Last week Sutton celebrated and showcased some of the borough’s most outstanding citizens and inspiring leaders at the Cultural Awards.

The awards, held at the Honeywood Museum, recognise some of Sutton’s most inspirational people, those unsung heroes who have had a positive and lasting cultural impact upon Sutton. The annual awards honour eight projects, events, people or groups (all nominated by residents) which have made an impact on the cultural life of the borough.  Following nominations from residents, a panel of local experts led by the Mayor of Sutton choose winning entries.

Amongst this year’s winners were two 16 year old volunteers, Josh Brookes and Jamie Olney. The two manage all aspects of Libraria- a project providing opportunities to local musicians. Through their hard work, there have now been 7 Libraria band nights in the last 2 years, giving opportunities to 20 local young bands and which have brought over 500 young people to the Sutton Central Library.

The Christopher Singers also claimed a cultural award for their efforts in raising money through their performances for The Children’s Unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital, so far they have donated over £40,000.

The full list of the 2014 Award winners is below:

· Dawn Lambert – Sutton Arts Council

· John Thornton – Sutton Arts Council

· The Imagineers group – Samia Tossio /Hana Horack /Paolo Tossio/Chris Wood /Richard Wilson/ Karin Jashpara /Lucy Dean/Jane Howard/Simon Honey

· Christine Lindsay representing Gary Mason Rhythmical Empowerment

· Charitable Foundation

· John Steele representing The Christopher Singers

· Gary Milson / Rockstock

· Stephanie Jarvis / Belsize Court-Housing 21

· Joshua Brookes & Jamie Olney – Libraria (Rock bands)

Colin Beech Sutton Council’s Executive Head of Communities and Neighbourhoods said:

‘The Cultural Awards are a fitting tribute to some of our boroughs most exceptional citizens, rewarding projects which open up the arts, give new skills, recognise the diversity of the borough and make a contribution to the local community.”

The New WW2 memorial at Carshalton

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One.  To commemorate this, your Lib Dem run council has spring-cleaned the existing WW1 Memorial at Carshalton Ponds and has just built a brand new WW2 Memorial in the Memorial Gardens in Honeywood Walk by Carshalton Ponds as agreed by the Council’s Carshalton & Clockhouse Local Committee and built to a design carried out by Cllr. Hamish Pollock.

Cllr. Jill Whitehead says: This includes the names of names of 400 people who lost their lives. It is planned to hold a number of local events in Carshalton over the coming months to recognise the role of local people in the “War to end all Wars”. These will involve local Friends Groups, faith groups, businesses and others”.

Councillors Jill Whitehead, Alan Salter and Hamish Pollock by the Newly Completed WW2 Memorial

Our parks in Carshalton Central are benefitting from some improvements asked for by local residents.

The Grove Park in Carshalton Village has new route signs at three of its entrances so that visitors can find their way to Honeywood Museum, the Ecology Centre, Westcroft Leisure Centre and the New Library.

Cllr. Alan Salter says: “We are delighted that The Grove Park also has a brand new cycle path at the Westcroft end linking Carshalton to the Wandle Cycle Trail along the River Wandle in Merton and Wandsworth.”

The route will also be extended to Carshalton Park by widening the path from Ruskin Road to Woodstock Road. This path will be safe to use for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

The new cycle path under construction in Carshalton Park a few weeks ago… Looking south towards Ruskin Road with the children’s playground on the right

In recent years we have been fully involved amongst many other matters with the following activities:-

1) More School Places. We successfully worked with Carshalton All Saints C of E Primary School and with local residents to bring a new form of entry.

2) Preserving and Enhancing our Heritage. We designed and obtained funding for a new Carshalton Second World War Memorial to be completed this year. We are also deep cleaning all the borough’s war memorials.

3) Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour. We worked with local police to ensure that anti-social behaviour is minimised and Carshalton High Street and local parks kept safe.

4) Heritage Centre. We refurbished the Heritage Centre at Honeywood Walk, Carshalton with improved displays, using Lottery Funding.

5) Improved Leisure Facilities. We refurbished and modernised Westcroft Centre including a new Carshalton Library.

6) Invested in our High Street. We secured funding for new Carshalton village signs which will be installed soon, introduced the Carshalton Christmas lights and brought the new Frost Fair to help local businesses thrive.

7) Listening to You. Carshalton Council buildings including The Lodge and The Grove House: We consulted extensively with local residents and Friends Groups over re-use of the redundant council buildings whose future re-use is now assured.

8) Better Transport. We successfully campaigned with Tom Brake MP and other Lib Dem councillors to save the cross London Thameslink loopline trains service.

9) Safer Roads 1. We installed safer crossing facilities at the junction of Ruskin Road and Park Lane following the All Saints School expansion nearby. We got pavement bollards installed at the junction of Ruskin Road and Woodstock Road.

10) Safer Roads 2. We successfully campigned for TfL to install new railings around Carshalton Ponds.

