Imagine Croydon – we’re Who is the all-time Top tips to keep offering you the chance top Wembley scorer your home safe from to influence the way our at Selhurst Park? unwanted visitors borough develops Page 8 Page 12 Page 2 Issue 28 - April 2009 yourYour community newspaper from your councilcroydonwww.croydon.gov.uk Wandle Park lands £400,000 jackpot Residents’ vote brings cash bonanza to fund community improvements. The Friends of Wandle River Wandle – returning The £400,000 brings the Park are jumping for joy surface water to the total funding for the park to at having won £400,000 town for the first time £1.4m, adding to the £1m from the Mayor of London in 40 years and bringing funding secured from the to give their favourite open social and environmental Barratt Homes development space a radical makeover. benefits to the area. adjoining the park. And the money comes Restoration of the Mark Thomas, chairman thanks to the fantastic Wandle, a tributary of the Friends of Wandle response of residents to of the Thames, will Park, said: “It’s great to the call for them to vote see the forming of see that all the work that and help bring the much- an adjoining lake. we put into promoting needed funding to Croydon. Other enhancements the potential of our local Wandle Park gained planned for Wandle park has paid off. the second highest number Park include sprucing “We look forward to of votes in London, with up the skate park and working with the council 5,371 people supporting it. playground, improving to make improvements The huge cash injection the gardens and the in the park for everyone, will greatly contribute to addition of public toilets, which will go a significant the council’s long-held allowing people to enjoy way to restoring the park ambition of restoring the longer visits to the park. to its former glory.” De’borah passes the 1,2,3 test Beautifully written songs delivered music performance competition at with a gorgeously clear voice – that Croydon Clocktower. She reached was how one of the judges of this the final after bagging the singer/ year’s Testing 1,2,3 described the songwriter title, beating the winners performance of winner De’borah. of the hip hop/R’n’B and band The 17-year-old Brit School categories in the earlier heats, to lift student was crowned Croydon’s the top prize. hottest unsigned act when she Report and more pictures: lifted the top prize in the annual pages 20 and 21. This newspaper is printed on environmentally friendly paper from a sustainable source, and produced at lower cost than the previous Your Croydon magazine. 2 yournews April 2009 | Your Croydon Croydon ‘a world class city of the future’ Hundreds of local people have taken up the offer of letting us know how they feel their borough should develop in the years to come. by Donna Lightbown residents of all ages and people in our community; taking place on www. Ian Lavis, resident and Croydon Ambassador – backgrounds in recent creating a cleaner, safer imaginecroydon.com “Croydon is a vibrant, The March edition of Your weeks, and the responses environment; and providing or, again, ring or email progressive place with a Croydon, carried news of have been inspiring. a greater range of jobs. us for more information. real sense of purpose. I an ambitious project to As well as thinking This is just a snapshot The events will want the Croydon of the create a long-term vision about what Croydon should of local opinion. Do feature interesting ways future to inspire people. for the borough, called be like in the future, there you agree? Perhaps you for you to have your say, I want to see ‘out there’ Imagine Croydon. are strong views on what disagree and think there such as the Big Brother architecture, more creative Until September, we are residents think are the are other priorities. diary room, How to be a use of open spaces, and asking local people to share biggest challenges facing the Why not tell us what you Millionaire-style voting a real cutting edge to the their ideas with us about how borough now, and what we think? We want to hear from handsets and our Imagine town’s image. Croydon they would like the borough need to start planning for, as many of you as possible, Croydon graffiti wall. has the potential be like to develop – and hundreds of in order to achieve positive as a vision for Croydon will To see what people are Marseille. Dramatic, full you have been doing just that. change in the long term. be meaningful only if it already saying, visit www. of energy and spirit, a The Imagine Croydon This includes preparing reflects what local people imaginecroydon.com little edgy and a truly team has been out and for our ageing population; want to happen in the future. You can even run inspirational place to visit, about, meeting local supporting vulnerable