Couple of scenes from Riddlesdown Common and Bingham Rec. So lovely to see everybody out enjoying the eclipse, sharing glasses etc. Did anybody get any cool photos of the eclipse proper?
📸 Cllrs Alasdair Stewart & Jeet Bains
On Wednesday 12th August there will be a partial solar eclipse. If there is any chance of seeing this we will be present to observe the eclipse from the following sites:
The Kenley Airfield, near the RAF tribute
(https://maps.app.goo.gl/2NYYBpyy6sM6Gg216)
The School Common, Warlingham
(https://maps.app.goo.gl/WeFyxzU4h25Rq83C9)
and from Bingham Recreation ground in Addiscombe.
(https://maps.app.goo.gl/19jMZYhVUMajS7oi8)
Click links to open location in Google Maps
In each case they will be there from 6 - 7:30 pm.
No tickets, no booking, totally free. Just turn up. And we will have some eclipse viewing glasses to lend out.
Give yourself time. There is street parking around all our eclipse viewing sites though it may get busy. Warlingham, in particular, has local roadworks.
Visit their website - and donate if you wish - here: https://www.croydonastro.org.uk/
Message from TfL:
I am writing to let you know that we will be carrying out essential maintenance on two sections of tracks on Tamworth Road & Wellesley Road. This work forms part of our ongoing modernisation programme to improve the condition of the track, making it more reliable and improving the service.
To allow us to complete the works as quickly as possible and minimise disruption caused, these works will take place 24 hours a day from 23:00 on Wednesday 5th August to 04:00 on Monday 31st August 2026. To maximise the closure, we will also be undertaking critical maintenance works at other locations around Croydon Town Centre.
During the works trams will only operate between:
· Wimbledon and Reeves Corner
· East Croydon and New Addington/Beckenham Junction
During the works Centrale, Church Street, George Street, Wellesley Road and West Croydon tram stops will be closed in Croydon town centre.
No tram service will operate to or from Elmers End. Customers can instead use Birkbeck tram stop which is about 650m away or use bus route 289 between Arena and Elmers End tram stops.
We recognise the disruption that this closure may cause, and we are sorry for any inconvenience. London Trams services will return to normal on Monday 31 August. The works have been planned to coincide with school summer holidays, when demand is lower. We will also use the opportunity to undertake essential smaller scale track, power and asset renewals across the closure area, which will help avoid future disruption.
To mark the Bus Hopper Fare’s tenth anniversary, customers can make unlimited bus and tram journeys on Saturdays and Sundays for the price of a single fare each day, as part of the Weekend Hopper fare, up to and including the Monday 31 August Bank Holiday. Customers can still benefit from the Weekend Hopper by using the tram services that will continue to operate on the east and west of the London Trams network and using any bus services as needed to complete their journeys.
We will be letting customers know about the closure by displaying posters at affected tram stops, emailing all registered customers of the London Trams network and providing information on the Metro newspaper travel page. We advise customers to use our journey planning tools or the TfL Go app to plan their journeys, which will be updated ahead of the closure. You can follow us for updates about this and future works by scanning the QR code below or by visiting https://publiq.website/projects/trams-modernisation.
Chipstead Valley Music Fest is taking place on the school field this Saturday, 1pm-5pm. It's going to be a fantastic day!
2 stages of live music and performances, a foam zone, NERF guns, games, food vendors, refreshments and more.
For full info, please see the page here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/ticketing/chipstead-valley-fest--26
*Event posters were supplied by Chipstead Valley School, not generated by the author of this post.
Forgot to post yesterday but better late than never! If you’ve never been to the carnival I’d really recommend it; New Addington’s really pulls out all the stops and the parade is fantastic.
A FREE (yay!) Asian arts festival is taking over central Croydon this weekend, inspired by Henry Rousseau's "Surprised!" tiger painting (a life-size version of which you can currently find in the Whitgift Centre).
There’s live music, dance, giant puppets, workshops, food and performances inspired by cultures from across Asia, including Iranian Kamãnche, Chinese Erhu and Pipa, Balinese and Sri Lankan dancers, Vietnamese Lion Dance, Bollywood Brass Band, DJ Bobby Friction and even a Flamenco-Bharatanatyam fusion performance.
There are also free arts and crafts workshops throughout the weekend including origami, Chinese knotting, Anatolian tile painting and henna painting.
I’ve attached the full programme for anyone interested.
Here are the results for the 2026 Council elections, as well as the results in 2022 for comparison.
My congratulations to everybody who was elected, especially those who were elected for the first time or who won their seats from other parties. Being a Councillor is a wonderful and unique job; I hope you enjoy it and you’re able to get a lot done for your community.
Naturally I’d also like to thank everybody who voted for my colleagues and me. I’m really proud to have been re-elected in Coulsdon Town, and I’ve included a photograph of myself because I’m vain.
There may be some more thoughts later (maybe not) but for now I’m going to get some *sleep!*
(I have referred to Mark Adderley - CPU - as Green because of the ballot.)
So, apparently there was an election on. Nobody told me. Here’s when - in theory - we are expecting the results!
Friday AM - Verification. You won’t get any official results here, but this is when political parties and candidates get a broad ‘picture’ of what’s happened.
Friday PM - Mayoral Count. This is when the Mayoral ballots are sorted into piles, counted, and a result is announced. There are no ‘second preferences’ this year, so whoever gets the most votes wins and there doesn’t need to be any kind of reallocation.
Saturday All Day - Council Counts. This is when the Council ballots are split into piles and counted, and the results are announced throughout the day. They will have multiple wards being counted on different tables at once. They usually announce the results of each ward as soon as it’s ready.
My very best wishes to all those candidates who are standing across the Borough! 🗳️
Hi all - just wanted to drop a quick message after polls closed.
As you’ll know, I’ve been one of the Councillors for Coulsdon Town for the last 4 years. It’s been a real honour; some of you will know just how weird it feels seeing your own name on a ballot paper, and it’s even weirder still knowing that thousands of people put a cross by it.
I didn’t join this forum to try to win votes - but because I hoped that I’d be able to answer a few questions that some of you had about how the Council worked. I hope over the last four years amongst all the political guff (including my own!) that I’ve been able to help a couple of you here and there.
Whatever happens tomorrow, thank you for doing your bit to stay informed and engaged. And of course, if you voted for me, thank you for that. I appreciate it more than you will know.
Most importantly, thank you for caring about Croydon. Society is created when people care.
-Luke.