Settling in to a rare seat on the Jubilee Line on the commute home last week with a copy of the Evening Standard and being hit with the headline; ‘Mass exodus from London’ came as a shock. Apparently, for the first time in half a decade, more people are leaving London than moving to it, with net migration away from the capital now exceeding 80,000 people a year.
Turning to the next page surely had to yield more positive news… Alas no. London has now been voted the least neighbourly place in the UK. But just how justified is this claim? Why is coverage for a city this busy and exciting so cynical?
Over on Waterloo Road, the Rooster office is just a short stroll from ‘Britain’s Busiest Station’ London Waterloo and the riverside district of Southbank.
A hub of cultural activity and enviable skylines, pretty much everywhere you look there’s a buzzy restaurant, bar, or arts centre opening the doors to an evening of entertainment. As Idris Elba put it in a recent issue of Time Out: ‘In this city, when we go through tough times the pubs just get a little fuller…’ Southbank certainly has no shortage of those!
Key landmarks include the hard-to-miss London Eye, Tate Modern and Waterloo Bridge, often referred to as ‘Ladies Bridge’ due to the heroic efforts of women during its reconstruction in World War Two – a great example of girl power! (Check out our blog post celebrating all things female)
With all this on our doorstep, it’s clear that being centrally located is vital for communications. A centre of innovation with a unique mix of cultural influences, doing business in the ‘Big Smoke’ keeps us PR professionals in the know about the latest trends and allows for a broader perspective, ultimately influencing the work we do to promote our clients from across the world. Having the key media houses nearby also means we’re able to have that all important face-to-face time with journalists, as well as with clients, for both of whom time is of the essence.
Taking the opportunity to give our area some further love and inspire those looking to pay a visit, here are thoughts and tips from the Rooster team:
Yasmine Triana, Senior Account Manager (@Yaz_triana)
“Lower Marsh food market has pretty much any flavour from any culture that might take your fancy. Vaulty Towers is the most instagrammable, mad pub in London – complete with indoor tree house!”
Stuart Fyfe, Senior Account Director (@Stuwasthere)
“London is the world in one city – you can find almost every language, every culture, and you can experience every type of food, art or music… all in one city. And that’s unique to London.”
Alex Fenton, Account Executive (@alxfenton)
“There’s always something to do in London, and although the beer isn’t as good as it is up North, there’s never a shortage of places to spend an evening!”
Natalie Garland, Senior Account Executive (@thefloralrepublic)
“I love the area around here because it’s like a little community and there are so many places to wander around lunchtime to get some space and see everyone out for lunch getting their food from the street markets. Waterloo and Southbank is like a gateway into the city and you can get pretty much anywhere from here!”
Katie Raby, Account Manager (@katieraby88)
“I love the diversity of London and how you can eat a different nationality’s food every single day. Being close to the river is a big plus – plenty of places to go for a drink on a summer’s evening – and yet only a short (and scenic) walk in to central London for the buzz of Soho and Covent Garden.”
So yes rents are high, pollution levels are hitting new records and like the rest of the UK the city is suffering the strain of political uncertainty. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that London is a vibrant metropolis with a wealth of possibilities for residents and visitors alike and I certainly wouldn’t call time on the city just yet.
By Rachel Sewell/The Rooster Team
