Philadelphia Union 0 Crystal Palace 1: Own goal leads Eagles to victory in the U.S
Forget Cannes - South Norwood and Thornton Heath to get their own film festival
MOVE over Cannes - South Norwood and Thornton Heath are aiming to steal the French Riviera's thunder with a film festival of their own.
The South Norwood and Thornton Heath Free Film Festival will take place from October 25-November 1 with help from London-wide community group Free Film Festivals.
Roney Henderson, the driving force behind the new festival, said she was inspired after attending a Free Film Festivals meeting in Peckham.
Roney, who lives in South Norwood after moving there from Thornton Heath, said: "I studied film at City University London and have always been a huge fan of cinema.
"I went to the planning meeting for the free film festival for Peckham and Nunhead and came away thinking I wanted to be a part of it but that there probably wasn't any space for me.
"So I just thought, 'why not hold one where I live?'."
Roney organised planning meetings at Stanley Halls, which have all been attended by more than ten people and has formed a planning committee.
After plugging the idea online, venues including South Norwood's Stanley Halls, Thornton Heath's Scratchley Hall and Norbury Park Lawn Tennis Club have volunteered to stage events.
Roney said: "We're going to have different-themed evenings and show lots of popular films such as a [Quentin] Tarantino night. He's one of my favourite directors.
"But we will also have cult evenings and we want to have an evening where we just show work from local film-makers.
"There's a lot of talent here – I would love to see a young local filmmaker come out of this having been discovered by people."
Neil Johns, one of the founders of Free Film Festivals, has helped new festivals get off the ground in locations such as Herne Hill, Westminster and London Fields, providing the organisers with equipment and advice.
He said: "I'm very excited this is going to get off the ground. These are sort of postcode festivals and can be very popular."
Roney is also hoping for more involvement from the Thornton Heath community.
"At the moment it's quite South Norwood-centric. If we got both communities involved together it could be great for the area."
Contact snath@freefilmfest ivals.org for more information.
Removal man sacked after being caught on camera fly-tipping
VOTE: Choose your preferred Crystal Palace strike duo
THE capture of Fraizer Campbell means Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis now has plenty of striking options.
Campbell joins record signing Dwight Gayle, club legend Glenn Murray and former Arsenal man Marouane Chamakh at the club, alongside a host of attacking options in the wide areas such as Yannick Bolasie, Jason Puncheon, Barry Bannan, and Jonny Williams.
The presence of so many attacking and wide midfield players could lead Tony Pulis to play just one man striker but, on the basis he plays two up top, we want to know who you'd like to see leading the line for Palace.
Do you like the idea of natural goalscorers Murray and Gayle playing together, or perhaps favour Chamakh's link-up skills? Or does new boy Campbell figure in your ideal Eagles strikeforce?
Please vote in our poll at the bottom of this page - and we'll reveal the results later this week.
Paedophile who changed name is spared jail sentence
A CONVICTED paedophile who sexually abused two young girls in Thornton Heath in the early 1980s has been spared jail despite failing to tell police he had changed his name.
Stanley Kissoon, 71, who now lives in Birkenhead, Wirral, was jailed for 15 years in 2003 for the assaults on two girls aged nine and 11 at a house in Thornton Heath, between 1979 and 1982.
Kissoon, who used to live at Rowland Court, Addiscombe, changed his name by deed poll to Stanley Herrman last August.
But despite changing the name on his driving licence and bank account, he failed to tell police until they were notified of the change and interviewed him.
Kissoon pleaded guilty at Wirral Magistrates' Court earlier this month to failing to tell police he had changed his name – an offence linked to the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
After his release from prison, Kissoon moved to the Wirral in 2012 to get away from his past but has been subject to a poster campaign and threats from his neighbours.
He had been sentenced to 15 years in prison for two counts of rape and six years, to run concurrently, for indecent assault and for two counts of indecency with a child.
His victims had contacted the police when they met up 15 years later and told each other about their ordeals.
Kissoon denied the attacks and claimed they were fabricated, but after being found guilty it emerged he had two previous convictions for indecent assaults on two other girls in 1983.
At Wirral Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (July 22), Kissoon was sentenced to nine weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 120 hours unpaid work in the community.
He must also comply with a six-month supervision order.
Head happy to unwind after 39 years in Croydon schools
A HEAD teacher who has devoted most of her working life to education in Croydon is standing down after a decade at the helm of a unique school.
Janet Godfrey has been head at Winterbourne Junior Girls, in Thornton Heath - the only all-girls state primary school in the country - for the past 11 years.
Her retirement brings to an end a teaching career which spans 39 years, most of which have been spent in Croydon.
She came to Winterbourne in 2003 after serving for three years as head of Anerley Primary School, where she was instrumental in lifting the school out of special measures.
Before that she taught at a number of schools across the borough including Gilbert Scott Infants in Selsdon, Hayes Primary in Kenley, Rowdown Primary in New Addington, Spring Park Primary in Shirley and Forestdale Primary.
Miss Godfrey said: "I came here because I needed a new challenge and the school wanted somebody who had already been a head teacher."
It is a decision she has never regretted.
Miss Godfrey said: "The school is very multicultural, we have children from all over the world here. It is also very much part of the community and has a lot of tradition; grandmothers, mothers and now their daughters have all come here."
One thing Miss Godfrey has taken a particular pride in is developing technology teaching in the school, which now boasts two computer suites for use by the pupils.
She said: "It is known that in a mixed school girls don't always have the same opportunities to have a turn on the computers as the boys do.
"Overall though you forget about this being a girls school.
"The children here are just pupils and we are working with them to help them achieve their best.
"We try to do everything for the good of the children, we want them all to reach their full potential."
Miss Godfrey said retirement was a big decision but one she is comfortable with.
She said: "I am going to miss the children and the company but am now 60 and I just thought it is my time to step down."
Miss Godfrey said she intended to keep busy after leaving the school and one of her first priorities is to travel.
She has also booked up a Baltic cruise and trips to Boston and Iceland.
Miss Godfrey be helping out at Addington Methodist Church, where she already teaches in the Sunday school.
D-Day veteran Burt responds to nursery's call for a war hero
PARENTS at a nursery which wanted a veteran to be guest of honour for the opening of their memorial garden found their man – after a kind Advertiser reader came forward to help.
Louisa Middleweek, head of the PTA at Castle Day Nursery in Sanderstead, launched an appeal last week for a veteran to honour the opening of the garden.
Within hours of the paper hitting the shops, Louisa was contacted by Croydon's Deputy Lieutenant Colonel Ian McRobbie, who knew just the man to fit the bill.
He put the PTA in touch with 94-year-old Burt Smith, a lifetime Sanderstead resident, who helped storm the beaches on D-Day.
Burt cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the garden at the village's memorial hall on Saturday and was the centre of attention at the summer fayre afterwards.
Louisa was amazed with the quick response to her appeal.
"It was always going to be a long shot, but we were absolutely delighted," she said.
"We had a great day and having Burt there to open the garden made it very special.
"After he cut the ribbon all the children ran past to go and have fun."
Louisa said she sought out a veteran because the hall was built to honour those who died in the First World War.
She added: "Burt was absolutely great, chatting to everyone.
"He had fascinating stories to tell and he was showing the young children his medals."
Burt, who lives on his own after his wife passed away recently, said he particularly enjoyed opening the garden as his grandfather had been a gardener.
Now Louisa intends to invite him to all the PTA's future events and one of the garden's flower pot men has even been named 'Burt' in his honour.
Around 300 people attended the opening and fayre, helping to raise £1,020 for the nursery.
"We didn't expect to raise that much," said Louisa. "Parents have been so kind and done so much. Everyone's been doing something to help.
"The staff are so enthusiastic and have been so behind the fayre."
Crystal Palace defender delighted to be back after hamstring woe
YUMMY MUMMY: Steamy sessions with new man have me all in a spin
I have never felt this way before. He is dominant, painfully fit and has pushed my body to breaking point.
After a long day at the office full of the usual politics, tea room chit chat and mundane pleasantries, I decided excitement was drastically needed to lift my dull mood. I headed home planning my tight fitting outfit for the evening. No matter what, tonight was going to be all about me. I was going to take a risk for once and damn the consequences.
The time and place was all arranged so there was no backing out. It was now or never. I changed and showered in record time, consciously pulling my hair back into a ponytail to prevent any unnecessary distractions. Kissing the kiddos and husband goodbye, the butterflies flipped about in my stomach at the thought of my evening ahead. On the drive I start to worry I'm doing the right thing. What if I don't make it home?
An hour later and I'm back in the car. Covered head to toe in sweat, my legs shaking - thankful the session was finally over. Those 45 minutes had passed in a whirlwind of frenzied body movements, desperation and euphoria. At some points I wasn't sure I would be able to stay conscious.
