🌞WEATHER

🌧 croydon - 17°C, drizzle + light showers. carry an umbrella, 30% chance of rain throughout the day

📰MORNING PULSE

1. 19 Days to Go — Register to Vote by Tomorrow
Voter registration closes tomorrow, Sunday 20 April. If you haven't registered, do it now — it takes 5 minutes at gov.uk/register-to-vote. Postal vote deadline is Monday 21 April. On May 7 you'll be voting for your ward councillors AND the new Croydon Mayor.
Source: Electoral Commission – Register to Vote

2. Croydon Palace — A Royal Secret in Old Town
One of Croydon's most extraordinary hidden gems: the Old Palace on Old Palace Road served as the Archbishop of Canterbury's summer residence for over 500 years. Henry III and Elizabeth I both visited. Today it's part of a girls' school, but The Friends of Old Palace run guided tours on select days. Grade I listed, free to explore from the outside.
Source: Wandle Valley Park – Croydon Palace

3. River Revive at Norbury Brook — Next Saturday
The River Revive community event at Norbury Brook, Thornton Heath Recreation Ground is happening next Saturday, 25 April. A chance to get involved in local conservation and meet your neighbours. Keep an eye on local community boards for exact times.

4. Pride in Place — £20m for West Croydon Communities
The government's Pride in Place fund has allocated £20m to West Croydon (West Thornton, Selhurst, Broad Green, Bensham Manor) to improve high streets and public spaces over 10 years. Residents are being invited to shape how the money is spent.
Source: Croydon Council Newsroom – Mayor Perry Update

5. Southern Trains Replaced by Buses This Weekend
If you're heading into central London today, plan ahead — Southern trains through Croydon are replaced by buses this Saturday and Sunday due to engineering works. East Croydon is still running on other lines, but Southern services are bus replacement only. Check National Rail before you travel.

6. South Croydon Action Day — Happening Right Now
South Croydon Action Day kicks off at 10am this morning at Selsdon Café & Restaurant, 6 Selsdon Parade, Addington Road. Community organising, local issues, and a proper chat over coffee. Free to attend.

7. Pollock's Toy Museum Pop-Up at Whitgift Centre
A free pop-up from the legendary Pollock's Toy Museum is running at the Whitgift Centre today, 11am–4pm. Victorian toy theatre, paper toys, and a slice of proper British nostalgia. Great for kids, secretly great for adults too.

8. Croydon Trams Club in Turmoil After Chairman Stands Down
Gavin English has resigned as chairman and director of Croydon Arena with immediate effect, posting the announcement on social media. No explanation given yet — the club is scrambling to respond. More to follow.

Nurture & Flourish: A Space for Asian Women in Croydon
This afternoon (1:30–4:30pm), the Asian Resource Centre of Croydon is hosting "Nurture & Flourish" — a wellbeing afternoon for Asian women in the borough. It's the kind of quiet, community-led work that rarely makes headlines but makes a real difference. The ARCC has been running for decades, quietly holding together communities that often fall through the cracks of mainstream services. If you know someone who'd benefit, share this one.

Overlooking Queen's Gardens in East Croydon, The Village Table opened earlier this year and has already become one of the most talked-about new spots in the borough. It's part coffee lounge, part community third space the kind of place you go to work, meet people, or just sit and breathe for an hour.

Founded by a local woman who saw a gap in the market for a proper community-focused café in East Croydon, The Village Table is doing something different: it's not just selling coffee, it's building a room. Follow them on Instagram @thevillagetable_uk.

🗣️Don’t forget to tell them you heard about them from Croydon Local Pulse 👍

Croydon was once home to London's first airport — Croydon Aerodrome, which opened in 1920 and was the UK's main international airport until Heathrow took over in 1946. Amy Johnson flew from here. So did Charles Lindbergh. The terminal building still stands in Purley Way — and most people drive past it without a second glance.

Every day, 4.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news fix. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture — all in a brief 5-minute email. No spin. No slant. Just clarity.

Join for free today!

In 2015, Croydon Council commissioned a report on how to improve the town centre. The report cost £100,000. One of its key recommendations was to spend more money on reports. Only in Croydon.

What's Croydon's most underrated hidden gem?

Reply to this email or drop us a message we'll feature the best answers next week.