End of an era as Cronx Brewery opts to close its Boxpark bar

Posted on September 9, 2021 by insidecroydon

The Cronx Brewery is quitting Boozepark.

Time please!: The Cronx Bar is calling last orders on Monday

The New Addington-based brewers have rented a double unit at the council-subsidised food and drinks shed next to East Croydon Station since it opened five years ago. Getting a young business so closely associated with Croydon to open their first bar was regarded as a coup for Boozepark’s founder, Roger Wade.

But yesterday the brewery’s management issued a statement saying that they would not be renewing their lease.

The Cronx Bar, in a prominent outside location on Dingwall Road, quickly became a staple, go-to venue among the various street food vendors in Boozepark from its launch in October 2016. By 2018, their real ale offering had earned them an entry in the Campaign for Real Ale’s Good Beer Guide. Continue reading →

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Friends of Lloyd Park working together discussion, Oct 21

Posted on September 9, 2021 by insidecroydon

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Bishop announces he is to retire after 10 years in Croydon

Posted on September 8, 2021 by insidecroydon

Bishop Jonathan Clark: is moving on to the Orkneys with his wife’s academic work after 10 years in Croydon. Photo: Lee Townsend

The Bishop of Croydon, The Rt Rev Jonathan Clark, is to retire next March – 10 years to the day of his consecration as Bishop.

Bishop Clark, 60, will be moving to Orkney, where his wife, Alison’s, academic studies are based. Continue reading →

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Friends hit with charges for staging party in Grangewood Park

Posted on September 8, 2021 by insidecroydon

Happy birthday: Grangewood Park, between Thornton Heath and Upper Norwood, was opened to the public 120 years ago. Now the council wants to charge for its use

Families, friends and neighbours from Thornton Heath, Selhurst, Upper Norwood and beyond will come together in Grangewood Park this Sunday to celebrate it becoming a public open space 120 years ago, in 1901.

The 120th birthday party is being organised entirely by volunteers from the park’s Friends group, with virtually no input from Croydon Council – apart, that is, from a demand for hire fee and a hefty deposit against any possible damage.

Locals have been outraged at the council’s demand for cash, as Fisher’s Folly official try to squeeze the park for income. “It’s an utter disgrace,” said one. Continue reading →

Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Friends of Grangewood Park | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Government to pay £2.3m of borough’s asylum children’s costs

Posted on September 8, 2021 by insidecroydon

The Home Office will pay an additional £2.3million to Croydon this year to cover the rising costs to the borough of being a first stop in this country for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Safe haven: the Home Office has agreed that Croydon takes an unfair share of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

The cash-strapped borough last month threatened to copy Kent County Council by refusing to accept the responsibility for new arrivals, as Dover and Croydon carry extra burden compared to other local authorities because of their status as immigration points.

The Home Office has a migrants’ registration office at Lunar House in Croydon town centre.

In the past decade Croydon has looked after more than 5,000 UASCs, including many vulnerable children. Council estimates put the additional cost to Croydon at £50million over the last 10 years. Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Hamida Ali, Robert Ward | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Norbury Park tape-ball cricket tournament, free to play, Sep 11

Posted on September 8, 2021 by insidecroydon

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MyT bookkeeping: Take a picture, Approve, Done

Posted on September 8, 2021 by insidecroydon

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Labour official seeks to stop DEMOC using campaign leaflets

Posted on September 7, 2021 by insidecroydon

As Croydon Tories begin the process to select their candidate to stand for the borough’s first directly-elected mayor next May, KEN LEE, our Town Hall correspondent, reports on the local Labour Party’s latest effort to stifle debate

While Croydon’s Conservatives set about trying to make history, their rivals in the local Labour Party continue to try to rewrite history to their own liking.

It is one month to the day until Croydon stages a referendum over the question of whether the council should continue to be run under the system that helped bankrupt the borough, or to switch to a directly elected mayor.

The Tories appear so confident of the referendum outcome that they are already conducting their selection process to choose a candidate to become Croydon’s first directly elected mayor next May. The deadline for the first stage of applications is next Monday, September 13.

They may not be wrong. By this afternoon, an entirely unscientific poll on Inside Croydon shows those likely to vote for a switch to a system characterised as #ABitLessShit stood at an overwhelming 86 per cent of those that could be bothered to vote. Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Hamida Ali, Jamie Audsley, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Cultural hopes are raised as Talawa and Nick Cave take a bow

Posted on September 7, 2021 by insidecroydon

Two shows staged at the borough’s major arts centre over the weekend helped to underline how precious the Fairfield Halls should be for Croydon. If only the artistic programme on offer more generally could rise to the local public’s expectations, rather than pandering to the cheap and easy default of tired tribute acts and some less-than-comic comics.

‘Hello Croydon!’: Nick Cave played to a sold-out Concert Hall

Nick Cave, the post-punk rocker so beloved of Guardianistas and TV drama musical directors, played to a sold-out Concert Hall at the Fairfield on Saturday, together with Bad Seeds’ Warren Ellis, in the first gig on the first tour since before covid, now with two loads of new material to perform, including a suitably angst-laden lockdown album.

As it was the start of a national tour, the Fairfield management got lucky in terms of attracting national newspaper reviewers to Croydon. And they raved. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Music, Talawa Theatre Company, The Wreck | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

NHS chief’s tough run raises £4,000 for children’s cancer ward

Posted on September 7, 2021 by insidecroydon

Matthew Kershaw, the chief executive of the Croydon NHS Trust, went the extra mile, or 62, at the weekend to help raise funds for a children’s cancer charity based at Mayday Hospital.

Exhausted but elated: Kershaw (left) and Beaton at the end of their 62-mile cross-country trek

Kershaw, together with Scott Beaton, has raised more than £4,000 – twice their target – as a result of their efforts in the South Coast Challenge ultra-marathon. The money is going towards the Chartwell Cancer Trust’s Lily Pad Appeal, which is trying to raise £750,000 towards a new children’s cancer unit.

The Challenge is a tough 100 kilometres – more than 62 miles – across country from Eastbourne through the South Downs National Park, up Beachy Head, over the magnificent Seven Sisters and along the South Downs Way to Brighton at halfway. Then up and down Devil’s Dyke to Arundel for the finish, with nearly 7,000 feet of climbing along the way. Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Croydon NHS Trust, Health, Lily Pad Appeal, Matthew Kershaw, Mayday Hospital | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Far-right’s refugee ‘protest’ at Lunar House attracts just 10

Posted on September 6, 2021 by insidecroydon

Getting the message across: anti-racists had a banner on show in the Whitgift Centre car park just to ensure there was no doubt about how they felt about the far-right

Lunar House in central Croydon has long been a ‘target’ for the far-right’s attempts at protest against migrants and asylum-seekers. Saturday’s limp effort demonstrated, once again, that the racists can’t organise a piss-up in a ‘Spoons, as our special correspondent, MILLIE TANT, reports

Police presence: the Met was on hand to try to maintain the peace

While a good number anti-racist groups assembled on Saturday to oppose the latest far-right protest at Lunar House, the Home Office’s immigration office on Wellesley Road, the anticipated ramshackle group of racists, neo-nazis and fascists at first failed to show. They were late for their own protest.

The far-right decided that they wanted to oppose Afghans, many of whom had given years of service to this country, to be able to claim refuge from the Taliban in this country.

But it turned out that the assorted racists and neo-nazis couldn’t drag themselves away from their favourite watering hole, The George, one of Brexit buffoon Tim Martin’s ’Spoons pubs, just a short walk away in central Croydon. All that foreign-sounding lager must have softened their resolve… Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Central | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Starmer and Evans face impossible task with Croydon South

Posted on September 6, 2021 by insidecroydon

To win the next General Election, Labour needs to gain 124 seats. And Number 122 on the list of Labour target seats is Tory Chris Philp’s Croydon South constituency. Our sarf of the borough correspondent, PEARL LEE, looks at the seemingly impossible task facing the opposition leader and his Croydon campaign guru

Window seat: Keir Starmer and his advisers will have a view on the part Croydon will play in future campaigns

There is a growing sense of existential struggle about the Labour Party’s annual conference being staged in Brighton at the end of this month.

Keir Starmer is supposed to want to “relaunch” his leadership at conference, yet last week, the latest controversy to surround him and General Secretary David Evans, was over whether they would, or would not, grant an entry ticket to conference to Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn has had the party whip withdrawn in the House of Commons.

“Not even Macbeth tried to ban Banquo from the feast,” one former Labour MP noted. Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 London elections, 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 council elections, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Croydon South, David Evans, Hamida Ali, Jennifer Brathwaite, London-wide issues, Olga Fitzroy, Sarah Jones MP, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Young singing talents are given audition chance at Minster

Posted on September 6, 2021 by insidecroydon

Croydon Minster is to stage one of the most prestigious church choral events of the year

By DAVID MORGAN

Fancy having a singing career like Ed Sheeran’s? Think you may have a voice to match Katherine Jenkins?

Then an event being staged at Croydon Minster later this month could be something that you really don’t want to miss.

Croydon’s parish church has been chosen to host one of the Royal School of Church Music’s flagship events to encourage and develop singing in young people, with the event taking place on Sunday, September 19.

Choristers at the Minster are no strangers to big events. Praised for their singing on the BBC television’s Midnight Mass in 2019, this December will see selected choristers sing in the John Rutter Christmas Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, conducted by the venerated composer himself. Continue reading →

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The Big Walk and Talk, Croydon green spaces, Oct 2

Posted on September 6, 2021 by insidecroydon

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Big Local Broad Green Big Clean Up, Canterbury Rec, Sep 19

Posted on September 6, 2021 by insidecroydon

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Handel’s bookcase offers Croydon connections down the ages

Posted on September 5, 2021 by insidecroydon

MARVELS OF THE MINSTER: When one of the most celebrated Vicars of Croydon was promoted to take charge of Westminster Abbey, his good fortune saw him acquire a piece of furniture linked to one of the greatest composers, as DAVID MORGAN explains

Handel: had good taste in furniture

The Rev John Ireland was the Vicar of Croydon from 1793 until 1816, who went on to rise through the ecclesiastical ranks to become the Dean of Westminster Abbey.

