THE second-ever South Croydon Festival has been hailed a success.

Last week's event at the Earl of Eldon on Brighton Road saw 12 live music acts playing for a continuous 12 hours. Music co-ordinator Dave Mack said: "We had some true talent playing here today, including Steve Boyce, whose band opened for Eric Clapton at Hyde Park five years ago and Brian Bath who was lead guitarist in Kate Bush's band."

Mr Mack went on to praise 15-year-old Jake Slater, who writes and performs his own songs, as a musical prodigy.

The Earl of Eldon is seeking to make itself a hub for live music with Thursday night open mic and jam sessions.

THIS high specification apartment, available to rent through Leaders, has been recently converted and refurbished to an high standard and is conveniently located in Mulgrave Road.

It is within walking distance of Croydon town centre and East Croydon station from where you can get into central London in just 15 minutes.

The two-bedroom apartment has a spacious interior and comprises a large open-plan kitchen and lounge with wood flooring. A pleasant cream décor emphasises the bright and airy aura that the lounge gives off and a large bay window helps open it up further.

The modern kitchen complements the flooring with wooden units and a dark worktop. It includes a range of modern appliances and the elegant white surround tiles increase the appeal of the room.

The master bedroom incorporates a fantastic en-suite and has a small space where a desk can be placed. In addition to this, there is also a second double bedroom and a contemporary family bathroom with shower over the bath.

To add to the luxury aspect of the apartment, there is a secure entry phone system as well as solar powering. It has double glazing throughout and gas central heating.

Our great British summer might be unreliable but Arholma all-weather outdoor furniture from IKEA can take it...

ARHOLMA outdoor furniture made from plastic rattan is not just great for relaxing. It can deal with whatever weather you feel like relaxing in too – even if it's raining cats and dogs. And if it gets dirty, just wash it with water and a mild detergent.

The Arholma outdoor low seating series consists of several different units. You can use them individually or combine them into a modular sofa that perfectly suits your needs and ideas.

Do you want a cosy corner for snuggling? A sofa fit for two? Maybe a long place to stretch out and read? It is easy to disconnect the units and re-configure them in a new way. Or skip a sofa entirely and create seating with several armchairs. The choice is yours. If you want to make a different combination at a later time or expand it, it's no bother. By combining different seating sections you can create a sofa in a shape and size that perfectly suits your terrace or garden.

The Arholma series is made of plastic rattan that is hand-woven in the same way as traditional rattan. It is weather resistant and easy to care for. Plastic rattan has the same look as natural rattan but is suited for outdoor use. It's easy to clean, hand-woven and durable. It withstands rain, snow, low and high temperatures, although in freezing temperatures, plastic rattan can weaken and is not recommended for use. The feet are adjustable so the units stand steady on an uneven surface as well.

You can make your sofa even more comfortable and add a personal touch by complementing with loose pillows in different sizes and colours.

IKEA Croydon, Valley Park, off Purley Way, Croydon, CR0 4UZ. Visit www.ikea.com/gb/en/ store/croydon

AN UNDER-STRENGH Trinity Mid-Whitgiftian side produced a tenacious performance to earn a stunning four-run win over Cranleigh in a low-scoring thriller at Lime Meadow on Saturday.

Without four of their regular top five batsmen it came as no great surprise that Mids struggled to 151 all out after winning the toss and electing to bat.

Graham Cobbett and Robert Warne were both undone early on by full-length deliveries from Max Barson but Will Page began promisingly before edging Paddy Harman to Mark Wagh at slip.

Kunal Patel continued his recent good form and kept the score moving at a reasonable rate but the Trinity batsmen began to struggle once the spinners were introduced.

Patel's patience took him to a deserved half-century, while Mike Brugnoli carried the attack to the bowlers as the pair added 31 important runs for the sixth wicket. However, both men eventually fell to young left-arm spinner Ben Broughton, who went on to finish with 3-21.