Filling in the Imagine your own visioning event or to live or work in.” Croydon survey should with friends and family. take less than 10 minutes We have created to complete. You can a fun, easy-to-use Trevor Fisher, Croydon resident – download a copy from www. Imagine Croydon toolkit, imaginecroydon.com containing lots of “Croydon has a Or you can send interesting information, really bright, positive future, an email to info@ interactive games, a CD, I think it’s unique. There is imaginecroydon.com or publicity materials and such a wealth of creatve call 020 8407 1329 and a all the information you talent in the borough that form will be posted to you. need to help you have should be celebrated If you would like to your say on the future across Croydon and talk though your ideas, of our borough. Contact beyond. I think Imagine come along to one of the us to order a copy. Croydon is a really visioning events between Whichever way is fantastic idea and I’m now and September. easiest for you, please get looking forward to being We will be posting involved and, together, able to contribute my views Croydon vision: Eliza Ribeiro, founder of the Lives not Knives details of when and we can help shape the to help shape a long-term campaign, sees end of gang culture where these are future of Croydon. vision for the borough.” yournews 3 yourbusiness 15 specialfeature 8 yourenvironment 16 Take advantage of our yourhealth 10 yoursport 19 competitive advertising rates yourfinances 11 yourheritage 20 FULL HALF QUARTER yourspace 12 yourevents 22 page from £990 page from £444 page from £222 355x259mm 148x259mm 148x127mm yourcommunity 14 yourdiary 23 If you would like your business to benefit from advertising in one of the country’s Editorial team leading community newspapers and would like more information, a copy of our rate card or a booking form, please call: Paula Howell & 020 8760 5644 Editor: Fred Hall Reporter: Alison Cann Reporter: Briony Key Email: yourcroydon@ Email: yourcroydon@ Email: yourcroydon@ croydon.gov.uk croydon.gov.uk croydon.gov.uk The next issue of Your Croydon will be published on Monday, Tel: 020 8760 5644 Tel: 020 8760 5644 Tel: 020 8760 5644 27 April. Commercial advertising is welcome, but inclusion of an advertisement does not indicate council endorsement of any Reporter: Richard Gibbs Reporter: Helen Parrott Advertising: Paula Howell Email: yourcroydon@ Email: yourcroydon@ Email: yourcroydon@ products or services mentioned. croydon.gov.uk croydon.gov.uk croydon.gov.uk Tel: 020 8760 5644 Tel: 020 8760 5644 Tel: 020 8760 5644 This Newspaper is printed on environmentally friendly, Produced by croydondesign the in-house business within Croydon Council. TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) paper, produced from a [email protected] 81499/150M/11 sustainable source. When you have finished with this newspaper please recycle it. www.croydon.gov.uk yournews 3 Royal Croydon ‘a world Traders fined in knife visit Fairfield plays host class city of the future’ sale clampdown to Earl of Wessex. Potential weapons sold to youngsters as test purchases reveal the law is still being flouted. Two Thornton Heath In both cases he was shopkeepers have pleaded allowed to buy the knives guilty to selling knives to without being asked his a schoolboy following an age or for proof of identity. investigation by Croydon The men pleaded Council. guilty in separate cases Apputukan at Croydon Magistrates’ Prince Edward Padmakumar, 42, sold Court and were each fined Pic: Ian Watson, Studio Scotland a utility knife to the £1,000. Guest of honour at a boy at his 7 Days store The successful recent Fairfield concert in Thornton Road. And prosecutions are a result marking two notable 40-year-old Mohammed of a clampdown in illegal anniversaries was Saleh’s Pound Island shop, knife sales by the council HRH Prince Edward, in London Road, allowed and Croydon police, as the Earl of Wessex. him to buy a knife and part of Operation Safe for The concert featured blade set. All. The Croydon-wide the London Mozart The 15-year-old was initiative aims to reduce Potential weapons: knife and blade set sold to 15-year-old Players with Howard a volunteer working the impact of youth people under the age of we were pleased that the sense, and selling potential Shelley, Dame Felicity Lott alongside the council’s violence in the borough. 18. Investigations are courts took such a strong weapons to young people. and Isabelle van Keulen. trading standards officers During the campaign, still ongoing and other line in dealing with these “We intend to continue This year marks who were carrying out a officers carried out 48 prosecutions are expected shop keepers, we were with our programme of both the LMP’s 60th series of test purchases checks across the borough to follow.