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Two pubs in Purley and Coulsdon saved from closure
TWO pubs have been saved from closure following a buyout deal after their owner went into administration.
The Pembroke, in Coulsdon, and The Rectory, in Purley, have both been bought by Stonegate Pub Company after The Bramwell Pub Company was placed into administration late last month.
About 35 of Bramwell's 185 pubs across the country have been closed due to the administration, including The Pilgrim in Caterham.
A spokesman for Stonegate said: "We can confirm that The Pembroke in Coulsdon and The Rectory in Purley are two of the 78 pubs acquired from the administrator of the Bramwell Pub Company.
"We are delighted to have acquired these fantastic sites along with securing the jobs within the premises.
He added: "We look forward to welcoming the team to the company and successfully operating the businesses."
The buyout has saved 17 jobs at The Pembroke, in Chipstead Valley Road, and 19 at The Rectory, in Brighton Road, the spokesman added.
The company has also bought Old Bank in High Street, Sutton, saving another 13 jobs.
Stonegate runs several venues in Croydon, including The Wattenden Arms, in Kenley, The Green Dragon, Reflex, Yates's and The Goose, all in the town centre.
Charles King, chairman of the East Coulsdon Residents' Association, said The Pembroke's future without Bramwell had looked shaky before Stonegate stepped in.
He said: "The receiver was looking for buyers and they were allowed to keep trading.
"But at the Pembroke one night last week they had lager but no real ale.
"We are all very pleased about Stonegate stepping in.
"The Pembroke is a nice pub and we like it and we hope they don't make too many changes.
"In general we like it as it is and we hope they don't put up the prices."
The Pembroke was formerly a Co-op supermarket, reversing today's trend of pubs being turned into convenience stores.
The Bramwell Pub Company reportedly went into administration due to cash flow problems, with Stonegate said to have bought the best-performing sites.
Stonegate describes itself as an "innovative and passionate team with big ambitions for the future."
We put YOUR questions to Croydon South Tory hopeful Chris Philp
Q: You ran for the Hampstead seat in 2010 and for selection in Tonbridge three weeks ago. How can you convince voters you are not just a career politician?
A. I was brought up in West Wickham, so my roots are in south London. It's up to me over the coming weeks and years to demonstrate my commitment and hard work that I will get things done and stand up for people here. I will be doing it the hard way; knocking on doors and talking to people house by house.
I will also be holding a meeting in the Croydon Conservative Association office on December 7 at 1pm to meet resident group leaders and anyone who wants to come along.
Q. Croydon South is a safe Conservative seat. Will you put your constituency above Westminster?
A. It is an MPs ongoing commitment, and not just the duration of an election campaign, to be part of the furniture and to be accessible to local people. Picking up local issues and supporting local people will be my priority.
Q. Will you support local groups campaigning to keep community facilities like leisure centres and libraries when the council seeks to close them?
A. It is difficult to generalise but would I look at each issue properly. When these things come up, I want to understand the issue and talk to residents. If I felt the local authority, the London Assembly or the Government had got it wrong, I would actively advocate in support of whatever was the right thing for local residents.
For example, when I was a councillor in Camden, I successfully campaigned against the shutting down on police stations. That shows I am not afraid to get involved.
Q. Police stations have closed down all over Croydon South. There is now only one contact point left, open for only three hours a week. Will you put pressure on the mayor to have a police station in the south of the borough?
A. The deal in Croydon was the borough would get an extra 117 police officers in consideration of station cutbacks. We can look towards a creative solution and look to find places where the police can base themselves in the community.
I plan to meet with Steve O'Connell and Stephen Greenhalgh, deputy mayor for policing and crime, to explore whether it is possible to find a base in the south of the borough.
Q. What can you do to stop town centres and high streets like Purley and Selsdon dying?
A. It's a valid concern and definitely true. One thing we could do is give small businesses and independent shops more business rate relief.
All small shops pay pretty much same as big shops and shopkeepers will tell you the rates are a real killer.
If you can give them bigger relief, that would make their businesses more viable and fill up vacant properties.
Q. Do you support the loosening of restrictions for developing on green spaces and putting up private extensions?
A. The Government has delivered on promises to stop garden grabbing and I fully support that.
I do think the eight metre extension allowance is too much. It used to be three metres and probably needs looking at. I also think developing on brown field sites like Cane Hill is much better than on green spaces. It's very important to protect this area because it is what makes it so nice.
Every council has a five-year housing plan where they have to draw a map pinpointing which sites are suitable for development. If they do not have one, developers can exploit areas through the backdoor by going to the Planning Inspectorate for permission to build on a site. I will be watching Croydon Council's plan closely.