Raj Chatwal presented Broughton with an easy catch at point off Seren Waters' first delivery. Matt Winter unwisely picked out Wagh in the field and was run out by a direct hit before some careless running had last man Gavin Piper run out.

A successful defence of such a modest total looked highly improbable on an excellent batting surface but Cranleigh's batsmen turned in an equally woeful display.

Former Nottinghamshire batsman Mark Wagh had already been dropped before he was bowled by Piper in the sixth over.

Fellow opener Tom Crump was bowled by Winter before Piper trapped Scriven lbw to reduce the visitors to 46-3.

Schofield was bowled for a duck in Brugnoli's first over but Waters looked a real threat and his stand of 56 for the fifth wicket with captain Matthew Crump looked to have swung the match firmly in Cranleigh's favour.

The game took another twist when Mids keeper Will Page took an excellent low catch behind the stumps to dismiss Crump.

The Cranleigh batsmen continued to misjudge the line of the ball as Will Ripley and Max Barson both saw their stumps knocked over and Mids began to sense vulnerability in the lower order.

Much rested on the shoulders of Waters who played beautifully as wickets tumbled at the other end but Mids managed to deny him the strike as the game wore on.

Requiring 13 runs to win with three wickets in hand Cranleigh remained favourites until Broughton was tempted forward and bowled by Chatwal.

The pressure of the situation affected batsman Will Rollings who played a senseless shot and acting Mids captain Winter took a high chance magnificently.

Waters then gave his wicket away at the death, hitting Chatwal's delivery straight back to him to hand Mids victory.

Buoyed by this result Mids will welcome back most of their missing batsmen for Saturday's trip to Walton-on-Thames.

MILLIONS watched her hurl abuse at black and Polish passengers on a crowded Croydon tram and, when she was arrested, her cause was adopted by far right groups such as the National Front.

But is Emma West, the mother-of-two who this week pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence, a racist?

Not according to her close friend Kerry Finch, who believes the 35-year-old, from New Addington, is an unwell and vulnerable woman struggling to deal with bipolar depression.

"I don't condone her behaviour or what she said because it was disgusting," said Ms Finch.

"But Emma isn't a racist. She lost it because she is very unwell and lashed out in a way she knew would upset whoever happened to be there.

"Had the tram been full of pretty people she would have been calling them slags and prostitutes."

West, a former dental receptionist, has suffered from depression since she was 18, and had been admitted to a psychiatric unit in Purley a month before her tram tirade in October 2011.

In an interview with the Advertiser at the time, which can only now be published for legal reasons, Miss Finch said West had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act after attacking and hurling abuse at her for being "pretty".

Two days after being released, she went to see a therapist with her son at the Tamworth Road Resource Centre, in West Croydon.

"The session was pretty tough," said Miss Finch.

"She had spoken about things she hadn't spoken about before.

"Afterwards she had a glass of wine at lunch. It doesn't sound like much but on the medication she was on, it's always been enough to set her off."

West had taken 100mg of antidepressant Citalopram, more than twice the recommended limit.

Her barrister, David Martin-Sperry, said a recognised side-effect of the drug was developing "unusual ideas".

"When she got on the tram it was really busy," said Miss Finch.

"She was holding her son and no-one would give up their seat.

"Someone knocked into her and her son fell on the floor.

"That's when she behaved so despicably."

Though her rant, which included "You aren't British, you're black", was caught on camera by another passenger, no-one reported the incident to the police.

"When she returned home she knew something had happened but she couldn't remember what," Mr Martin-Sperry told the Advertiser.

"Then a month or so later she turned on the television and her face was all over the news. She couldn't believe what she had done."

The video would go on to be watched by more than 11 million people after it was posted on YouTube on November 28, 2011.

It provoked outrage. Television presenter Piers Morgan called for her to be deported. Others said she should be locked up.

The attention prompted the police to appeal for witnesses. West was tracked down and charged with a racially aggravated public order offence, prompting her cause to be taken up by right-wing groups such as the British National Party and National Front.