Still, for some unknown reason I heard myself agreeing to the same time, same place, next week. This man has me hooked. Reassuring me it will get easier with time and persistence.
My sore bum and wobbly legs tell me differently. Let me tell you now that spinning class is not for the faint-hearted. Or the unfit like me.
Damn that new instructor.
Croydon student wins Sir Richard Branson masterclass
A CROYDON student landed a business masterclass with Sir Richard Branson after winning an entrepreneurial competition.
Nasir Abdulqadir Yammama, 24, beat off thousands of entries to claim first place in The Enterprise Challenge – an online competition run by the British Council and Virgin Atlantic to find extraordinary Nigerian entrepreneurs.
The Middlesex University student swept through the three rounds of the competition with individual essays, video pitches and business plans, impressing experts from Britain and Nigeria with his proposition for a mobile phone app called Verdant.
The app, launching next year, aims to help crop farmers, with Nasir himself coming from a farming family in Nigeria.
"The app is like a companion for farmers, and brings together intelligence that they wouldn't normally have access to," said Nasir.
Verdant allows them to access information such as market intelligence, annual rainfall and weather forecasts in Nasir's hope that it will help crop farmers to "farm more intelligently and increase their business".
This business proposition ensured Nasir a mentoring session in London with Sir Richard Branson along with the second winner Eseoghene Odieteruns.
The session allowed the winners to ask questions and learn more from the entrepreneur.
After the session, Nasir said: "It was a priceless opportunity that I will continue to value immensely. I've been able to acquire so much wisdom and inspiration that I feel ready and bound to exceed all expectation."
Along with the meeting, each winner was granted £5,000, courtesy of the competition's partner Zenith Bank for project development, as well as a fully funded five-day course at the Branson Centre in South Africa.
Sir Richard said: "Innovation has been an important part of Virgin's heritage and I was pleased to see so many young Nigerians keen to embrace new ideas through the competition.
"Many congratulations to Nasir who had fantastic business plans and I'm sure will have a very bright future."
SURVEY: The Croydon riots - three years on
VOTE: Do you want Man Utd flop Wilfried Zaha back at Crystal Palace
Commonwealth Games: Martyn Rooney storms to victory in 400m heat
Crystal Palace fans want Glenn Murray and Dwight Gayle to lead the line this season
TRANSFER TALK: Crystal Palace legend Glenn Murray linked with move to Bolton
CRYSTAL Palace striker Glenn Murray is being linked with a move to Championship side Bolton - which would see him reunited with ex-boss Dougie Freedman.
Various reports today suggest Freedman would like to take the 31-year-old marksman either on loan or on a permanent deal.
Murray bagged 31 goals in Palace's promotion season but was forced to sit out much of the last campaign in the Premier League, after suffering a serious knee injury in the first-leg of the play-off semi-final against former club Brighton.
Tony Pulis has new signing Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh, and Dwight Gayle competing for striking spots, but reaction on Twitter today suggests most Palace fans would be unhappy to see Murray leave.
@HLTCO Tweeted: "I cannot see the club willingly letting Murray go, especially to Bolton. It would annoy so many of our fans. PR suicide."
@Eaglesince98 said: "Go away Freedman, Murray isn't going anywhere."
Woman taken to hospital after car smashes into South Norwood lamp post
A WOMAN had to be taken to hospital after her car hit a lamp post in South Norwood yesterday (Sunday).
Police were called at approximately 9.15am to reports of a collision between a car and a lamp post in South Norwood Hill.
London Ambulance Service attended the scene and took a woman to hospital although her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
Fire crews also attended and a road closure was put in place while the incident was dealt with.
The road was reopened by approximately 10am.
Snake missing for four months turns up in pensioner's toilet
Married couple jailed after conning authorities out of £200k over seven years
Teenagers found guilty of manslaughter after Sea Cadets blaze
Motorcyclist injured in collision with car.
A MOTORCYCLIST was taken to Croydon University Hospital after his bike was in collision with a car at the junction of London Road and Canterbury Road, Thornton Heath this afternoon (Monday). The accident occurred around 3pm and London Road was partially blocked while police and ambulance crews dealt with the incident. A police spokesman said the injuries suffered by the motorcyclist, who was reported to be in his 20s, were not thought to be life threatening. The driver of the car was not hurt.