CHILDREN’S LIBRARY CELEBRATES FIFTH ‘PARK AND READ’ – AND 30 YEARS OF THE BFG!

  UPPER NORWOOD children's library launches its fifth 'Crystal Palace Park and Read' on Monday (October 1st).   For younger children age three to seven the library are promoting the series of picture books featuring Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas, illustrated by Korky Paul.   There will be competitions to enter from October 1st …

CABINET DECISION UNDER SCRUTINY – ‘GIVE LIBRARY £175,000 CALL’ TO CROYDON

  CALLS FOR Croydon council to give the same amount to Upper Norwood joint library next year - £170,000 - as Lambeth council are to come under scrutiny next week.   A specially arranged meeting of Croydon's scrutiny and strategic overview committee on Friday October 5th will consider a whole range of requests from Labour …

RAILWAY STATION BOOKING HALL RE-OPENS

  THE BOOKING HALL in Crystal Palace station has  re-opened after being shut for more than 25 years.   Howard Smith, Transport for London's chief operating officer for rail, told assembled guests and media at Monday's opening ceremony: "We should take pleasure in what we have achieved here today. "For so many years on the railway we …

CROYDON’S LEGAL POSITION ON LIBRARY MADE PUBLIC

CROYDON COUNCIL have made public their legal position on Upper Norwood joint library for the first time.   In a prepared statement the council says:   "In 2000, ‘cabinet government’ was introduced for local authorities, and the (Upper Norwood library) joint committee became an executive committee because of the executive nature of its functions.   "It …

“SEVEN MONTHS ENOUGH TIME FOR COMMUNITY GROUP TO TAKE OVER LIBRARY”

  JUST SEVEN MONTHS should be enough time in which to get Upper Norwood joint library taken over by a community group, says Croydon council's joint deputy leader Tim Pollard.   His comment came as Croydon council's cabinet committee nodded through a set of proposals for the library at its meeting on Monday.   "It's …

CINEMA CAMPAIGN RESPONDS TO ‘ADVERTISER’ ARTICLE

THE PICTURE Palace Campaign have responded to an article in the 'Croydon Advertiser' with the following strongly worded email: "The unsubstantiated claim in your report (August 31st) that 'Hopes of an independent cinema group taking over a former bingo hall in Upper Norwood appear to have finally been dashed' cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. Yes, the …

IN REMEMBRANCE

On April 29th 1922 three young children - the eldest not more than seven years old - moved through a huge crowd which had gathered in Upper Norwood. Each child placed three daffodils - the stems covered with brown tissue paper - in memory of their 'Dear Daddy'. The occasion was the unveiling of Upper …

MARY RODWELL – THE HEROINE WHO TIME FORGOT

On November 17th 1915 shortly after midday the hospital ship HMS Anglia en route from Calias to Dover was one mile off Folkestone Gate when it hit a mine which had been laid by a German U boat, UC - 5. The ship sank within 15 minutes. Among the 134 people who lost their lives …

LABOUR IN ALL-OUT WAR ON TORY LIBRARY PLANS

PLANS BY CROYDON TORIES to impose a seven-month deadline for a community handover of Upper Norwood joint library have been slammed as "brutal and unrealistic." Cllr Timothy Godfrey. Labour spokesman for culture, sport and libraries says Croydon's deputy leader and cabinet member for libraries Cllr Tim Pollard  "has ignored the wishes of the local community …

CROYDON TORIES TO GIVE LIBRARY JUST £75,000 NEXT YEAR – AND THEIR LEADER £54,000

CROYDON'S TORY councillors are set to give Upper Norwood joint library just £75,000 next year - and their leader more than £54,000. Croydon say that the library can be run more efficiently for just £245,000 per annum - and because Lambeth has already pledged £170,000 a report to next Monday's council cabinet (17th) meeting effectively …