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Good morning, Croydon! ☀️
🌦️ Today’s Weather: High 17°C / Low 8°C broken intervals with showers. Keep a brolly handy.
Today is a big one. The mayoral count is underway at Fairfield Halls right now and one of the tightest local races in the country is about to have a winner. Plus, it’s a very special birthday for one of Britain’s greatest ever voices. Let’s get into it.
Weather
Forecast from Accuweather
🗓️ Upcoming Events
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🎵 Fairfield Halls - Croydon Symphonic Band, 53rd annual summer concert. Check fairfield.co.uk for dates
🎭 Stanley Arts - Mini Movers & Their Grown-up Groovers, Sunday 17 May, 11am. £6 per child
🎨 Click Clock Art Gallery - The Croydonist Turns Ten. Free. 5–29 May, Mon–Sat 9am
🤼 Fairfield Halls - LDN Wrestling June Showdown. Family-friendly. Tickets at fairfield.co.uk
🛍️ This Saturday
The Kiosk - open 9am to 2pm The Kiosk Linktree
📰 MORNING PULSE
🗳️ MAYORAL COUNT UNDERWAY RESULT EXPECTED TODAY
After weeks of campaigning and a race that’s been neck-and-neck throughout, the Croydon mayoral count is happening right now at Fairfield Halls. Verification began at 8am, with the result expected to be declared later today. Jason Perry (Conservative) and Rowenna Davis (Labour) have been separated by fewer than 100 votes in the latest polling whoever wins, it’s been the closest mayoral contest Croydon has ever seen. Council ward results follow on Saturday.
🔒 BALLOT SECURITY CONCERNS RAISED OVER COUNT DELAYS
Inside Croydon flagged “real concerns” over a 10-hour gap between polls closing at 10pm Thursday and verification beginning Friday morning with 153 polling stations’ worth of ballot boxes stored unverified overnight at Fairfield Halls. Critics say the arrangement echoes issues from the 2022 count. Returning Officer Elaine Jackson has not commented publicly on security assurances.
🌳 GRANGEWOOD PARK BENCH DESTROYED IN SUSPECTED ARSON
A public bench in Grangewood Park has been destroyed in what police believe is a suspected arson attack the latest in a series of bench fires in the area. Residents are frustrated and calling for action.
💛 HEARTBEAT
🎂 HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
Today, Sir David Attenborough turns 100 years old. One hundred. A century of life, and most of it spent making the rest of us fall in love with this planet.
From Zoo Quest in the 1950s to Wild Isles just a few years ago, Attenborough has narrated the natural world for generations of Britons and Croydon is no exception. Tonight, the BBC marks the milestone with a 90-minute live concert from the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Kirsty Young, featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra performing music from his landmark series. Sir Michael Palin, Dan Smith (Bastille), and Sigur Rós are among the guests.
The RSPB, of which Attenborough is Vice President, called him “the most important voice in the history of wildlife broadcasting.” Hard to argue.
🎬 David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth BBC One, tonight at 8:30pm.
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🎯 Daily Theme: Election Day Aftermath
Croydon voted yesterday. Whatever the result, this election has been unlike any other in the borough’s recent history a genuine three-way squeeze with Greens and Reform UK both making noise, a mayoral race too close to call, and 210 candidates across 28 wards. Democracy, in all its messy, brilliant glory.
The council ward count doesn’t happen until Saturday so the full picture of who runs Croydon won’t be clear until the weekend. Watch this space.
⚡ Pulse Points
🎸 King Size Slim at The Oval Tavern Sunday 10 May, 6pm, free entry. Great way to decompress after election week.
📺 Attenborough at 100 BBC One tonight, 8:30pm. Clear your Friday evening.
🗽️ Council ward results declared throughout Saturday at Fairfield Halls. Follow along on croydon.gov.uk
🧠 Personality Block
Did You Know?
Sir David Attenborough was born on 8 May 1926 the same year the General Strike brought Britain to a standstill. He’s lived through a World War, the moon landing, the internet, and the climate crisis. And he’s still going. Remarkable doesn’t cover it.
Only in Croydon 🦥
Croydon is home to the world’s first purpose-built international airport Croydon Aerodrome, which opened in 1920 and handled flights to Paris, Amsterdam, and beyond before Heathrow existed. The Visitor Centre on Airport House, Purley Way, keeps the story alive. Free to visit.
Poll of the Day 📊
Who do you think won the Croydon mayoral race?
🔵 Jason Perry (Conservative)
🔴 Rowenna Davis (Labour)
🟢 Too close to call I’m nervous!
👋 Outro
That’s your Friday Pulse. Big day for Croydon the result is coming, and we’ll have full coverage in tomorrow’s issue once the ward counts are in too.
If you’re enjoying the newsletter, share it with a neighbour. Every reader helps us keep the lights on and the stories coming.
See you tomorrow. 🗞️
Croydon Local Pulse