‘Don’t make a tough job even harder’ say London’s firefighters

Posted on October 19, 2022 by insidecroydon

Fire Brigade staff have been facing an increase in abuse and even attacks when dealing with life-threatening situations, including two assaults at incidents in Thornton Heath

Under attack: firefighters in London faced a busy month of grassfires in July – yet got abused for their efforts

The London Fire Brigade is calling for an end to abuse towards its staff, after figures released today – Emergency Services Day – show that last year there were 353 incidents of abuse towards firefighters and control staff.

Among the abuse and attacks were two occasions when firefighters were dealing with life-threatening incidents in Thornton Heath.

Last month, firefighters were assaulted and threatened by a man after being called to a bonfire in Thornton Heath. None were injured but the crew had to call police for backup as the situation escalated. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Policing, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Shocking findings on Croydon’s GCSEs and infant death rates

Posted on October 19, 2022 by insidecroydon

Research published by the Trust for London shows that Croydon is trailing badly behind other boroughs in the capital on some important measures of poverty.

This includes data which shows that Croydon has among the lowest GCSE attainment across the whole of London.

Croydon is also shown as having one of the higher levels of infant mortality.

And at 6.1per cent, Croydon’s unemployment rate is significantly worse than the 4.3per cent average across the rest of England.

The Trust for London is a charitable foundation with stated aims of tackling poverty and inequality by funding voluntary and charity groups. It makes grants totalling around £10million a year, supporting up to 300 organisations. Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Croydon Council | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Wallington 10-year-old is face of campaign to get us dancing

Posted on October 19, 2022 by insidecroydon

A 10-year-old from Wallington has been chosen as one of the faces of a national campaign, backed by some of the stars of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, to get the whole of the country dancing.

Queen of Latin: Strictly’s head judge Shirley Ballas is backing the campaign

Elijah Caraccio is one of the young people fronting the Find Your Dance Space campaign, launched this week by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, and supported Strictly judges Shirley Ballas and Oti Mabuse.

The campaign aims to show that dance is for everyone, regardless of age, gender, ability, fitness level or circumstance, and Elijah demonstrates how it helps him to deal with the symptoms of dyspraxia and attention deficit disorder. Continue reading →

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Manifesto, plus Daniel Draper Q&A, Ruskin House, Oct 21

Posted on October 19, 2022 by insidecroydon

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Posted in Cinema, Ruskin House | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Postal ballot switch puts by-election candidates in a rush

Posted on October 18, 2022 by insidecroydon

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on a schedule change that probably won’t do anything to increase turn-out in Selsdon Vale and Forestdale

Election candidates for the Selsdon Vale and Forestdale ward by-election, their agents and supporters, had their carefully planned campaign schedules thrown into disarray yesterday when the council decided to bring forward deadlines for postal ballots.

Voting by post became much more popular during the covid lockdown, avoiding the need to visit the polling station on election day. The political parties try to time their campaigning so that their messaging reaches votes likely to vote by post at the same time as their ballot papers arrive.

The long haul: with only two polling stations in the ward, the walk along Old Farleigh Road is ‘a turnout destroyer’

But all those plans were wrecked yesterday lunchtime when the candidates and their agents were told by the council’s electoral services department that, to avoid any adverse impact from planned strike action at Royal Mail, the despatch of the postal votes was being brought forward by 48 hours – with ballot papers being sent out by first-class post today.

“No bloody consultation with the candidates’ agents,” one seriously unimpressed local politician told Inside Croydon.

The email from the council’s electoral services said, “You may be aware that the postal service is due to be affected by industrial action in the coming weeks, with strikes due to take place on Thursday 20 and Tuesday 25 October. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Katherine Kerswell, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coding teen scoops £5,000 prize from National Lottery Awards

Posted on October 18, 2022 by insidecroydon

A teen from south London has scooped the Young Hero title at the National Lottery Awards for her project that runs workshops teaching disadvantaged young women skills to improve their confidence and opportunities.

Award-winner: Avye Couloute, with one of the projects that helped her win the £5,000 National Lottery prize

Avye Couloute, 15, from Wimbledon, started coding when, at seven years old, she attended a computing club. She loved how she could use code to move things on the screen or to control electronic components, and began to actively research and learn more skills in her spare time.

