A PAIR of Purley lovebirds have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary and revealed their secret to long and fruitful wedlock is a "bit of give and take".

Sheila and Gordon Iles, from Purley, who married on December 27, 1952, met at Sheila's home in Waddon after Gordon became friends with Sheila's eldest brother when they were in their teens.

And more than 60 years later the pair, who now live in Wyvern Road, have four children, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Sheila, 76, who attended the former Waddon Secondary, said: "He got involved with my eldest brother and he brought him round to our house and from then on he asked if I would like to go to the pictures. Since then we've never looked back.

"You do have your ups and downs but a bit of give and take doesn't go a miss. Our family are very proud."

The pair marked the impressive milestone with a meal and an overnight stay at the Croydon Park Hotel attended by around 26 family and friends last week.

Gordon, 77, formerly a roofing consultant, said: "I married her just before my national service in Egypt. I suppose at the time I was worried someone else might collar her up before I did.

"But in all seriousness, everybody thinks it's wonderful and the whole family has come together. I will never forget when we moved into that first council house in Waddon together."

A MILLION people flooded the Whitgift Centre in the week before Christmas as Croydon's retailers were handed a much-needed festive boost.

The year which saw the collapse of Allders, the town's oldest store, ended on a higher note, with most shops reporting an upturn in Christmas trade, compared to 2011.

And the new year sales proved a hit too, with people queuing from as early as 8am on Boxing Day, to snap up some bargains.

Andrew Bauer, director of the Whitgift Centre, said it was too early to assess how much its stores made over the festive period but says the signs point to a profitable Christmas.

He said: "All the indicators are that the majority of our retailers saw positive trading over the Christmas and new year period.

"They have not just increased sales but also increased profits [compared to last year]. There was good, steady business throughout December but we saw a massive rush in the last five days.

"In the week before Christmas we had in excess of a million people here."

Mr Bauer said the closure of Allders had helped some other stores increase trade, while he also pointed to the lack of pre-Christmas discount sales as a sign profits were healthier this year.

Referring to the December 26 rush, Mr Bauer added: "Boxing Day is the new, New Year's Day in terms of the sales. Most stores opened at 10am but some opened at 8am because of the sheer demand."

David Ordman, general manager at Centrale, said 1,000 people queued outside Next on Boxing Day to beat the sales rush.

He said: "As expected, Boxing Day was our busiest shopping day yet, attracting three times the number of people on a normal trading day."

Croydon BID put on five weeks of events in the run-up to Christmas and chief executive Matt Sims felt this helped to boost footfall.

He added: "Overall, we're pleased with what we delivered. The aim was to attract people to Croydon in the hope they would then spend their money here."

MUM of two Janelle Duncan-Bailey, whose body was found on Saturday, died from asphyxiation, police have said.

A post mortem found the 25-year-old, of Thornton Heath, died from "asphyxiation with compression of the neck," a Met spokesman said today.

Jerome McDonald, 30, of Fairlands Avenue, Thornton Heath, has been charged with her murder and will appear at the Old Bailey tomorrow (Wednesday) for a bail hearing.

Miss Duncan-Bailey, of Pawsons Road, was reported missing on Wednesday afternoon after she failed to pick up her two young sons from a friend's house.

Her body was found on Saturday afternoon in a parked car in Mayfield Crescent, Thornton Heath, close to Limpsfield Avenue where she had last been seen between 5am and 5.30am on Wednesday.

The post mortem was carried out yesterday at Croydon mortuary and the results passed to the Met today.

Police added they were not releasing any more details at present as to the suspected time and place of her death.

A MAN killed in a suspected hit and run in a residential street in Selsdon was delivering newspapers at the time of the collision. 
Senthilnathan Subramaniam, 56, was found collapsed in Shepherds Way at 6.35am on December 20.
Police believe the vehicle was probably being driven by one of his neighbours or a visitor to one of the houses in the area.
The delivery man suffered serious head and chest injuries and was taken to Croydon University Hospital where he died later that morning.
Mr Subramaniam, who lived in nearby Tedder Road, was delivering newspapers he had collected from Spar, in Freelands Avenue, earlier that morning.
He had been delivering to homes on foot in Warren Avenue before entering Shepherds Way. Police believe the collision occurred at 6.35am. 
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: "The area where the collision is believed to have occurred is not used as a cut through and therefore officers believe the vehicle involved is highly likely to belong to a resident or to a visitor who had reason to attend the area that morning."
A special post mortem held at Croydon Mortuary on the day of his death gave his cause of death as multiple crush injuries.
An inquest has been opened and adjourned at Croydon Coroner's Court.
No one has been arrested in connection with the incident.
Police are appealing for anyone who was in the area that morning to call the Road Death Investigation Unit based at the Catford Traffic Garage on 020 8285 1574.

