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Arnhem link could be dropped from refurbished Fairfield Halls
The council and BHLive, the venue managers appointed to run the Fairfield Halls, have been accused of “crass cultural vandalism” over secretive plans to change the name of the Arnhem Gallery when the town centre arts venue re-opens.
Erased from history: the Fairfield Halls operators want to rename the Arnhem Gallery
The arts centre is to be “transformed” (in the tawdry marketing speak being utilised by the BHLive), apparently into a venue for Rollerball, while an “exclusive business club” is also to be installed, with access only for the borough’s high-rollers.
Inside Croydon broke the news yesterday that the Fairfield Halls will not now open until September 2019 at the earliest, as its £30million refurbishment is running at least 15 months late, and forcing the postponement of the planned royal gala re-opening concert.
The refurbishment, which is being overseen by the council’s own house-building company, Brick by Brick, was supposed to take just two years, due to have finished in June this year.
Now, it has emerged that when the Fairfield Halls finally does re-open, BHLive wants to drop the Arnhem Gallery name, and retitle that part of the venue “The Croydon Recreation (Rec)”. Continue reading
Posted in BH Live, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Neil Chandler, Tony Newman
Tagged Arnhem, Arnhem Gallery, BHLive, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Labour, Neil Chandler, Tony Newman
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Old MidWhitgiftians enjoy a try-fest at Lime Meadow Avenue
Surrey 1 – which includes three clubs based in or near Croydon, including Old MidWhitgiftians in the dark blue – is as competitive as ever
RUGBY ROUND-UP: Old MidWhitgiftians quickly got their season back on track with a breath-taking 62-5 win at home against Old WImbledonians in Surrey 1 last Saturday.
Andrew Dean scored a hat-trick of tries, fellow centre Temi Okenla got two, and wings Brad Greer and Nathanael Briggs one each. Forwards Adam Stammers and David Spedding pitched in with a try apiece, while Dan Crouch kicked a penalty and nailed seven conversions. Continue reading
Posted in Croydon RFC, John Fisher School, Old Mid-Whitgiftians/Trinity RFC, Old Walcountians, Old Whitgiftians, Purley-John Fisher, Rugby Union, Schools, Sport, Streatham-Croydon RFC, Warlingham RFC, Whitgift School
Tagged Croydon RFC, John Fisher School, Old MidWhitgiftians, Old Walcountians, Old Whitgiftians, rugby union, Streatham-Croydon RFC, Warlingham, Warlingham RFC, Whitgift School
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Organ Inaugural Concert, Croydon Minster, Nov 17
Posted in Church and religions, Croydon Minster, Music
Tagged Croydon Minster, Croydon Minster organ fund
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Mayor of London wants to give you two trees to plant
The Mayor of London wants to give you a tree, or two…
Working together with the Woodland Trust, The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy and Sainsbury’s, City Hall is giving away 24,000 trees to Londoners.
The recipients are to be chosen by ballot. Applications need to be received by November 5. The winning entries will be selected at random from all Londoners that apply. Continue reading
Posted in Croydon parks, Environment, Gardening, Mayor of London, Wildlife
Tagged City Hall, London, Mayor, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
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Multi-faith mental health workshop, Whitgift Centre, Oct 11
The Croydon BME Forum and the counseling charity, Off The Record, are staging a workshop for faith leaders and volunteers next week to improve awareness and coping with mental health wellbeing.
The workshop, being held at Trinity Court in the Whitgift Centre on Thursday, October 11, will deal the topic of stress.
The workshop will be delivered by staff from South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Trust’s Outreach and Support South London (OASIS) team, based in Croydon. Continue reading
Royal concert postponed as Fairfield Halls suffer more delays
Whoops: grand plans for Croydon’s ‘cultural quarter’ have stalled because of delays with the £30m Fairfield Halls project
The Fairfield Halls, which Croydon’s council leader Tony Newman promised would re-open in July this year following a £30million, two-year refurbishment programme, now won’t be running a full programme of events until September 2019 at the earliest.
That’s the shocking news from highly placed sources within BHLive, the Bournemouth-based firm which has been hired by Croydon Council to manage the Fairfield’s large concert hall, along with the Ashcroft Theatre, Arnhem Gallery and associated bars and restaurants.
The planned opening date has slipped almost from the very first day of the refurbishment works, following the Halls’ “temporary” closure in June 2016. Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Fairfield Halls, London Mozart Players, Tony Newman
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Tony Newman
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Croydon MP warns of mounting crisis in Calais refugee camps
Sarah Jones, the MP for Croydon Central, today branded the Tory government “a disgrace” for failing to fulfil its undertakings under the Dubs scheme to accept unaccompanied child refugees from camps in northern France.
MP Sarah Jones, left, visited the Calais camp this week, with aid donations from Croydon
Jones has been on a visit to the camps in Calais and Dunkirk.
The Dubs scheme – named after Labour peer Alf Dubs, who had come to Britain in the 1930s, escaping Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport – is supposed to allow for 480 unaccompanied child refugees to be granted sanctuary in Britain. So far, the Home Office has allowed entry to only 280.
And a judge in the Appeal Court ruled this week that the Government had broken the law in its treatment of child refugees in Calais, saying that some were refused entry to Britain under the Dubs Amendment were given “patently inadequate” reasons for the rejection of their applications.
Having visited the camps this week, delivering some aid that had been donated by Croydon residents, MP Jones was shocked, and concerned by the conditions she encountered.
“The situation is reaching crisis point,” Jones told Inside Croydon. Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Central, Sarah Jones MP
Tagged Alf Dubs, Croydon Central, Lunar House, Sarah Jones MP
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Unexploded WWII bomb disrupts Croydon business awards
The annual festival of back-slapping, the Croydon Business Awards, came close to being cancelled last night.
Police cordons went up on Imperial Way around 5pm. Shut out of their cars in Costco, members of the public sat down and had a cup of tea… Photo: R Jackson
With the awards due to be held in the Grand Sapphire Hotel, off the Purley Way, organisers and guests were evacuated just two hours before the function was due to begin, as the police and specialist officers moved in to deal with an unexploded World War II bomb discovered off Imperial Way.
Roads were closed, and traffic on the A23 Purley Way was worse than usual.
Eye-witnesses who contacted Inside Croydon relate to having their car cordoned off in the car park at Costco for two hours.
The emergency evacuation was prompted when someone arrived at the scrapyard next to Costco with the object, which they were looking to sell for scrap.
Posted in Business, Croydon BID, History, Purley Way
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Aerodrome, Croydon Airport, Croydon Council, Grand Sapphire Hotel, Purley Way
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Cinema offers rocket-fuelled movies that reach for the stars
OWEN HETHERSAY previews November’s films at the David Lean
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s A Star Is Born is the best yet
It’s no secret that the BBC’s Graham Norton Show long ago abandoned any pretence to being an old-school chat show, where the guests might offer anecdotes and talk about themselves, and instead morphed into a weekly parade of glitzy Hollywood stars eager just to plug their latest release.
But for David Lean Cinema-goers, this does at least have the advantage of offering some sort of preview of next month’s movies, as last week Norton was able to invite on to his sofa Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling, the headliners in two of the Clocktower’s arthouse cinema’s offerings for November, A Star Is Born and First Man.
Questions such as “Can Cooper direct?”, “Can Cooper sing?” and “Can Lady Gaga act?” were all addressed, in the usual, slightly deferential style of the BBC show, and all were answered in an enthusiastic affirmative for those Croydon film-lovers who might have wondered whether there really is a need for a fourth version of A Star Is Born.
Besides, how could Gaga, in her movie debut, ever match la Streisand? Or, for that matter, Judy Garland? Continue reading
BINMAGEDDON!: Merging of borough services causing chaos
Our Sutton correspondent, BELLE MONT, has obtained a confidential council document which confirms that much of the #CroydonBinChaos over the past two months was all done in an effort by Veolia to avoid a repeat of… #SuttonBinShame
Inside Croydon has obtained a confidential council document which confirms that the past eight weeks of #CroydonBinChaos – the changed collection days, missed collections, and added maggots, flies and vermin across Croydon’s dirty streets – has all been done as the service from rubbish contractors Veolia is merged across borough boundaries to cut costs.
Half of Sutton’s Monday bin rounds are now shared with Croydon routes
Since the implementation at the start of September of the change to collection schedules in Croydon, thousands of households have endured missed bin collections, some going without having their bins emptied for six weeks.
The spin coming from Croydon Town Hall has shifted in the past fortnight, away from the cost savings – supposed to be £5million per year (though this year that is reduced to £2.7million because the council has splashed the cash on buying unwanted and often unnecessary new wheelie bins).
More recently, the council has gone the Full Attenborough, now emphasising that this service disruption will save the planet by improving recycling rates.
The reality is that the new service is simply cheaper, costing less for Veolia to provide their service, reflected in the lower charges made to Croydon and the three other councils in the South London Waste Partnership – Merton, Kingston and Sutton. Continue reading
Meeting to discuss mounting threat to Crystal Palace centre
The stadium at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre has been badly neglected for the past decade, and its state of disrepair is now being used as an excuse to demolish it. The 25m teaching pool and indoor athletics area are also under threat
The Crystal Palace Community Association is holding an open meeting next week to discuss the future of the National Sports Centre.
As details of plans for the Centre have emerged during the recent consultation process, organised on behalf of the Greater London Authority, it seems that the London Mayor wants to demolish the indoor athletics training area and 25-metre teaching pool.
The main stadium’s spectator stands and even the track, the home of British athletics for half a century, are also under threat of being bulldozed. Continue reading
Posted in Athletics, Community associations, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Community Association, Football, Hockey, Sport, Swimming
Tagged Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Community Association, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, Crystal Palace Sports Partnership
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MP calls on Corbyn to ‘come out fighting’ over Wadsworth
High-profile Labour MP Clive Lewis has called on Jeremy Corbyn, “to come out fighting” over the controversial expulsion from the party of Marc Wadsworth, the anti-racism campaigner from Thornton Heath.
Clive Lewis MP: has given backing to Croydon anti-racism campaigner Marc Wadsworth
Wadsworth accused centrist MP Ruth Smeeth of working “hand-in-hand” with a Daily Torygraph hack at the event, at which point Smeeth decided to storm out of the meeting.
While much focus during his suspension suggested Wadsworth had in some way directed anti-semitic abuse towards Smeeth, when he eventually was given an opportunity to be heard at a Labour disciplinary meeting, Wadsworth discovered his “offence” was to “bring the party into disrepute”. Continue reading
Up to 30% off at student night at Centrale and Whitgift
Students are invited to visit Croydon town centre’s Centrale and Whitgift shopping malls tomorrow evening to take advantage of a range of special offers and up to 30 per cent off in-store at a host of participating shops and restaurants, including All Saints, Topshop and New Look.
From 5pm until 8pm on October 4, the Student Sessions event promises “an exclusive evening of discounts, live music and competitions”.
Posted in Business, Centrale, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Centrale, Croydon, Whitgift Centre
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Spectacular – CODA’S 75th anniversary cabaret, Nov 7-10
Posted in Art, Braithwaite Hall, CODA, Comedy, Music, Theatre
Tagged Braithwaite Hall, CODA
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Purley Way store gets beauty makeover as part of retail battle
One of the Purley Way’s biggest stores, Sainsbury’s, is being used by the company to test a new product range in the latest battle between retail giants.
Sainsbury’s is taking on Boots and Superdrug with a makeover of its beauty range
The store has been given a makeover of its own in the past month, and now part of it looks more like a department store than an out-of-town supermarket, as it has been given specialist beauty product aisles and a unique perfume concessions.
Sainsbury’s is taking on Boots and Superdrug by laying the foundations for a major makeover of its beauty range, designed to bring its customers the best beauty offering of the high street in a convenient supermarket setting. Continue reading
Bingham Road church Autumn Fayre, Addiscombe, Oct 7
Posted in Addiscombe West, Church and religions
Tagged Addiscombe West, Our Lady of the Anunciation
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Coulsdon residents’ associations Christmas dance, Nov 30
Posted in Community associations, Coulsdon, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association
Tagged Coulsdon, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association
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Apple Day at Croydon Ecology Centre, Heathfield House, Oct 7
Posted in Activities, Croydon parks, Environment, Heathfield House, Wildlife
Tagged Croydon Ecology Centre, Heathfield House
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Coombe Wood blames ‘selfish’ parents for parking chaos
GENE BRODIE, our education correspondent, on the predictable outcomes for residents in neighbouring streets after the opening Croydon’s first selective school for 40 years
Coombe Wood School is being built on playing fields alongside the busy Coombe Lane
Coombe Wood School has not been open for a month yet, but shortcomings in its planning, as predicted by residents living on the roads near the selective school, are already causing anger and anxiety.
An estimated 2,000-plus prospective parents descended on the residential streets off Coombe Road, opposite Lloyd Park, last Wednesday for the school’s open evening, causing traffic gridlock for hours.
Complaints to the school have received what residents have described as “unapologetic” responses, with one executive claiming that there was nothing more the school could have done and blaming the situation on “selfish” prospective parents for not travelling by tram.
Coombe Wood School is operated by the Folio Trust, an academy chain based at Wallington Grammar School for Boys. The large secondary is to have £30million spent on new buildings, to be sited on what was until last year publicly owned playing fields, designated as Green Belt.
60 Seconds with… Andre Gibbs, founder of Studentraiders
As the new university term begins, EBONY GORDON interviews the developer of an app which allows students to trade between themselves
A student from Croydon has developed an app to help students save themselves money
“It’s not bad to fail,” says Andre Gibbs.
“Failure allows you to succeed more later on.”
Gibbs is the co-founder of Studentraiders, a smartphone app designed for students to connect, buy, sell and trade items, from old text books that they don’t need any more, to a bedside table for their room in halls.
Gibbs describes the app as “a Gumtree for students.”
The idea for the app came about when Gibbs, who studied Information and Communication at Manchester University, realised that there was a void in terms of students wanting to sell to other students. Continue reading