When Avye noticed that most of the attendees at these digital workshops were boys, she founded Girls Into Coding, working with girls aged 10 to 14. Through a combination of workshops and talks delivered by trailblazing women and girls in the tech sector, GIC not only improves the girls’ digital-making abilities, it also develops their skills in problem-solving, teamwork and resilience, building their confidence and opening their eyes to new pathways.  The activities help the girls become aware of new possibilities beyond their current horizons, opening them up to careers and further activities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, sector. Continue reading →

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Tories pose real threat to Selsdon Vale with ‘attack on nature’

Posted on October 18, 2022 by insidecroydon

Under threat from Tory proposals: Selsdon Vale and Forestdale’s leafy aspects could be destroyed by Conservative moves to scrap environmental protections

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The Prime Minister may have sacked her Chancellor and his replacement might have scrapped almost all of the Trussonomic financial policies announced just three weeks ago.
But, says PETER UNDERWOOD, pictured right, there’s no sign that the Tories will abandon their ‘assault on nature’

Under the cover of their disastrous Mini-Budget, the Conservatives also announced that they want to rip up the planning protections that prevent overdevelopment and, alongside a raft of other harmful measures, allow developers to build on our green spaces.

And while Prime Minister Liz Truss has performed some of the quickest U-turns in political history to help the financial markets, the Conservatives are still pushing ahead with their attack on nature.

When I say “attack on nature”, those aren’t my words.

That is the verdict of the RSPB: “Make no mistake, we are angry. This Government has today launched an attack on nature. We don’t use the words that follow lightly. We are entering uncharted territory. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon Friends of the Earth, Croydon Greens, Environment, Fracking, Peter Underwood, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Boxpark uses England star Grealish to cash in on World Cup

Posted on October 18, 2022 by insidecroydon

Come on!: Jack Grealish is more likely to be in action in Qatar than in Croydon

Boozepark, next to East Croydon Station, is looking to cash in on England’s World Cup heroes next month, selling tickets at up to £40 a time to enter the food and booze venue on the days when Gareth Southgate’s side is in action in Qatar.

The venue’s publicists have got so carried away with their promotional schtick that they have even hinted that there could be an appearance during the World Cup by England player Jack Grealish, when Manchester City’s £100million man ought to be 4,000 miles away playing in some of the biggest matches of his career. Continue reading →

Posted in Boxpark, Business, East Croydon, Football, Pubs, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dr Bike repairs at Sustainable Thornton Heath, Oct 22

Posted on October 18, 2022 by insidecroydon

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Council boss ignores questions over failing bus shelter firm

Posted on October 17, 2022 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The start-up firm that promised to pay Croydon £6.8m in a 10-year deal for supplying all-singing, all-dancing ‘smart’ bus shelters has been warned it could be struck off the Companies House register from tomorrow. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Katherine Kerswell, the £192,474 per year chief exec of Croydon’s cash-strapped council, has failed to respond to urgent questions about the troubled state of Valo Smart City UK Ltd, the start-up company that the authority went into partnership with in what was supposed to be a money-spinning deal to instal “smart” bus shelters across the borough.

Valo Smart City UK Ltd’s directors have been placed on notice by Companies House officials that the firm could be struck off the register and dissolved within two months “unless cause is shown to the contrary”.

The deal between Croydon and Valo Smart City was one of the first commercial agreements for the council signed under its then new CEO, Kerswell. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Opama Khan, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Go-Ahead’s south London bus workers to get 10.5% pay rise

Posted on October 17, 2022 by insidecroydon

Bus workers employed by the Go-Ahead group in Croydon and across south London have secured a 10.5per cent pay increase, following union Unite’s negotiations with the company.

On route: bus workers across south London have negotiated a 10.5% pay rise with Go-Ahead

The pay deal will benefit more than 3,000 union members and applies to bus drivers and engineers. The increase covers all elements of pay and allowances and it will be paid in full on all back-pay owed to the workers, a Unite spokesperson said this afternoon.

“This is an important win for bus workers at Go-Ahead,” said Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary.