LANDLORDS of hard-to-let Croydon offices are avoiding hundreds of thousands of pounds in business rates by renting them to a charity, the Advertiser can reveal.

Floors of office space in three landmark buildings have been leased to the Public Safety Charitable Trust (PSCT), which installs wi-fi to send out public service messages, securing an 80 per cent rates cut in the process.

The charity's presence in Croydon, mainly since October, comes after some councils have disputed its entitlement to tax cuts, arguing installing wi-fi does not count as occupying the building.

Mark Ferguson, co-founder of the PSCT, said the charity works in 2,000 locations across the country, and had been offered premises that landlords were struggling to let but that still incur business rates.

He said: "We take a 12-month lease, with a seven-day get-out clause, saying if they find another tenant we are prepared to move out."

He acknowledged that landlords nationally gave a donation to the charity as part of the lease arrangement, "to help us build and maintain our charity", adding the amount "varies".

The combined annual full business rates for the Croydon spaces, which include the basement to the 12th floor of St Anne House in Wellesley Road, amount to roughly £600,000 a year. The three buildings are registered to separate owners.

In May 2012, Milton Keynes Council claimed business rates back from PSCT, with the court deciding the relevant premises were not used "wholly or mainly" for charitable purposes.

But in June, a court decided in favour of PSCT in a case brought by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

A spokesman for Croydon Council said it was awaiting the outcome of a High Court test case that "we expect will clarify how we can resolve any dispute over the charitable use of a property".

He added: "All of the charitable reliefs that have been applied by the council are supported by the appropriate documentation and evidence.

"However, as has been seen nationally, there are instances where organisations use the regulations to their financial advantage, and whilst they may adhere to the letter of the law, they don't have full regard to the spirit of the rules."

Mr Ferguson, meanwhile, highlighted the successes of his charity's public service messages, which include reminders to donate and police appeals.

As well as St Anne House, the spaces secured rates relief by the PSCT are the third, sixth and seventh floors of the "50p building" (12 to 16 Addiscombe Road), and the seventh floor and part of the basement of Sunley House, Bedford Park.

The Advertiser was unable to obtain a comment from their owners at the time of going to press.

After reading through numerous new year's resolution posts via social networking sites, I have made a decision. This year I am choosing to save myself (and my friends) from false public promises that I know by this time next year even with the best intentions I will not have kept.

I don't need to make 2013 'count'. Nope. In fact by the time my birthday rolls around (November if anyone's interested) the number will still change to 32 – regardless of what actions I take or who's counting.

Instead, my list of resolutions will be blank. I will attempt to avoid spending another minute, hour or day chasing perfection. I will embrace all the imperfections that I have been blessed with.

I have no doubt The Husband would suggest there could be room for improvement. His wife's mood swings and occasional object throwing habit during a pre-menstrual week? Yes they could go, but there have also been a few pretty good moves in the kitchen and the odd holding hand moment to his advantage. Plus, it keeps him on his toes.

Maybe as a mummy I have rolled my eyes and brushed off playground woe from time to time, preoccupied with a good old gossip instead. But I have managed to kiss, smother and hug my offspring a fair bit more in compensation. Let alone the amount of love I have bought in the form of sweeties (any parent who says they haven't are lying).

All right, what I am saying might come across as exactly the kind of self indulgence that I am trying to avoid but in all seriousness if I manage to get through 2013 without having even more resolutions to improve on, it's got to be a bonus.

I've mostly bitten my tongue to anyone else where I should, laughed only sometimes where I shouldn't. Most of us are guilty of a chuckle at someone else's misfortune at some point. Let's be honest.

