Latest news with #Croydon
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Victorian drinking fountain restored on Croydon's Surrey Street
A Victorian drinking fountain in Croydon has been restored and reconnected to the water public thirst-quencher, on Surrey Street, was built in 1896 and unveiled by the local mayor to mark the completion of a redevelopment programme.A new push-button system has also been installed to allow water to flow from the lion's charity Heritage of London Trust (HOLT) partnered with Croydon Council for the project, during which more than 300 young people met conservators and took part in creative workshops as part of HOLT's youth engagement programme. The drinking fountain, an example of Victorian craftsmanship and civic design, is made of materials of the late 19th Century, including faience - glazed terracotta, granite and cast to HOLT, the first public drinking fountain in the capital was erected at St Sepulchre Without Newgate church in the City of London in 1859. By 1900, hundreds had been installed across the the time the Surrey Street fountain was installed, clean drinking water was available to a much greater proportion of the population than in 1859, but drinking fountains remained a basic, expected amenity within public spaces, HOLT said. Dr Nicola Stacey from the trust said it was 'delighted to be supporting the restoration of this historic fountain in the heart of Croydon – a source of much local pride 130 years ago'.'King' Louis, a local resident, said: "I love what you've done with this. I'm going to make sure I keep an eye on it and protect it" while another, Maggie, added: "It's so wonderful to see this looking so good and what's better - working".
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lionesses and Oasis boosting long summer of hope in London, says National Lottery
A mechanic who scooped £108 million on EuroMillions hailed postive thinking as Oasis's return and the Lionesses' bid for Euros glory was cited for turning London's frown upside down in the heatwave. Neil Trotter, from Coulsdon, near Croydon, spoke as a new National Lottery survey suggested the feel-good start to summer is boosting hope and optimism across the capital. According to the research, 72% of Londoners say they feel more upbeat when the nation comes together around a unifying event. England's women face Sweden in their Euro 2025 quarter-final on Thursday evening, while Noel and Liam Gallagher's Britpop band plays at Wembley Stadium later this month. Half people in the city currently describe overall level of hopefulness in the UK as high, despite economic pressures and global conflict. Mr Trotter, 51, bagged his massive win - at the time the fourth biggest ever - with a Lucky Dip in March 2014. In an eerie premonition, he had told staff at his father's office on the eve of his jackpot 'this time tomorrow' he'd be a millionaire like namesake, Del Boy Trotter from Only Fools And Horses. 'I've always thought I'd win big and I'd had a good feeling all week,' he said. It allowed Mr Trotter to pursue his passion for motorsport, following the British Touring Car Championships and buying a McClaren 650S Spider supercar. He and partner Nicky Ottaway also invested in a Grade II-listed manor house with 500 acres of land and six lakes. Author and psychology expert Miriam Akhtar said: 'Humans are social creatures, so it's natural that shared moments, such as major sporting events, have a significant impact on national levels of hope. 'Optimism is infectious and like hope, these positive emotions spread through people in a phenomenon known as 'emotional contagion'. 'So when the country is celebrating a Lioness win or enjoying the nostalgia of Oasis playing again, it takes hold nationally very quickly.' Andy Carter, senior winners' advisor at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said: 'We're fully embracing this wave of optimism. 'For anyone who has their fingers crossed for things to go your way, we hope that seeing our installations brings a renewed sense of optimism and inspires you to believe it could be you.'
