AGM on 27th April 2012

All members are invited to attend the AGM on Friday 27th April 2012. It will take place in the hall at the rear of 17 Elmwood Road, Croydon, starting at 8pm.

From the archives – Prettiest Garden Competition, June 1980

Were you around in 1980 – and if so, do you remember the Prettiest Garden Competition?

The photo here is from the Croydon Advertiser and shows the then Mayor of Croydon, Councillor R. David May (far right) with BGRA Chairman Tony Hollidge (far left) and the three winners. The winners were (left to right): Mr M. Hayes (Dennett Road, 3rd), Mrs R. Vickery (Dennett Road, 2nd) and Mrs F. Rutter (Bishops Road, 1st).

The competition was organised by Committee member Arthur Suddaby. In the May edition of the Newsletter, Tony Hollidge wrote encouraging people to take part: “This Association has, for a number of years, endeavoured to impress on the rest of the Borough that Broad Green could be a nice place to live in… We would emphasise that the attraction is not only the prizes, but actually taking part and proving by your efforts that we in Broad Green are not the people to be down-trodden and ignored…” He added that “we trust that a typical Broad Green welcome to the Mayor on his journey of inspection of gardens will be given.”

The judging took place on the afternoon of Saturday 28th June 1980. The Mayor and organisers visited gardens from fourteen streets around the area, finishing up in Elmwood Road, where the presentation took place.

Here is the report from the Broad Green Residents Association newsletter, July 1980:

“Your Chairman would like to thank the residents of Broad Green, in making our first venture of the Prettiest Garden Competition such a great success. Everybody who entered the competition did us proud, and The Worshipful Mayor of Croydon Councillor R. David May had a great task of judging this competition. The prizegiving took place at 43, Elmwood Road, where the Bunting was out, just like a village event.”

If you have a story from the archives which you’d like us to feature here (or in the printed members’ newsletter), do let us know. Don’t worry if you can’t remember all the details, as these can often be found in newsletters from the time, or in other documents such as minutes of meetings.

You can find editions of the Broad Green Residents Association newsletter, going back to when it was founded in 1974, in Croydon Local Studies Library. Although items can’t be borrowed from the library, anyone can look at them free of charge.

Outings for 2012

Many thanks to everyone who got in touch to say where you would like to go for the Summer Outings in 2012. Working from your responses so far, we’ve drawn up the following draft timetable:

~ May – Canterbury (9am start)
~ June – Bournemouth (8am start)
~ July – Isle of Wight (8am start)
~ August – Bourton on the Water (8am start)
~ September – Eastbourne (9am start)

Exact dates and more details will be available nearer the time, both here on the website and in the Members’ Newsletter a month ahead. We hope you’ll join us!

Meanwhile, if you have photos from previous outings, do send them in if you’d like to share them! You can get in touch with Brian or Cathy – click here for contact details.

Welcome

Welcome to Broad Green Residents Association.  If you live or work in the Broad Green area of Croydon, you are welcome to join us.

Click here for contact details.

February meeting – change of date to the 13th

There’s a change of date for the next meeting of the Broad Green Residents Association committee. Instead of the usual first Monday of the month, we will be meeting on Monday 13th February, at the usual time and place: 7.30pm at Federation Hall, behind 17 Elmwood Road, West Croydon.

All are welcome to attend. To put any business on the agenda, please get in touch with Brian – click here for contact details.

Church Alley Action Day

On Saturday 7th January, members of Broad Green Residents Association took part in a very successful Action Day in Church Alley, the public footpath which runs from Handcroft Road to Mitcham Road.

Organised by the new local charity called Friends of Church Alley, the Action Day involved picking up litter, shifting bags of earth and moving bits of furniture ready for Croydon Council’s street cleaning team to collect them. We also pruned back overhanging greenery and cut up branches from an old buddleia bush.

Congratulations and many thanks to everyone who took part.

You can find out more about Friends of Church Alley from their website.

Next meeting – 12th December

There’s a change of date for the next meeting of the Broad Green Residents Association committee. Instead of the usual first Monday of the month, we will be meeting on Monday 12th December. No change to the time or place: 7.30pm at Federation Hall, behind 17 Elmwood Road, West Croydon.

All are welcome to attend. To put any business on the agenda, please get in touch with Brian – click here for contact details.