Their support, said Mr Martin-Sperry, "deeply distressed" his client and, coupled with the pressure of the trial, led her to try and take her own life on three separate occasions.

The Advertiser understands that she was admitted to a psychiatric unit after twice being found on roundabouts in Croydon, intent on throwing herself in front of traffic.

Her deteriorating mental health led to concerns for her safety and that of her family; fears which were realised last month when she stabbed her husband Ricky Metson with an ornamental knife during an argument.

Mr Metson was stabbed twice in the back during the attack at their home in Grenville Road, New Addington, on May 15. When officers arrived to arrest her she kicked them.

The following day, West appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court and was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to actual bodily harm and assaulting a police officer.

It was during a bail hearing in relation to this case at Croydon Crown Court on Monday that she changed her plea after both the prosecution and defence agreed to a compromise suggested by Judge Warwick McKinnon.

West had denied racially aggravated intentional harassment on a tram travelling between Croydon and Wimbledon between September 30 and November 28, 2011.

However, she has now pleaded guilty to a lesser offence of racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress, which crucially does not include mention of 'intent'.

She was bailed to return to Croydon Crown Court to be sentenced for the tram rant, and the assaults on her husband and the police officer, on July 1.

Speaking at the couple's home, Mr Metson, who is standing by his wife, said they wanted to be left alone to rebuild their lives.

CRYSTAL Palace are busy identifying a "long list" of player targets ahead of their return to England's top flight, according to co-chairman Steve Parish.

The Eagles supremo says that despite manager Ian Holloway being on holiday at the moment, the Palace owners are working hard to make plans for the new season, including drawing up a list of targets.

He said: "We are making a long list and looking at what we want to do.

"Ian is on holiday at the moment, but I am talking to him every day.

"Obviously, we will need to bring in a few. We are not talking numbers, but there are a few areas we need to cover, with Wilf [Zaha] going and Glenn [Murray] out injured."

And Parish admits that Holloway will be given money to spend this summer, although he stopped short of saying how much he will have at his disposal.

He said: "It will obviously be a much bigger budget in the Premier League than we had last year, but there are other things that we need to do.

"It is different when you have a compressed timeframe, but we will do our best and we are working tirelessly to try and get things in place."

Parish said that money will need to be invested in making necessary improvements to the club's Selhurst Park ground, including creating a bigger television gantry to cater for the additional cameras required for television coverage.

However, improvements to the playing staff are also on the agenda, with Parish expressing his delight at the recent business done to tie three members of the current playing squad to longer deals.

This week, Welsh defender Danny Gabbidon followed in the footsteps of Peter Ramage and Owen Garvan in signing a contract extension since the Eagles' promotion to the top flight.

And Parish said that his signing of a one-year extension was an important one for the club.

The Eagles co-chairman added: "It is invaluable to have someone like him signing on for another season.

"There may be one or two more, but we have concentrated on the urgent ones, who were out of contract."

Wales international Gabbidon, who made 14 appearances in the league and cup for Palace after joining in September, was only signed up on a contract until the end of the season.

However, the former Cardiff City, West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers defender spoke last week of his desire to stay with Holloway's men – a wish that has now been granted.

THE Kenley Hotel has finally reopened its doors but without the manager who caused its four-month closure.

The pub closed down on February 22, amid fears it had succumbed to the recession but the Advertiser soon discovered the council had ordered the pub to shut because manager Chris O'Reilly had closed down the company that held the licence the year before.

However, a new application was submitted under his daughter Aimee O'Reilly's name and the pub reopened last Wednesday.

Unfortunately, the first week did not go smoothly. There was an incident involving a drunk and aggressive 57-year-old woman causing trouble on Ms O'Reilly's first Saturday night in the job.

"This kind of thing sometimes happens in places where there is new management," said Ms O'Reilly.

"A woman had gone to the off-licence and bought a bottle of wine. She was drunk and came into the pub with it. I asked her to leave and she tried to swing a punch."

A customer then called the police in fear that the woman might start a fight.

Croydon Police confirmed they were called to the scene at 9.40pm on Saturday by someone reporting a fight between two women.

They attended the incident but the victim did not want to press charges.

The police then arrested a 57-year-old woman for being drunk and disorderly, took her into the police station and fined her £80 with a fixed penalty notice.

Star Pubs & Bars, the pub's owners, said back in May that Mr O'Reilly and his daughter were "independent businesspeople" and would be "working together".

However, it is now clear Ms O'Reilly will be running the pub without the help of her father, who has moved to work in Middlesex. "The company offered him a job elsewhere so he decided to move," said Ms O'Reilly.

Residents and Steve O'Connell, a Kenley councillor, have suggested the pub should become more of a community hub. Chris Stanley, the chair of the Kenley and District Residents' Association, said: "I don't think an incident like this puts that idea back – these things often happen at pubs.

"Kenley Hotel is an important part of the community but it is also a commercial operation, it needs to work out what would be best for it."

THE first ever Croydon Tattoo Convention was described as the "event of the year" by those who attended.

The event, which was held over the weekend at Fairfield Halls, featured tattoo artists from as far afield as the USA and Mexico.

Event organiser Richie Bennett said the event went "like a dream".

He added: "Everyone is looking forward to coming back next year as we hope to make it an annual event."

Mark Jelliman, 23, who is a tattoo artist from Inkeys tattoo shop in Downham, Bromley, and who attended the convention, said: "I thought it went really well, it was very well organised, all of the entertainment fitted really well and there was a really good atmosphere throughout.

"I would definitely attend again if it was on next year."

THE family of the man who was hit by a train after being reported missing have said their son "will always be loved and always be missed".

Neil Skipper, 30, of Grange Road in Thornton Heath, was reported missing to the police by his family on Saturday after he left the house at 6.30pm to go to the shops and never returned.

The Met Police were called to Putney railway station at 10.30pm on Saturday night where a man had been hit by a train and pronounced dead at the scene.

On Tuesday, Croydon Police confirmed the man was Neil Skipper and thanked the public for their support in trying to find him.

His family said that they have received support from friends and family and the community of Fulham Football Club, where Neil was a season ticket holder.

Neil's father, Philip, wrote on the club's fan forum: "I posted an appeal yesterday for help in finding my missing son. Huge thanks for all the messages of support and help.

"Unfortunately, we got the news we had all been dreading last evening. Neil's body was found on the line at Putney station."

Since then, tributes have flooded in to the website. Neil's friend and fellow supporter, Mike Parry, has set up a JustGiving page in his name to raise money for the charity Missing People which has already collected more than £1,000.

Neil also leaves behind his mother, Anne, and sister, Nicole.

Mr Skipper said on the memorial page: "On Saturday night Neil made the journey we have made hundreds of times from Croydon to Putney to end his life.

"If only I'd stopped him.

"RIP Neil, we have lost a wonderful son, my best friend and for all of us, a fellow Fulham nut."

To contribute to Neil's memorial page, visit www.justgiving.com/neilskipper.

ATHLETICS: Croydon Harriers' young athletes enjoyed a victory and a third place finish in a double-header in the UK Youth Development League, writes Matthew Kiernan.

At Aldershot, Croydon's junior team earned 16 A event and a further six B event wins, as the Harriers topped the standings on 570 points.

Ashleigh Clarke secured a sprint double in the 100m (12.27s) and 200m (25.21s), and further sprint success came courtesy of Damien Powell (U20 men's 100m, 11.01s), Aaron Adekoya (U17 men's 100m, 11.3secs), Edwin Miles (U17 men's 200m, 23.19s), Robert Sakala (U20 men's 110m hurdles, 16.89s) and Melissa Mendez (U17 women's 200m, 27.15s).

Croydon's javelin throwers stole the show with an event clean sweep thanks to Trevina Medley (U20W, 31.75m), Zoe Fossett (U20W B, 27.55m) and younger sister Emma (U17W 34.03m).

