Foam factory job cuts will have ‘significant’ impact on Croydon

Posted on September 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

With 100 skilled manufacturing jobs under threat, while failed Mayor Jason Perry refuses to act, other councillors have stepped in to persuade the Nike supplier Zotefoams to reconsider its plan to move operations to Vietnam

Croydon’s Green Party councillors have written an open letter to Zotefoams, the Mitcham Road company that provides the go-faster foam for world-beating running shoes, to pause their redundancy process and re-think its plans to shift production to Vietnam.

Zotefoams is the firm established in Croydon more than 100 years ago which has developed the top-secret foam used in the running shoes of some of the world’s top-rated athletes, including Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, the first man to run the 26 miles and 385 yards of the marathon in less than two hours, Keely Hodgkinson, Britain’s 800metres Olympic champion and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the mercurial Norwegian distance runner. Continue reading →

Posted in Broad Green, Business, Croydon Greens, Paul Ainscough, Ria Patel, Zotefoams | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘We will remember them’: civic mayor pays respects at Arnhem

Posted on September 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

Solemn duty: Croydon’s civic mayor, Cllr Mohammed Islam (right), at the Arnhem memorial with Chris Rampling, the British Ambassador to the Netherlands 

Croydon’s ceremonial mayor, Councillor Mohammed Islam, was on duty representing the borough in the Netherlands this week, marking Croydon’s historic twinning with the Dutch town of Arnhem.

Councillor Islam was attending the annual commemorations of the Battle of Arnhem, which took place between September 17 and 25 1944, and in which as many as 1,500 British and Polish paratroopers were killed, and 469 to 530 American airborne soldiers died in attacks to seize bridges on the road through the Netherlands Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, History, Mohammed Islam | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Open evening, Croydon Male Voice Choir, Sandilands, Oct 15

Posted on September 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

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Girls and boys from 10+: Trinity School Open Day, October 3

Posted on September 26, 2026 by insidecroydon

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Business, Education, Schools, Trinity School, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tories’ unlawful conduct putting Croydon on highway to hell

Posted on September 25, 2026 by insidecroydon

It’s not just failed Mayor Jason Perry who has been found to have acted unlawfully, as other Croydon Conservatives show a casual disregard for the law which is costing residents millions of pounds, and putting cyclists’ lives at risk. By JEREMY CLACKSON, transport correspondent

Months after Inside Croydon broke the news that Croydon council had unlawfully removed taxpayer-funded safer cycling infrastructure, Croydon West’s Labour MP Sarah Jones and Will Norman, the walking and cycling commissioner at Transport for London, finally joined the fray.

MP Jones said that Croydon’s “funding for safer crossings, better bus journeys, improved cycling infrastructure and road improvements has now been put on hold because of the Mayor’s catastrophic failure to work constructively with TfL”.

Norman posted on Bluesky that, “Croydon unlawfully removed a safety scheme paid for with public money. Rightly, TfL have required the money to be repaid and paused future funding – subject to the council submitting a revised plan that meets the requirements.” Continue reading →

Posted in Alasdair Stewart, Boris Johnson, Commuting, Croydon Council, Croydon Cycling Campaign, Cycling, Environment, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, TfL, Transport, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Extra Express trains won’t help overcrowding says RailFuture

Posted on September 25, 2026 by insidecroydon

Going nowhere fast: tourists arriving at Gatwick avoid the expensive Express trains to Victoria, causing more crowding on Southern and Thameslink services used by commuters

The recently re-nationalised Thameslink rail franchise would do better for the majority of passengers by making more south-bound Gatwick Express trains stop at Clapham Junction, and removing the expensive fare supplement.

That’s the view of passenger lobby group RailFuture, which argues against moves by Greater Thameslink Railways – the new, publicly operated franchise which also runs Southern trains – to double the number of expensive Gatwick Express services, to four per hour. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, East Croydon, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

David Lean Cinema in October: Coyote, Dog Stars and Dracula

Posted on September 25, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Cinema, Community associations, David Lean Cinema Campaign | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Outsourcing children’s home has proved costly and high risk

Posted on September 24, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The collapse of a multi-million-pound contract to manage a children’s home in the borough has exposed the flaws in the procurement process and sunk Mayor Perry’s claims of running a ‘more efficient’ council.
Green Party councillor NATALIE VESTY, right, on why the arrangement went so seriously wrong

A £8.57million, seven-year contract for a children’s home was cancelled within six months of the home opening. So why did things go so wrong? The answer lies in the model: Croydon built a children’s home and handed someone else the keys.

Got it wrong again: a £8.7m council contract collapsed in just six months

The council-owned building is supposed to serve as a home for children with complex needs.

On March 13, Mayor Jason Perry announced its opening, a partnership between Croydon Council and St Christopher’s Fellowship, “a charity that helps create brighter futures for children and young people in care”.

The council said the agreement would provide “short- to medium-term support… helping children return to family life or move into local foster care… to avoid long-term stays in care”.

Mayor Perry called it part of becoming “a more cost-effective and efficient council”.

It appears that the council’s new children’s home has failed in every aspect of those claims.

Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Natalie Vesty, Sanderstead, Stabilisation Plan, Stuart Collins | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mystery after Grade II-listed Leslie Arms is pulled from auction

Posted on September 24, 2026 by insidecroydon

Now you see it…: how the Leslie Arms auction appeared on the Palace Auctions website for yesterday’s sale, before it was withdrawn

Auctioneer Swindells claims the landmark pub was never in his company’s catalogue, as Ansari-linked property fails to sell for third time in as many months. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

The Leslie Arms, the Grade II-listed Victorian landmark building in Addiscombe that has been on the national heritage at risk register for 17 years, was withdrawn from auction yesterday, with no explanation offered by the auctioneer or the property’s owners.

The Leslie Arms ceased operating as a pub in 2000 and has been in the ownership of multi-millionaire property developer Dr Anwar Ansari, or companies associated with him, for 25 years. The interior of the building has been badly neglected.

Ansari’s property business has been in financial difficulties this year, with at least six related companies placed into the hands of receivers since March. Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Leslie Arms, Planning, Property, Pubs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sutton, Brighton and Blackfriars stations get new audio guides

Posted on September 24, 2026 by insidecroydon

Audio guides for railway stations and trains, aimed at improving accessibility for blind and partially sighted passengers, have been published on the Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern websites.

Audio guides: Thameslink’s Antony Merlyn (left) and Sight Loss Council’s Dave Smith (third from left) with volunteers

Written by Sight Loss Council volunteers and accessibility managers at Greater Thameslink Railway, the guides help disabled passengers familiarise themselves with station and train layouts, key facilities and important navigation points before they travel.

Dave Smith, the Sight Loss Council engagement manager for south-east England at national sight loss charity Thomas Pocklington Trust, said: “As blind and partially sighted people, we rely heavily on public transport to access work and medical and social appointments. These guides we’ve developed with GTR will make rail travel so much easier.” Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, Sutton and Cheam, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Norbury Brook River Revive Saturday, Thornton Heath, Sep 26

Posted on September 24, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Nike’s super shoes foam factory looks to cut 100 Croydon jobs

Posted on September 23, 2026 by insidecroydon

Record-breakers: shoes like these have seen runners shattering all kinds of records for the past decade – thanks to the foam technology made in a Croydon factory. But now Zotefoams wants to move its manufacturing base to Vietnam

The foam for the super shoes that help star runners like Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson break records is made in a factory off Mitcham Road. The company wants to move production to Vietnam and make one-third of its Croydon workforce redundant, while the borough’s Mayor refuses to do anything about it. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

It’s a seemingly modest light industrial site not far from Mitcham Common. Yet the cutting-edge materials produced at the Zotefoams factory are credited with helping deliver up to 20 running world records in the last decade, thanks to innovative “super shoes” made by US sportswear giant Nike.

Now around 100 workers at Zotefoam’s Croydon factory face their own race for survival, as their employers want to make them redundant as they shift their foam manufacture to the Far East.

Zotefoam’s formal redundancy consultation process for around 100 staff began last week.

Yet Croydon’s Mayor, Jason Perry, refused to convene a meeting of workers, unions and councillors to look for ways of saving as many jobs as possible. And when someone else did what Perry refused to do, and called a meeting, Croydon’s failed Mayor failed to show up. Continue reading →

Posted in Broad Green, Business, Mayor Jason Perry, Stuart King, West Thornton | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Norwood Junction’s garden offers sunflowers and sanctuary

Posted on September 23, 2026 by insidecroydon

Croydon has got another railway garden.

Special sanctuary: Grace-Anne Stephenson shows visitors around the Norwood Junction garden last week

Using a patch of previously unloved and disregarded space, and converting it into a little haven of calm and peace, Norwood Junction is the latest railway station in Croydon to create a thing of beauty and refuge.

“It is more than a garden. It is a place where hope is being grown,” says the group behind the Mental Health Garden at Norwood Junction.

The garden is becoming a place of sanctuary, connection and hope for railway staff, passengers and the surrounding community. Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Health, Norwood Junction, South Norwood, Transport | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Music at The Oval Tavern, Addiscombe, through Oct. Free entry

Posted on September 23, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Posted in Addiscombe West, Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Business, Music, The Oval Tavern | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Appalled’ Labour call for inquiry into children’s home contract

Posted on September 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

Council opposition makes call for investigation into the collapse of multi-million-pound contract, as charity placed in charge of home says council report does not ‘accurately reflect’ events.
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

The Labour opposition group at Croydon Town Hall has demanded that Mayor Jason Perry set up a “fast-track” and independent inquiry into how his council was forced to cancel a £8.6million contract with a care provider less than six months after the children’s home was opened.

They are also seeking “urgent reassurance” that failings highlighted by a report from a senior council official have been properly addressed.

And the St Christopher’s Fellowship, the charity which was to be paid £1.2million per year to manage the home, has hit back saying that the official council report recommending the cancellation of the contract includes, “a number of points… [that] do not accurately reflect the service we delivered”. Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Sanderstead, Stabilisation Plan, Stuart Collins, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Charity ‘strongly disputes’ council report on children’s home

Posted on September 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

Inside Croydon broke the news of how a £8.6m contract to run a children’s home was cancelled by the council in less than six months.

Here is the response of the St Christopher’s Fellowship in full:

St Christopher’s Fellowship strongly disputes a number of the assertions contained in Croydon Council’s report about our management of [home name], a care home offering short-term respite support for children and young people with complex needs.

Those joining the home have typically done so as a result of a previous placement breakdown, or the need to be transitioned from unregulated services to this new regulated service. Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Sanderstead, Stabilisation Plan, Stuart Collins | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

£3m Lottery grant helps to get Stanley’s birthday party going

Posted on September 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

Anniversary date: grants from four major funders will allow the community venue to receive a 21st Century update by 2029

South Norwood arts venue announces series of senior appointments, as it moves towards “vital” building works ahead of its founder’s 200th anniversary

South Norwood’s culture centre Stanley Halls has been awarded “significant” investment from four funders for a programme of “vital conservation” and development works.

Glass act: Edwardian tiles and glass needs some work at Stanley Halls

The bulk of the funding is to come from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which decided to provide £381,633 towards the development of the scheme, with a potential delivery grant of £2,980,054.

Other funders include the Architectural Heritage Fund, the Swire Foundation and Pilgrim Trust, whose contributions “are set to herald a new era” for the building, which was given to the community by William Stanley, the engineer and inventor, whose 200th anniversary is in 2029 – the deadline for the regeneration project.

The Grade II-listed Stanley Halls has been a hub of cultural life for more than a century. “We continue to honour William Stanley’s motto for our building to be a space of ‘Justice, Liberty and Science’,” according to the building’s 2026 management. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Art, Sonia Solicari, South Norwood, Stanley Halls | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Capital’s transport watchdog chief Roberts is set to retire

Posted on September 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

Michael Roberts has announced that he is to retire as the chief executive of the capital’s transport watchdog, TravelWatch London, early next year.

Retiring: Michael Roberts of London TravelWatch

Roberts joined London TravelWatch in January 2023, leading campaigns for better bus, Tube and rail services. Travelwatch and Roberts have led calls for multi-year funding for Transport for London, and worked to make sure that transport operators and policing authorities do more to tackle hate crime and anti-social behaviour on the transport network.

The organisation was also instrumental in overturning deeply unpopular plans to close rail ticket offices and to withdraw the Day Travelcard.

Prior to joining London TravelWatch, Roberts had worked in senior positions at Water UK and the Rail Delivery Group. He lists his favourite way of getting about London is “on foot”. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, London Assembly, London-wide issues, TfL, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bricks, ghosts and the Northern line all in the Lit’s new season

Posted on September 22, 2026 by insidecroydon

Next month sees the start of the latest season of talks and readings at St Mildred’s Literary Society in Addiscombe, continuing a near-century-old tradition.

Another brick: find out more about Woodside’s brickworks at a Lit talk on Oct 6

“The Lit” was founded in 1934 and today, from October to March, holds its (non-religious) meetings in the church’s Pavilion Hall on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, where residents, historians and enthusiasts share their knowledge and learning, socialise and meet friends, old and new.

This season is characterised by two local history events: it begins with John Hickman giving a slide show describing the Woodside Brickworks and interviewing Edward Handley, a member of the family which owned them.

It continues in November with a new talk by YouTube local historian Phil Swallow on Woodside Court, which stood very close to St Mildred’s. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Art, Community associations, Education, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council’s all-clear for second 24/7 gambling addiction centre

Posted on September 21, 2026 by insidecroydon

A Croydon councillor has called on the Labour government to “do the right thing” and act urgently against addictive adult gambling centres, after the council’s licensing sub-committee granted an application for a slot machine shop on Westow Hill in the Crystal Palace Triangle to stay open 24 hours a day.

Free cups of tea: Admiral gambling centres are dimly lit and are full of fast-acting slot games

The application was opposed by Labour’s Streatham (and Croydon North when he can be bothered) MP Steve Reed and by Liam Conlon, whose Bromley constituency is just 500 yards away.

The Admiral centre is currently open from 9am to 11pm. “There have been concerns raised about what this change will cause in terms of anti-social behaviour and the character and identity of the Triangle,” Reed said when the application was submitted. Continue reading →

Posted in Claire Bonham, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

All hands on deck as Sea Cadets seek adult volunteers

Posted on September 21, 2026 by insidecroydon

Not all at sea: Croydon’s Sea Cadets get extensive training in a range of naval-related skills

Croydon’s unit on Mitcham Road is seeking adult volunteers from all backgrounds — and says no experience is necessary

Croydon Sea Cadets has been in continuous service since 1948, and now meets every Monday and Wednesday evening, working with young people aged 10 to 18.

Using nautical adventure rooted in the customs and traditions of the Royal Navy, the unit helps them build confidence, resilience and practical skills that go well beyond anything they’d pick up in a classroom. Continue reading →

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NHS urges Croydon’s new students to have MenB vaccination

Posted on September 21, 2026 by insidecroydon

The NHS is running a campaign to help Croydon’s teenagers ensure that they are fully protected against the risk of catching the potentially deadly or disabling Meningitis B, appealing to them to get fully vaccinated before they head off for university.

Two jabs: the NHS is offering free vaccinations via pharmacies to those aged between 17 and 25

The NHS says that London, with the highest concentration of students in the country, is a “potential hotspot” for the disease. University students face a MenB risk seven times higher than young people who don’t go to university, as freshers weeks begin and thousands more students prepare to start term in the coming weeks.

Meningitis B is a severe and aggressive bacterial infection that can become life-threatening within 24 hours. About 1-in-10 cases of bacterial meningitis result in death, while those who survive the infection can face permanent disabilities such as hearing loss, brain damage or amputated limbs.

The NHS’s MenB vaccination drive follows an outbreak centred on the University of Kent in March this year, in which 21 cases were associated with a Canterbury nightclub super-spreader event. Two people died. Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Health, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free David Lean Cinema tickets to see 24 Hour Party People

Posted on September 21, 2026 by insidecroydon

The David Lean Cinema in the Croydon Clocktower will be among around 100 venues around the country, mostly independent and art house cinemas, that next month will be staging free screenings of the acclaimed British film, 24 Hour Party People.

And you can claim your free ticket by follow the link below. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cinema, Community associations, David Lean Cinema Campaign | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Councillors in plea to Wetherspoons: Dear Tim, buy our pub!

Posted on September 20, 2026 by insidecroydon

Prime property position: the Leslie Arms has been placed for auction for a third time since June

For sale: one long-neglected, heritage-listed Victorian boozer, likely to require millions of pounds to put right. For the third time in four months, the Leslie Arms is up for auction. And Labour councillors have appealed to pub chains to show it a little tender loving care. By STEVEN DOWNES

Troubled business: Anwar Ansari has lost at least five properties to the receivers

Croydon Labour councillors Sean Fitzsimons, Patricia Hay-Justice and Nick Beall have written an open letter to Tim Martin, boss of pub chain Wetherspoons, to stump up at least £1.3million to buy the Leslie Arms in their Addiscombe West ward.

The long-closed pub and four flats on the upper floor of the Grade II-listed building are up for auction again this week, at a plush event being held at Claridge’s in Mayfair.

The building, or parts of it, has been offered for sale at auction on at least two previous occasions this year, as the property empire of Dr Anwar Ansari hit financial problems, with parts tipping into receivership. On one occasion, the building was withdrawn for sale just hours before the auction; on the next occasion, when the flats alone were offered for sale, they failed to meet the reserve price. Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Leslie Arms, Nick Beall, Patricia Hay-Justice, Planning, Property, Pubs, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How Houdini made Croydon churn with his staged escape act

Posted on September 20, 2026 by insidecroydon

Wild about Harry: Hungarian-born illusionist Harry Houdini would often perform public stunts to promote his stage shows in America and across Europe

CROYDON CHRONICLES: Croydon’s Music Halls attracted some of the world’s most famous acts in the early 20th Century, including the man reckoned to be the greatest escapologist of all time, as DAVID MORGAN explains

Memory is a wonderful gift. The problem as you get older, though, is that from time to time one’s recollections can become more vague. Instead of recalling the exact name or a place in an instance, you find yourself resorting to a describing the event or occasion, in the hope the other person in the conversation can come up with the name that you are struggling to recall.

If you were asked to remember an event which took place nearly 50 years ago, and you were present at the time,  how well would you do?

A scenario like this was played out in a Croydon newspaper in the 1950s. Continue reading →

Posted in David Morgan, History, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment