I am delighted to be able to confirm that Crystal Palace FC’s FA Cup trophy parade will take place on Monday 26 May, right here in Croydon – finishing at the Eagles home ground, Selhurst Park.

Officers across the Council have worked incredibly hard with the Club all week to facilitate an event in their home borough.

Whilst many of us would have loved to see a much longer parade through the streets of Croydon, the route of the parade and the nature of the event, has been shaped by the Club. Throughout we have been working closely with Crystal Palace FC and our partners to support this celebration.

It was a proud moment for me, and for the whole borough, to see Croydon’s Premier League club lift the FA Cup at Wembley last weekend. I was there with my family and the atmosphere in the stadium, and back home in Croydon, was electric.

I know how much this means to local fans, and it is only right that Palace bring the trophy home to the heart of our community. Bank Holiday Monday promises to be a special day for Croydon – full of pride, passion and most importantly celebration. See the full details.

#CroydonIsReady

On Tuesday I met with investors and partners at the UKREiiF, the UK’s largest real estate trade event. During a panel discussion, I spoke about my plans to attract new homes, businesses, visitors and investment through my newly launched Growth Plan for Croydon and Town Centre Vision. Partners are key to the regeneration of our town centre and wider borough, and it was a great opportunity to share what we are doing in Croydon. Find out more about the Growth Plan.

Purley blitz clean

I was in Purley this week to see the results of our blitz clean. Our street cleaning crews have been jet washing the high street areas, removing graffiti and fixing pavements – all part of our Cleaner Croydon campaign to restore pride in the borough. The Council has also teamed up with Purley BID (Business Improvement District) to deliver public art, night-time feature lighting and green space improvements as part the regeneration of our district centres. Using funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Funds (UKSPF), these additions aim to encourage residents to shop local and help residents feel safer. Purley is one of five areas to benefit – find out more.

Awarding excellence in sports

Erin O’Flaherty, a wheelchair racer from Addiscombe, was one of 40 talented athletes I was honoured to meet at Croydon’s GLL Sport Foundation awards yesterday. The Foundation helps sportspeople with essential costs, such as travel and coaching. It will be supporting 111 of Croydon’s athletes in 2025 – the highest number ever in the borough. The event was a wonderful celebration of their achievements and we are proud to support the work of the Foundation. Read the story.

Creativity for health

This week our Public Health service published its annual report, which highlights the benefits creative activities – such as dance, crafts, reading, cooking and gardening – can all have on our health and wellbeing. It highlights the benefits our residents felt from our year as London Borough of Culture, during 2023 to 2024, and the uplift this had on mental health. We are continuing to work with community organisations to support this work. Find out more.

Enjoy the bank holiday weekend and especially the parade if you are going along to cheer on the Eagles.

Jason Perry

Executive Mayor of Croydon