At Winchester, for the U13/15 boys and girls, the squad bagged five A wins and ten B victories, as the team edged home to third.

Coralie Mido ensured a sprint double in the U15 girls' 100m (12.8secs) and 200m (26.6secs), and was supported by Chanice Gordon (26.5secs) in the latter event to ensure maximum points. Emmanuel Lloyd also enjoyed a double win in the U13 boys' long jump (4.63m) and 200m (26.8s).

Two more event maximums were found in the U13 girls' age group thanks to Marcia Sey (12.5s) and Serena Mitchell (12.9s) in the 70m hurdles, while Renae Jenoure-Jackson (7.67m) and Ines Zepa-D'Aboui (6.86m) triumphed in the shot put.

Croydon completed the day with wins in the U13 and U15 girls' 4x100m.

CUTBACKS planned for the council's emergency response team will hit graffiti removal across the borough, it is claimed.

But the fears have been dismissed by Councillor Phil Thomas, council cabinet member for highways and environmental services, who said cleaning graffiti remains a top priority.

The budget reductions, which will see the number of officers dealing with graffiti cut from seven to five and no service on Sundays, is being discussed this week between union and council officials.

Staff concerns have been highlighted in an e-mail to Labour councillor Pat Ryan after he raised problems at Ormsbey Court in Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood.

The e-mail says: "Over the past ten years the best way we have found to discourage these people is to carry out proactive work and remove all graffiti seen as soon as possible.

"We were managing to keep on top of things this time last year when there were ten of us, but due to the restructure and cutbacks last year, we are struggling to keep up.

"It is a serious worry as there are more cuts approaching the team this year."

Kevin Simmonds, secretary of the Croydon branch of the Unite union, said in recent years the team had been the victim of its own success.

He claimed because clear-up rates were ahead of targets, the council had decided a couple of years ago to reduce the size of the team.

Mr Simmonds said: "There is no doubt the cuts will affect the service and the Tory councillors are aware of that."

The council's specific policy is to clean racist or offensive graffiti within 24 hours.

Mr Simmonds said: "Now if something racist or sexist goes up on a Saturday, it won't be cleaned on Sunday."

Cllr Thomas said: "I have always been very keen that we keep the borough spick and span."

He claimed that the amount of graffiti had reduced over the years. He said: "We still feel a six days a week service will be more than sufficient to clean any graffiti."

ANYONE walking down Woodville Road could be forgiven for thinking they're in the Caribbean not Thornton Heath – they wouldn't be going bananas.

Richard Bowers was given a banana plant by his sister eight years ago. Now, for the first time, it could also bear ripe fruit, with young bananas already just-visible under fleshy, purple petals.

Mr Bowers and his partner Helena Charles were surprised to find flowers on one of the plant's stems when they unwrapped the fleeces that had guarded it from frost this winter.

"It's quite rare for a banana that is outside in the UK to actually fruit," said Mr Bowers. "You have to take care of them. I prune back the leaves before wrapping the plant in a special fleece each winter, and give it plenty of water, feed and nutrients."

The single plant, growing in the ground and linked in the soil by a root network, now has 12 stems, each of which could be mistaken by those not in the know for an individual tree. Often referred to as "pupping," one banana plant often produces a few new shoots from the ground every year.

This one first bore fruit in 2011, but because it flowered in late summer, the fruits only grew to about one-and-a-half inches. Nevertheless, the unripe bananas did make "a tasty soup," said Mr Bowers.

This year the fruits will have enough time — at least a few months — to develop and ripen.

But there's more than one use for a banana. "In the summer when we put fish on the barbecue, we wrap it in the banana's leaves. The fish gets steamed and you can taste a nice, light flavour from the banana," said Mr Bowers.

The couple are still not sure what species of banana inhabits their front garden. It could even be a plantain, which produces fruit with a similar appearance to sweet bananas, but instead their fruit has a savoury taste and is used in cooking in parts of Africa and South America.

