Warlingham’s youngsters lift two Surrey cups in season finales

Posted on April 26, 2024 by insidecroydon

Double glory: Warlingham’s under-16s celebrate winning the Surrey Cup at The Stoop, one of two trophies the group have won this season

There’s some hope down at Hamsey Green, after Warlingham’s under-16s won the Surrey Cup final, beating Farnham 15-14 in a nail-biting finale to their season staged at Harlequins’ Stoop ground.

Warlingham also won the second tier county trophy at under-16s level with a 26-12 victory over Cobham at Old Reigatians. In what is reckoned to be among the toughest county circuits in the whole country, club officials suggest that it is a unique double by their youngsters, and a huge fillip for Warlingham. Continue reading →

Posted in Rugby Union, Sport, Warlingham RFC | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

1-in-5 Londoners have no idea there’s an election next week

Posted on April 25, 2024 by insidecroydon

Shocking figures released today show that 20% of Londoners – 1-in-5 – don’t have a Scooby Doo (it’s rhyming slang…) that next Thursday, May 2, is election day in the capital. Among younger Londoners – those under 30 years old – the lack of awareness is even greater, at 33%, or 1-in-3.

Standard issue: the capital’s evening paper no longer has the readers it once had to get an election message across

Worse still, it appears the Tory scam to disenfranchise large sections of society appears to have worked because the research, conducted by pollsters Savanta for the Centre for London, found that nearly a quarter of Londoners have no idea that they will need photo ID to be allowed to vote next week.

The London elections are taking place next Thursday. Most Londoners will have three votes: one to choose the Mayor of London; the second to choose a London Assembly Member by constituency – in our case, for Croydon and Sutton; and the third to vote for a party or candidate on a London-wide basis (our columnist, Andrew Fisher, explained how the voting systems work, and how they have been changed for 2024, in his column last week).

The gaping chasm between the importance of the election – the Mayor of London spends £20billion a year of public money – and the level of awareness that any election is even taking place ought to be a serious concern. Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 London elections, Crime, Housing, Knife crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

3rd class service: Royal Mail reduces collections by stealth

Posted on April 25, 2024 by insidecroydon

Not content with providing only a third-class service on deliveries, across Croydon, the suits who run Royal Mail have been sticking barely visible notices on post boxes to explain how they are now dismantling their previously reasonably dependable collection service.

Inside Croydon has reported before about the increasingly unreliable delivery service being provided by privatised Royal Mail’s officials.

The likes of BBC Panorama and other media have also reported how a combination of poor management, deliberate under-staffing and prioritising premium package deliveries over first-class mail have all contributed to the rapid decline of a once-prized national service. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Royal Mail, South Croydon, Waddon | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

At 91 years old, there’s no stopping marathon man Picksley

Posted on April 25, 2024 by insidecroydon

David Picksley was probably already a bit of a London Marathon hero, but after his unstoppable performance in this year’s race on Sunday, he’s probably worthy of inclusion in the annals of the event’s all-time greats.

Unstoppable: Trinity old boy David Picksley, 91, the oldest finisher in Sunday’s London Marathon

At 91, Picksley was officially the 2024 London Marathon’s oldest runner (in fact, he was the race’s only nonagenarian this year).

But he was far from the last of the 53,000 to finish the 26-mile 385-yard route from Greenwich Park to The Mall.

Picksley clocked 7hr 57min 15sec, a tad slower than his 2023 effort – he’s a committed marathoner – but with good reason.

Picksley possibly had his eye on last year’s finishing time, 7:16:46, the fastest recorded by someone in their 90s in London. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Charity, Trinity School | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Beckenham and New Addington trams return to normal service

Posted on April 25, 2024 by insidecroydon

Normal service has finally resumed on Croydon’s tram network, after two months of disruption and the complete closure of the lines to New Addington, Woodside and Arena, Elmers End and Beckenham Junction since the end of March.

Success story: after a month-long closure, the trams are back to running as normal today

Transport for London’s engineers and contractors finally started removing their barriers and hardware from around East Croydon Station this week.

It followed one of the longest, and largest, network closures since the trams came into service in 2000.

“Good news,” a spokesperson for Transport for London told Inside Croydon today.

“The works are all completed and we are operating a good service on the full London Trams network this morning.”

Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, New Addington, New Addington North, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

East Croydon plaque to get you on track for the Vanguard Way

Posted on April 25, 2024 by insidecroydon

Almost there: Cuckmere Haven, one of the many breathtaking views along the Vanguard Way, the 66-mile rambling route which starts at East Croydon

For the avoidance of any doubt (if ever there was any), East Croydon Station now has a new sign, designating it as the official starting point of the Vanguard Way, the 66-mile walkers’ route “from the suburbs to the sea”. Or it marks the end of the route, for those having trekked all the way from Newhaven in sunny Sussex.

John Jefkins, a senior official from the Vanguard Way Association, was on hand earlier this month for the installation of the Vanguard Way’s very own version of a blue plaque. “Our Start and End of Trail plaques are now up at the East Croydon Station,” Jefkins declared. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Community associations, Walks | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Labour figures at centre of police probe now seek your votes

Posted on April 24, 2024 by insidecroydon

VOTE-RIGGING SCANDAL: 50 days have passed since the Labour Party admitted someone had been tampering with the personal details of around 500 members in Croydon. With the London elections next week, two figures at the centre of a live police investigation are now actively seeking voters’ support. By STEVEN DOWNES

It’s “business as usual” as far as Croydon Labour is concerned.

With polling day coming up next Thursday, two figures at the centre of a current police investigation into allegations of computer misuse have been out and about around the borough, trying to encourage the electorate to vote for their party.

Getting the vote out: Joel Bodmer and candidate Melanie Felten are central figures in the Labour vote-rigging scandal

Melanie Felten, the interim secretary of the under-investigation Croydon East Constituency Labour Party, is Labour’s candidate in the Park Hill and Whitgift council ward by-election.

Joel “Bodger” Bodmer was one of the candidates seeking selection to be Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Croydon East, only withdrawing from the contest after party officials admitted that the selection process had been undermined. Labour’s London Region halted selection proceedings in November 2023 because of complaints of election fraud, ballot-rigging and fixes going on with the CLP membership lists. Continue reading →

Posted in Carole Bonner, Croydon Central, Croydon East, David Evans, Maddie Henson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Locals start campaign to have Burn Bullock pub rebuilt

Posted on April 24, 2024 by insidecroydon

English Heritage and Merton Council join calls for historic cricket pub to be rebuilt – just like the Crooked House in the Midlands. While in Croydon, there’s a second fire in nine months at another disused pub

Another day, another fire in an abandoned pub building.

Repeat performance: the fire at the Windmill pub on St James Road yesterday

While there seems little chance of any action being taken in Croydon, after the Windmill on St James’ Road was in flames yesterday for a second time in less than nine months, in Mitcham, a strong community group is beginning a campaign to ensure that the owners of the Grade II-listed Burn Bullock repair and rebuild the historic pub which was near-destroyed in Friday’s blaze.

No one was hurt in yesterday’s fire in Croydon, where five workmen evacuated the site when a fire broke out on the ground floor. That had already been badly damaged in a fire last August, when the Windmill and the Drum and Monkey, another derelict pub nearby, both caught light, apparently spontaneously…

Although the cause of both pub fires last year was regarded by the emergency services as “suspicious”, an investigation was abandoned for lack of any evidence of an arsonist. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community associations, Crime, History, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Merton, Mitcham, Planning, Property, Pubs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Scared’ Surrey Street market traders in calls for more police

Posted on April 24, 2024 by insidecroydon

Home Office funding for extra policing in Croydon town centre finishes at the end of April, and there’s no plans to increase officer presence on Surrey Street. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Crime hot-spot: traders and councillors have been appealling for more CCTV and police on Surrey Street

The Metropolitan Police will not provide undertakings that they will increase permanently officer patrolsin Surrey Street Market, despite complaints going back at least three years from traders who say they are “scared” of the drug gangs who operate in the area.

Superintendent Mitch Carr, the lead for community policing in Croydon, told Inside Croydon today that, “Improving the perception of safety in Croydon town centre cannot be achieved just by the police.” Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Crime, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Jose Joseph, Knife crime, London-wide issues, Policing, Surrey Street | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sharkey among guests as River Summit comes to the Wandle

Posted on April 24, 2024 by insidecroydon

Feargal Sharkey, a leader in the national debate about the parlous quality of water in the country’s rivers, lakes and canals, is among the participants at the 2024 UK River Summit which is being held along the banks of the River Wandle next month.

