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Kathryn Schoon

Multimedia journalist with an interest in politics, environment and social affairs

South East Londoner •

VIDEO: Southwark’s forgotten graveyard: a place for community, remembrance and serenity | South East Londoner

In the backstreets of Southwark sits Crossbones Graveyard – where an estimated 15,000 sex workers and ‘outcasts’ are buried.Since experiencing a wild vision in 1996, John Constable, founder of Friends of Crossbones, has worked to protect the graveyard from TfL redevelopment and has forged a close community anchored in remembrance and spirituality.Just a short walk from the Shard, the land is valued at £25 million, but Friends of Crossbones have managed to secure legal protection for the graveyar...
North West Londoner •

North West Londoner: Brent Council hopes to improve its high-streets through gambling reform as clusters of venues proliferate the area

Brent Council has been lobbying for gambling reform in the hope of improving high-streets and local communities.


The borough is one of the most economically deprived areas in London but has the largest number of gambling licenses in the capital outside of Westminster, according to data sourced from UK regulator the Gambling Commission.


Earlier this year, council leader Muhammed Butt led a coalition of councils and mayors demanding that local authorities should be given the power to reject...
South West Londoner •

How illegal subletting is helping young renters afford to live in London | South West Londoner

Young people are turning to illegal subletting to cope with London’s ‘exploitative and difficult’ private rental market.


Subletting is when tenants let out all or part of the place they live to a sub-tenant and depending on your housing agreement this could be a breach of contract.


It can offer newcomers the opportunity to try out living in London without a fixed-term contract, but some are increasingly turning to illegal subletting as a way to alleviate the capital’s surging cost of livin...
The Guardian •

The Guardian: The one change that worked: I adopted a one-in, one-out wardrobe policy and rediscovered my love of clothes

I’ve loved sustainable fashion since my early teens, always more interested in stealing my dad’s band T-shirts than anything remotely designer. Originally, it was a money-driven choice, but when I turned 15 I became acutely aware of the fashion industry’s damaging impact on the planet and the unethical labour conditions behind high-street brands. I decided that wasn’t something I wanted to be complicit in.Charity shopping became my favourite weekend activity and cheap, mismatched clothes began p...
Now Then Magazine •

Now Then: What kind of public transport network will Sheffield have in 2030?

In this long read, Kathryn Schoon explores what people in South Yorkshire need from their bus and tram network, and talks public transport with campaigner Matthew Topham and Mayor Oliver Coppard.


I passed my driving test last month. It’s an achievement, but I wish it didn’t have to be like this. I’ve spent thousands on lessons and the cost of insurance has made my jaw drop. In an alternate universe, or just elsewhere in Europe, I wouldn’t have needed to bother. But here in Sheffield,...
Now Then Magazine •

Now Then: Marianna Spring - "It's only when we take stuff offline that we seem to be able to have a conversation"

Speaking before her talk at Festival of Debate 2024, the BBC's Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent told Kathryn Schoon about her new book, Among the Trolls: My Journey to Conspiracyland.


As Festival of Debate 2024 drew to a close, I was delighted to sit down with one of the country’s finest new journalists. Between hiking up Kinder Scout and watching Spurs batter Sheffield United, Marianna Spring made her way down to the Workstation to discuss the endeavors and exertions wh...