The banana plant, unlike more familiar European species, has attracted the fascination of the passers-by.

"People ask about it, and cars slow down to look," Mr Bowers, 45, added.

"Our postman, who is Ghanaian, took some pictures to send to his family; he was so surprised at the plant growing in the UK.

The couple also grow flowers, herbs and vegetables at their home, gardening two tropical plants — the banana and a species of giant rhubarb.

"A nice garden is like an extra room for the house, especially in the summer," said Mr Bowers.

SAVION LARA put on a huge 129 not out as Purley beat Horsley & Send by 47 runs on Saturday.

The win helped Purley climb to fourth in the Surrey Championship Division Two.

After losing the toss and being sent to the crease, Horsley & Send's decision to bowl was justified after Randy Gayle bowled out both openers with relative ease.

Shane Patel went for just six before Gayle ensured Stuart Glassington followed shortly after for 14.

However, next in was Lara and he enjoy a great partnership with Adam Windley (54) and finished with 11 fours and two sixes among his 129 not out as Purley declared on 261-5.

Horsley & Send looked to be on target to reach a good total with openers Asmat Ullah and Saleh Mohammed batting well, until Ullah (42) and Mohammed (43) were dismissed in quick succession.

Razi Khan, Tishan Wanigaratne and Shane Patel all impressed with the ball for Purley as Horsley & Send failed to get another man to stay at the crease for more than 30 runs, before eventually skittling them out for 214.

On Saturday, Purley host second-placed Chessington at the Ridge.

PLACEBO have been around for nearly two decades.

Championed by David Bowie in the early days, their post-grunge androgynous style of alternative rock was a welcome injection of dark glamour for the Brit Pop scene. Stephanie Darkes spoke to 'the glue', bassist, techie, guitarist and the man behind the scenes from the early days, Croydon boy, Bill Lloyd.

S.D: You started working with Placebo as a techie. How did you get that gig?

B.L: It's a long story but I was playing with my Croydon band, Faith Over Reason, and we were supporting Jeff Buckley at the Edinburgh festival and Brian from Placebo happened to be in a play up there and we met him in a bar and our guitarist knew him and we got chatting with him and he asked me to send him some demo tapes and it started from there.

S.D: Did you meet Jeff Buckley then?

B.L: Oh yes. I used to drive him around when he first came to England, in the back of my van.

S.D: You refer to yourself as a 'Jack of all trades.' What does a day consist of now?

B.L: My main job now is studio work, so when they've recorded an album I'm in there with them full time, doing a bit of teching, some programming and a bit of playing. I guide the baselines and do some keyboard work. Before a tour I have to program everything for the studio for the live show, and then on tour I just play bass and keyboards. It's a full time job.

S.D: In the Placebo camp they call you the glue, what do they mean? You hold it all together?

B.L: Yeah, that kind of thing. I hope that's what they mean anyway!

S.D: In an interview in '98 Brian was asked by NME about the guy off-stage that played the guitar, which happened to be you. Why did you choose the low profile?

B.L: Well, I think the band wanted to be a three-piece, and they asked me to play and I probably didn't look quite as androgynous as them so I started playing off-stage. Then they said "this is silly, forget about it, come on stage". But I'm still in the background and I like it that way. I don't like to be at the front. It doesn't suit my demeanour.

S.D: Are you involved in the song-writing process?

B.L: Yeah, a little bit. I do the odd bass and keyboard bit. Not much but a bit of a trickle, nothing to do with lyrics.

S.D: You play live with the band a lot? Where was your favourite gig and why?

B.L: One in Athens and one in Istanbul that were part of the same weekend. They were just fantastic, the vibe and atmosphere round the shows and lovely time before and after the shows.

S.D: Are you doing any gigs this year?

B.L: We have a gig in Korea which is a bit scary. And one in Turkey again, we are doing a couple of festivals, end of October until December. We're going to do loads more next year.

S.D: Were you with the band when they supported Bowie in 1996?

