Fortius Clinic Partner with AFC Wimbledon

Fortius Clinic has announced an official partnership with AFC Wimbledon, as the club’s Health and Wellbeing Partner.

New to Wimbledon Town Centre, Fortius Clinic opened a state-of the-art orthopaedic and sports injury treatment clinic on 22 Worple Road, this past September, expanding their London footprint and bringing outstanding surgical and medical care to patients to the area.

A global leader in sports and musculoskeletal medicine, Fortius Clinic is the UK’s single largest orthopaedic group with an international reputation in sports injury treatment and is the preferred clinic of choice for many premier league football clubs. It is a recognised FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence.

This autumn, AFC Wimbledon returns to its original home in Plough Lane with a brand-new stadium after 20 years away, creating a significant community and business hub for Merton.

Helen Clark Bell, Chief Executive at Love Wimbledon stated :

Developing local business partnerships helps to build the local community. Not only are we looking forward to AFC Wimbledon’s homecoming to Plough Lane, but by facilitating these B2B introductions to Wimbledon businesses such as Fortius Clinic, we are building a collaborative approach that benefits all parties.

Jim McAvoy, Chief Executive at Fortius Clinic commented: “Fortius has been providing outstanding medical care to professional footballers and teams for many years and we have extensive experience in football medicine. We look forward to developing a long-standing partnership with AFC Wimbledon and being part of the Wimbledon community”.

Ivor Heller, AFC Wimbledon’s Commercial Director said: “We are delighted to welcome Fortius to Wimbledon. Not only the club but to the Town centre where they have set up a clinic. As our health and wellbeing partner we will be regularly liaising with them to see how their services can benefit our team and fans.”

The Wombles Are Back!

New artwork to change the landscape of Wimbledon Town Centre

Graffiti is an ongoing challenge for many town centres, including Wimbledon.

Love Wimbledon has collaborated with The Wombles, to create a high-profile piece of wall art, as part of a wider environmental campaign to articulate how we can all ‘Love Where We Live’.

The wall, where the new 3.5-metre high and 15-metre long mural sits, was previously a hotspot for unsightly graffiti. This project, supported by South Western Railway, has hugely enhanced the experience along the busy railway path, providing a great selfie opportunity for pedestrians with Great Uncle Bulgaria. Following their return from hibernation in January to raise environmental awareness, the artwork depicts all our favourite Wombles characters hard at work painting the wall to cover up the graffiti underneath.

Wall before artwork began

The mural is located adjacent to the busy rail and tram lines, to the south of Wimbledon Station, which bring in residents, travellers and commuters from surrounding areas and the South West of the country. The presence of such prominent and vibrant art along the railway path, acts as a unique identifying feature, helping to differentiate Wimbledon from other town centres and strengthening the bond between the town and those nearby.

 

Our funding can make a real difference to town centres, improving community experiences and cheering up urban areas. It’s good to see The Wombles back in Wimbledon and we are sure the commuters passing to and from Waterloo will love it!

– Mark Youngman, Customer and Communities Improvement Fund Manager, South Western Railway

 

Having such vivid art in our town, associated with a variety of cultural and environmental notions, is key to placemaking and strengthens the identity of Wimbledon as a town centre. Now more than ever, consumers need encouragement to #LoveLocal and in order to continue the positive footfall trend that Wimbledon has seen in its recovery from Covid-19, we must work hard to enhance the vibrancy of the town. Having free art which is situated outdoors and open to all, does exactly that.

 

Art can do so many things including bringing a smile to people’s faces and spreading key messages. In times of Covid-19, outdoor art, or as we like to call it ‘A Gallery Without Walls’, is even more salient as we appreciate what we have locally even more.

– Sally Warren, Strategic Marketing and Placemaking Adviser, Love Wimbledon

 

This type of imagery resonates with the local community and creates a highly-engaging, fun piece of artwork which features characters that many will remember from their childhood, both on a local and national level. A modernised style was chosen to ensure that the project also appeals to the new generation, via a more urban-suburban stylistic aesthetic.

      

Up-close detail of the artwork in process

As well as being another strong addition to the budding art scene in Wimbledon, this mural meets the wider aim of bringing free art for all into the local community and developing a gallery without walls within our town. Wimbledon is already home to a street art feature titled ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’ which aims to raise awareness of the decline of British birds, and the UK’s first Rainbow Crossing, which was installed to celebrate the town’s inclusivity and welcome its first LGBT+ bar.

This project is the second of its kind, through a partnership between Love Wimbledon and The Wombles, which aims to bring the positive message of community environmentalism right to the heart of Wimbledon Town Centre. The first campaign saw large display boards take over the main ticket hall at Wimbledon Station, with encouraging sustainable messages for consumers including ‘Travel Smarter’, ‘Reduce/Reuse/Recycle’ and ‘Go Green’.

You can find this great mural painted in its full glory along the railway path overlooking the railway tracks in Wimbledon Town Centre. Simply walk down the side of Little Waitrose and behind Tuition House offices or in the ticket foyer of Wimbledon station.

Remember, there is always more to Wimbledon than meets the eye.

Signage in Wimbledon Station Ticket Hall

Brexit: Check, Change, Go

The end of the Brexit transition period on 31st December 2020 will affect the day-to-day operations of many Wimbledon businesses.

You can identify the actions you need to undertake through the dedicated government web portal, including the points-based immigration system, which may affect your recruitment.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is hosting free live and recorded webinars to help businesses check the new rules and understand the actions they need to take.

Following the initial broadcast, the webinars will be available on demand. The live sessions will take place at the following times:

  • Services and investment – 11am, Tuesday 13 October
  • Retail – 11am, Wednesday 14 October
  • Automotive – 2pm, Wednesday 14 October
  • Metals and other materials – 11am, Tuesday 20 October
  • Electronics and machinery – 11am, Wednesday 21 October
  • Consumer goods – 11am, Thursday 22 October
  • Life Sciences – 11am, Tuesday 27 October
  • Construction – 11am, Wednesday 28 October
  • Aerospace – 11am, Thursday 29 October

Register for these webinars here.