It was great to meet so many residents of the Tamworth Estate at the opening of their new community hub. The community-driven hub run by volunteers with the support of the Council, will give residents digital access, with laptops available to use for job applications, making appointments and other services they need to access online.

There is a community kitchen fitted out by Council contractors Wates and K&T Heating, and meeting rooms available to book. The transformation has been a real community effort and we’ve been delighted to support it. Thank you to everyone who helped the project come together for the benefit of the Tamworth community.

Revitalising Allders

The regeneration of Croydon town centre is a priority for me, which is why I’m delighted that the historic elements of the Allders building will be revitalised. Developer Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has been given the go-ahead to open shops and food places on the ground floor. This is the first step in their plans to revive the rest of this much-loved building, and will provide opportunities for businesses and help to create a vibrant shopping experience.

Remembering Arnhem

Today the Civic Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Kola Agboola, and Mayoress, Helen Agboola, will represent our borough by attending remembrance events honouring the thousands who lost their lives in the Battle of Arnhem in 1944. The battle saw Allied paratroopers, including those from Croydon, bravely attempt to liberate the town through Operation Market Garden. It’s important to me that we recognise the sacrifices of so many. That is why I made sure these connections were reinstated as we rebuild our links with our twin town of Arnhem, in the Netherlands, marking the 80th anniversary.

Supporting our young people

This week, I attended the launch of the My Ends Consortium partnership as part of their New Era programme, which aims to deliver youth engagement supported by a £1.6m investment to tackle serious youth violence.

Partnership working is key, which is why it was fantastic to attend the 180th anniversary celebration of Reedham Children’s Trust and hear about the launch of their Youth Innovation Fund. This fund aims to build a brighter future for every child in Croydon by working with and funding local grassroots organisations.

SE25 community quilt

This week I met some of the 122 crafters in South Norwood who contributed to the Brutalist Library SE25 community quilt. The story quilt has been unveiled after a year in the making and will be used to tell stories for future generations of the close-knit community in SE25. It’s a great project and well done to everyone involved!

Open House Festival

Open House – a celebration of London’s finest architecture – was in full swing this week, with visits to the Town Hall and a lively talk by Croydonopolis author Will Noble here at the Clocktower yesterday. Open House continues this weekend with drop-ins and the Croydon Unlocked exhibition by photographer Rachel Adams, with accompanying text from John Grindrod, is open in the Clocktower until February.

Finally, I joined parishioners in Thornton Heath in welcoming their new vicar, Rev Solomon Ekiyor, after a three-year absence without a vicar at St Paul’s Church in Thornton Heath. We wish him well in joining our community.

Have a good weekend.

Jason Perry

Executive Mayor of Croydon