Last week one corner of Kenley was particularly busy with two big complementary events at the new Community Hub at Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church.
The Connecting Kenley project is devised to bring Kenley together, from the station and Godstone Road, to Bourne Park and the airfield and over to Old Lodge Lane and its vibrant community. On 13th July, the Kenley Community Advisory Group (KCAG) hosted The Big Splash, an event designed to mark the work of the Connected Kenley project to improve the facilities, services and infrastructure in Kenley, and let residents have their say on the next round of improvements.
During the course of the afternoon and evening, over 100 residents came along to see the boards displaying project ideas and give their thoughts on the next steps. It is clear that many ideas were generated, as well as much discussion on ideas for enhanced pedestrian safety on some of our roads. The KCAG will meet after the summer holidays to consider the reactions and ideas from residents including the need for a wider consultation will be held on the ideas for improving pedestrian safety.
At 6pm, we had the official opening of the Old Lodge Lane Community Hub. Run by Pastor Nick Graves, the hub is already an integral part of the local community, supporting a wide range of activities, including the Friday Food Stop.
Funded by Croydon Council and the Great London Authority, the two new Community Hubs at Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church and Kenley Memorial Hall are a welcome addition to Kenley. The GLA funding through its ‘Good Growth’ programme and the commitment of the KCAG have been integral to the success of the programme to date.
The opening ceremony was lovely with inspiring speeches from Pastor Nick, Lynda Graham, Senior Community Builder at the hub, Tim Rettler from the GLA, Mayor Jason Perry Rev Trevor Neale, District Minister for London Baptist Association and Rev Elizabeth Goodridge, Chair of Trustees at the Kenley memorial Hall. An absolute highlight was a short speech and cutting of the ribbon by Mrs C, the Croftleigh Estate’s longest serving resident.
As Ward Councillors for Kenley, Ola and I were delighted to be part of the day and give our continuing support to the programme and the new community hubs.
From left: Cllr Ola Kolade, Rev Nick Graves, Mayor Jason Perry and Cllr Gayle Gander