Q. What are your ambitions in Westminster?
A. This is not about identifying some job and wanting to be a minister; politics should be about getting something done. There are three things I want to achieve.
The first is making sure that children of all backgrounds, particularly those in the state sector, have the same opportunities as those who are better off. It is not the case at the moment and you shouldn't have to pay for a good education.
I was lucky, I went to a good state school, so I want to make sure all children have that opportunity.
Secondly, I want to make sure the NHS looks after us the way it should. I have two deep personal experiences – one bad when my father got MRSA, and one good, when my twins were born 25 weeks prematurely this year.
I want to make sure the problems at Croydon University Hospital are tackled and it is not ignored for years, like Mid-Staffordshire.
The third is the economy and jobs in the UK. I want to make sure Britain stays competitive globally and the next generation have jobs and opportunities.
Double celebration for charity founder Eliza
THE young founder of an anti-knife crime charity had two reasons to celebrate this week.
Eliza Rebeiro, 20, started Lives Not Knives (LNK) aged 14, to give young people a support network after two of her friends were stabbed – one to death.
After making LNK into a registered charity, Eliza won the Young Star award at the Women of the Future ceremony in London on Wednesday last week.
The night of recognition at the Marriott hotel in Grosvenor Square was a well-earned break from a manic week, in which she had also been setting up a new base for LNK in Centrale.
Eliza said: "It was a fantastic night and it was amazing to meet lots of women in business who are really on top of their game.
"It was also nice to be recognised for my work as well."
She was given the keys to a spacious unit on the upper level of Centrale just six days before the launch of the charity's new base.
Eliza, who is helped by her mum Monique Rebeiro, added: "It was a bit of a mad week as we pulled everything together for the launch and did all the painting and fitting.
"But the place looks amazing and it's huge, so it should be a good space for Croydon's young people.
"There aren't really enough places where young people can go for help and advice."
Half of the unit will be used to accommodate referrals from the Job Centre and co-ordinate programmes designed to get more young people into work.
The other side will offer help to budding entrepreneurs and start-up businesses, including everything from CV guidance to interview training.
Eliza said: "Everyone who comes to us has an inspiring story and they all know what they want but they don't know how to get there. That's where we come in.
"It's about making sure young people are given opportunities to show what they can do.
"We want to make a lot of corporate partnerships with businesses that can offer young people work programmes and get them valuable experience.
"We've had lots of support, which is vital because that is what a lot of young people need so desperately."
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Happy ending for Selsdon Little League kids after kit theft
A CASH-STRAPPED football club which was raided by thieves has been given a new look after local businesses stepped in to replace their strips.
The Selsdon Little League, run for more than 400 children who cannot afford to be members of private clubs, was targeted in July when thieves caused £1,200 of damage.
The club had its generator, worth £500, equipment and strips stolen, forcing the managers to consider closing it.
Mik Simmons, the club's vice-president, said the league was now in a better position than they were before the raid, despite the council still charging a "fortune" for the children to use the pitches in Sanderstead.
"We have more sponsors now than we did before the incident which is great and enough to keep us going until the beginning of next year," he said.
"What we don't understand, as a club run by volunteers for kids who would not otherwise get to play sport, is why the council charge us up to £3,000 to use the pitches.
"Other little leagues around the country are recognised for their work and can use them for free."
Mathew Crawford-Thomas, who has two sons in the league, brought up the incident at his company, Columbus Direct, and decided to ask them for help.
He said: "I heard what had happened and just thought, 'You know what, the company isn't short of money, I'm sure they will help'. I asked our head of money and they said it was no problem and would pay for new strips to be made for the children."
The firm donated £500, while other donors included Dynamo Boxing, £720; Medipharm, £500; Sanderstead Residents' Association, £600; Dave & Co Builders, £400; and Liverpool Victoria insurance company, £230.
Sponsors have their names on the new kits and have pledged to keep supporting the club.
Club chairman Bob Clewley said: "We pride ourselves on our ethos of over 20 years of sport for every child.
"But the theft compromised our ability to deliver that to the full while we sorted out the mess these thieves left behind."
The chairman said the league had been devastated by the raid, when they realised they did not have enough money or insurance to recover the damages.
Mr Simmons added: "People have come forward who we would have never expected.
"They came and found us after hearing what happened. They've helped us get back on the roads so we're very thankful."
Anyone interested in joining or supporting the club can visit selsdonlittleleagues. leaguerepublic.com