Croydon’s 93,000 young people are always a top priority for us, and for them – as for all of us – 2020 is a summer like no other, with many of them having been out of school since March.
Together with our partners across Croydon, we’re offering our young people activities, advice and support to help them stay safe and well, and enjoy the summer months as much as possible, even though we might have to do some things a little differently to help everyone stay safe.
Our youth engagement teams are now out in the parks every week and Croydon’s £6.5m Legacy Youth Zone has reopened, along with some of our leisure centres and libraries, with a summer reading challenge and the opportunity to borrow books from five branches – find out how here.
And for those in need of help, advice or just a listening ear, we and our partners in the Choose Your Future campaign are here to help with free confidential counselling, information and support services.
Find out how to access them here and in our latest residents magazine, Your Croydon – see below for details.
Your Croydon magazine – find out what’s on in your borough
The second Covid-19 edition of Your Croydon magazine is being delivered to households around the borough this week. Inside you can find information about what’s on this summer – online and outdoors. We’ve included the latest information on council services, including how you can enjoy our libraries and our leisure centres while staying as safe as possible. There is also information on Test and Trace and how we can all do our bit to protect our friends and family, and keep Croydon safe. And of course, how you can get in touch with us should you need help, advice or support. If you haven’t already, please do take the time to read your copy – you can also find the magazine online here.
Stay safe in the sun
With temperatures set to soar to above 30 degrees over the next few days, I hope residents of all ages will have a chance to enjoy some sun but please take extra care during the heatwave. Make sure you stay hydrated, use sunscreen, seek shade in the hottest part of the day – and remember to use spaces considerately and keep your distance from others. If you’re staying indoors, keep your home cool.
Please also remember to check on others that might need some extra help at this time – the elderly, the vulnerable and young children. You can find some tips on this NHS webpage.
Respect Your Parks
If you are heading out to enjoy our parks in the sun, please respect them – put your litter in a bin, or if the bin is full, take your rubbish home with you. Launched last week, our Respect Your Parks campaign has been sharing stories from residents of all ages about what their local green spaces mean to them – they’ve been a lifeline for so many, so let’s all do our bit to protect them. Follow us on social media to see some of their stories – you can see our post with some of our young people, Tyler and Amira-Lee here. And if you’d like to be involved and tell us why you love your local park, message communications@croydon.gov.uk
A huge thank you
With the end of the government’s nationwide support scheme for shielded residents on 31 July, I want to recognise and thank all those who have worked so hard to protect Croydon’s most vulnerable residents over the last few months. It has been a truly phenomenal effort – as a council we set up a Covid-19 helpline and food hubs and, alongside volunteers from across the community, delivered more than 6,000 food parcels to those self-isolating during the peak of the pandemic. We also sent more than 22,000 text messages to reach our shielded residents and offer help and support. I know our staff, as well as so many of you in the community worked tirelessly and I want to thank you all. I also want to recognise those residents who were shielded – your own sacrifice has been incredible.
While the government scheme may have finished, the pandemic is far from over and we are determined that as a council and a community, we will continue to support those in need. We have already contacted and assessed shielded or vulnerable residents to identify whether they still need support to access help. And please remember, if you are in need of help during Covid-19, whether you have been shielded or not, there are services that can help – find our more on our webpage.
Have a good weekend, and enjoy the sun safely.
Yours,
Tony.
Councillor Tony Newman, leader of the council