For all his no doubt worthy achievements of 200 years ago, Rev Ireland is best recalled today for a piece of furniture.

But just any old piece of furniture – a bookcase, and a bookcase which once belonged to George Frederick Handel, the composer of some of the most sublime pieces of 18th Century music, which are still performed and enjoyed widely today. Continue reading →

Posted in Church and religions, Croydon Minster, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

XR brings protest to the high street to highlight toxic bankers

Posted on September 5, 2021 by insidecroydon

Dying time: High Street bank Barclays are one of the biggest funders of environmental damaging fossil fuel industries in the world

There would be far less development and use of climate-damaging fossil fuels if the industrial schemes were denied capital investment by banks and big business.

And to highlight this, after days of protests in central London, Extinction Rebellion Croydon yesterday staged a protest outside Barclays Bank on North End Croydon. Continue reading →

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Big Local Broad Green coffee mornings, first Mon each month

Posted on September 5, 2021 by insidecroydon

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Make sure your pleas to power are never ignored again

Posted on September 4, 2021 by insidecroydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: With a little more than a month until the referendum over how we should choose future leaders of the council, MP CHRIS PHILP (pictured left) outlines why he’s supporting a change in the system

Croydon Council’s politics are broken.

If any evidence of that is needed, one has only to consider the litany of recent failures.

Croydon is the only London council to go bankrupt in more than 20 years, following disastrous failed loss-making commercial property speculation. Local services such as libraries, children’s centres, grass-cutting and swimming pools like Purley are closed or having their opening times slashed as a result.

The Westfield centre has been cancelled. The council treats its own tenants with contempt, allowing residents of Regina Road and other blocks to live in squalor and ignoring their pleas for help. Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, Chris Philp MP, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon South | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Council agrees deal to allow 4G cells on its lamp posts

Posted on September 4, 2021 by insidecroydon

More connected: the council is using its lamp posts for new 4G cells

The council claims that more residents, businesses and visitors will soon benefit from better and faster mobile connectivity in Croydon following a deal to boost 4G coverage across all networks.

Network service provider Freshwave is to instal additional small cells which enhance 4G coverage at more than 40 sites, including Norwood Junction, Thornton Heath and Purley High Street.

The council’s open-access contract with Freshwave is a non-exclusive scheme that works with all phone providers to give an improved mobile signal. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Croydon Climate Action’s Great Big Green Week, Sep 18-26

Posted on September 4, 2021 by insidecroydon

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£78,000 Lottery grant puts Crystal Palace on sculpture trail

Posted on September 3, 2021 by insidecroydon

Arts group Invisible Palace has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £78,400 for their project exploring the Sculptures of Crystal Palace Park.

Joseph Paxton’s master work has left much to consider, including the bold sculpture of the architect’s head

The project is inspired by people’s responses to the remaining sculptures in the park – many of which were originally installed when the Crystal Palace was moved from Hyde Park to Penge Common in 1854 and the parkland around it developed.

But others pieces of park art have been added in the 160-odd years since, and they will be included in the project too.

According to Invisible Palace’s first survey of park users, the statue of Guy the Gorilla, the star attraction of London Zoo in the 1960s and 1970s, is a firm favourite with children, while all ages climb and sit on the Sphinx. Continue reading →

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Verity gets council to face up to the truth on air pollution

Posted on September 3, 2021 by insidecroydon

Air pollution that is suffered by pedestrians across south London, including Croydon and Sutton, has been well above legal levels for several years.

Air quality fail: officials removed this street art. But Sutton Council does nothing about cars idling

But now one environmental activist in Wallington is doing something about it, at least to draw the public’s attention to the toxic air that taints every breath they take.

The air pollution monitor on Woodcote Road (the high street through Wallington’s main shopping area) has recorded pollution above legal limits year on year since 2016.

Over the summer, Carshalton resident Verity Thomson created a chalk design on the pavement around the air quality monitor to highlight the problem. Thomson has linked in with “Mums for Lungs”, the group campaigning for clean air.

Last week, she stencilled the pavement with spray chalk in front of the monitor. By the following morning, the stencil had been removed, Thomson assumes by council street cleaners.

“It would seem that Sutton Council can clean the pavement, but not the air,” she told Inside Croydon. Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Schools, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

An elected Mayor for Croydon? Debate, Old Coulsdon, Sep 7

Posted on September 3, 2021 by insidecroydon

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Big Local Broad Green Spelling Club, Mondays in term time

Posted on September 3, 2021 by insidecroydon

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