Vote for us! People’s Choice Awards

We are on the shortlist for The People’s Choice Award, which celebrates the businesses that are loved by their customers and communities. The winner is decided entirely by a public vote, and we would be beyond thrilled if you would vote for us. 

It’s impossible to show all the ways our award-winning magazine has made a positive impact in the community but here are 10 areas in which we hope we have brought joy, connection or inspiration to readers’ lives over the last three decades… 

Please VOTE HERE by Monday 14 September. It takes less than a minute! 

Time & Leisure was founded back in 1997 by Tony Kane, with his wife Maggie, and daughter, Lucy. Lucy soon became owner and publisher – she’s still at the helm now. It remains an independent family-owned business and we were delighted to win Best Brand of the Year in 2025. 

But it’s our dedicated team working in Wimbledon and all the local people who have contributed to Time & Leisure over the years, that have created over 300 wonderful editions! So we delved through the archives to show some of the ways Time & Leisure has made an impact in the local area.

1. Supporting the arts – helping our community be more vibrant and connected 

The magazine’s raison d’être when it launched was to support the arts and that is still fundamental to what we do today. Across a wider variety of platforms, we can reach even more readers.  

Our What’s On section in the magazine and our newsletter bring you guides to the best events across south west London and Surrey. We hope it inspires you to make the most of your local area, in turn supporting theatre, art, music and venues in the region.  

We also directly support a whole host of festivals. Time & Leisure helped launch Wimbledon BookFest. Our editorial team co-founded the festival, with Tony Kane and Fiona Razvi’s first festival taking place in 2006.  

We’ve remained committed to supporting literary festivals, working with the likes of Clapham Book Festival and Barnes Children’s Literature Festival, Kingston International Film Festival, FUSE International, Wandsworth Arts Fringe, and Wimbledon International Music Festival, interviewing their stars, and profiling the highlights. 

Being spoilt for choice with such an incredible range of theatres on our doorsteps, we have the privilege of reviewing great shows, showcasing the best of local, and encouraging readers to book tickets and support their local theatres. 

Art has always featured in the magazine, from the front covers hand painted by Tony to local artists depicting local scenes. We have loved working with artists and organisers of Wimbledon Art Trail, Barnes Artists, and Art Surrey. 

2. Food and Culture Awards boosts the variety and quality in our neighbourhoods 

As a natural extension of our support of the arts, we have our annual Food and Culture Awards celebrating the very best of south west London and Surrey across a huge range of categories. We’ve done 14 awards so far and they’re a perfect circle of support – creatives, suppliers, producers, retailers, independents, all getting the recognition they deserve, voted on by our readers. Plus, they support local heritage, and the ceremony itself helps raise money for charity. 

3. Raising money for local charities 

Talking of charity, we’re in a wonderful position to be able to help spread the word about incredible causes. Some of the most touching have included the story of Medical Life Lines Ukraine – an initiative to send ambulances filled with medical supplies to hospitals in war-torn Ukraine; and we run regular stories about local charities such as Momentum and Shooting Star. Our staff members have also been involved in fundraisers such as Kingston’s Dragon Boat races. We helped the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability raise nearly £200,000 for one of its campaigns. 

4. At the heart of many community stories 

We have covered so many heart-warming stories in 30 years: everything from overcoming adversity to local heroes campaigning for the benefit of their communities. Every month we dedicate space in our magazines, newsletters and website to great stories that create positivity and togetherness. That’s over 1000 magazine pages. 

This was particularly poignant during the pandemic, and we launched our Community Heroes Awards to celebrate them. Through our podcasts, we can also shine a light on local people doing fabulous things.  

5. A part of local history 

We love a local heritage story and have covered so many. Our particular favourites have included Kingston’s 1100th anniversary of the crowning of King Athelstan, and hearing about the suffragettes’ links to Wimbledon. The latter became the starting point for an art exhibition at Wimbledon Museum this year with Cynthia Corbett’s Young Masters initiative – we were absolutely thrilled to be invited to support the event and hosted a panel with women’s rights activist Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst. 

6. Promoting sustainability for a better environment 

From covering the rewilding of Wimbledon Common’s Queensmere Pond to how to save the Swifts, we’re always delighted to support an environmental story. We joined Drinkable Rivers on their walk along the Thames, highlighting the need for cleaner waterways. Sustainable September is also top of our agenda. We watch our own sustainable ethics too, our magazines are 100% recyclable and encourage readers to shop locally, boosting the local economy.  

7. Health and wellbeing 

Our health coverage looks to inspire readers to live their healthiest lives, mentally and physically. Our health articles cover everything from breast cancer and winter wellbeing to menopause and prostate health. Our menopause event brought together leading speakers in the field and gave women the chance to ask questions and share their issues. And we joined Wimbledon’s Walk and Talk to find out more about the initiative.

8. Fashion shows and inspiration 

Finally, we also hope through our lifestyle pages, we provide some fun and a great deal of inspiration! We’ve held a number of fashion shows with celebrities and even an international rugby team, raising money for charities. Our pop-up Christmas show included small enterprises and an exclusive Christmas shop from Harvey Nichols. 

9. International Women’s Day uplifting local women in business 

Each International Women’s Day, we host our much-loved breakfast for women in business, bringing together top speakers and leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners and creatives for a fabulous morning of discussion and networking. Our Rise magazine is an extension of this support for local women in business. Over the years we’ve built an incredible community of female leaders and entrepreneurs, helped them be more visible and tell their stories. 

10. Bringing the business community together 

Our team is keenly involved in connecting local businesses, working closely with the likes of Merton Chamber of Commerce and Kingston Chamber of Commerce as well as local Business Improvement Districts such as Love Wimbledon and Kingston First. Our business networking events have included mince pie and rum tastings too! 

Our magazines provide space for local businesses to promote their brands, services and events. Time & Leisure brings reader and business communities together to boost the local economy and help local businesses thrive, winning Best Marketing Campaign and Best Brand of the Year. 

So, please do vote for us here!