‘This is Croydon’ gets under way tomorrow night at Fairfield Halls.  The opening event of the London Borough of Culture will be London Mozart Players’ Oratorio of Hope, which showcases the very best of our borough’s young talent, with hundreds of Croydon pupils performing alongside a line-up of local heroes including Shaniqua Benjamin, Silvastone, and more. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday night start from £5.  On Sunday afternoon, Fairfield Halls is also hosting an afternoon of free entertainment in its public spaces, including dance groups, choirs, bands and more. This is Croydon, and everyone is welcome – hope to see you there.

Easter holidays  

With schools breaking up today, I’d like to wish all Croydon pupils and school staff a happy holiday and restful break. Don’t forget there is a great range of Easter holiday clubs on offer for children and young people in Croydon, offering fun activities and healthy meals. To help families, we have distributed £350k government funding to 72 providers to offer free places for children who receive free school meals. You can find your nearest club here.

Helping young people to stay safe

Today we have launched applications for new funding to support young people who may be at risk of becoming involved with crime or antisocial behaviour. The funding will help local groups, who have trusted relationships with their communities, deliver targeted, preventative work with 12-25 year-olds in priority areas. I also continue to be in close contact with local police and community leaders regarding young people’s safety in the town centre and a package of partnership measures has been introduced, including extra patrols and outreach youth work.

Croydon was proud to raise the Town Hall flag this morning for International Transgender Day of Visibility, to celebrate our trans and non-binary communities and stand against discrimination in all its forms.

Finally, may I take this opportunity to wish Roy Hodgson well for this Saturday, when he will once again lead the team out at Selhurst Park. Fingers crossed for a good result.

Jason Perry

Executive Mayor of Croydon