Battering: Storm Darragh is the fourth ‘named storm’ of this winter, hitting the west coast and Wales with winds recorded of more than 90mph
Major cross-country race planned for Lloyd Park is cancelled at late notice due to stormy high winds
Coulsdon’s Yuletide Magic event, organised for Small Business Saturday by the local community partnership, has gone ahead today despite the ravages of Storm Darragh. At less than 24 hours’ notice, the volunteer organisers have turned what was planned as an outdoor Christmas event into an indoor one.
With 90mph winds reported this morning and red weather warnings for parts of Wales and the West Country, south London was spared the worst of the fourth “named storm” of this winter, but it still had an impact.
Thousands of distance runners were left disappointed, and some angry, when the South of England Masters cross-country championships and Inter-Counties races, set to be staged in Lloyd Park, were cancelled around 8am this morning.
A course inspection on Friday afternoon had seen the event given the green light. But with a series of races of up to six miles planned from mid-morning until afternoon across muddy and hilly laps of the Croydon park, that decision was reversed today as wind speeds picked up, and trees were being reported as being blown down in the vicinity.
Cross cross-country runners: the South of England vets’ races, planned for Lloyd Park today, were cancelled
There were unconfirmed reports of trees down in Coombe Road and Ballards Way this morning.
The risk of something similar happening in Lloyd Park mid-race was considered too great to go ahead, leaving many runners disgruntled.
“It’s supposed to be cross-country,” one commented on social media. “What’s this sport coming to?”
“We’re already on our way with a coach full of people,” someone else commented. “The decision should have been made yesterday.”
Sports events across the country were hit by Storm Darragh, especially down the west coast and in Wales. The Premier League Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool was postponed early this morning, and race meetings at Chepstow and Aintree also abandoned.
But the good people of Coulsdon, it seems, are made of sterner stuff, and are certainly resourceful.
With dire warnings of strong winds and heavy rain coming our way, four of the trustees of the Coulsdon Community Partnership and members of the East Coulsdon Residents’ Association went to great lengths to turn what was planned as an outdoor Christmas market for the annual Yuletide Magic festival into an indoor one, with the help of the management in the Comrades Club and use of a couple of nearby, currently vacant, shops.
The community activists “played an absolute blinder to save the event and get most things inside out of our unpredictable weather” according to ECRA’s Facebook page.
Still on: the outdoor Coulsdon Christmas market was transformed to an indoor one
A planned road closure was cancelled, so buses returned to their usual routes.
Eleanor Richardson, one of the organisers, wrote: “Completely replanned in 24 hours due to Storm Darragh: mad hunt for a landlord, outdoor market converted to indoor market, outdoor stage converted to indoor stage – thank you to everyone for their understanding!”
On ECRA’s Facebook page it said: “Local stalls and shops have gone above and beyond on this Small Business Saturday to bring Coulsdon Yuletide Magic to you all.”
Apparently, even Santa and his sleigh were going to brave the stormy weather for an indoor visit. “You can enter through The Coulsdon Club and meet him in the grotto.”
The Mirch Masala site was “commandeered” for an indoor market.
“Come and see a different side to Coulsdon and bring some spending money,” the organisers pleaded.
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
However in other news – 150 people completed the Lloyd parkrun over a similar course this morning immediately after the “course inspection” had decided to cancel the afternoon’s events. We all lived to tell the tale… Go figure!
“Go figure”? This is the Cronx, not the Bronx