I accept these flaws in my otherwise spotless personality, it's better to regret something that you've done than something you haven't. Especially as avoiding regrets is near impossible when you have a Diet Coke addiction like mine.

So, on that note, I'm off to drink some caffeine, have a mood swing, partake in a cheeky chinwag and buy some sweets.

RECORD-BREAKING results are being celebrated by global telecommunications recruitment specialist Penta Consulting.

The 2012 figures released by the company, based in Stafford Road in Wallington, show profit before tax was £3.3 million, the best since it was founded 14 years ago.

Paul Clark, Penta's chief executive, said: "Over the past year Penta's international business has grown by 37 per cent.

"With operations in over 85 countries, global business now accounts for 69 per cent of our turnover and 73 per cent of profits."

He added: "I am extremely pleased with this year's results which can be attributed to the hard work of all the staff and our continued focus on high-value business.

"All in all we have had an outstanding year on all fronts and I look forward to releasing our interim figures in the new year." Penta Consulting have also just signed a deal to sponsor David Weir until the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Mr Clark believes another component of Penta's 2012 success has been the high level of recognition the company has received through its business and recruitment awards.

These have included being named best international recruitment company and best company to work for in the Recruitment International Awards plus best UK overseas operation in the Global Recruiter Awards and three regional business awards.

Earlier this year, Penta was called an "outstanding" place to work and was ranked 13th in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For guide, which is seen as the definitive such listing.

There are presently about 145 A-boards lining the streets on weekdays, with more at weekends.

The council has written to shopkeepers, saying the advertisement boards are "having a detrimental impact on both the health and safety of people using the town centre and on the visual amenity of the area".

Under the proposals, businesses will be forced to pay £335 for each A-board outside their premises and apply for a licence for five years. The council also plans to limit the height and width of the A-boards, and restrict each business to just one board outside their premises.

The council will decide whether to go ahead with the plans in February, once the current public consultation exercise is completed.

The initial area affected by the proposals includes North End, George Street, Church Street and part of High Street, including the junction with St George's Walk, which has more than 30 advertising boards.

Shopkeepers here claim they are of vital importance in attracting more customers to their stores.

Antonio Zaidi, from Mamma Mia restaurant, told the Advertiser: "The reason shop owners put the boards outside is because we're not doing well.

"We put them outside to bring customers in. The council should see the boards and help us out - not try to get rid of them.

"My business is doing very, very badly. The council killed my business. I ask what about London – why is it OK to have signs in central London and not here?"

Rahima Abdalla, the manager of a hardware and convenience store, added: "St George's Walk is so quiet. It's dead. The only way people can know that we are here is because of the signs.

"The council promises they will do something about it, but they don't. We expect them to help us so we can pay our rent.

"I have been here three months and I am already thinking of leaving. I work from 7am until 7pm, but even at this busy time of year no one comes here."

Joseph Assade, manager of Beauty Queen in Station Road, agrees the boards are a useful way of bringing more business to smaller shops.

He said: "A little business like us has to do everything to survive. This is the worst Christmas I've seen in the 15 years I've been here."

Kevin Nelson, assistant manager of Richard's newsagents in North End, thinks it is just another way for the council to punish small shops to the advantage of the major supermarkets.

He said: "If they can get some money they will try to screw us."

However, not everyone is against the council's clampdown on A-boards.

Shopper Jim Smith, 64, from South Croydon, said: "I think there are just too many A-boards and they get in the way."

Bryan Thompson, 70, from Broad Green, added: "I don't agree with shops taking over the pavement and putting their produce where people walk.

"It means people have to walk around bus stops and into the road because these shops are encroaching on the footpath.