B.L: I was, I wasn't playing unfortunately but I was there. The whole thing was his birthday party in Madison Square Gardens, it was pretty special. I've met him a couple of times; he did a lot of talking, he's quite a conversationalist. You don't get a word in edgeways basically.

S.D: You've been involved with the band since the start. What is your favourite Placebo album?

B.L: I've got three favourites. Without You I'm Nothing. I like the light and shade on that.

Sleeping with Ghosts because I felt really involved in that one and I liked the tracks and the electronic edge. And the new one, it's fantastic. It's as good as those two.

S.D: Tell me a bit about the new album

B.L: We just finished it last week so it's very exciting. We did some live playbacks for the record company and management in the studio so I've been madly programming that recently. It went great. I think the tracks are going to be storming.

S.D: What's the release date?

B.L: I think it's September time and we have a single before.

S.D: What's your connection with Croydon?

B.L: Well I grew up there. I wasn't born there, but moved there when I was quite young. I was born at Mayday, but lived just outside and then lived there from a young age to my mid-twenties. I always go back and I have friends and family there.

S.D: Do you still love Croydon?

B.L: Yeah, I miss it. I've moved back south of the river, so I'm not too far away now.

DEDICATED gardeners across Croydon will once again be opening up their gardens this month to raise funds for charity.

Different gardens will open on each of the four Sundays this June, offering not only some beautiful sights but the chance to buy plants, learn more about gardening and enjoy tea in stunning surroundings.

Funds raised will go to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Vicky Sait, NSPCC community fundraising manager for Croydon, said: "This is a great chance to come and see the scenic side of Croydon and to pick up some gardening tips from local experts.

"We're really grateful to all our volunteers who have kindly opened up their beautiful gardens to raise funds for vulnerable children and young people in the area."

To go along, simply turn up on the day.

Limited free parking is available at some locations.

To find out more about Croydon Open Gardens, contact Maggie Lloyd on 0208 657 6765 or e-mail margaretilloyd@yahoo.co.uk, or Judith Staff on 0208 777 2873 or email colinandjudith61@sky.com

STEVE PARISH says the Crystal Palace owners will talk to anyone who thinks they can move the club on faster and further.

However, the Eagles co-chairman says the current owners have not had any contact from anyone about taking over the club, amid speculation that Palace have been targeted by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

The millionaire film producer has made no secret of his desire to take over an English club and an Italian journalist has suggested that the newly-promoted Eagles could be a target of his.

At the weekend, Corriere Dello Sport reporter Ivan Zazzaroni tweeted: "De Laurentiis wants to buy an English club and he wouldn't mind Crystal Palace."

The Napoli president himself said he was studying what was the best opportunity.

However, Parish has dismissed the reports and said there was no truth in the matter.

"It is just a distraction and we are completely focused on what we are doing," he said.

"We haven't heard anything from anyone at Napoli."

Parish added that he was surprised to hear of the link, but said if anyone wanted to discuss a potential takeover, they should go through the appropriate channels.

He said: "I can't for the life of me think why you would talk to a journalist before a business that you perhaps want to buy.

"I have said before that we would talk to anybody if they think they can take Crystal Palace forward or move things on faster.

"If they do, we will have those conversations, but we haven't had an approach from anyone."

Meanwhile, Parish said the club was busy making plans for the new season, adding that they were working tirelessly to put things in place ahead of the season's start on August 17, including making improvements to the television gantry facilities at the ground.

He said: "There is a massive amount of work to do and we are manic.

"We are up against it, but it is work we have to do at the ground with all the stipulations.

"It is what comes with being in the Premier League. There is a lot more interest, including from businesses and wanting to make use of things like hospitality."

Parish also said the Eagles were looking to attract a top side to SE25 for an "exciting" pre-season friendly.

He said: "We want to bring someone exciting to Selhurst Park that will excite the fans and provide a good warm-up to our Premier League campaign.

"There is a real feel-good factor around the club at the moment and we want to make the most of that."