Our Community Projects and Initiatives
We are dedicated to enriching our community through a variety of engaging projects. From organising events to enhancing our library's garden, each initiative aims to foster connection and promote learning. The library is more than just a building—it’s a cornerstone of our neighbourhood, fostering inclusion, inspiration, and growth for all.
TuLF Garden
We embrace the spirit of community gardening as a means to unite and empower residents. Beyond enhancing the library grounds, we take pride in nurturing a place of horticultural interest that serves as a thriving habitat for wildlife and promotes biodiversity. Our gardening efforts support pollinators like bees and butterflies, while native plants create a sanctuary for local birds and other species. Seasonal planting events bring neighbors together to beautify the area and strengthen community bonds. By cultivating these green spaces, we contribute to the health of our environment and the well-being of everyone in Kingston upon Thames.
We created the opportunity to grow more vegetables this year by installing decorative metal arches between the raised beds. The results were impressive and our garden volunteers enjoyed the bountiful produce of runner beans, broad beans, courgettes and squash!
Replacing Blinds and Chairs
Recent improvements to the library’s interior have made it more welcoming and functional for all visitors. In the children's area, we replaced old chairs with colorful, ergonomic seating to encourage reading. New blinds offer better natural light control, creating a cozy atmosphere for reading and relaxation. These updates make the library more inviting for families and provide a vibrant space for children’s activities. Enhanced lighting and seating ensure a pleasant experience for adults, whether reading or attending events. These changes reflect our commitment to serving the diverse needs of our community, making the library a cherished hub for learning and gathering.
The new chairs are now nicely settled in the library annexe and reading area, perfectly matching the space and giving it a fresh, polished look. In fact, they blend in so well that it feels like they’ve always been there!
A Blooming Success: The Tudor Mindful Garden Opens Its Gates
The Tudor Mindful Garden officially sprang to life on 18 April, when the Mayor of Kingston cut the ribbon before a crowd of more than 80 enthusiastic guests. The celebration had all the ingredients of a perfect community gathering: sunshine, good company, and plenty of delightful surprises.
Pam kicked things off with a wonderfully sharp and engaging mini‑tour of the WWII Air Raid Warden shelter—just enough to intrigue everyone ahead of the full talk coming on 16 May. Visitors then drifted through the garden with hot and cold drinks in hand, sampling an irrestible spread of sweet and savoury treats.
Adding to the charm, the first harvest from our very own greenhouse made its debut, and guests could even try a short Qigong taster session amid the fresh spring air. Four‑legged companions weren’t forgotten either; we made sure they had their own treats to enjoy.
A huge thank‑you to everyone who joined us and helped make the opening such a warm, joyful community moment. Here’s to many more days of calm, connection, and growth in the Tudor Mindful Garden.
FunDaMath
Derived from Fun with Fundamental Mathematics, FunDaMath is a set of fun activities around fundamental mathematical concepts that occur in our daily lives, such as curvature, orientation, knots, tiles, bytes and much more. There is no "adding, multiplying or dividing" involved, just hands-on activity and curiosity are required. It is free and suitable for anyone aged eight and above. These activities are usually offered during school breaks in the library annexe. Keep an eye on our events page!
Join us on our regular Litter Pick every first Saturday of the month!
A group of us TuLF volunteers do a monthly ‘Keep Tudor Tidy’ exercise, picking up litter up and down Tudor Drive and along some of the side streets. You can’t miss us in our day glow pink TuLF vests. Our councillor Patrick Hall is there to help regularly, as is former councillor Katrina Lidbetter. We are all dedicated to making this area the best it can be.
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The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Bench
TuLF secured funding to purchase this bench in Spring of 2022. The management team discussed positioning and installation. Wolfgang led the exercise of installing and securing. A lovely bench is now perfectly placed for the public to enjoy.