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Giggs: Rapper releases song about autism with son ML
Rapper Giggs and his son ML have dropped a new track discussing their pair say Own Motion, a remix of a song originally written and and released by ML, explores themes of struggling to fit in and having to do things says his son's openness about his autism diagnosis led the veteran UK hip-hop star to find that he also had the recently told BBC Newsnight a lack of understanding when he was younger made him feel like he was "bad", and he didn't want his children to feel that way too. "I was always getting in trouble," he told the programme. "I always used to answer back, get kicked out of class every single day until I just thought: 'Well, I'm bad'."The rapper says he took that message through life and that he ended up in prison twice before being "saved" by music. 'Stigma' The track resonated with rapper Lickz, who also has tells BBC Newsbeat she had a similar experience to Giggs at school."I did get sent out of class a few times for talking back or whatever," the 20-year-old, from Croydon, says. "I was distracted and I wasn't focused on the lessons."The Rap Game UK star wasn't diagnosed until she was 18 and says having artists like Giggs share their experiences helped her come to terms with her own."I was really upset because of the stigma behind it," she says."A lot of people feel like people that have autism are slow or they're stupid and because I'd never heard anything different it was devastating news to me."But then I learned more about it, I heard Giggs had it, people I look up to, so I was like: 'There's actually nothing wrong with having autism'." The track's also inspired people like fan Ethan Appleby."One of the lines in the song - I used to be ashamed, I used to hide it, but now I own it - is really cool," he 20-year-old also has autism and says it's "such a wide spectrum", so "it can be hard to figure out yourself and how you fit into things".He says it's "awesome" for someone with Giggs' influence to publicly say the condition doesn't have to stop you from doing what you want."Music is so important for stuff like this," he says. "It can be so powerful." Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Southport murderer of Tory MP Sir David Amess was described as a 'great person' by police counter-terrorism official during botched risk assessment before killing
The murderer of Tory MP Sir David Amess was described as a 'great person' by a police counter-terrorism official during a botched risk assessment before the killing. An officer from the government's flagship anti-extremist programme, Prevent, made the extraordinary comment in an e-mail to a colleague, an official review revealed yesterday. Prevent's work with Ali Harbi Ali was later dropped. The revelation came as the Amess family accused Home Secretary Yvette Cooper of leaving them 'retraumatised' in the wake of the new review by leading barrister Lord Anderson. Ali was referred to Prevent seven years before the Islamic State fanatic stabbed the veteran Conservative more than 20 times at a constituency surgery in Essex. Lord Anderson's report described how a Prevent 'intervention provider' met Ali, then a sixth former, only once after his school raised concerns he was being radicalised. Following the meeting at a McDonalds in Croydon in January 2015 the intervention provider described Ali as a 'pleasant and informed young man' in a report. They added that Ali 'does not agree' with extremists including Islamic state and al-Qaeda, and 'has no grievances against the west or other faiths or groups'. An unnamed Prevent counter-terrorism case officer – a Scotland Yard civilian police worker - then emailed their colleague: 'He seems to be a great person, are you still all right to do a lesson at his school, do you think it is worth it?' Lord Anderson's report went on: 'Ultimately, the intervention provider accepted what they described as a decision taken by others that no further meetings were required.' The 156-page report also said a document describing the intervention provider's contact with Ali was 'overlooked' by the Home Office. It had been sent to civil servants in 2021 but was not provided to a previous review of the case, and has only now come to light. It was disclosed to Lord Anderson only on June 25. 'I told the Home Office that I considered this a significant matter, and asked that checks be made to ensure that no further sources of relevant evidence had been disregarded,' yesterday's report said. 'The Home Office responded with an assurance that it has conducted a thorough search and that no additional information has been detected.' The report also described how a Metropolitan Police detective inspector on the Prevent team asked for a check of Ali's social media in 2015, but 'there is no evidence that this was ever performed'. The developments will deepen concerns over the beleaguered Prevent scheme and the Government's attempts to improve the response to extremism. The Amess family described a letter sent to them by the Home Secretary shortly before the report's publication yesterday as a 'calculated exercise in damage limitation'. Ms Cooper's letter to the Amess family said: 'I realise the seriousness of these failings and it reflects the deep concerns you have long held about what went wrong. 