“By being organised and fully prepared to face down management they have secured this pay increase. Continue reading →

Posted in TfL, Transport, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Noise from a Doctor Who episode traced to Brick by Brick block

Posted on October 17, 2022 by insidecroydon

In the end, it was confirmed that it was not an alien invasion of central Croydon.

Residents living around the Croydon Flyover spent much of the weekend wondering what the eerily strange, out-of-this-world noise was coming from one of the new-build towers. The noise could be heard across three wards of the borough.

The noise was so loud, it even drowned out the constant background hum from traffic on Croydon’s urban motorway. The video published here, posted online by a neighbour, barely does the volume of “The Noise” justice. Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Environment, Fairfield, Housing, Property, South Croydon, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

NHS asks women to give themselves some life-saving T.L.C.

Posted on October 17, 2022 by insidecroydon

The NHS is urging women in Croydon to come forward for breast screening appointments when invited.

Simple, quick and free: the NHS breast screening service saves lives

Each year, more than 2million women across the country UK have breast screening. This helps around 1,300 women’s lives being saved, as more cancers can be diagnosed and treated earlier than they otherwise would be.

Last year, 120,000 people took part in breast screening in London, with 1,040 cancers being detected through the screening programme, which otherwise may have been diagnosed and treated later. Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon NHS Trust, Health, Mayday Hospital, Purley Hospital | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Riddlesdown’s rangers have some new kids on the block

Posted on October 17, 2022 by insidecroydon

The annual visit of a herd of goats at Riddlesdown Common saw half a dozen nannies released last week to graze the steep slopes of the old quarry.

No kidding: one of the herd of goats released on Riddlesdown Quarry last week

“The quarry is an amazing habitat with chalk wildflowers, reptiles and butterflies but its steep slopes and thick scrub bring unique challenges for grazing livestock,” rangers from City Commons, who manage the open space, said.

“Luckily these goats are very much up to the task and made little time getting into the thick scrub on the quarry top.”

The quarry is part of the Riddlesdown Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, and has a staggering amount of rare plants including greater yellow-rattle, round-leaved wintergreen and common rockrose, all supported by the thin quarry soils and grassland managed through grazing. Continue reading →

Posted in City Commons, Environment, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, South London Downs NNR, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Purley Scouts Jumble Sale, Kenley Memorial Hall, Nov 19

Posted on October 17, 2022 by insidecroydon

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How a search for a new life ended in wartime death in the Sinai

Posted on October 16, 2022 by insidecroydon

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM:  One hundred and three years on from the first Remembrance Day, DAVID MORGAN has been researching the archives at Croydon Minster for more records of those lost in what was supposed to be ‘the war to end all wars’

Howley Road in the Old Town, close by the Minster, like many other Croydon streets, suffered their share of losses during the Great War when news arrived of the death of a family member.

In January 1918, Charles and Susan Broomfield, who lived at No31 Howley Road, received news that their son Charles Broomfield had been killed when his Royal Navy minesweeper was blown up in the English Channel. Continue reading →

Posted in Church and religions, Croydon Minster, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Haydn and Mozart symphonies, Erato Orchestra, Purley, Nov 12

Posted on October 16, 2022 by insidecroydon

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Centrale’s vaccination centre leads way for autumn covid jabs

Posted on October 15, 2022 by insidecroydon

Ready for more: the vaccination centre in Centrale has been delivering more than 1,000 jabs on its busier days

The covid-19 vaccination centre inside the Centrale shopping centre in Croydon has begun the roll-out of autumn booster jabs, for now being offered to those over 65 years old.

The severely immunosuppressed and frontline health and care workers, carers and pregnant women are also among those currently eligible for the top-up dose, which tackles the new variant of the virus.

More than 6.5million people have already received a vital autumn boost. Continue reading →

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Evita gives Addiscombe’s café society a new Latvian crunch

Posted on October 15, 2022 by insidecroydon

KEN TOWL discovers a welcome addition to his local high street

Bakery delights: Addiscombe’s new deli has much to offer

When I ask the name of the manager of the new deli on Addiscombe High Street, she tells me she is Evita.

“As in…?” I start to ask.

“Madonna, Yes,” she says. “Well, it’s spelt the same.”

Evita and Santa (“As in Father Christmas”) are two sisters from Latvia who are doing their bit to add to the cosmopolitan chic of Addiscombe High Street.

Trading as Dirty Crunch – I didn’t ask; maybe I should – they have turned what used to be a jeweller’s shop into a pan-European deli that feels more Clapham than Croydon. Continue reading →

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Fun Introduction to Woodwork, Thornton Heath, Oct 22

Posted on October 15, 2022 by insidecroydon

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‘The Nose in Search of a Bum’ sniffs out new government job

Posted on October 14, 2022 by insidecroydon

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on the losers and losers in today’s government reshuffle

Kwartenged: Chris Philp survived his boss’s sacking, but has been shunted out of the Treasury after a record-breaking 38 days

Calls to Downing Street sources this afternoon have failed to discover anyone prepared to offer an on-the-record denial that, when he got the call from the Prime Minister to become Britain’s fourth Chancellor of the Exchequer in four months, Jeremy Hunt did not say, “And I want him out of the Treasury.”

So it was that Chris Philp, Croydon South’s Tory MP, finally made a piece of British political history, as the shortest-lasting Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Philp was in the role just 38 days, and this afternoon was clearing his desk, including his prized “I love Kwasi” mug (he got it in August, to replace the “I love Sajid” mug that somehow got broken), as he was shoved sideways to the non-job of Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Even for Thick Lizzy Truss, it seems, a useful idiot has their uses… Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon South | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Who’s for the chop? Mayor left ‘frustrated’ by axed trees

Posted on October 14, 2022 by insidecroydon

Thick Lizzy Truss is not the only Tory carrying out U-turns – Croydon’s part-time Mayor has done a hand-brake turn over traffic reduction measures, reports our motoring correspondent, JEREMY CLACKSON

As if Croydon’s bungling of the implementation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods over the last two years was not bad enough, council workers have now been chopping down trees on one of the new “Healthy Neighbourhood” streets – by mistake.

Timber!: One of the trees axed by mistake on the now restricted access Elm Park Road

This latest Tory council cut came in Elm Park Road in South Norwood, which is now part of the Holmesdale Road Healthy Neighbourhood scheme.

Healthy Neighbourhoods are a re-branding exercise by Town Hall officials as they desperately try to cling on to the millions of pounds in government grants that they have received for traffic reduction schemes. Hence the installation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition spy cams to generate money in fines from unwitting drivers.

But as council workers turned up to instal the ANPR and new signage at Elm Park Road, they proved a little too keen with the chainsaw, felling two entirely healthy, mature street trees.

Jason Perry, the borough’s part-time Mayor, took immediate, decisive action.

He posted a tweet. Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Broad Green, Commuting, Croydon Council, Cycling, Environment, Mayor Jason Perry, Schools, Steve Iles, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

‘Alarming’ report finds 1-in-4 older Londoners living in poverty

Posted on October 14, 2022 by insidecroydon

Poverty rates among older Londoners are significantly higher compared to the rest of the country, according to a report published today by charity Age UK London.

Counting the pennies: older Londoners are more likely to be in poverty than anywhere else in the country

The figures show that 25per cent of older Londoners live in poverty, compared to 18per cent in the rest of England.

And they have also found that 20per cent of older Londoners are in fuel poverty, compared to 15per cent in the rest of England.

This latest-available data was collected before the pandemic. Describing the figures as “alarming”, Age UK London said today, “It is likely that poverty will increase even further in the current economic climate.” Continue reading →

Posted in Age UK Croydon, Charity | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Art projects can meet funders for culture year at Stanley Halls

Posted on October 14, 2022 by insidecroydon

Stanley Halls will be hosting a “Meet the Funders” session on November 3, to brief arts centres, arts groups and artists about how to access funding for projects when Croydon is London’s Borough of Culture in 2023.

“Croydon in 2023 is set to come alive with culture!” say the organisers.

“Come and meet the funding organisations who want to make your creative project happen.”

The event in South Norwood is free, although it is being held in the middle of the day (from 2pm to 3pm).

It is for arts organisations in Croydon to meet potential funders for next year’s celebration of culture, and to hear about the funding programmes that support the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2023. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Stanley Halls | Tagged , , | Leave a comment