Croydon is alive and kicking, from lady toastmaster Vanessa King
Over four days in early August 2011 we saw images that we thought long
past. Images of burning and looting that we thought had been consigned
to the history of the turbulent 1970s. At the time, many ordinary
people believed Britain was on a downhill slide into chaos, brought
about by the selfish behaviour of our disenfranchised youth.
It wasn’t long, however, before we realised that our so-called
disenfranchised youth are only a very small part of our society.
There’s a very much larger part that rarely makes it onto the
television screens. That part picks up brooms and bags and collects
rubbish. They make tea and lend a hand. They get together and raise
funds to help businesses and individuals whose insurance was
insufficient to cover the loss they suffered.
On Thursday 15th September 2011 it was my privilege to be toastmaster
at a fundraiser hosted by The Best of Croydon where over £3,000 was raised
to support those affected.
Dozens of local business people gathered for an evening of fabulous jazz music provided by Jazz Nights, a tasty spread from Buffets by Design, a silent auction and raffle of some fantastic prizes donated by the local business community.
Parenting expert and local Sue Atkins spoke about the need to share good parenting skills as a preventative measure and local businessman Trevor Reeves, of The House of Reeves, spoke bravely about the impact of the loss of his store. He shared an important business lesson, how essential it is to ensure your insurance is up to date because frequently businesses overlook the value that new wiring or alarm systems or office furniture bring to their premises. Attendees then had the opportunity for some informal networking.
I do hope our efforts that evening went some way to supporting the
people affected by August’s riots. Quite apart from the amount of
money raised, I hope they will feel that community spirit is alive and
well in Croydon and that they feel cared for and supported by their
community. I felt very proud to be part of a wonderful evening in such
a worthy cause.
