Great news for Croydon this week, with the news that Stormzy, Wilfried Zaha and Danny Young have teamed up to buy AFC Croydon Athletic. All three men have deep connections to Croydon, with Stormzy and Zaha born and bred here, and it’s inspirational to see their pride in their home borough and their determination to give something back. As a football fan myself, I hope this will create some fantastic opportunities for young people to participate in the sport, and for another local club to nurture and grow the stars of the future.
Croydon’s London Borough of Culture celebrations are in full swing as we head into our Summer of Festivals, with Croydon Food and Music Festival in the Restaurant Quarter, South Croydon and South Norwood Community Festival in South Norwood Rec, both taking place on Sunday, 2 July. Next week, we have a really special exhibition at Thornton Heath Library – Rural Croydon – celebrating some of the stunning green spaces that make our borough so beautiful. Get the latest news about what’s on by signing up to the online newsletter for This is Croydon. Don’t forget to follow and share your photos of events on social media @culturecroydon on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
It was a privilege to join so many to celebrate Eid al-Adha on Shirley Heath this Wednesday. May I wish Eid Mubarak to all.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to meet and discuss the work of around 40 local community groups at the Croydon Voluntary Action community showcase. We are incredibly lucky in Croydon to have such a strong and active community sector, and the thousands of dedicated volunteers who make such a difference – my thanks to all of them.
We certainly have much to be proud of in our wonderful borough.
Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon
