Our first Croydon Insider podcast of 2026 is here – with a panel of readers and contributors delving behind the headlines on the stories that matter to you.

Discussing how the highs of Wembley in May last year could have turned so sour so quickly for Crystal Palace and their manager Oliver Glasner is Inside Croydon’s football correspondent Andrew Sinclair.

Regular podcaster Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell encourages all listeners and readers to sign a campaign petition opposing an increase in the amount of waste burned at the Viridor incinerator in Beddington, where they broke the terms of their licence nearly 1,000 times in an 18-month period.

Nadia Azizuddin tells us about the thriving independent music scene in Croydon, with emerging venue Riff Raffs and long-established music store and rehearsal space Rockbottom, while the demise of 101 Records and the state of the town centre also gets a mention.

End of an era: 101 Records, based around the back of Centrale, closed down last Saturday

And Lee Townsend talks about his latest article for The Voice about better options to improve black men’s mental health.

As we promised during the recording of the podcast, there are ways to seek help and support if you are suffering poor mental health. The following agencies are useful first poiuts of reference, and more:

• Croydon BME Forum mental health help page 

• Croydon Voluntary Action

• Croydon Council: mental health first aider training

And our podcast includes a reminder of a special 10% ticket discount for our readers on the London Mozart Players’ next concert at the Fairfield Halls on March 8.

The Croydon Insider podcast is premium content for Inside Croydon’s paying subscribers.

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