Welcome to The Lewisham Ledger, a free newspaper for the borough.

As we were working on this issue, our sister title The Peckham Peculiar was named the ICNN Independent Community Newspaper of the Year at the 2023 Newspaper Awards, which "celebrate excellence and innovation in the printed newspaper". The Peculiar has been in print since January 2014 and winning the award was a particularly proud moment for all of us.

Putting together The Lewisham Ledger has once again taken us to many different corners of the borough, meeting lots of interesting local people along the way.

Our cover star for this edition is the multitalented artist and musician Nikki Kvarnes, who gives us a glimpse into her creative world on page 12.

Our reporter Luke G Williams has recently written a book on legendary local snooker player Patsy Houlihan, who lived in Deptford his whole life. Turn to page 14 to read his story.

Since it was founded by Yasmin Poyntz, Catford-based hub the Village London has offered constant support to local parents and families, through lockdown and beyond. Yasmin tells us what inspired her to set it up –and her vision for the future – on page eight.

We also caught up with Hither Green-based author Anna Corbett, who gives us an insight into her interesting new novel – and why she loves living in Lewisham – on page 17.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy the issue!

Mark McGinlay and Kate White