"It's a safety hazard." Croydon Council says its war on A-boards is designed to make the town centre look 'more presentable'. Councillor Simon Hoar, cabinet member for community safety, said: "We just want to de-clutter the town centre a bit. "On an average day, there are a 160 A-boards in the town centre, with the number rising on the weekend. "The plan is to tidy up the town centre and make it look a bit more presentable. "We're not banning them outright, and the proposals are only for those shops in the zone itself. Shops will be still allowed one A-board each to advertise." Cllr Hoar explained that newsagents wanting more than one A-board would have to put an advertising notice on either side of one board. He said the proposals are currently up for consultation and added that 'all of the businesses have been contacted directly'. Cllr Hoar said: "The idea is to tidy it up and hopefully, if the town centre looked more presentable, then more shoppers will be attracted to come to Croydon." He added: "While we want to let the town's businesses continue to promote themselves, we need to ensure that's done in a sensible way. "Right now the spread of these boards is more like fly-posting, but by introducing these new rules we'll be able to exercise much more control over the number, size and location of portable adverts." Advertisement boards should be within 2m of the tram lines and there should be a minimum of 2m clear on the footpath. They should not exceed 1.15m x 0.8m. A-boards should have a rigid base with no sharp edges or protruding parts. The initial restricted area proposed covers George Street, Church Street, Tamworth Road, North End, the junction between North End and Crown Hill and the entrance to St George's Walk. Each business would be limited to one A-board each within the restricted area.

Since birth. I'm Croydon born and raised, but went to uni at the age of 18 to study cybernetics (Google Project Cyborg). I came back a decade ago fleeing violent crime and have been here since.

I'm a Forestdale kinda guy, went to Trinity on a bursary (one-parent family), and over the past decade have mostly lived on the edge of Forestdale.

I work for Croydon Voluntary Action and Croydon NHS at present. I do Labour Party work privately as well, but CVA and the NHS are obviously neutral.

The best thing about Croydon is...

The food. Around here it's incredible – this is why I wrote Cronx Cuisine. My own personal love affair with Croydon food helped me survive some horrific experiences whilst living here. So when I realised others faced the same challenges I wrote down what I had learnt.

The site is now approved by Croydon NHS. Yes, our food really is that good.

The worst thing about Croydon is... There are three key factors:

Low educational standards. I'm used to the sort of stuff you find in a university town. Croydon is nothing compared to what these university towns can churn out. We have to get our skills base back up to something more than hairdressing.

Decision making. The town has been in decline for 30 years. The same old managers using the same old tired 1980s formulas. These people keep getting employed, even though they aren't very good.

The crime. If it's not white collar it's violent street crime. It's all real, and typical of a town with zero prospects in it. Low wages, high prices for rent and mortgages, everyone is broke. And where there is poverty crime will happen.

Croydon can be repaired. But you have to deal with the above three factors to get it fixed. And it'll take a good 10 years to do it. Assuming you can start now.

My perfect day in Croydon would consist of...

A nice meal, a few jars, some good friends, and some top music. I'm disabled and I work, so R&R is important for me.

One thing people don't know about Croydon is...

Croydon can be repaired. So many ridicule Croydon and declare it a write-off.

I'm an engineer. We likes a fixer-upper we do. She isn't a write off.

The Croydon person/figure I most admire is...

Most of my experiences of Croydon leaders and managers have been negative, being honest about it. But Malcolm Wicks (former Labour MP for Croydon North) was pretty cool.

He had a sense of humour like mine, and had progressed right to the top of the pile through study and actually giving two-hoots about the locals.

My kind of person. He was no thief, exploiter, or corrupt manager.

He was a repair man. We need more like him.

If I was put in charge of Croydon for the day, I would...

You don't want to know how many managers I'd dismiss for incompetence.

Part of my work is politics, part of it is NHS, and part of it is charity. And if I had the right to hire and fire I'd purge this place.

And I guarantee they would not have a leg to stand on if they tried for an unfair dismissal claim.

Finally, if I could sum up Croydon in three words, they would be...

Must do better.

There is so much potential here. But you need to get the creators creating. And so far all we seem to have had is exploitation of said creators. So they leave, taking their skills and ideas with them.

It has to change

ALMOST half of the borough's rubbish is recycled rather than sent to landfill.

The quarterly recycling figure of 47.89 per cent for the period July to September 2012 was more than ten per cent higher than the rate recorded for the same period in 2011, and beats the target of 44 per cent within 12 months.

The figures come as compulsory recycling was introduced on Tuesday, which aims to change the habits of a minority of households that persistently refuse to put their household waste out for recycling.

Sending waste to landfill costs the council around £106 per tonne, compared to just £30 per tonne for processing recyclable materials.

Compulsory recycling is set to save the council approximately an extra £200,000 a year.