11) Carshalton Park. We installed marker posts to protect the air raid shelter discovered in 2012 and various brick piers to the park railings rebuilt/repaired. We have got the “Ornamental Garden” between Talbot Road/The Square junction and Ruskin Road improved.

12) The Grove Park. We install a new waste bins and a new multi-gym at the award winning park.

Some things we’ve done for you in the Poets’ Estate:-

1) Benhill Rec. We installed new play facilities, planted lavender beds and removed the old skateboard ramp.

2) Westmead Road/Carshalton Grove. We asked the Council to investigate and prevent future floods in this area.

3) Colston Avenue/Coleridge Avenue/Court Drive. We installed new yellow lines to reduce commuter parking.

4) Free Grit. We installed new grit bins in many locations in the Poets’ Estate/Westmead area of the Carshalton Central ward, including at the junction of Sutton Grove/Waterloo Road.

5) Street Trees. We have got planted 81 street trees in Carshalton Central ward many of them in the Poets’ Estate.

6) Mead Crescent. Road was resurfaced.

7) Shirley Avenue. Road and pavements were resurfaced.

8) Westmead Allotments. Better secure fencing installed.

9) Shorts Road/West Street Footpath. We asked the council to clear dog mess and asked police to monitor the area.

10) Wrythe Rec. We installed new play facilities in the rec. We asked that the railings are refurbished and work is underway.

And….We have also kept residents informed and supported residents in the various planning applications affecting our area. Examples are the Carshalton Athletic Football Club’s applications for 3G plastic surface for the football pitch and extended hours of lighting both of which were unanimously refused by Sutton Council’s planning / development control committee.

1) Lib Dems have given a tax cut of £700 to 87,000 people in Sutton. Nobody now pays any Income Tax on the first £10,000 that they earn.

2) We have launched “Opportunity Sutton” attracting new business to the borough, creating jobs and apprenticeships.

3) Our Pupil Premium has given thousands of pounds to local schools to help disadvantaged children.

Since 2010 your Lib Dem council has provided 18 new permanent primary classes and 14 “bulge” classes on schools across the borough of Sutton.

The council has also provided the new primary school Bandon Hill Primary -Woodfield in Stanley Park Road and has plans for a new one in Hackbridge.

We are now working closely with our secondary schools to provide 120 new places in five different secondary schools for September 2015, including two grammar schools which have agreed to “ring fence” some places for Sutton pupils.

We also plan to provide additional secondary places in 2016 following our exciting plans to build a brand new secondary school by 2017.

We believe that all our children should benefit from the great education that Sutton provides.

A lot of new housing and special care/residential developments have been completed in Carshalton Central ward in recent years:-

1) Coleridge Avenue, Poets’ Estate (4 detached houses) replacing one 1920s detached house.

2) Carter House/Denny House/Jennings House, 229-245 Carshalton Road/1B and 1c Shorts Road, Carshalton (44 flats) on site of a former terrace of 9 shops with flats above.

3) Nicole Lodge, 2 Carshalton Park Road (on the site of former Texaco Garage) (12 flats in a new “conservation-area-sympathetic” neo-Georgian block, plus 2 flats at no. 33 Pound Street).

4) Doric House, Carshalton Grove (11 flats).

5) Hillside, 163 Carshalton Road (3 new roof top flats above a 1970s block of flats).

6) Lakin Close/2-4A Rotherfield Road (6 new houses in the close, 3 new houses in Rotherfield Road replacing 4 inter-war detached houses/bungalow).

7) The Park/Corbould Close (conversions/alterations of former 1920s Carshalton War Memorial Hospital) (13 houses). In the Carshalton Park Conservation Area.

8) Ashcombe Court, The Park (10 new flats replacing former nurses’ care home).

9) Corbould Close (8 new residential care flats in grounds of Carshalton War Memorial Hospital).

10) Cedar Close off Salisbury Road (9 new mews style houses replacing former special health care bungalows/houses).

And there’s more to come:-

1) Cowper Avenue/Byron Avenue/Kingsley Avenue/Westmead Road (74 bed care home and some 2 storey houses on former Westmead House site). Now under construction.

2) Former Trolleybus Depot site, Westmead Road. Redevelopment/construction work still to start.

Cedar Close as completed April 2014

A very Happy Easter to all our readers of whatever Political Colour!

After some chivvying by your local councillors, the council officers have got the brick pier to the Ashcombe Road south-east gate mended (right hand pier in the picture). Thanks officers! The pier in question was knocked over by a vehicle.  The gate itself will be refixed in place once the mortar to the new brickwork has strengthened sufficiently hence the temporary hoarding in place.

Local residents may recall that many brick piers have been rebuilt in the park in recent years following requests by the Friends of Carshalton Park and Carshalton Central councillors for the work to be done – funded by the Council’s Public Realm allocation and agreed by the Carshalton & Clockhouse Local Committee.

The south-east gate to Carshalton Park next to 4 Ashcombe Road