The Local Community

Geographically, the area of the parish is not large and lies east of East Croydon station and north of the main Addiscombe Road (A232) which runs toward the Kent border.

The parish has a population of c16,000. In recent years, there have been significant changes in the parish. The population is much more transient and younger. Older people are moving away and newcomers come from a wider range of cultural backgrounds. The population is now very mixed socially and ethnically. There is some unemployment, but those in work do a variety of jobs.

With its close proximity to East Croydon train station, and the fast rail link up to London, many live in the parish to commute up to the City of London. There are a large number of young families and young singles that reside in the parish. There is quite a large turnover of people, as first-time buyers move to other suburbs to find houses with gardens.

The parish is a mainly residential area with a mixture of housing, with a lot of terraced housing and larger houses divided into flats. There have been some new housing developments by Housing Associations. There has been an increase in the number of multi-occupancy properties; either conversions of older housing stock or new purpose built flats. There are many semi-detached Victorian houses and some council housing, including the Davidson Road, Towpath Way and Canal Walk.

Within the parish, there are two primary schools, Davidson Primary and Oval Primary, with whom the church has good relations. There is a recently rebuilt youth centre called Sir Phillip Game Centre in Morland Avenue. There is a nursing home, called Barrington Lodge, in Morland Road, in which the church holds regular services. There is also Colby Day Centre, also in Morland Road.

There are one or two larger companies and some small businesses and light industry. The parish has within its boundary a variety of shops. There are a surprisingly large number of restaurants and take away food outlets, all seemingly doing well. There is good local transport with an excellent modern tram system that links up with the south of London. Traffic is heavy and car parking can be a problem and is quite expensive. Politically, we are served by a Conservative MP and local Council and Councillors, after Labour was defeated at recent elections. There is a local Neighbourhood Partnership.

There is an Ismaili Centre and an Islamic school in the parish.

Our congregation increasingly reflects the population trends in the parish. Indeed, it is now much younger, more multi-cultural and socially diverse. We have noted an increase in the number of people who are new to church worship and/or to this country.