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Category Archives: Poetry
Comedy Fyles are worth seeing when they get to Edinburgh
FRINGE REVIEW: As the Croydonites festival enters its final two days, KEN TOWL (Croydon’s answer to Tynan), pictured right, conducts a compare and contrast of two of the shows this week, and marks your card for tonight and tomorrow, and … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Comedy, Croydonites Festival, Ken Towl, Poetry, Stanley Halls, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre
Tagged Croydonites, Croydonites Fringe, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Emma Davies, Emmy Fyles, HR, Human Resources, Ken Towl, Stanley Halls, The Front Room
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Poetry emotion: We’re doing it for the craic and for the Cronx
The 2026 Croydonites Fringe began last night. Here, JOHNNY DOBBYN, pictured right, goes behind the scenes to explain the work that goes on to bring the festival’s shows to the stage Fancy being a theatrical, musical or literary performer – … Continue reading
From cabaret to the World Cup, from Sea Cadets to LTN refunds
PODCAST: The Croydon Insider returns with a new panel of readers to discuss the latest Croydon news, in a Croydonites Fringe special that picks some of the must-see shows at the festival from July 1 to 5. There’s even a … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Comedy, Commissioners, Croydon Council, Croydon Insider, Croydonites Festival, Elaine Jackson, Inside Croydon, Johnny Dobbyn, Music, Poetry, Sea Cadets, Stanley Halls, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre, Under The Flyover
Tagged Anna Arthur, Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Sea Cadets, Croydonites, Croydonites Fringe, Crystal Palace, heatwave, Johnny Dobbyn, LTN, LTN fine refunds, Mark Windsor, Sea Cadets, World Cup
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Croydonites Fringe Festival, various venues, from July 1 to 5
A D V E R T I S E M E N T Click here for full details of the Croydonites Fringe Festival and ticket bookings
Croydonites Fringe Festival, various venues, from July 1 to 5
A D V E R T I S E M E N T Click here for full details of the Croydonites Fringe Festival and ticket bookings
iC reader wins tickets to see Jake Yapp at Croydonites Fringe
There’s none of this Jim Bowen “This is what you might have won!” 1970s game show malarkey for Inside Croydon reader Mark Vaughan, because he and a guest have nabbed a pair of tickets for one of the hottest shows … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Art, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Music, Poetry, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre
Tagged Centrale, Cornershop Showdown, Croydon, Croydonites, Croydonites Festival, Croydonites Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Jake Yapp, Stanley Halls, Studio 55, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern
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Take a step back to the 1970s with Jake Yapp’s game show
Inside Croydon subscribers can win a pair of tickets for Cornershop Showdown in a special 1970s quiz – click here to enter our competition now! For one generation, shows like The Generation Game, 3-2-1 and The Price Is Right are … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Art, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Music, Poetry, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre
Tagged Centrale, Cornershop Showdown, Croydon, Croydonites, Croydonites Festival, Croydonites Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Jake Yapp, Stanley Halls, Studio 55, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern
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Croydonites pull back the curtains on five days of Fringe
The Croydonites Fringe is back! From July 1 to 5, 21 works will take place across Croydon town centre and South Norwood featuring artists from Croydon, London, the rest of Britain and beyond. Less than a month before the world-famous … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Art, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Music, Poetry, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre
Tagged Centrale, Croydon, Croydonites, Croydonites Festival, Croydonites Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Jake Yapp, Stanley Halls, Studio 55, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern
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Waterstones’ primaries enjoy poetry, mysteries and recycling
Thousands of children from two dozen local schools got a World Book Day token and an inspiring lesson from an author or illustrator to mark World Book Day at the Whitgift Centre’s biggest book shop More than 3,500 pupils from … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Art, Business, Education, Poetry, Schools, Whitgift Centre
Tagged All Saints Church of England School, Applegarth Academy, Broadmead Primary, Chestnut Park Infants and Chestnut Park School, Courtwood Academy, Croydon, Ecclesbourne Primary, Harris Haling Primary, Heathfield Academy, Howard Primary, Howard Primary School, Park Hill Infants and Junior, Parkhill Infants and Parkhill Junior school, Purley Oaks School, Quest school, Regina Coeli Primary, Robert Fitzroy Academy, St Aiden’s Primary, St Mary's Catholic Junior School, St Peter's Primary School, The Crescent Primary, The Good Shepherd Primary, Tudor Academy, Tunstal Nursery, Waterstones, Waterstones Croydon, Whitehorse Manor, Whitgift Centre, Winterborne Primary, World Book Day
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Great Big Bug Show is bringing minibeasts to South Norwood
Simon Mole and musician Gecko are bringing their new family performance, The Great Big Bug Show, to Stanley Halls in South Norwood for the spring half-term, on Wednesday May 27. Mole is the National Poetry Day Ambassador and acclaimed children’s … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Art, Music, Poetry, Stanley Halls, Theatre
Tagged Gecko, Half term, Simon Mole, Stanley Arts, Stanley Halls
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Pictures on our streets show we need more art in Croydon