Recycling officers are scheduled to boost the first six months of the compulsory scheme by giving advice to residents living in roads that have been identified as priorities.

The majority of households are already recycling, so the focus will be on the minority who refuse to put their recyclable waste out for collection, even after a 12-week process of personal advice and reminder letters.

An £80 fine would then be considered, with a reduction for early payment.

Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for highways and environmental services, said: "A huge thank-you goes to our residents for their excellent efforts with improving our recycling performance.

"We will work with households who don't recycle and will help them get into the recycling habit. The focus will be on those households where we know recycling is not happening.

"The council needs to increase recycling rates because not only does it have environmental benefits, but it saves the council money. Recycling saves us £5 million every year in landfill costs."

The majority of those who took part in a borough-wide consultation agreed that the council should take action, including potential fines for those who persistently fail to recycle.

Anyone requiring a blue box for paper and card, a green box for glass, cans and plastic or a food waste container, can find online forms and contact e-mail addresses at www.croydon.gov.uk/environment or can call the council on 020 8726 6200 and speak to someone about household collections.

Although the total number of crimes across the borough was down 0.8 per cent on the previous 12 months, offences categorised as Racist and Religious Hate Crime are now being committed five times a week – a rise of 90 per cent.

A total of 32,422 crimes were recorded for Croydon in 2011, according to the latest figures, compared with 32,170 for 2012, a fall of 252 offences – the exact same number of Racist and Religious Hate Crimes recorded for 2012, up from 132 for 2011.

The police have attributed the rise to a "growing willingness" of victims to report hate crime.

But as the borough becomes increasingly diverse, with recent Census figures showing less than half of white Britons now make up the borough population (47.3 per cent), the rise in race hate crimes has reignited the debate over whether more resources are needed to help communities integrate and prevent a further increase.

Pat Reid, chairman of Croydon Black and Minority Ethnic Forum (BME), a charity that works with BME communities in the borough, said the figures are a reminder that more resources should be ploughed into education.

Mr Reid said: "It is concerning in terms of it being on the increase when everything else is going down.

"Lack of understanding can be an issue so education has a huge role to play in prevention.

"I think in general Croydon is pretty tolerant of different races. But there is always more that can be done and it would obviously be nice not to see a further increase this year."

Lee Jasper, who ran for political party Respect in the recent battle to become MP for Croydon North, said while campaigning within the community, he heard numerous stories of discrimination against multiple ethnic groups, including "escalating Islamophobia", in which Muslim families were often the victim of vandalism and verbal abuse.

Mr Jasper said: "The reality is that in the context of a continuing economic decline, racism and racial violence tend to rise as people face unemployment and scarce resources.

"As a result minority communities are scapegoated and as we are seeing now there is a subsequent increase in racial attacks."

The figures for crimes committed across the borough show violence against the person is down, along with homicide, burglary, gun crime and car crime.

However, rape, robbery and domestic abuse were up along with racist and religious hate crimes, which saw by far the sharpest increase.

The figures for 2012 show Racist and Religious Hate Crimes are also the fastest increasing crime London-wide - 7,932 for 2011 compared with 9,134 in 2012, an increase of 15.2 per cent.

The latest figures, which only record crime up until the end of November last year and the same for the year before, also show that across London, total crime stood at 813,015 for 2011 compared with 790,954 for 2012 – a fall of 2.7 per cent.

In response to the sharp increase in hate crimes, a Met Police spokesman said: "We believe increases in the number of reported offences are due to a range of factors, including a growing willingness of victims to report hate crime because of an improved awareness of our staff in identifying these offences.

"We are working with communities to increase their confidence in us so they are more likely to come forward and report incidents and so we can better understand where, when and who is committing these crimes so that we can more effectively investigate them."

Steve O'Connell, non-executive adviser for neighbourhood policing in the Mayor's Office for policing and Crime (MOPAC), said the rise in race hate crimes is "disturbing", but denied that cuts to the number of fully warranted police officers will make it harder to tackle.

He said: "We should be conscious some crime types have increased, but sometimes this is not always a bad thing because it means people are more encouraged to report them, and we must remember that [hate crime] is notoriously under reported.

"I find this one of the most abhorrent crimes.

