We apologise for two errors in the December issue, both down to errors by the team (to include the quizmaster)
In the quiz on page 31, reference is made in question 4 to “Edoracum”. This should have been picked up and is, correctly, “Eboracum”.
On page 34, the date of the Clean-Up is given as 14 December and this is the correct date. The date given on page 15 is wrong.
Relevant members of the team will be required to go barefoot and wear sack-cloth for a week.
Croydon Council has asked us to promulgate the following update …
The library service is changing to a model with fewer library buildings which will be open full time, and provision of activities and books in other local venues.
Residents in Shirley can use library services at any other Croydon Library and a free shuttle bus is available to Ashburton Library every Thursday at 10:30am. The bus departs from Wickham Road/Hartland Way, outside the library building and the return journey departs from Ashburton Library at 12pm.
The library service is also partnering with West Wickham and Shirley Baptist Church to host library groups and activities. A collection of books will be available in a designated area at the site in the new year for residents to borrow.
All residents are invited to join a drop in event hosted by the library service and West Wickham and Shirley Baptist Church on December 11th from 2:00-4:30pm.
Activities will include demonstrations of the library digital offer and crafts for adults and children alongside free refreshments. Residents can also join the library, return loaned items and reserve books for collection at a library.
Residents who aren’t able to visit a library can also use the Home Library Service which arranges home delivery of books. To find out more residents can contact homelibraryservice@croydon.gov.uk.
Residents with access to a digital device can also access the library online offer which includes e-books, e-audio books, magazines and newspapers and online learning. This is free with a library card.
Information on all library services can be found on the Council’s webpages here: https://www.croydon.gov.uk/libraries-leisure-and-culture/libraries
The library service can be contacted directly on libraries@croydon.gov.uk
Library staff are now preparing the Shirley Library building to become a community base, continuing to provide a local service. Community organisations or groups interested in delivering services from the library building are invited to apply to communityrelations@croydon.gov.uk.
Applications close on 13th December. Council staff will then review all of the submissions and work with successful bidders to bring the library building back into use for the community. More information can be found on the Council’s webpages here: https://www.croydon.gov.uk/community-and-safety/advice-and-funding-community-groups/are-you-interested-running-community-base-heart-our-local-communities-croydon
Donations of musical instruments for charitable use are sought. We have been asked to draw the following to members’ attentions …
Andrew Moore, recently-appointed Musical Director of Croydon Male Voice Choir, has issued this call for donations of musical instruments:
I am looking to collect any old, unused instruments that people may have. I am building up a collection for my music therapy work. In particular, any handheld percussion instruments. If you may have old instruments looking for a new home please do pass them to me if you are happy to donate!
*Andrew Moore is also an HCPC registered Music Therapist and Assistant Director of Music at St. Anselm’s Church, Kennington. If you have an instrument you would like to donate, please contact Philip Talmage at 33 Wickham Avenue, tel 8656 1886, philiptalmage@gmail.com.
Starting on 11 November and running every Thursday, a new service will be available as follows
Following the closure of Shirley Library, SPRA members may be interested to know that the Council has announced a bus service to run from Shirley to the Ashburton Library, to enable access to that facility. It only runs on one day per week. Details as published by the Council are shown below:
Free bus service from 11 November 2024
Thursdays
Shirley: Departing from Wickham Road/Hartland Way, outside the library
building, at 10.30am
Return journey departing from Ashburton Library at 12.00pm
Members are invited to visit the Council’s website where you are asked to make comments on priorities for the Council’s budgeting next year.
The link is
We have been asked to publicise the following activities at The Wilderness;
They are looking to welcome people to
The following link takes you to their website where you can find details of a pub quiz, wassailing at The Wilderness amd more …
https://mailchi.mp/98b361b14384/the-wilderness-september-newsletter-12732899?e=d3b463ddd6
We are invited to attend either of two sessions in the playground at the Rec, as ibelow
I am pleased to inform you that due to the upcoming redevelopment of the playground, the council will be holding engagement sessions inside the playground on the below dates.
Monday 21st of October 14:00 – 16:00
Friday 25th of October 14:00– 16:00
The engagement sessions will be held in conjunction with HAGS who have designed the new playground, these sessions give everyone the chance to raise any questions they may have and provide feedback regarding the designs.
***Designs are NOT final and are subject to change***
All enquiries to parks@croydon.gov.uk
The following letter is being selectively circulated by the Council …
As you may be aware, the council’s ‘pay and display machines’ are reaching the end of their useful life with the ongoing shutdown of 3G connectivity across the country and increasing maintenance costs, meaning that any remaining machines will be removed.
The removal programme will mean that from Saturday 13 July in on-street chargeable locations the machines will be switched off and customers will need to use RingGo.
Following this the Council will rollout mobile parking in Council car parks and in free parking locations in district and local centres. The RingGo parking app is a convenient way for most residents and visitors to pay for their parking. The app is free to use on both Apple and Android devices. Where free parking tariffs apply these will still be available through the app.
Other than the name of the person parking and the vehicle registration, personal information such as card details do not need to be stored on the app.
Whilst the Council does not charge for using RingGo, some default settings may mean that you pay a small charge to RingGo for reminders. These notifications can be easily disabled in the app settings.
The use of RingGo will also reduce the ability to meter feed and may provide a
discount on parking charges, dependant on vehicle emissions. For those that do not have a smartphone, parking sessions can also be secured by phone, by calling 020 3046 0010.
We understand that change can be difficult but please be reassured that we are
making every effort to ensure that the transition to mobile payment parking is as smooth as possible.
We have listened to the issues raised through pilot schemes and are looking to
mitigate the impact of change wherever possible. As a result, a PayPoint option for those who prefer to make cash or card payments, may be available at any shop that offers PayPoint. When using PayPoint, there is no need to return to the vehicle as the session will be automatically logged.
We appreciate your ongoing support, patience, and cooperation.
Yours faithfully,
Healthy School Streets are streets that are reserved for walkers and cyclists during the start and end of the school day.
Current Healthy School Streets:
The 6-month statutory consultation for Group 3 schemes started on 23 January 2023 and ends on 23 July 2024.
For further information on these Group 3 schemes and to participate, visit Healthy School Streets Experimental Traffic Management Orders Group 3 ETMOs – Statutory Consultation | Get Involved Croydon
The 6-month statutory public consultation for Group 4 schemes starts on 13 March 2023 and ends on 13 September 2024.
For further information on the Group 4 schemes and to participate, visit Healthy School Streets Experimental Traffic Management Orders Group 4 ETMOs – Statutory Consultation | Get Involved Croydon