Outraged by outflows: rivers campaigner Feargal Sharkey will be a participant at the River Summit next month

Morden Hall, in Morden Hall Park just a short journey from Croydon on the tram, is the venue for this year’s River Summit on May 21.

The River Wandle, south London’s very own, precious and rare chalk stream, will be at the heart of debates, as well as demonstrations of various river-related activities, as environmental speakers and experts come together to discuss the state of our rivers. Topics include water scarcity, pollution, climate change, and invasive species.

“The event will bring together local businesses and members of the public who share a desire to work towards a more positive future for our rivers,” the organisers say.

Tickets to attend the day-long Summit cost £40. Events include workshops, film screenings, textile printing, art exhibitions and “hands-on outdoor experiences”. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Environment, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How businesses profited at expense of the Borough of Culture

Posted on April 23, 2024 by insidecroydon

BOROUGH OF VULTURES: £1.3m of arts funding provided by the Mayor of London was misused by Croydon’s Tory council to boost local businesses, but delivered a year-long flop, judging by official audience figures.
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Lights are on, but no one’s at home: the poorly promoted finale weekend for the Borough of Culture had a budget of £85,000 – but failed to attract any crowds

Croydon’s year as the Borough of Culture is over. Waddya mean, you never even noticed it was on..?

Despite £1.3million of Mayor of London cash, plus a few generous hand-outs from the nice people at the Lottery and Arts Council, what was supposed to be a celebration of Croydon’s artistic excellence, and a leg-up for the borough’s many hard-pressed cultural groups, limped across the line before Easter.

Croydon’s year as Borough of Culture had started three months late, and it finally ran out of steam a week early, too.

The Tory-run council had tried to divert the money to boost businesses in the borough, but what they delivered was largely perceived as a cultural flop, with huge amounts of public money squandered.
Inside Croydon has obtained figures that show that many of the events staged, often by groups with little artistic background, drew pitifully small audiences. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, CODA, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Fairfield Halls, Kristian Aspinall, London Mozart Players, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, Stanley Halls, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Cause of Beckenham Road shop blaze ‘deliberate’ says LFB

Posted on April 23, 2024 by insidecroydon

The emergency services have declared that the cause of a fire at a shop with flats above in Bromley in the early hours of this morning was “believed to be deliberate”.

It took four fire engines and around 25 firefighters more than an hour to bring the fire on Beckenham Lane under control.

According to the London Fire Brigade, “A large amount of rubbish at the rear of the property was destroyed by fire, and the ground floor was partially damaged by the blaze.

“Four adults were led to safety by firefighters from the first-floor balcony, assisted by a short extension ladder. There were no injuries.” Continue reading →

Posted in Bromley Council, Crime, London Fire Brigade | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Trust to spend thousands on taxis to break ambulance strike

Posted on April 23, 2024 by insidecroydon

A south London NHS hospital trust is set to spend tens of thousands of pounds on Ubers and other private hire transport as they attempt to break a strike by union members, according to the GMB.

Parked up: non-emergency ambulances working at St Helier will be subject to strike action tomorrow

Members of the union employed as care assistants in the patient transfer ambulances for the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust claim that they are each owed up to £1,300 by the Trust, which has failed to honour its agreements to meet the London Living Wage.

The workers will be striking tomorrow, April 24, as well as on May 2, May 3 and May 7. The strike will affect transport ambulances, not the vehicles that attend emergencies.

Union officials are furious after discovering the Trust’s plans to hire taxis and private mini-buses for the strike days. Continue reading →

Posted in Health, St Helier Hospital | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Marathon star helps Wallington school go the extra mile

Posted on April 23, 2024 by insidecroydon

His legs still aching from the ordeal of racing more than 26 miles through the streets of London the day before, Marc Scott turned out at a Wallington primary school yesterday morning, possibly to inspire the next generation of champion runners.

On his way home: Marc Scott placed 11th in Sunday’s London Marathon

Scott was the third British man to finish in Sunday’s London Marathon, 11th out of the 50,000 runners, clocking 2hr 11min 19sec as he crossed the finish line on The Mall – a brilliant marathon debut for the 30-year-old Yorkshireman, but agonisingly outside the qualifying time for the summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, the target that the former US collegiate champion and world indoors bronze medallist had set for himself.

