• Comments 0

    New pilates class incoming

    Starting 6th September in our upper studio hall.

  • Comments 0

    We’re back online

    Sorry that our website has been down for a few days – it was unavoidably caught up in a change of web hosting arrangements. But we’re back up and running now – ready, willing and able to deal with any hire enquiries you may have, for classes, groups, leisure activities, meetings or private hires, events and parties. Please just fill in the enquiry form on our Contact Us page, and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can to try to help you out with your requirements. Thank you 😊

  • Comments 0

    February 2022 – overhead works

    The Centre currently has some much needed and long overdue renovation work taking place, which involves hacking off much of the high level rendering around the front and side elevations of the main entrance block, and replacing with new rendering. These works are designed to cure the longstanding problem of penetrating damp in the south wall of the upstairs hall, the upstairs ladies WC, and the stairwell. The works should be completed within 2 – 3 weeks, and in the meantime the Centre is operating as usual. That said, we would ask all our users to please exercise extra care when entering and leaving the building, as men are working overhead. Thank you.

  • Comments 0

    July 2021 Update

    The Centre is now largely back up and running for most of our regular user groups, although until the Government lifts remaining Covid restrictions, hopefully on 19th July, we’re still not currently able to host parties and other one-off events of that nature. We are happy to take bookings for events falling after 19th July, although please bear in mind that if the restrictions are extended again, any such events may need to be cancelled or postponed.

    We currently have availability for new user groups wishing to run long-term classes or activities at the Centre – especially in our light, airy, upstairs hall. So if you’re looking for a home for a new class, club, society or other group or activity, please get in touch and we will do our best to help you out.

  • Comments 0

    Sorry: still no parties. But we do have slots available for new regular user groups or classes.

    Well, it’s the beginning of September, and things are slowly starting to get back to a slightly strange kind of normality – socially distanced and with a lot of extra cleaning, hand-sanitizing, and so on. Most of our user groups and classes have now resumed or will be doing so over the coming few weeks.

    Unfortunately, owing to the ongoing restrictions on parties and larger scale social events, please note I’m afraid we’re not currently able to take bookings for parties and other one-off events of that nature. Sorry to disappoint – we have had a large number of requests, but the current rules, regulations and enhanced safety and cleaning requirements, mean it’s just not practical or cost-effective for us to open up the premises for one-off parties at present, even where we are allowed to. And we’re not allowed to in some circumstances.

    We’ve also been inundated with new hire requests from classes and groups who have not been able to resume at their former, pre-pandemic venues. We do still have availability for new user groups wishing to run long-term classes or activities at the Centre – especially in our light, airy, upstairs hall. So please get in touch if you have a class, club, society or other group or activity you would like to run, and we will do our best to help you out.

     

  • Comments 0

    We are ‘Covid-secure’ and open to groups

    In line with the latest government guidance, the Centre has now largely reopened for user groups – although there are still some activities which are not allowed, such as indoor live performances.

    We’ve taken all the steps set out in the government guidance to make the Centre a ‘Covid-safe’ environment: hand sanitiser stations, an enhanced cleaning regime and materials, social distancing signage throughout, limits on the numbers of people in different rooms within the building, a full risk assessment, and so on.

    We’ve also introduced a short set of Covid-related rules which every group wishing to resume activities must follow. Most importantly this includes the requirement for each group to keep names and contact details of attendees at each session (and retain for three weeks); to carry out a risk assessment specifically relating to the group’s activities; and to put in place a protocol for maintaining social distancing within the group’s activities.

    Beyond this, owing to restrictions on numbers and some ambiguity in the guidelines, we’re currently unable to take bookings for one-off lettings such as parties and weddings. We hope to be able to do so once the situation becomes clearer over coming weeks.

    We do however have availability for new user groups wishing to run activities at the Centre, so please get in touch if you have a class, club, society or other group or activity you would like to run.

  • Comments 0

    Coronavirus update, June 3 2020

    The Centre is now partially re-open by arrangement only. Bluebells, our resident pre-school, recommenced on Monday this week, in line with the Government’s policy on re-opening nursery provision where possible.

    Otherwise, the Centre currently remains closed for indoor group activities and meetings – although it seems possible that restrictions may change over the coming few weeks. We will update users accordingly.

    Until we know when mass public gatherings will once again be allowed, we’re obviously unable to deal with enquiries / take bookings for one-off hires for birthday parties, events, wedding receptions, etc.

    In the meantime, we have carried out a formal risk assessment and have put in place as many anti-Covid-19 hygiene and safety measures as practically possible. We’ve also instituted an enhanced daily cleaning regime. We will provide further updates as and when the Government guidance changes and the situation evolves.

    IMG_5040[14369]IMG_5028[14371]IMG_5031IMG_5043[14367]

  • Comments 0

    The Centre is now closed for the duration of the current public health emergency

    As part of the latest government lockdown restrictions announced yesterday, community centres have now been officially ordered to close. So we’re now closed for the duration of the current public health emergency. We’ll be regularly checking the premises for security and safety reasons, and Croydon Council’s security patrol team will be making periodic visits too.

    This is a sad chapter in the 85 year history of the Centre, but we’re not alone. Everyone’s in the same boat. Let’s hope for a speedy resolution of the crisis. In the meantime, we wish all our users and the wider community well, and hope that everyone stays safe and healthy. When this is over, we’ll still be here, ready to serve the community with our rooms and facilities, for the purposes of education, training, sport, recreation, arts, culture, social enterprise and community development. We’ll be needing all those things more than ever, once this horrible time has passed.

  • Comments 0

    Coronavirus update 21 March 2020

    You’ll have seen the latest Government instructions on closure of venues for public gatherings. Technically speaking, community centres haven’t yet been named as venues which must close to groups. Nor have we received any such instruction from Croydon Council, which owns the Centre. For all practical purposes however, there’s no difference between getting a group of people together in a gym, restaurant, bar, or leisure centre (all now banned), and getting a group of people together in a community centre. It’s clearly the wrong thing to do given the extreme public health emergency we find ourselves in. Gathering in groups has been declared a danger to health as it facilitates the spread of the virus, and will ultimately result in more infections, more pressure on hospitals, and more deaths.

    To the best of our knowledge, almost all groups and classes at the Centre have now voluntarily ceased in any case. We’ll continue to keep the Centre cleaned, secure, and will use this opportunity to progress some outstanding maintenance work. If individual keyholders need access to equipment etc., or for specific purposes not involving group meetings, that’s fine. But we must now request that from tonight, no further group meetings or activities take place until the wider Coronavirus restrictions are lifted. It’s miserable, but it’s for our own good, and for the health and wellbeing of the community as a whole. As things stand, that’s all that really matters right now. Please stay safe and well.

     

  • Comments 0

    CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

    At present, we are operating the Centre as usual, although paying extra attention to cleaning, and making sure we have plentiful supplies of strong soap and paper towels available for users. If we receive instructions from the government or the local authority that we need to restrict the size or frequency of gatherings, or, worst case, shut completely for a period, then we will notify regular users and occasional hirers as quickly as we can. Obviously we hope these measures will not prove necessary, but it’s a fast-moving situation and we have to follow any guidance that is issued to us. If closure or restrictions become necessary, then we, the community centre association, will issue affected user groups and hirers with a corresponding credit for any period of closure or disruption to classes or private events. More info as and when we’re told any more.