Sticky fingered thief makes off with tree from garden

This notice was spotted by our loyal reader in South Croydon.

It requires no further comment. Unless, of course, you wish to post your views with this article…

Lemon tree

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Posted in Crime, Environment, Gardening | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Callaway takes the coaching reins at MidWives rugby

Chris Callaway has been appointed as Old Mid-Whitgiftians’ new director of rugby.

Chris Callaway: MidWives new director of coaching

Chris Callaway: MidWives new director of coaching

Callaway takes over from Peter Knott, who has retired after coaching the first XV for the past two years, “a wonderful man to work with and an asset to the club”,  according to a tribute from MidWives’ chairman of playing, Graham Crouch.

Callaway played for Sevenoaks and Richmond, and was recently head coach of Richmond’s development squad.

Dan Crouch will be first team coach and Jacob Bacon has been appointed under-21s head coach.

Pre-season training begins at Lime Meadow Avenue on July 9, and friendly fixtures have already been arranged against Warlingham and Horsham. More information is available on the club’s website.

Warlingham are gathering their Academy players together for summer training on Tuesday July 2 at 7.30pm.  Continue reading

Posted in Croydon RFC, Old Mid-Whitgiftians RFC, Old Walcountians, Old Whitgiftians, Purley-John Fisher, Rugby Union, Sport, Streatham-Croydon RFC, Warlingham RFC | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

PRS Music sketches out a tribute to composer Coleridge-Taylor

More than 100 years after his death, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is not only getting a portrait of himself in his old home town; there’s to be a sketch of the composer unveiled this afternoon  in the West End boardroom of PRS Music, the Performing Rights Society, to commemorate his role in the organisation’s founding.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the eminent composer

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the eminent composer

In his day at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Croydon-based Coleridge-Taylor was as famous as today’s pop and rock stars and as successful as Paul McCartney and Elton John. His composition, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, made him a global star with numerous choral societies named after him at home and abroad.

The commemorative sketch has been donated by the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor 100 Post Mortem Collective. It was commissioned by an organisation called the Beyond The Will Smith Challenge for its role model scheme to highlight African-British male role models.

“Samuel’s contribution to the musical world at a time when his colour could have held him back is nothing short of incredible,” said Guy Fletcher, the chairman of PRS.

“It is right his life and work is celebrated and we would be honoured to have his picture centre stage in our office.” Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Art, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bishop’s son selected to fight Fairfield for Labour

The son of a former Bishop of Croydon has been selected as a Labour candidate in Fairfield ward for next year’s council elections.

Councillor Vidhi Mohan: Will he bash the bishop's son?

Conservative Councillor Vidhi Mohan: Will he bash the bishop’s son in Fairfield?

David Wood, 41, grew up in Fairfield ward, having been brought up in the Bishop’s house in Stanhope Road when his father, Wilfred Wood, the Church of England’s first black bishop, served the area for 18 years at the end of the last century.

The selection was made at a meeting of Labour party members from Fairfield ward last night.

The three Town Hall seats for Fairfield, in the Croydon Central parliamentary constituency, are held by the Conservative councillors Susan Winborn, David Fitze and Vidhi Mohan, the cabinet member for economic development who has overseen rather a lot of riot recovery money being spent in his ward, rather than in worse affected areas of the borough along London Road and in Broad Green. Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", 2014 council elections, 2015 General Election, Clive Fraser, David Fitze, David Wood, Environment, Fairfield, Karen Jewitt, Planning, Sue Winborn, Vidhi Mohan, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Has Kate Moss snubbed Croydon’s portrait bench?

Mystery surrounds the identity of one of the top three Croydon characters, voted for by the public, who has refused to allow their likeness to be used in a public portrait project.

Inside Croydon resorts to using a gartuitous image of Kate Moss for the second time in three years...

Inside Croydon resorts to using a gratuitous image of Kate Moss for the second time in three years…

The final portrait for a bench on the walk and cycle route between Wandle Park and Park Hill is due to be unveiled this week, but it will be missing one of the three Croydon celebs chosen by local residents.

Was it Bill Nighy, the acclaimed actor who used to attend John Fisher School? Did Olympic sprinter Donna Fraser ask not to be included?

Or, most likely, did often controversial supermodel Kate Moss decide that this was one publicity shot she could do without?

The portrait bench vote was launched, in trademark clumsy style, on the Croydon Council website more than a year ago, when a shortlist was foisted on the public with candidates’ names spelt incorrectly and film director, Sir David Lean, a glaring omission – probably because the council felt that were the Croydon-born Oscar-winner to be featured in the public artwork, it would only serve to highlight their closure of the eponymous cinema at the Clocktower. Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Art, Broad Green, Commuting, Croydon Council, Cycling, David Lean Cinema Campaign, Environment, Fairfield, History, Transport, Waddon, Walks | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Inside Croydon’s Heroes of the Week: MOT Centre staff

Inside Croydon’s loyal reader has been in touch. They write:

“I would like to nominate the mechanics of the Croydon MOT Centre in West Croydon.

MOT-logo“Today, at approximately 4.30pm, I witnessed a very nasty road rage incident, yards from the MOT garage on Pitlake.

“Three young men were arguing with a man in a car. This escalated into a fist fight. The driver of the car was being set up on by the three young men. There were many bystanders, including myself. Five or six of the mechanics from the MOT Centre were on the scene and they were able to calm the situation down. Continue reading

Posted in Broad Green, Business, Crime, Policing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Purley’s £11m hospital scheme sweeps value under the carpet

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The much-needed redevelopment work at Purley Hospital may not be money well-spent. And DAVID CALLAM is not surprised

Work continues on the £11 million refurbishment of Purley Hospital.

Purley Hospital signThe new-look NHS facility will re-open later this year in a building that has been re-modelled to meet some of the needs of 21st century medicine.

Patients will be treated in what is essentially a new clinic, but encased in a skin that dates back to its cottage hospital roots in 1909, modified and expanded in the wake of the Great War.

The refurbished facilities will undoubtedly be an improvement on what we have been used to in recent years, but has the NHS made the most of the chance to change the hospital for the better?

I think not.

A fully comprehensive approach might have been too radical for the denizens of Purley, many of whom are more concerned with the past than they are with the present or future. This would have involved a complete re-build. Continue reading

Posted in David Callam, Health, Purley, Purley Hospital | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Football coaching for kids: Westow Park, June 27

Westow Park

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Posted in Crystal Palace FC, Football, Sport, Upper Norwood | 1 Comment

Rejoice! Croydon North’s Labour MP is awarded the OBN

Many sincere congratulations to June Rixson, the Croydon lollipop lady whose public service was recognised yesterday when  she was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s birthday honours.

LollipopLet’s just hope that Rixson and her school crossing patrol colleagues whose jobs are under threat as a result of council cut-backs (to save all of £60,000 a year – little more than is paid each year in “allowances” to the council leader Mike Fisher), get the real reward of not being made redundant from important jobs that oversees the safety of our schoolchildren on the borough’s busy roads every day. Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Schools, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Selling himself cheap: Councillor Hoar’s a wanted man

This was spotted by our loyal reader in North End yesterday, at the Green Fair…

Wanted - Simon Hoar

Clearly, Councillor Simon “I’m cheap, but I’m not free” Hoar’s reputation is sinking lower than ever. Continue reading

Posted in Clare Hilley, Croydon Greens, Environment, Simon Hoar, Tony Harris, Waddon, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ten women declare for Labour’s Central shortlist

Ten women have put themselves forward for selection by the Labour party as the prospective candidate for Croydon Central parliamentary seat at the General Election, due to be held in 2015.

Upper Norwood councillor Alisa Flemming: one of 10 women seeking Labour's nomination in Croydon Central

Upper Norwood councillor Alisa Flemming: one of 10 women seeking Labour’s nomination in Croydon Central

The deadline for applications was yesterday, and saw a fourth Croydon councillor, Alisa Flemming, joining her Town Hall colleagues Jane Avis, Louisa Woodley and Alison Butler among those bidding to become the borough’s first woman MP.

Flemming is a councillor for Upper Norwood, gaining the seat for Labour in 2010, having previously contested the ward in 2006.

Croydon Central is held by the Conservatives, who won the seat in 2010 through Gavin Barwell with a majority of less than 3,000 votes, making it a target seat for Labour in 2015.

The Labour party opted to make its Croydon Central selection for women only.

Three other applicants put themselves forward for selection in the past week: Kusum Parashar, a Labour member from Ealing; Katherine McGuirk, a councillor in Barnet who describes herself as “a true Red” (although she might like to consider altering for the time being the “McGuirk4Watford” tag line on her website); and Fiona Dent, from Maidenhead.

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Posted in 2015 General Election, Alisa Flemming, Alison Butler, Catriona Ogilvy, Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell MP, Hamida Ali, Jane Avis, Louisa Woodley, Sarah Jones | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

David Lean Cinema campaign heads off “on tour”

The Save the David Lean Cinema Campaign is off on tour tonight, with the first of three film screenings at venues outside the centre of town.

sunday_in_the_countryThe campaign is showing the 1984 French film, A Sunday in the Country, at 7.30pm tonight, June 15, at Shirley Community Centre, Shrublands Avenue, Shirley, CR0 8JA.

Directed by Bertrand Tavernier, the film stars Louis Ducreux, Michel Aumont and Sabine Azéma.

The film won 17 international awards including several for best foreign film and best director. The BFI’s 16mm print offers the added pleasure of discovering a film that isn’t currently available on DVD or Blu Ray.

Set shortly before World War I, Monsieur Ladmiral, an elderly painter living in the French countryside, receives his regular Sunday visit from son Gonzague and his family. Unexpectedly, non-conformist daughter Irene also arrives, resulting in a challenging day that will have a lasting impact on the family. English subtitles. Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Art, Cinema, David Lean Cinema Campaign, Purley, Shirley, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bradmore Green Pond photography competition: July 6

Friends of Bradmore Green Pond

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Posted in Activities, Art, Charity, Community associations, Coulsdon, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Woodside Labour councillor Jewitt fails to win selection

The Croydon Labour party’s selection process for candidates to stand at next year’s Town Hall elections claimed its first casualty on Wednesday night, when Karen Jewitt, councillor for Woodside ward, failed to be selected.

Karen Jewitt: not selected in Woodside

Karen Jewitt: not selected in Woodside

Jewitt has been a Croydon councillor for nearly 20 years. She polled the highest number of votes in Woodside ward at the local council elections in 2002, 2006 and 2010 – even beating Tony Newman, the Croydon Labour group leader.

The meeting on Wednesday re-selected Newman and the other standing councillor in the ward, Paul Scott, but local members voted for Hamida Ali ahead of Jewitt. Continue reading

Posted in Adam Kellett, Ashburton, Avril Slipper, Coulsdon West, David Osland, Eddy Arram, Graham Bass, Karen Jewitt, Paul Scott, Phil Thomas, Purley, Selsdon & Ballards, Tony Newman, Uncategorized, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whitgift wing Yarde poised to go all the way for England

IAN LAMONT on the international call-up for a rugby player made in Croydon

Another benchmark for sport in Croydon will be made tomorrow, when Marland Yarde runs out in an England shirt at the Velez Sarsfield stadium in Buenos Aires to win his first international cap.

No stopping him: Marland Yarde makes his decisive break to score the first try against the Barbarians at Twickenham last month

No stopping him: Marland Yarde makes his decisive break to score the first try against the Barbarians at Twickenham last month

Yarde thus joins Danny Cipriani as a former pupil of Whitgift School to graduate to the full England rugby side.

The 21-year-old London Irish flying wing’s selection for a Test debut against Argentina was rendered inevitable a couple of weekends ago when Yarde crossed the whitewash at Twickenham for the first try in the England XV’s win in the practice game against the Barbarians.

Yarde played at Whitgift in what is looking like a well-polished golden generation. Among his team mates in the double Daily Mail Cup-winning side was Elliot Daly. Daly was somehow overlooked by England coach Stuart Lancaster for the tour to South America, but was good enough to make it into the Baa-Baas’ international all-stars side and also scored a try at Twickenham on the same day as Yarde.

Back in their school days, and usually on the other wing from Yarde in that Whitgift first XV of a couple of years ago was Lawrence Okoye. Whatever happened to him? Continue reading

Posted in Marland Yarde, Rugby Union, Sport, Whitgift School | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment