Edition 14
Friday tips 31° before the weekend settles into warm, sunny high-20s, so W4 is in for a proper hot spell just as the World Cup bows out. England won't be lifting the trophy, but there's a bronze medal to play for against France on Saturday, and we've found the best pubs to watch it in.
Away from the football, there’s a well-loved local business looking for its next owner, a Fleetwood Mac tribute at the Tabard, the cheese market back on Sunday, and plenty more happening around W4.
Grab some shade and mind the UV. Here's your week in W4.
A rare one: a thriving local business looking for its next owner
Most weeks we point you towards somewhere to visit. This week it's something to take on.
BusyLizzy Chiswick runs pre and postnatal fitness classes for expectant and new parents, based at the Hogarth Youth and Community Centre on Duke Road. Zarna Dasani started it from nothing in January 2025 and has built a loyal membership, a team of experienced instructors, and a real community of local families. It was named Operator of the Year at the 2025 Active Pregnancy Foundation Awards, which says plenty about how it's run.
A change in family circumstances means Zarna is now ready to hand it on, and she'd love a local mum or parent who shares the same values to lead it into its next chapter. Whoever takes over inherits an established member base, existing venues, trained instructors, strong local recognition, and the backing of the wider BusyLizzy franchise network. It could suit someone from fitness, wellbeing or childcare, or anyone looking for a flexible business with a ready-made community behind it.
If that sounds like you, or someone you know, Zarna would welcome a confidential chat. Email [email protected], call 07457 405568, or message @busylizzychiswick on Instagram.
Six years strong: meet Fit & Food
Six years in, Fit & Food has built a loyal following from its studio on Goldhawk Road, with a second training space in a railway arch at Stamford Brook. It offers personal training, semi-private sessions, small-group classes, recovery and nutrition support, whether you're training for HYROX, returning to exercise after having a baby or simply trying to stay stronger for longer.
Women's health is a particular focus, with specialist coaching covering pregnancy, postnatal recovery, perimenopause and menopause. The approach is personal rather than intimidating, with small groups and coaches who know the members they are working with.
Inside Chiswick offer: try the studio for a month for £200, including two semi-private PT sessions and two classes each week, unlimited open-gym access and a coach check-in after two weeks.
w: fitandfood.co.uk
ig: @fitandfood
A few highlights from the week ahead, hand-picked from our events calendar.
Gunnersbury parkrun | Sat 18 July | 9am | Gunnersbury Park
A free, timed 5k where it’s you against the clock, with everyone welcome from first-timers to regulars. Register once online beforehand and bring a scannable barcode. The customary post-run coffee follows at the Gunnersbury Park café. More: parkrun.org.uk/gunnersbury
The Food Market Chiswick | Sun 19 July | 10am-2pm | Dukes Meadows
Local producers set up in the farmyard surroundings of Grove Park Farm House, beside the play area, with proceeds supporting the park. More: dukesmeadowstrust.org
Chiswick Cheese Market | Sun 19 July | 9.30am-3pm | Old Market Place, Chiswick High Road
The UK's only specialist cheese market, with more than 200 cheeses plus chutneys, crackers and olives, hot toasties and raclette to eat there, and expert makers on hand to talk you through it. Volunteer-run and not-for-profit. More: chiswickcheesemarket.uk
The Ballad of Buckingham Nicks | Sun 19 July | 3pm & 6pm | Tabard Theatre
After a sold-out run in January, this tribute returns for two performances, telling the musical and personal story of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks through some of their best-known songs. Wendy Morgan and Julian Littman perform. 75 minutes, no interval. Tickets £20 (£17 concession): tabard.org.uk
Pura Vida Pontoon | To 7 August | Chiswick Park
A four-week lakeside wellbeing retreat in the heart of the park, free to drop into for a slower lunch by the water. Live music every Wednesday, 12pm-2pm: John James plays next week (22 July). More: enjoy-work.com
And one for the school holidays, starting Monday 👇
Hogarth Summer Programme | Mon 20 July to Thu 13 Aug | From 12pm | Hogarth Youth & Community Centre, Duke Road
Six weeks of holiday activities for local young people, run in partnership with Hounslow HAF. Football, basketball, arts and crafts, games and off-site trips, split by age group: 8 to 13s run daily from 12pm to 6pm, with evening sessions for 14 to 16s and 16 to 19s on Mondays and Wednesdays. Entry £1.50. Find out more.
One for the diary, but worth booking now 👇
Chiswick Book Festival | 9-14 September
Tickets are selling for the festival's 18th year. This year's programme brings Nick Clegg, Ben Macintyre, Kate Mosse, Mary Portas and Dame Jacqueline Wilson to W4, plus a standout panel marking 60 years since The Beatles filmed Paperback Writer in the grounds of Chiswick House, chaired by Samira Ahmed. Entirely volunteer-run, it has raised over £170,000 for local charities since 2009.
Running something in Chiswick? Send it in.
Markets, concerts, school fairs, workshops, pub quizzes, fundraisers, family activities: if it's local and open to the community, we'd love to feature it in the calendar.
Nothing says a Chiswick heatwave quite like a proper G&T, so this week we're pointing you towards one of W4's best-known names. Sipsmith helped kick-start Britain's craft-gin revival when it launched in 2009, becoming London's first small-batch gin distillery in 200 years. Since moving to Cranbrook Road in 2014, every drop of its gin has been made here in Chiswick.
Its feed is full of beautifully shot serves, seasonal cocktails and glimpses of distillery life. Worth a follow for weekend drink inspiration, ideally with plenty of ice.
The local wins, openings and milestones worth knowing about this week.
A Chiswick author’s chocolate saga is heading to the screen
Deborah Cadbury, the Chiswick-based author and a descendant of the chocolate dynasty herself, is seeing her book Chocolate Wars turned into a six-part BritBox drama, The Cadburys. Filming has begun in Birmingham, with Ben Hardy among the cast and Freddie Highmore serving as an executive producer. Cadbury, who has had several books adapted before, told The Chiswick Calendar the production had been "such fun, so collaborative, with so much good will on all sides." One to look out for next year.
Source: Chiswick Calendar
Could Ravenscourt Park get a lido?
The children's paddling pool in Ravenscourt Park is being redeveloped into a splash pad, and one resident has started a petition arguing the council should go further and add a heated, all-ages lido alongside it. The case leans on hotter summers and the need for cooling spaces that work for everyone, not just under-8s, with backers calling lidos "a monument to cultural, civic and local pride" and pointing to the 160-plus already running across the UK. It's a campaign rather than a confirmed plan, and the council hasn't commented, but it's clearly struck a chord: nearly 1,000 signatures in a month, and open until 3 September.
Source: Chiswick W4
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Well, it wasn't to be. England's run ended last night with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-final, an evening that was going so well for so long. Heartbreaking to come this close, but a tournament to be proud of all the same.
There’s still one more England match to enjoy, with France waiting in Saturday’s third-place play-off at 10pm. It’s a chance to sign off on a high and send the squad home with a medal. Then Argentina face Spain in Sunday's final at 8pm to close out the tournament.
If you're heading out for either, book ahead where you can. The good spots fill fast on nights like these, so it's worth claiming a table early.
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