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Pablo Picasso said, ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life’, and PETER UNDERWOOD believes that our borough, and its many outstanding arts organisations, could do with a bit more of the dust being washed … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Croydon Greens, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, National Gallery Art On Your Doorstep, Peter Underwood, Poetry, Queens Gardens, Talawa Theatre Company, Turf Projects
Tagged Art, Art On Your Doorstep, Auguste Rodin, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Mayor, National Gallery, National GalleryArt, Pablo Picasso, Peter Underwood, Queens Gardens, Talawa Theatre Company, The BRIT School
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Purley writer Dobbyn named in top dozen of poetry competition
Johnny Dobbyn, one of Inside Croydon’s long-time contributors, has had one of his poems, Kill Switch, highly commended in the 2026 Daily Telegraph poetry competition. Kill Switch was chosen among the best works from a record entry – more than … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Johnny Dobbyn, Poetry
Tagged Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph poetry competition, Johnny Dobbyn, Poetry
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Highly commended: Johnny Dobbyn’s poem ‘Kill Switch’
Kill Switch By Johnny Dobbyn Highly commended, Daily Telegraph poetry competition 2026 The red-eyed imp ischemia sat in the corner of her kitchen, squatting in the litter tray, and wondering when to make its presence felt. It saw the Post-it … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Johnny Dobbyn, Poetry
Tagged Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph poetry competition, Johnny Dobbyn, Poetry
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BYOB 6th anniversary open mic night, Boxpark, Tue Dec 9
S U B S C R I B E R A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Art, Boxpark, Johnny Dobbyn, Poetry
Tagged Boozepark, Boxpark, BYOB, Johnny Dobbyn, Poetry
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‘We have history, we embrace the present, we fly to the future’
During their latest, remarkable victory, this time over champions Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Saturday, Crystal Palace revealed their club poem, put together by local poet Dan Simpson after a year’s work with fans, as part of “A Poem For … Continue reading
Skibabble open mic night at The Front Room, next up: Oct 7
S U B S C R I B E R A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Posted in Activities, Art, Comedy, Music, Poetry, St George's Walk, The Front Room
Tagged Comedy, Music, Poetry, Skibabble, St George's Walk, The Front Room
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Croydon-born children’s author Allan Ahlberg has died
Allan Ahlberg, the children’s author and poet whose writing touched the lives of countless families, died this week. He was 87. Ahlberg was born in Croydon in 1938. Working with his illustrator wife Janet Ahlberg, together they produced a host … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Poetry
Tagged Allan Ahlberg, Croydon, Each Peach Pear Plum, Janet Ahlberg, Jessica Ahlberg, Michael Rosen, Peepo!, Raymond Briggs, Sandwell, The Jolly Postman, Woof!
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Wizz Jones, Croydon’s pioneer of folk music, has died aged 86
He gave lessons to Keith Richards, had Bruce Springsteen cover his songs and was copied by Eric Clapton. His Times obituary described him as a guitarist who ‘should have been superstar’ Wizz Jones, described as one of the seminal musicians … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Croydon Folk Club, Music, Poetry, Thornton Heath
Tagged Addiscombe, Berlin, Bruce Springsteen, Croydon Folk Club, Eric Clapton, folk music, Keith Richards, Leslie Arms, Ralph McTell, Rod Stewart, Sir Philip Game Centre, Streets of London, The Rolling Stones, Thornton Heath, Wizz Jones
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Palace are adding a touch of poetry to their beautiful game
It is sometimes said that football, when it’s played properly, at its fluid best, is like a form of physical poetry. Well now, the National Literacy Trust and Arts Council England have launched A Poem for Your Club to try … Continue reading
Love Cronx EP plays out in the spirit of Beano’s and Cymande
KEN TOWL went along to where much-missed vinyl record store once was, and found more great beats at the heart of Croydon My invitation said, “Join the Beats and Eats team for our Love Cronx EP release party, featuring a … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ken Towl, Music, Poetry
Tagged Beanos, Beats and Eats, Big Nate, Cymande, Middle Street, The Venue
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Learning Disability Carnival, Croydon North End, July 6
Posted in Activities, Dance, Education, Music, Poetry
Tagged Croydon North End, Learning Disabilities, Learning Disability Carnival, North End
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2,000 primary pupils inspired by star authors at Waterstones
Almost 2,000 pupils from Croydon primary schools have this week come with their classes to Waterstones in the Whitgift Centre to celebrate World Book Day in an impressive and inspiring series of talks and events featuring locally-based authors. The youngsters … Continue reading
Under The Flyover listens in as Billy Bragg goes to The BRIT
Forty years since the release of his Life’s A Riot album, singer-songwriter Billy Bragg visited the world-famous BRIT School in Selhurst last week to talk about his career, answering questions from pupils. In a wonderfully frank, inspiring and insightful Q&A … Continue reading
Britain’s Got Talent auditions come to London next month
The nation’s favourite talent show is coming to south London next month looking for a talented act to take the crown of our 17th series. Britain’s Got Talent is holding open auditions where Londoners are invited to present their unique … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Comedy, Dance, Music, Poetry, Theatre
Tagged Britain's Got Talent, Kia Oval, Simon Cowell, The Oval
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