David Weir opens Waddon Leisure Centre

David Weir & school children posing with his medals

Last night, the Paralympian David Weir CBE came to Waddon to officially open Waddon Leisure Centre. It was amazing to meet him after his incredible achievement at the recent London 2012 Paralympic Games of winning four gold medals. School children were inspired by him and proudly showed off his medals to us all.

The Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Eddy Arram and the Leader of the Council, Councillor Mike Fisher also attended to officially open the Centre. Those present were proud and delighted that this day had finally arrived and cannot wait to use the facilities.  

Sitting at the very heart of the community it will transform Waddon and is a project that as a Council we are all tremendously proud of delivering after an election pledge in 2006. It is a fitting tribute that three rooms were named after three local community activists; the late Frank Fadden, whose wife Grace was present and very proud; the late Councillor Jonathan Driver and Peter Collier, who attended and brought along his delighted family. The rooms are called- the Frank Fadden Community Room, the Peter Collier Fitness Studio and the Jonathan Driver Swimming Pool.

What’s really special about Waddon Leisure Centre is that it is equipped for people with disabilities and David Weir was very pleased to see that disabled people were able to access the swimming pool via a wheelchair pit and promised to use it himself.

I hope you will get involved and use the leisure centre and remember to tell your friends and family all about it!

Residents give Waddon’s new Leisure Centre a Thumbs Up

Thousands of local residents have previewed Waddon’s brand new state-of-the-art Leisure Centre and were delighted with the facilities on offer.

Open to the public on Wednesday 30th January, Croydon Council kindly hosted two preview sessions- today and yesterday, where local residents could attend and walk around the centre. Those that attended got a free three day pass from Fusion.

The new centre is equipped with dance studios, café, crèche, multi-purpose sports hall, gym, two swimming pools, community meeting facilities and a spectators seating gallery.

Local residents are absolutely thrilled with the new centre, keen to get involved and want to use it as soon as possible. Waddon’s Leisure Centre isn’t simply a building for sport use, it’s a centre for the whole community and one which will further improve the area for Waddon residents.



Invitation to the Waddon Leisure Centre preview sessions

Over the last six years my ward colleagues Simon, Tony and I have been working alongside Croydon Council to ensure that our key election pledge of delivering a new state-of-the-art leisure centre for Waddon residents could be achieved.

I am proud and delighted to announce that the new state-of-the-art leisure centre will be complete and ready-to-use at the end of January 2013.

Before the new Waddon leisure centre opens to the general public, Croydon Council are hosting preview sessions that will be open to Waddon residents. The sessions will be on:

Friday 25^th January (4-7pm) and Saturday 26^th January (9am-1pm)

I hope that you will take the opportunity to preview this exciting new facility and note that all attendees will be given a free three-day pass!

For more information please click here

Gamechanger for Croydonians

Today, Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson has helped deliver a £1billion investment into Croydon’s shopping centre, a move which will create 5,000 new jobs and regenerate the town centre. This is a joint effort between Croydon Council and investors with building work set to begin in 2015.

This investment from both Westfield and Hammerson will further enhance Croydon’s reputation as a must-visit retail hub, bringing new jobs and opportunities for residents and their families. The influx of visitors will also impact local businesses who will gain from an increased customer flow and restore our town to its formerly glory. Take one look at some of the local Labour Party blogs and Twitter feeds and it’s clear to see how hard they are all working to trash our town’s reputation and present the most negative image of Croydon possible in the public eye. But today’s announcement proves them all wrong, Croydon is and will continue to be one of the most vibrant and exciting places to live and work in the country.

Just take one look at the community spirit shown in response to the riots, take one look at the radical development of our town centre and the celebrations around the Diamond Jubilee. Croydon is a fantastic place to be and the Conservatives will continue to stand up for residents and fight for the issues that matter to them.