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Tag Archives: Borough of Culture
Our latest podcast on giraffes, Marks & Sparks and murder
In our latest Croydon Insider podcast, our guests catch up on what’s happening in Croydon, discussing the spate of murders in and around the borough, plus what’s caught their eye on the pages of our website over the past couple … Continue reading
Having a giraffe! Business group spends thousands on statues
Town centre business group Croydon BID is spending thousands of pounds on a collection of oddly-decorated, mostly eight-foot-tall fibre glass statues of giraffes, which are due to be distributed among shops and on street corners later this summer, in the … Continue reading
£1.5m being spent on our Borough of not-very-much Culture
We are now well into the third month of Croydon’s year as the Borough of Culture. Waddyamean, you haven’t seen any publicity or signs of anything special being staged? Neither have we, so we sent KEN TOWL off to see … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Museum of Croydon, Music, Sadiq Khan, Theatre
Tagged Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Four Communications, Grey Label, Heritage Music Trail, Jo Gumb, Katharine Glass, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Oliver Lewis, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Stanley Halls, Stormzy, White Label
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Recognition at last: Coleridge-Taylor gets placed centre stage
The people behind Croydon’s Borough of Culture did not invite Inside Croydon to the press night for the prestigious new production at the Fairfield Halls. KEN TOWL got in anyway At last, we can see where some of the Mayor … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, Talawa Theatre Company, Theatre
Tagged Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, London, Mayor Jason Perry, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Talawa Theatre Company, This is Croydon
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Podcast: The Croydon Insider discusses issues of the week
Hear about the plans to get Croydon’s biggest organ throbbing once more. Listen as our guests discuss the arrogance of local authority chief executives who have described a £6,000 per year pay rise as ‘pettiness’. Talk about Croydon’s speeding drivers. … Continue reading
Croydon is made a national laughing stock, Part 94. And Part 95
No sooner had the nation’s best-selling satirical magazine had a good laugh (again) at Croydon’s expense after featuring the latest example of the council’s bungled handling of vast amounts of public money, than the borough has popped up again in … Continue reading
Podcast: Croydon Insider – the Borough of Culture Special
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Boxpark, Croydon Insider, Fairfield Halls, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Neil Chandler, Under The Flyover
Tagged Borough of Culture, Boxpark, Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon FM, Croydon Insider, Emma Hope-Fitch, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, London, Mayor, Neil Chandler, Under The Flyover
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There’s something for everyone to enjoy in our year of Culture
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The council’s cabinet member responsible for the arts, Councillor ANDY STRANACK, pictured above (he’s the one not wearing a tracksuit) outlines his plans for the Borough of Culture Last weekend saw the launch of This is Croydon, a … Continue reading
Musical open house brings crowds flocking back to Fairfield
CROYDON COMMENTARY: There’s been widespread praise for the performers and performances at the Fairfield Halls for the Borough of Culture opening event, which LEWIS WHITE thoroughly enjoyed I went to the Sunday session of the Oratorio of Hope at the … Continue reading
Year of Culture set to begin with an Oratorio of Hopelessness
CROYDON IN CRISIS: If, like us, you have been scouring the listings pages to find what’s planned for Croydon’s year as London’s Borough of Culture, you’re likely to be disappointed. But some of the PR deals surrounding the event have … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Stranack, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Community associations, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Music, Oliver Lewis, Sadiq Khan, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Andy Stranack, Borough of Culture, Boxpark, Caterina Loriggio, Conservative, Croydon, Desmond Dekker, Fairfield Halls, Four Communications, Jo Negrini, Justine Simons, Kristian Aspinall, Labour, London, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Oliver Lewis, Tony Newman, Tory, White Label
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Arts Council backs project that will flag up Borough of Culture
South Asian arts organisation Subrang Arts has been awarded £23,661 by Arts Council England to deliver creative activities that will teach Croydon school children and local community groups about the rich cultural heritage of India. The project, called Kalasetu, will … Continue reading
Mayor Khan reveals brand identity for Borough of Culture 2023
The Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture 2023 has launched its striking look – under the banner of This is Croydon – and is inviting Croydon communities and audiences to get involved. The Borough of Culture is an initiative by … Continue reading
Turmoil at Fairfield Halls as operating company suffers exodus
Our culture correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on changing times at the council-owned arts centre, and a diamond anniversary that has been forgotten by the council There’s yet more turmoil behind the scenes at the Fairfield Halls, where the chief executive and … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jon Workman, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, The Wreck, Theatre
Tagged BHLive, Borough of Culture, Bournemouth, Chris Symons, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jon Workman, Kevin Quilty, Mayor Jason Perry, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Queen Mother, Tory
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Art projects can meet funders for culture year at Stanley Halls
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Stanley Halls
Tagged Borough of Culture, South Norwood, Stanley Halls
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Help preserve the memory of Bird’s Ashcroft Theatre mural
The three-year closure of the Fairfield Halls, supposedly for “refurbishment”, is widely thought to have led to the loss of several artworks that previously graced the buildings, in an act of cultural vandalism from which the borough’s artistic reputation might … Continue reading
You’re having a giraffe! BID’s art-washing effort for Culture year
Croydon BID, the business improvement district which represents some of the biggest employers in the town centre, is planning to unleash more than 30 eight-foot-tall statues of giraffes around their area next autumn. It was Croydon BID that was behind … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon BID
Tagged Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon BID, London Borough of Croydon, Matthew Sims
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Bailiffs instructed after council breaks High Court injunction
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The discredited council under Newman and Negrini won their bid for ‘Borough of Culture’ status by using material that senior staff knew to be stolen intellectual property. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Katherine Kerswell, the chief exec of … Continue reading
Posted in Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Paula Murray
Tagged Adam Chamberlain, AdavoMedia, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Paula Murray, Tony Newman
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Council arts fund ignites row 11 years after deadly night of riots
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The decision by the Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, to call a Borough of Culture funding stream “The Ignite Fund” has been slammed for being crass, ill-judged and insensitive by victims of the Croydon Riots. The … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Boris Johnson, Borough of Culture 2023, Broad Green, Business, Community associations, Crime, Croydon 8/8, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, West Croydon
Tagged Boris Johnson, Borough of Culture, Broad Green, Bushra Ahmed, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Croydon Old Town, Croydon Riots, Ignite Fund, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of Croydon, Old Town, reeves corner, West Croydon
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Bafta-winner Scanlan joins calls for new bosses at arts centre
‘Things are far from perfick at the Fairfield ‘Alls’ says the award-winning actress who plays Ma Larkin, as the campaign to sack BHLive gathers momentum. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Joanna Scanlan, the BAFTA award-winning actress, has called on Croydon Council … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Fairfield Halls, Music, The Wreck, Theatre
Tagged 2022 Mayoral election, Ashcroft Theatre, BAFTA, Borough of Culture, Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Croydon Mayor, Democratically Elected Mayor of Croydon, Fairfield Halls, Joanna Scanlan, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Oliver Lewis, The Larkins
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Hibberd handed key economic job as exec hiring continues
One of the directors recruited at Croydon this week has a track record that saw him blamed by the trades unions in Brighton for his part in causing a damaging bins strike last year While most of what’s left of … Continue reading
‘The damage to the Fairfield Halls reputation is severe’
CROYDON IN CRISIS: While the cash-strapped council remains preoccupied with its finances, the once prestigious arts centre on the other side of Park Lane risks sliding towards cultural oblivion. By our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK There are growing concerns that … Continue reading
Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, BH Live, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, GLL - Better, Mayor of London, Neil Chandler, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Theatre, Tony Newman
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, BHLive, Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Labour, Oliver Lewis, Paula Murray, Sadiq Khan, The Wreck, Tony Newman
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Delays, postponements and cancellations become a new art
Croydon’s turn to be London’s Borough of Culture in 2023 remains unchanged. For now. But if they can postpone the Olympic Games, as the Prime Minister of Japan requested today, then anything can fall victim to the effects of the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Borough of Culture 2023
Tagged Borough of Culture, Croydon, Croydon Council, London, London Assembly, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor
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Seconds out: Operator hopes wrestling will boost Fairfield Halls
EXCLUSIVE: The art venue’s director quit in a dispute over dumbing down of its programme in a bid to boost ticket sales, reports BELLA BARTOCK, who has discovered that BHLive are recruiting for Neil Chandler’s replacement, but offering a lesser … Continue reading
Newman snubbed by Mayor over Borough of Culture bid
WALTER CRONXITE on a rebuff for Croydon’s half-arsed artistic efforts So, it seems that the Mayor of London doesn’t reckon much of council leader Tony Newman’s notion of what passes for culture in Croydon. Indeed, Sadiq Khan appears to share … Continue reading