"We are a happy and diverse borough but this is of some concern.

"The figures warrant closer inspection. At the very simple level, figures suggest we could do more in integration."

THEY may not be the biggest but Croydon estate agents Streets Ahead are having an increasingly large impact on the property world.

The growing status of the company has been hammered home by its success in the recent national Estate Agency of the Year Awards.

For the second year running, Streets Ahead, which was founded by Bob Hay and Gary O'Hare, in 1990 has been named as the south east's best estate agent.

But this time it has added to that title by winning the bronze award in the category for estate agents dealing in selling new homes and has also been commended for its customer service and work in the community.

Joint managing director Mr O'Hare said judges had been impressed by the overall approach of the company which while small - it has offices in Addiscombe, Purley, Coulsdon, South Croydon and Crystal Palace - had shown it could challenge the "big boys" in terms of service.

He said its reputation in the field of new homes had been enhanced by the fact that it was the main agent for Berkeley Homes' Saffron Square development in Wellesley Road

and for Barratt's New South Quarter development in Waddon.

Mr O'Hare said Streets Ahead was proud of its commitment to Croydon as a supporter of the local homeless charity, Nightwatch, and main backer of the Croydon marathon.

He said to receive the national recognition, Streets Ahead had undergone some stringent tests from the judges.

The company had to present a detailed submission on its business operation and then face a lengthy interview process.

Mr O'Hare said: "The judges were looking to test our knowledge of the business, our operational procedures, staff training and customer service.

"They were very, very big on community work."

He added: "It was difficult. The judges wanted to know exactly how we do things and find out whether we were really rolling up our sleeves to do the job."

Mr O'Hare was backed by joint managing director Mr Hay, in stressing their support for Croydon as a town, which both think has an exciting future ahead.

Mr Hay said: "I am particularly excited as our staff and I attended the Develop Croydon conference in November and Croydon is certainly going to be an exciting place to live and work.

"I am looking forward to our team being at the forefront of an estate agency for people moving into the borough and the business community and also continuing our charity and community work throughout 2013."

AN ACTRESS who starred in a cult 1970s TV show before making South Croydon her home for nearly 40 years has died.

Dolores Harding, more widely known by her acting name Dolores Mantez, died on November 30 aged 74, after being diagnosed with cancer in September.

Born in Liverpool before moving to London to work as a singer, she was best known for her role as the purple-haired Lieutenant Nina Barry in Gerry Anderson's series UFO.

Paying tribute to his mother, her only child Rob Harding told the Advertiser: "To me she will always be mum.

"But to have that character, to get out and sing in front of people, you have to have something about you and she carried that on to the end; she was not afraid to be different and unique."

Dolores played Lieutenant Barry in 23 of the 26 episodes of UFO – about aliens invading earth – attracting a strong fanbase that exists to this day.

Moving into acting after being spotted by an agent, she also appeared in TV shows such as The Avengers and Shadow Squad, and in stage musicals touring the West End and Europe.

Mr Harding, 38, added: "In the 60s and early 70s there were not that many parts for mixed race people, so she was a shining light in that area.

"She had quite a hard childhood so she was probably going to work in a factory or as a seamstress, but she had this quality of singing and she liked using her talent.

"Even after leaving UFO, she still enjoyed going to the conventions and meeting the fans. One of the fan groups flew her out to Italy, so she was treated well."

Dolores and her husband, Robert Harding, moved to Barham Road, South Croydon, in the 1970s, Dolores retiring from acting when their son was born. Mr Harding, who had a business in Selsdon Road, died in 1999.

Dolores died at St Christopher's Hospice in Sydenham and a low-key funeral was held for her at Croydon Crematorium on December 17, conducted by the Reverend Philip Thrower.

Residents in Barham Road this week fondly remembered their kind neighbour who was "full of fun".

George Hudd, who has lived with his family in the quiet cul-de-sac since before Dolores moved in, said: "She was full of fun and she was very kind. I think 'effervescent' is the right word. You never heard her say a nasty word about anyone."

Neighbour Paulette Grosvenor, 40, said: "One time she brought us a big bowl of fruit and said, 'This is too much for me, why don't you have it for the children'.

"That was the sort of person she was; she was very kind."