Despite that disappointment, Scott was on hand at Foresters School to talk to the children about his career as a professional runner, and supporting the pupils while they carried out The Daily Mile.

Foresters School on Redford Avenue, not far from the Purley Way, has been awarded the “Children Fit For Life” award – an award given to schools who participate in The Daily Mile at least three times a week. Foresters School has been participating in The Daily Mile since 2019, and some of its pupils had even taken part in the London Mini Marathon over the weekend. Continue reading →

Posted in Athletics, Health, Schools, Sport, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

North End barista to contest national coffee-making finals

Posted on April 22, 2024 by insidecroydon

A barista working at the Costa Coffee shop on Croydon’s North End has made it to the final 12 of her company’s Barista of the Year competition.

Bubbling up: could Croydon North End be the base for one of Britain’s best coffee makers?

Polina Shcherbakova has travelled to Liverpool this week for the two-day final of the prestigious competition, which Costa Coffee has been running for 17 years

Shcherbakova’s route to being among Costa’s top dozen coffee makers in the UK and Ireland “has been marked by fierce competition”, her bosses say.

Shcherbakova “outshone hundreds of Costa Coffee baristas across the country”, they say.

“Polina has demonstrated her passion and skills across two challenging regional stages. Initially, she impressed by crafting four Costa coffee beverages, each meeting the brand’s high standards. Continue reading →

Posted in Business | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

LibDems cancel Sutton selection meeting after ‘complaints’

Posted on April 22, 2024 by insidecroydon

Campaigning in what ought to be a ‘winnable’ parliamentary seat has been dogged by controversies and challenges, reports BELLE MONT

With a General Election getting ever closer, the Liberal Democrats, already in complete disarray over who should be their candidate for the winnable, target seat of Sutton and Cheam, have been forced to cancel a selection meeting due to be held tonight after complaints from applicants who did not make it on to the party’s very short shortlist.

Last week, Inside Sutton reported that just Luke Taylor and Luisa Porritt had been put forward for a members’ selection meeting tonight, from a set of 16 applicants who included former BBC reporter John “Foghorn” Sweeney. The crucial selection meeting was due to be held tonight.

But political journalist Michael Crick has tweeted that “the hustings have been postponed because two complaints were received, and the source suggests John Sweeney and Trish Fivey may now have been added to the shortlist”.
 Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 General Election, 2024 London elections, London-wide issues, Luke Taylor MP, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Paul Scully MP, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Coulsdon’s cast goes out to sea to deliver a complex catch

Posted on April 22, 2024 by insidecroydon

All at sea: Hannah Montgomery (right, as Gretchen) and Anya Destiney (as Maggie) form part of an impressive cast in a brilliant, and affecting, staging of Orca

The latest play being performed this week on stage at the Coulsdon Community Centre is not to be missed, says KEN TOWL

The orca is, in many ways, not what it seems.

Also known as the killer whale, it is no whale, but rather a species of dolphin.

It has never killed a human, except, occasionally in captivity, and there have been recent reports of them either playing with or battering boats.

In a play redolent with symbolism, a play that depicts a toxic (to say the least) patriarchal society, the orca, a marine animal that lives in matrilinear pods led by post-menopausal females, makes for the ultimate metaphor. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Coulsdon, Theatre, Theatre Workshop Coulsdon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Artist Nash who captured Croydon church’s great disaster

Posted on April 21, 2024 by insidecroydon

Raging inferno: the 1867 fire at Croydon Parish Church destroyed hundreds of years of records, tombs and artwork. The fire was famously captured in this painting by Joseph Nash

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: A pupil at a school in the town centre went on to become a noted Victorian era illustrator, an artist to the Queen, and responsible for probably the most famous image of the dreadful blaze that almost destroyed Croydon Parish Church, as DAVID MORGAN, left, explains

Manor House School stood in Croydon, 200 years ago, at No38 North End, next to the Rising Sun public house. It’s more or less where JD Sports is today. An advertisement in the Morning Herald in 1820 informed its readers that Manor House was a school for “young gentlemen”.

Prospective parents would have needed to have a good income if their son was to attend this establishment. The annual fee for boys under 12 years of age was 40 guineas, at a time when a labourer might be fortunate if they earned £10 in a year. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Croydon Minster, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Auckland Rise residents suffer the ‘curse’ of Brick by Brick

Posted on April 21, 2024 by insidecroydon

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports on how some of the warnings about the council house-builders’ ‘affordable’ homes are becoming an costly reality in Crystal Palace

Residents in supposedly “affordable” shared ownership homes built in Crystal Palace by the council-owned developer Brick by Brick have been hit with a 35% service charge hike.

