7 of our mediators listed in top tiers of Legal 500 Mediators-2024
January 22, 2024
Who we are
A peacemaking service that empowers without imposing, that listens without fixing, and collaborates without judging. Personal. Professional. Compassionate.
About Us
Wandsworth Mediation Service is a not-for-profit conflict resolution training and mediation provider operating in London and nationwide. Our charity was set up in 2004 as a local service, helping Wandsworth residents resolve disagreements through free mediation and conflict coaching. In recent years our work has expanded significantly, bringing about peace and reconciliation all over the country. Since our inception, we have helped thousands of people resolve conflict amicably.
Our Services
- We offer mediation, conflict coaching and facilitation services for those caught up in many different types of conflict: at work, at home or in the wider community.
- We deliver conflict and communication skills training to businesses and community organisations, including Richmond and Wandsworth Council, the police and housing associations.
- We train, equip and supervise new peace-builders in our community, by running free conflict resolution workshops and enabling residents to become community mediators.
- We work with primary and secondary schools in the borough, delivering mediation and training, including our peer mediation programme.
- Since 2022, we have been working with Ukrainian refugees and their sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, providing free mediation, facilitation, and conflict coaching to resolve host-guest conflicts.
Our Expertise
We have a team of 60+ mediators who volunteer their time and skills with us. Among them are top-ranked mediation professionals who have received national and international recognition for the calibre of their work. Our panel of mediators is overseen by Stephen Ruttle KC, our founder and an internationally acclaimed mediator. For many years he has been rated as one of the leading mediators in the UK, including constant features in WWL’s Legal 500 and Chambers. He has mediated over 1700 disputes of every legal type, including many of the largest and most sensitive cases in the UK and across the world. Find out more about our experienced community and commercial mediators.
In 2023, we received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (equivalent to an MBE), and in 2022 we were shortlisted for the ‘Mediation Provider of the Year’ award at the National Mediation Awards.
Our Clients
Our community service referrals mainly come from individuals (self-referrals), Richmond & Wandsworth Council, Citizens Advice Wandsworth, NHS social prescribers, local housing associations or the police. Our community work is mainly based in Wandsworth, although we have carried out mediations in other boroughs in the past, e.g. in Camden.
Our commercial work tends to be carried out in London for clients nationwide. We have worked with a range of organisations, including schools, businesses and large corporations. In 2020 and 2021 we were appointed to manage commercial mediations arising from two Post Office schemes – Historic Shortfall and Stamp Scheme – in relation to recent shortfalls at branches.
Our Funding Model
We are a registered charity operating on a not-for-profit basis. Most of our services are free to residents of Wandsworth. The income we receive helps us deliver our charitable objects, including free neighbour mediation for Wandsworth residents and peer mediation training in local schools.
We fund our service through donations from service users as well as grants and fundraising. Amongst our recent funders are Wandsworth Grant Fund, Battersea Power Station Foundation, the National Lottery, Charities Aid Foundation, the Wimbledon Foundation and Wandle Housing Association.
Find out how you can support us.
