Cllr Andy Stranack (Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture) was busy last week as Croydon continued to shine a spotlight on the different cultures and communities that make Croydon a great place to live. On Saturday it was the launch of the Croydon Music Heritage Trail where Andy was joined by the Bishop of Croydon and Barbados and delighted by an impromptu performance by Nadia Rose. For more information about the Music Trail see https://culturecroydon.com/event/croydon-music-heritage-trail/ .
On Thursday the focus turned to celebrating the arrival and hearing stories of some of the hardship that the Windrush Generation experienced when they arrived in the UK 75 years ago. Andy joined an audience from across the nation as celebrations and reflection took place at Southwark Cathedral, this was followed by an ‘electric’ and ‘roof raising’ celebration service at Croydon Minster in the evening.
On Friday a calmer, but fascinating, concert took place that explored the Music of Vaughn Williams as we celebrated his 150th Birthday at Croydon Minster. The concert showed how Williams took classic pub folk tunes and turned them into classical hymns, that are still sung in Churches across the nation today. As the Year of Culture progresses it is hoped that we can work with a young artist to turn one of these classic tunes back into a club anthem for today’s generation. For more information about this exciting competition and to enter please take a look here https://www.croydonmusicandarts.co.uk/from-pub-to-pulpit
