A message from Councillor Hamida Ali, leader of the council

It was a huge privilege to meet staff and volunteers at our Selhurst Park vaccination clinic, and to thank them and all our frontline workers for the vital role they are playing in keeping Croydon safe. Every day, thousands more residents are receiving their Covid-19 vaccinations – at our walk-in clinics, at pharmacies and in pop-up clinics in their own neighbourhoods.

There has been a phenomenal response to the call to come forward, so thank you to everyone who is delivering this vital programme and all those who have had their jab. Please keep going – if you are over 18 and haven’t yet had yours, or it’s eight weeks since your first – find out which clinics are offering walk-ins here or book an appointment here. With government plans to lift social distancing restrictions on 19 July, we want everyone in Croydon to have the best possible protection against the virus.

We are working with all our partners across the borough to plan for the lifting of restrictions and what the changes will mean for all of us. From supporting our schools to backing our businesses with our Love Croydon, shop local campaign, we are determined to take this next step together, as safely as possible. In the coming weeks and months, it will be more important than ever that all of us play our part in keeping our communities safe and I know that Croydon will rise to the challenge as it always does.

In a week where we have celebrated our frontline workers with national Thank You Day and NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers’ Day, I was really saddened to hear of the death of Sislin Fay Allen, aged 83. Ms Allen was a former Croydon resident who made history as the UK’s first black policewoman right here at Croydon’s Fell Road police station. While there is far more to do to make the police more representative, Sislin’s pioneering courage was a major step forward and paved the way for so many others to follow in her footsteps. You can find out more about her life and hear her oral history on our Museum of Croydon webpage.

Finally, I want to wish you all a great weekend. Get your jab if you haven’t already, and enjoy the football on Sunday – come on England!!

Councillor Hamida Ali, leader of the council

2021-07-09T18:10:13+01:00 July 9th, 2021|Recent news|