, with courses lasting from 20 minutes to one hour: https://lnkd.in/gVWpyKir ⚡ In-person professional training helps you build and practise vital skills, such as networking and public speaking: https://lnkd.in/gth4DuFs & https://lnkd.in/g3bVqUg2 ⚡ Share your expertise and experience to help shape Better Bankside’s programme by joining one of our theme groups or getting involved with the Bankside Inclusion Networks: https://lnkd.in/dXGZdW-2 & https://lnkd.in/gCTatu8U ⚡ For anyone in the early stages of their career, the new NextGen Bankside network is an opportunity to build confidence and connections with peers from other Bankside businesses: https://lnkd.in/g486YHYC ⚡ Volunteering can be about more than just ‘giving back’: challenge yourself to explain your role or sector to young people without using jargon by getting involved in Bankside Futures this summer, or join a hands-on volunteering day with colleagues that can help foster team connections and communication skills: https://lnkd.in/eiUtUCVy https://lnkd.in/g5hMXxHp   Whatever stage you’re at in your career, these opportunities and more can support your continuing development all year round. #bankside #businessimprovementdistrict #learningatworkweek #betterbankside #training #learningatwork #volunteering    

☕Green Bankside spaces for a lunchtime reset May is Mental Health Awareness month. Research from Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development - IOM College found that three in ten UK workers have unmanageable workloads, and taking proper lunch breaks can help improve wellbeing and recovery from work-related stress[1]. Stepping away from your desk and getting outside can help refresh and reset, and Bankside is full of unexpected quiet, green spaces. 🌿Redcross Gardens on Redcross Way, originally designed by social reformer and National Trust co-founder Octavia Hill, has been beautifully restored to its Victorian layout and remains one of the most peaceful spots in SE1. 🌿 Behind Tate, on Sumner Street is a quiet stretch of lawn, perfect with a coffee from one of the nearby Canvey Street cafes.  🌿 Mint Street Park, where Southwark Bridge Road meets Marshalsea Road, is one of the larger green spaces in the area, colourful gardens, grassy lawns, a playground, and an outdoor gym, all looked after by BOST and the local community. 🌿 All Hallows' Churchyard on Copperfield Street, a walled garden built on the bombed out remains of a Victorian church, offers a genuinely secluded spot that most people walk straight past. Have a look at our Bankside Parks guide: https://lnkd.in/gxqJkNHy and escape from eating lunch at your desk. #EmployeeWellbeing #HappierBankside #WorkplaceCulture #PeopleFirst #Bankside #BetterBankside #BusinessImprovementDistrict #Southwark #Greenspaces #lunchbreak #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #Wellbeing [1] Wellness at work – making the most of lunch breaks? | CIPD

⚡ FREE Mental Health Training tomorrow at Southwark Cathedral As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the wellbeing of people who work in Bankside, we are hosting a Mental Health First Aid Aware training session for Better Bankside members, led by Mental Health First Aid England. This introductory course will be held Southwark Cathedral and raises awareness of mental health. You will gain: 🎓 An understanding of what mental health is and how to challenge stigma 🎓 A basic knowledge of some common mental health issues 🎓 An introduction to looking after your own mental health and maintaining wellbeing 🎓 Confidence to offer support to someone in distress or who may be experiencing a mental health issue Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities. ⏲️ 9:30am - 1:30pm 📅 Tuesday 12th May 2026 📍 Southwark Cathedral (John Trevor Williams Room), London Bridge, London, SE1 9DA Book now, using password Bankside here: Please note: You are welcome to join this event if you live or work in Bankside. #EmployeeWellbeing #HR #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #PeopleFirst #Bankside #BetterBankside #BusinessImprovementDistrict #Southwark #LondonEvents #BusinessCommunity #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthFirstAid #Wellbeing  

❤️ In Bankside, community is always on the menu At the end of April, volunteers from Bankside businesses - Hilton London Bankside, Red Ant and Waterman Group - came together at Blackfriars Settlement for a St George’s Day Kitchen Takeover. Together, they prepared, cooked and served lunch for members of the Crusoe Club, who are blind or visually impaired, part of Blackfriars Settlement’s Positive Ageing programme. On the menu: roast beef, baked salmon and all the trimmings, followed by apple crumble, all served with plenty of conversation and community spirit. But the highlight of the day wasn’t just the food. After lunch was served, volunteers sat down alongside Crusoe Club members to eat, chat and enjoy the afternoon together - a simple but important reminder of the value of connection in a busy city. 👏 A huge thank you to everyone who took part, and to Blackfriars Settlement for the incredible work they do to support the local community every day. Explore other Better Bankside upcoming volunteering events and get involved here: https://lnkd.in/gFXsWEKA #BetterBankside #Bankside #Volunteering #Community #PositiveAgeing #LondonCommunity #BusinessForGood #TeamVolunteering #socialresponsibility #Businessimprovementdistrict    

🫶 Banksiders benefit from giving back, and so does our area Research has shown that volunteering boosts mental health and can reduce stress, combat depression and increase self-confidence and life satisfaction[1]. Our volunteering programmes make it easy for members to step out of the office and into the local Bankside community. Last week, volunteers from Eight Versa, Hilton London Bankside, Red Ant and Waterman Group surrounded our Better Air letters in Tabard Street with 120 new plants. These typeface-inspired planters were installed 6 years ago as part of our campaign to improve local air quality. Volunteers refreshed this pocket of green with planting designed to attract more pollinating insects to Bankside. Explore upcoming volunteering events and get involved here: https://lnkd.in/eS4XqZm #bankside #businessimprovementdistrict #banksideevolunteering #betterbankside #londonvolunteering #londonmaxxing #socialresponsibility   [1] The Mental Health Benefits of Volunteering – Volunteer’s Week 1- 7th June - Everyone Health

  Health, wellbeing and Bankside’s green spaces May is Mental Health Awareness month. To kick this off, Dan Lea, our Urban Gardener, has shared a personal reflection on how we could all benefit from taking a moment to notice the nature in our cities - and use it to pause and connect with one another... Access to nature and green spaces is integral to the work we do at Better Bankside but its impact on our health and wellbeing can be difficult to define. As the urban gardener for Better Bankside, I often find myself amongst the hustle and bustle of the morning commute, watching workers flood their offices, heads deep in thought with a flat white in hand. I wonder if their journey was brightened by the newly emerging purple alliums stretching into the sky on Union Street, or the slow unfurling of shade-loving ferns on Keppel Row. We all know the benefits of being close to nature, from birdsong reducing anxiety to tree canopy cover providing much-needed shade during warmer weather but can it be quantified? How can we prove the impact of hearing birdsong or stopping to look at a flower? I was recently invited to talk at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for the annual London Gardeners Network, a gathering of professional gardeners, connecting ideas, challenges and stories to share knowledge and advocate for greater access to nature in our cities and beyond. Within my presentation I grappled with observations I have made as a full-time gardener in Bankside. As I journey around pruning, planting or watering I am often reminded of the importance of having a regular presence in such a busy urban environment and how this enables better connections, conversations and community.  A big portion of my day is often having simple, meaningful conversations (mostly around plants or bees) and it brings joy to just stop and talk while the city seems to be running all around. The science behind this proves that connections are integral to our physical and mental health, combatting loneliness, depression and social anxiety. So how can we quantify a simple good morning or a natter about how dry the soil is? I’m not so sure, but I know my mental health feels brighter when outside, surrounded by bees, rustling leaves and conversations about the weather.  #bankside #businessimprovementdistrict #urbangreening #betterbankside #mentalhealthawareness #londonmaxxing #greeninglondon #mentalhealth