'Lord Anderson acknowledges improvements made to Prevent since then but also identifies further important opportunities for change in the wider Prevent system.' She insisted the leading barrister's review had been 'incisive' and 'thorough and considered'. But Amess family spokesman Radd Seiger described the letter as 'an insult' and accused ministers of pursuing 'piecemeal' reform of Prevent. Relatives had been given 'next to no notice' of Lord Anderson's report and were not given advance sight of the document, he added. 'They are deeply hurt and angered, by the utterly dismissive tone as well as the timing of the Home Secretary's letter,' Mr Seiger said. 'It is difficult to see it as anything other than a calculated exercise in damage limitation, designed not to support the family in their search for answers but to protect the Government following its failings. 'This supposed act of courtesy has left the family retraumatised, blindsided, and feeling marginalised in a process that should have had their voices and wellbeing at its heart from the outset.' Lord Anderson's report also studied Prevent's response to concerns raised about Southport knifeman Axel Rudakubana. Prevent failed to put the teenager on a deradicalisation scheme before he killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, and injured 10 others, last summer. Lord Anderson concluded: 'Prevent failed in both cases'. In one of 10 recommendations to ministers, the KC said the scheme should 'up its game' in dealing with online radicalisation. He added 'the jury is still out' on whether a series of recent changes will improve Prevent's operation. The review said Prevent should continue to address individuals who are obsessed with violence but do not fall into a clear terrorist category. The recommendation reflects how the threat posed by Rudakubana was partly ignored by police and officials because of the 'absence of a distinct ideology'. Lord Anderson also said Prevent should be far more 'transparent' about its activities. The Home Secretary told MPs she would 'act immediately' on the findings of the review. Chris Walker, who represents the three Southport bereaved families, said the report showed 'opportunities to intervene were then lost', adding: 'Real change needs to come in order to prevent other families going through what my clients face.' A separate inquiry into the Southport killings resumed in the autumn. Dr Paul Stott, head of security and extremism at think-tank Policy Exchange, said: 'A problem with Prevent has been its lack of focus on the core threat of Islamism, which outstrips all other terrorist threats. 'It is not clear the system can or should cope with adding lots of additional challenges, be it violence fascination or issues around mental health. 'It is reasonable for the government to examine the possibility of connecting Prevent to a broader safeguarding and violence prevention system, but separating the two - with Prevent focused on existing ideological threats and another intervention mopping up mental health and violence fascination - would be more sensible.'
The Sun
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
WHSmith posts urgent warning to shoppers so they don't lose out on cash as it rebrands 500 high street stores
WHSMITH customers have been warned they need to spend their unused gift vouchers before they become worthless. The struggling retailer is set to disappear from the high street in a matter of weeks as its new owner rebrands it to TGJones. 1 The stationery giant has been a feature of the British high street since the 1800s but has fallen on hard times in recent years. Now Sun checkers can reveal bosses at the ailing favourite are already reminding punters to use their unspent gift vouchers in stores while they are still valid up until the end of June next year. Signs headed "Important Notice on Changes to WHSmith Gift Cards' erected at the firm's Croydon branch in south London state: 'This store, along with all other former high street stores, is now owned and operated by TG Jones. 'This has an impact on how you can use your WHSmith gift card or eGift card. 'You can continue to use your WHSmith gift card or eGift card in this store and in other TGJones, and on up until June 28, 2026, in accordance with the terms and conditions for your WHSmith gift card or eGift card. 'Before and after June 28, 2026, you may continue to use your WHSmith gift card or eGift card in WHSmith stores in travel locations and hospitals (excluding concessions and stores located at motorway service stations, WHSmith Local, London Underground sites or WHSmith franchise stores), in accordance with the terms and conditions for your WHSmith gift card or eGift card.' Consumer experts have urged shoppers to use their vouchers before it's too late. Martyn James, Sun Squeeze Team Member and independent consumer champion, said: 'When a company goes bust, then your vouchers, gift cards and even store credit vanish, never to be seen again. "So, when you hear that a business is in trouble, spend,spend, spend, or lose your credit. 