Tackling violence against women and girls
I was deeply saddened by the death of 26-year-old Marjama Osman in Croydon town centre on Saturday. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected. I know the community has been shocked by this tragic incident, which formed part of conversations about the importance of tackling violence against women and girls, at our Community Engagement Board Meeting held on Thursday.
It is a key priority for me to work with our communities and our partners to these issues. Last year I launched our tackling Violence against Women and Girls plan, which sets out how we are working to improve services and address the barriers that prevent women accessing them. It is crucial that victims and survivors inform this work, which is why we have set up an Expert by Experience Panel. I was privileged to meet the panel at their first meeting – thank you to everyone for getting involved. Find out more.
Croydon Food and Music Festival
It was great to visit traders the South Croydon Business Association this week to celebrate the launch of this year’s Croydon Food and Music Festival. It’s a fantastic event year on year and the last one, in 2023, attracted 13,000 people – making it the largest festival in the borough. Croydon is backing the event using UK Shared Prosperity Funds (UKSPF). My Mayor’s Festival Fund will also be supporting this event and the New Addington Carnival on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June by covering Council costs relating to road closures, security and the like. Find out more at: www.newaddingtoncarnival.co.uk
Wandle Park café re-opening
I was very disappointed by the recent illegal occupation of Wandle Park café, which led to a delay in the lease being secured by the new café operator. I am pleased to report that the squatters left on Wednesday. We will now be able to continue the process of finalising the lease and look forward to getting the cafe re-opened for our residents to visit as soon as possible.
Pride Month in Croydon
We raised the Pride flag outside the Town Hall on Monday to mark the start of Pride Month 2025, which honours the LGBTQ+ community, its history, and achievements. We are proud to support Croydon PrideFest 19 July at Wandle Park – free tickets have been released and can be booked online.
Community celebrations
Street parties are taking place across the borough this weekend for the national Big Lunch. I am delighted to be supporting these community events by waiving the fees for road closures. I hope the rain holds and everyone has a wonderful time.
Finally, wishing a very happy Eid-al-Adha to all of Croydon’s Muslim community celebrating the festival this week.
Have a good weekend.
Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon
