Hard-hitting journalism from the capital's premier conker competition. Great to report this one for @londonermag.bsky.social! www.the-londoner.co.uk/they-came-th...

They came, they saw, they conkered

How the Peckham Conker Championships became the capital's dirtiest fight

the-londoner.co.uk

Fun piece from me over the weekend, on the pigeonopolis that is modern-day London - and those who dedicate their lives to 24/7 pigeon rescue www.the-londoner.co.uk/hes-like-the...

‘He's like the Batman of pigeons’: On the road with London's bird rescuers

Rats with wings? Or long-misunderstood feathered friends? Meet the group who spend their days protecting the capital's Columbidae

the-londoner.co.uk

Every day, a group of dozens of volunteers across the capital stand ready as a rapid response force. Their job? To save trapped pigeons. @petercarlyon.bsky.social went out on patrol to find out why they're dedicated to London's most-hated feathery friend. www.the-londoner.co.uk/hes-like-the...

‘He's like the Batman of pigeons’: On the road with London's bird rescuers

Rats with wings? Or long-misunderstood feathered friends? Meet the group who spend their days protecting the capital's Columbidae

the-londoner.co.uk

After a chaotic Saturday of dodging bottles and interviewing all involved, my dispatch from the front lines of the 'unite the kingdom' is now up - for @londonermag.bsky.social www.the-londoner.co.uk/the-day-the-...

The day the right took London

A special dispatch from this weekend's Unite the Kingdom rally

the-londoner.co.uk

FT mag piece from me: Spent a long time looking into the Britannia hotel chain, beneficiaries of a vast amount of taxpayer money via the asylum system on.ft.com/47HEE46

The crumbling seaside palaces at the centre of Britain’s asylum crisis

[FREE TO READ] How one hotelier built an empire from beloved community assets — and a government struggling to cope with a surge in migration

on.ft.com

The cost of a single place in a residential children’s care home in England has nearly doubled in five years to an average £318,000 a year, with private firms racking up huge profits as a result of market failure, according to the public spending watchdog. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Cost of place in children’s care homes in England hits almost £320,000 a year

Private firms’ profits soar, watchdog says, as prices nearly double in five years

theguardian.com

I wrote about the Brazilian motoboys who supply London with blood, for @londonermag.bsky.social 'If you’re delivering food, nobody gives a fuck about you. With blood it’s more respect.’ www.the-londoner.co.uk/londons-braz...

London’s Brazilian Blood Couriers

'If you’re delivering food, nobody gives a fuck about you. With blood it’s more respect.'

the-londoner.co.uk

Across London, hundreds of couriers carry blood, urine or tissue samples all over the city. Almost all of them are Brazilian. @petercarlyon.bsky.social finds out what it's like to be the secret backbone of the capital's medical sector. www.the-londoner.co.uk/londons-braz...

London’s Brazilian Blood Couriers

'If you’re delivering food, nobody gives a fuck about you. With blood it’s more respect.'

the-londoner.co.uk

I wrote about the crime ring diverting pet food meat into London butchers for @londonermag.bsky.social www.the-londoner.co.uk/a-rotten-bus...

A rotten business: Inside London's spoilt meat dealing ring

How a visit to a Walworth cutting shop blew open a nationwide scheme to sell pet-food grade meat to unsuspecting customers

the-londoner.co.uk

New piece in @londonermag.bsky.social this morning on the current status of Haggerston Baths! The private equity scheme to restore the building... is not going so well. Still derelict after 8 years, and Hackney Council now spends over £200,000 p/a on security www.the-londoner.co.uk/haggerston-b...

Haggerston Baths is sinking into ruin — and locals fear it won't be saved

The Grade-II listed pool has been shuttered for 25 years. But with a private-equity-funded redevelopment falling through and a cash-strapped council, will it ever reopen, wonders Peter Carlyon.

the-londoner.co.uk

Literally never misses

I went on the East London measles trail for @dispatchmedia.bsky.social , where cases are currently the highest in the UK. Spoke to a Rabbi trying to turn things around, and the antivax mums who aren't so worried...

The London mums bringing back measles

From Shoreditch to Stamford Hill • A secret Facebook group • Why?

dispatch-media.com

Obviously I'm biased — but this feels like important work by @petercarlyon.bsky.social on Britain's measles crisis. Uncovering the human stories behind a very important (and unreported) datapoint:

Dispatch@dispatchmedia.bsky.social · last yr.

There's been a surge in measles cases across the UK — but after crunching the data, one borough sticks out. @petercarlyon.bsky.social reports from Hackney, east London:

NEW: Tony Blair's staff took part in a BCG project for the redevelopment of Gaza along the lines of the 'Trump Riviera' plan www.ft.com/content/0b1b...

Tony Blair’s staff took part in ‘Gaza Riviera’ project with BCG

Former UK prime minister’s institute participated in meetings on plan to turn shattered enclave into trading hub

ft.com

A superb piece of journalism in The Observer: it seems like the one of the sacred texts of Nature Writing (TM) is not quite as much of an unflinchingly honest read as claimed observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were ...

Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. We can reveal that the truth behind it is ve...

observer.co.uk

my story of the Antepavilion architecture competition is still (just about) the cover of @thefence.bsky.social - and online here!

The Fence@thefence.bsky.social · last yr.

When Southwark Council first rejected one of Russell Gray’s planning applications, he bought a tank and pointed the turret directly at their offices – as @petercarlyon.bsky.social writes for Issue 23’s cover story, it would not be his last clash with authority. www.the-fence.com/a-shark-tale/

The cover story from Issue 23, written by @petercarlyon.bsky.social, is now free to read online. Do dig in this afternoon. www.the-fence.com/a-shark-tale

For the cover story of @thefence.bsky.social #23, I wrote about the incredible story behind the 5 giant fibreglass sharks floating in Regent's Canal - and how one man, Russell Gray, has battled to keep them there. www.the-fence.com/a-shark-tale/

A Shark Tale

Shiva is the God of destruction.

the-fence.com

thrilled this piece is now online!

The Fence@thefence.bsky.social · last yr.

Here is the cover story from Issue 23, an encounter with Russell Gray, a redoubtable property developer who commissioned the 15-foot fibreglass sharks in Regent's Canal. A brilliant piece by @petercarlyon.bsky.social www.the-fence.com/a-shark-tale/

Open days, LEGO lodges and karaoke nights are just some of the ways London Freemasons are attempting to attract (and retain!) a new generation of members. For @londonermag.bsky.social, I met several young Londoners turning towards the tradition.

London’s lonely young men are lining up to join the Freemasons

'I think maybe the younger generation is moving towards Freemasonry because it’s got something that’s pure.'

the-londoner.co.uk

The crisis of male loneliness is well publicised. But in London, a very modern affliction is pushing young men towards *very* traditional institutions. @petercarlyon.bsky.social is on the cobbles of Covent Garden, meeting a new generation of fresh-faced Freemasons.

London’s lonely young men are lining up to join the Freemasons

'I think maybe the younger generation is moving towards Freemasonry because it’s got something that’s pure.'

the-londoner.co.uk

“Why doesn’t a duck act like an elephant, and why doesn’t an elephant act like a duck?” I spent an evening with the Icke family learning to the answer to that, and much more. For @dispatchmedia.bsky.social

My Easter with David Icke

Lizards in Brum • Family fun • A Man City cameo

dispatch-media.com