'However, WHSmith didn't go bust, it was purchased by another business. WHSmith sells 500 UK shops "Where this happens and the business rebrands, it is usually down to the business on whether it must honour credit vouchers and gift cards. 'This often depends on whether it was a direct takeover (usually honoured) or the sale of a failing business (the new retailer doesn't take on liability). 'In this case, WHSmith customers have less than a year to spend their vouchers, which in fairness, is often how long they last before expiring anyway. "But, if you have vouchers, get online or in-store and spend them - or risk losing the credit forever.' WHSmith stores that have closed A total of 20 WHSmith stores shut this year ahead of the rebrand. The retailer's Bedford site is set to close on July 5. The store in the Frenchgate Centre in Doncaster closed on May 31, while the Stockton branch also shut on May 17. Branches in Halstead and Woolwich shut on April 12, and Halesowen and Diss followed on April 19. Just a week later, stores in Newport and Haverhill also pulled down the shutters. Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, added: 'Usually if a retailer you have a gift card for goes bust, you may struggle to get your money back. 'In this case, WHSmith has been bought and rebranded as TGJones and existing gift cards and vouchers can be used both online and in store up until June 28, 2026. 'Before and after this date, you can still redeem vouchers at WHSmith travel locations, including airports and hospitals. 'If the gift card or voucher was bought through a third party, check to see if the purchaser can approach them for a refund. "The purchaser has no right to a refund but the third-party company may choose to refund you as a gesture of goodwill." Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital agreed a deal to take over the chain's troubled high street arm back in March. As part of the deal, all 464 remaining high street stores are rebranding to TGJones. The sale has now officially completed and the WHSmith website has rebranded, while all stores are listed on Google as TGJones. Some shoppers have already spotted signs going up in stores reading 'Thank you for shopping at TGJones.' Modella put in planning applications to local councils to change the signage on its stores last month. History of WHSmith The rebranding means the WHSmith name will be disappearing from the high street for good. WHSmith's travel stores will still remain in airports, hospitals, railway stations and motorway service areas as these have not been taken over by Modella. The first WHSmith store was opened back in 1792 was opened by Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna. It was located in Little Grosvenor Street, London and was initially a news vendor. When Henry and Anna died, the business was taken over by their youngest son William Henry Smith. He renamed the business WH Smith & Son in 1846. The business began expanding around this time and opened its first railway news stand at Euston Station in 1848. It opened its first depots two years later in Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool. WH Smith & Son continued to be passed down by the family before becoming a limited company in 1928, with all shares owned by the third Viscount. The company became a public limited business in 1948, with staff and members of the public taking shares. The business expanded hugely between the 1970s and 1990s, and during this time changed its name to simply WHSmith. The last member of the Smith family left the board in 1996. Over the years, the brand has sold a variety of products including everything from vinyl records to DVDs and computer games. But it has always been best known for its wide variety of books, stationery, and sweets. In more recent years, WHSmith has struggled on the high street – although its travel sales have surged. The company confirmed in January it would sell off its high street business. Modella then snapped up WHSmith's high street stores after an auction process. Shoppers have also started receiving emails from TGJones. One confused customer wrote on social media: 'I got an email from TG Jones thinking how? Then realised its WHSmith's new name, crazy.' Another added: 'I keep getting emails from someone called TG Jones and it was apparently a company that has changed its name, it was failing to tell me what company…just had another one and it's WHSmith??? WHAT.' Other customers have expressed sadness at the loss of the iconic retailer from Britain's high streets. One wrote: 'New generation will never experience the feeling of going to WHSmith in your Year 6 summer holidays and building a pencil case from scratch and picking all your stationary for Year 7.' Another sad shopper added: 'I did my school shopping every year at WHSmith since reception, same with my sister too, this is so sad.' While a third nostalgic punter wrote: 'My parents met working at WHSmith and they've been married 30 years.'