Highly charged: Sinead Harmey (right), a resident of Auckland Rise, with her councillor, Claire Bonham

The residents living on Auckland Rise, with the backing of their local councillor, Claire Bonham, have demanded an urgent meeting with Jason Perry, the Mayor of Croydon.

Shared-ownership properties have strictly controlled rent rises but there are typically no similar limits on service charges.

Despite shared ownership purchasers being only partial owners of their homes, they have to pay a full share of service charges and repair bills. Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Claire Bonham, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fire-hit cricket club determined to maintain Mitcham’s traditions

Posted on April 21, 2024 by insidecroydon

After the fire: the pavilion at Mitcham, alongside the smouldering remains of the Burn Bullock pub yesterday

Clubs and residents’ groups in Mitcham have been picking up the pieces following the blaze on Friday night that caused terrible damage to the Grade II-listed Burn Bullock pub.

As well as its association with a former Surrey cricketer, the Burn Bullock is also closely connected to the largely timber-framed pavilion used by Mitcham Cricket Club for their games on the historic Cricket Green.

While firefighters remained on the scene yesterday, dampening down the embers from the blaze, officials from the cricket club were busy re-arranging their fixture list. Continue reading →

Posted in Cricket, Mitcham, Property, Pubs | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

34-year-old appears in court charged with Surrey Street murder

Posted on April 21, 2024 by insidecroydon

A man has been charged with the murder of Rijkaard Siafa on Surrey Street last week.

Market aftermath: police on Surrey Street, close to Fellmonger’s Yard, where Rijkaard Siafa died

David Walcott was charged with murder yesterday and was due to appear at Bromley Magistrates’ Court.

Walcott, 34, is from Turle Road, Norbury. He was arrested in the early hours of Friday (at what the police described as “an address in Lambeth”).

The police had also arrested a 20-year-old man “at the scene” soon after the brutal attack. He has been released on bail until mid-June, without charge, “pending further enquiries”, according to the police. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Knife crime, Surrey Street | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SWLLC Temporary Accommodation free workshop, Apr 30

Posted on April 21, 2024 by insidecroydon

Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, South West London Law Centres | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

This time we’ve got it right, council says on postal ballot forms

Posted on April 20, 2024 by insidecroydon

Croydon Council has confirmed that there has been no error in the printing of the postal vote envelopes for the London elections next month.

As postal ballot papers began to arrive at voters’ homes in Croydon this week, some questioned why, in the section requiring them to provide their date of birth, the first two boxes of the year were already printed with the figures “1” and “9”, which appears to assume that all recipients were born in the 20th Century.

On May 2, residents as young as 18 years old – born in 2006 – should be allowed to vote for the Mayor of London, an Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton, and their choice of party or candidate in a London-wide Assembly vote. In Park Hill and Whitgift ward and Woodside, where council by-elections are taking place, they will have a fourth ballot paper to return. Continue reading →

Posted in 2024 London elections, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Park Hill and Whitgift, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Burn Bullock pub fire: ‘Mitcham’s history was lost tonight’

Posted on April 20, 2024 by insidecroydon

Dreadful blaze: the alarm was raised for fire in the Burn Bullock around 7.30pm last night

There are well-placed fears that one of the area’s most historic pubs, the Burn Bullock at Mitcham, has been lost forever after a large fire took hold in the long-abandoned building last night.

The site has been targeted for a residential block by developers, although the Mitcham Cricket Green Conservation Area status had caused complications in gaining planning permission.

The pub was a Grade II-listed building, and had interior features which date to the 1500s and an 18th Century exterior.

Originally the King’s Head, in 1954 the pub was renamed after a former Surrey cricketer, Burnett Bullock, who had been the landlord there in his later years. Parts of the pub also served as a cricket pavilion for games played on the green across the road. But the pub closed in 2013. Continue reading →

Posted in Cricket, History, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Mitcham, Surrey CCC | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Croydon FC 2024-2025 youth trials, Apr 27, May 11 and May 25

Posted on April 20, 2024 by insidecroydon

Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Croydon FC, Football | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment