Streatham Stroll
2024-07-09 19:00 - 22:00 (Europe/London)
NOTE this is Plan B. The original Beckenham and Kelsey Park stroll has been affected by a tram strike, so Keith has come up with an attractive alternative.
Later update: the tram strike has been called off, but we’re sticking to the Streatham Stroll.
Meet at Streatham Station (not Streatham Common or Streatham Hill!) at 7pm for a 7.15 start, then an easy evening circular amble of about 3 miles to and through the greenery of Streatham Common and The Rookery.
There are opportunities for tea stops, and we’ll finish about 9 at The Bull pub, where food is an option.
Getting There
Streatham Station is on Streatham High Road, Streatham, London, SW16 6HP. There are half-hourly trains from East Croydon (amongst other places), and it’s also on bus routes 60, 159, 133 and P13.

Visitors Open Evening
2024-07-16 20:15 - 22:30 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
We welcome all visitors to come along to a sociable evening and the chance to find out what we do.
Our members will meet and greet you from 8.15pm. Coffees and teas available. There’ll be a free raffle ticket just for coming through the door – with the possibility of winning a prize donated by the outdoor shop, Decathlon!
Find us at:
South Croydon United Church Hall
Aberdeen Road
CR0 1EQ

The entrance to the hall is on Heathfield Road, next to the Church. Very close to the main road, which is served by many buses. For drivers, street parking is free in the evenings, providing you stay south of Coombe Road.

Andy's Mapping and Geography Quiz
2024-07-23 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
A light-hearted way to find out how much you already know about mapping and geography – particularly some places near to home.
It’ll be multiple choice, so nobody has to think too hard, and you might actually learn something.
A fun evening in prospect.

Evening Stroll
2024-07-30 19:00 - 22:00
Nothing on at the Hall!
The plan is to meet at 6.45pm – 7pm outside East Croydon railway station.
Walk through Pàrk Hill to Lloyd Park then Coombe Gardens, the viewpoint, Heathfield and finish at Coombe Road tram stop for the return to Croydon. Total distance approximately 4 miles.
If you are delayed en-route please phone me (07403 808 007).
No need to book in now – If it is raining on the day I will wait as plànned and see who turns up.

Peter

Film Night 📽
2024-08-06 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Movie fun with Andrew and Sandra.
Andrew says:
Dear All.
While Ken takes a break, Sandra and I are overseeing next Tuesday. We’ve have decided it will be a Film Night. Your participation is “Paramount” to its success.
It will be like the literary (book) evening but centred around films (i.e. feature / cinema type). We’d like attendees to talk about/share, briefly, films and/or moments in films that they enjoy and think are worth shouting about.
Even better, would be to have a clip of the film. We will endeavour to facilitate this. To help, please email me (andrewthynne@hotmail.com<mailto:andrewthynne@hotmail.com>) details to help us locate it on the world wide web. Many clips are likely to be on YouTube. Better still if you can download it to a usb stick and bring that. (Search “how to download youtube videos”.)
If it’s a film web location that you can notify us of, it would help us enormously if you do this soon.
The criteria for film clips are:
* Feature / cinema film
* A short video from of a COPSE event
* Something that will be of interest to COPSE members, e.g. to do with travel, outdoors
If you can’t bring a clip, don’t worry, just be willing to tell us about it. If you can’t remember the name of the film, we can play “guess the film from the description”.
See you on Tuesday.
Andrew

Ken's Kroydon Kwiz 2
2024-08-13 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Way back in lockdown (shudder!) we Zoomed the Close To Home Quiz, complete with roundabouts, saving you all from going completely stir-crazy.
Back in the Hall, we teased out even more of your local knowledge with Ken’s Kroydon Kwiz.
Well now it’s back – this time with even more multimedia multichannel marvellosity, reincarnated as Ken’s Kroydon Kwiz 2.

Sorry, she won’t be in it this time

On the plus side, neither will he

And definitely no roundabouts!

Turn up on Tuesday to earn the admiration of your COPSE fellows as you demonstrate your knowledge of all things local and, possibly, odd. Guaranteed no roundabouts!

The Great North Wood: talk by CJ Schüler
2024-08-20 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
C. J. Schüler is a freelance writer, journalist and cultural historian specialising in travel, the arts, the environment, and European fiction in translation.
In this talk he will expand on a subject close to his heart and ours in COPSE: the history of the Great North Wood that once covered large areas of South London and still survives in patches as a series of open spaces, targets for a number of Club walks.
From the Amazon page for his book:

Standing in the busy streets of South London today, it is hard to imagine that much of this suburban townscape was once a vast wood, stretching unbroken for almost seven miles from Croydon to the Thames at Deptford.
In The Wood That Built London, C.J. Schüler takes us on a journey through time, telling tales of invaders and trade guilds, map makers and soldiers, royals and working class people. From the 8th century to current conservation efforts, Schüler offers a fresh perspective on London’s history, with tales of murder, Anglo-Saxon treasure, fires, pandemics, the blitz and more along the way.
This compelling narrative history charts the fortunes of the North Wood from the earliest times: its ecology, ownership, management, and its gradual encroachment by the expanding metropolis.
More information can be found on his website at https://cjschuler.com/. The following is extracted from his ‘About’ page:
His latest book, My Dear Mr Rose: Letters to the Honorary Secretary of the Authors’ Club, 1908–34, appeared in a numbered limited edition by the Authors’ Club on 11 May 2023.
The Wood That Built London, a history of the woodland that once covered much of South London, was published by Sandstone Press on 7 October 2021. His travelogue Along the Amber Route: St Petersburg to Venice (also from Sandstone), hailed as ‘timely and powerful’ by the Financial Times on its publication in February 2020, was shortlisted for Stanford Dolman Award and longlisted for the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize.
He is also the author of Writers, Lovers, Soldiers, Spies: A History of the Authors’ Club of London, 1891–2016 (Author’s Club, 2016), published in 2016 to wide acclaim, and three illustrated histories of cartography: Mapping the World (Éditions Place des Victoires/Frechmann, 2010), Mapping the City and Mapping the Sea and Stars (2012).
C. J. Schüler has written for The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, The Tablet, the Financial Times and the New Statesman. A former staff member with with the Rough Guides and The Independent, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 2011, and was chairman of the Authors’ Club from 2008 to 2015.
An experienced public speaker, he has addressed literary festivals, bookshop events, learned societies and community groups, and is available for speaking engagements.

Electile Dysfunction
2024-08-27 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Just when you thought it was all over . . . .
Yes, there will be some back-focus on aspects of the recent past that we have probably felt we’ve moved on from. However, this Tuesday evening will involve a light-hearted, quick-fire quiz, looking at some quirky and interesting facts concerning our recent General Election (😱), plus various “political” connections that many of us will think we might know / ought to know / could be amused by! History and the present entwined.
Please come along for an 8.30pm start. (Coffees and teas will be available until just before that time.) Test yourselves with this quiz of “essential” information, concerning our government and democracy! You might be able to impress your fellow COPSErs with how much you already know – although we can all expect to learn some unexpected things, during the course of the evening!
N.B. In our programme listings, the title for this Club Night is the work of Mr. Brogan. 😆
Regards,
Ireen Best (07968 035522)

Berlin Retrospective
2024-09-03 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Back in June, 14 of COPSE’s more adventurous souls set off by train and plane for a week or so of fun and frolics in Germany’s capital.
History, culture and entertainment were consumed, as were the inevitable currywurst and industrial quantities of pork knuckles with sauerkraut.
Tonight we regale you with our travellers’ tales in picture, story and probably not song. Come along to hear what we all made of the city, the people, the bike rides, the Wall, the beach experience, the food and whatever else we found in this fascinating place.
Unmissable, I’d say!

Talk by Clare Walker: Tasmania
2024-09-10 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
We’ve all enjoyed Clare’s previous talks to the Club. Tonight she returns by popular demand, this time to recount her travels in Tasmania – devils, pademelons and all.

There’s more about Clare and her travels on her website https://clare-walker-speaker.weebly.com/

Captions &. . . .Kit
2024-09-17 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Advance Notice – land of opportunity for your photos!
All
This Club Night one element of the evening is the Caption Competition, where you apply your considerable wits to some problematic pictures.

Back in the days when this traditional diversion started, we took the occasional snap with a box brownie, only weeks later paying through the nose to get the pathetic results from the Chemist – usually stickered with “Out of Focus” or “Under Exposed” – and we relied on outtakes from Viewpoint for the source material.
In contrast, in the high-tech Utopia we now inhabit we have the opportunity to upgrade our experience using the plethora of photos from COPSE activities of all flavours lurking undiscovered on people’s phones and other digitisers, just begging to be dragged into the light of day for our amusement.
So my request to you is: please email me any such pictures asap so we can include them in next week’s entertainment.
Thanks in advance

Ken ken@brogan.co.uk
(I know, shameslessly pasted in from the last time. Life's too short . . . .)

An evening with HAL 9000?
2024-09-24 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Linda and Tim’s Scottish recollections will now be on 12th November.
Instead . . .
Back in 1968 it was

“I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that”

But these things can (probably) do things HAL never dreamed of:

Tonight we explore their possibilities!

Merton Abbey Mills: talk by John Hawks
2024-10-01 20:15 - 22:00
Our cyclists’ recent trip down the Wandle took them into Merton Abbey Mills. While there they were so impressed by John Hawks and his knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the history and importance of the Abbey Mills that they recommended him for a COPSE evening.
So here he is, ready to educate and entertain us with a short film and talk. In his words, “Merton Priory is the plum feature of Merton Abbey Mills, and while I could certainly go on for hours about the Mills (which was the historic Liberty silk printing works before we turned it into a craft market) I think the Priory is even more interesting, and we can start by showing the 15 minute film about it!”
You can get a flavour of this history at their website https://www.mertonpriory.org/, but come along on Tuesday and John will bring it to life.

John has been involved with Merton Priory for many years and even wrote the Historical Guide, pictured here. Not to be missed!

Gatliff Planning
2024-10-08 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Dear COPSE
On Tuesday evening we continue planning for our annual Challenge Walk, the 40th Gatliff Marathon: Gatliff Marathon – Croydon Outdoor Pursuits & Social Events Club (copsecroydon.co.uk)

Gatliff Marathon – Croydon Outdoor Pursuits & Social Events Club
The 40th Gatliff Marathon SATURDAY 19th OCTOBER 2024 The Gatliff Marathon is an annual challenge walk, jog or run of 25 or 50km mostly on footpaths and tracks in the Kent and Surrey countryside.
www.copsecroydon.co.uk

This a hands on practical evening for all.
After a brief introduction we will split into groups.
We need up to 10 people to bring boxes down from the store room, put together kit for each of the five checkpoints (including Edenbridge), and put the boxes back into the storeroom. Nigel will supply the packing lists for each checkpoint.
We need 3 people with good handwriting to write up the checkcards for the 25k and 50k route participants. Sandra will supply the lists of names and pens.
Ken would like to talk to those planning to walk the 25k route to discuss logistics etc.
The Gatliff committee will be on hand to discuss any questions you may have about the day and give out leaflets to COPSE members to help promote the event.
Even if you have not heard about the event, please come along to lend a hand and find out about the event that was meant to be a one off for COPSE’s 50th anniversary, but celebrates 40 years this year.
We look forward to seeing you there. Please arrive promptly at 20:15 and start the evening with a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit.
Bob will be on hand to collect subs.

Best wishes
Margaret Philipson,
Chair of the Gatliff Marathon Committee

Email: maphilipson@hotmail.com
Mobile: 07985 198 947
Home: 01737 762 471

SingalongaSteve
2024-10-15 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Return of the COPSE Choir!

Can’t sing? You’ll surprise yourself, as Steve Barbe unearths unsuspected vocal talents in even our most unpromising members.
This is an entertaining evening where Steve brings humour and freshness to get everyone up and joining in. Come along and raise the Hall rafters even higher!

Add to calendar

Pantomimes: talk by Chris Abbott
2024-10-22 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
An A-Z of Pantomime
A light-hearted ramble through panto old and new, including some of the history of this genre and some of the strange traditions and superstitions associated with it, fully illustrated with many images.
Chris is a theatre reviewer and journalist, professor, author and panto musical director. He writes books about theatre (Putting on Panto to Pay for the Pinter, among others) and reviews for West End Best Friend.

AGM
2024-10-29 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
It’s our Annual General Meeting
Your opportunity to look back at the past year and forward to the next. Reports will be made, officials elected, motions tabled, awards handed out and good deeds applauded.
All are welcome – looking forward to our usual large AGM turnout.

Have you voted for the Best Events and Best Viewpoint Articles?
Awards will be made at the AGM. Voting deadline is midnight on Sunday 27th October. Send your votes to Ken (Viewpoint) or Sandra (Events).

Guy Fawkes Tribute Night
2024-11-05 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom

Linda and Tim's Trip to Scotland
2024-11-12 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Linda says:
Good Evening Everyone,
I do hope you can join us tomorrow evening for a little trip to Scotland and enjoy some of our photos, to follow our route and let us entertain you with a Tim & Linda style narrative. We will honestly try very hard not to bore anyone.
There maybe something Scottish on offer – no, not Scotland’s best malt whiskey, just in case you build your hopes up.

Oxted RNLI
2024-11-19 20:00 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Lifeboats in Oxted?
Linda clarifies:
Lois Atterton from the Oxted branch of the RNLI is coming to give a talk on how the RNLI began; how it has changed and developed over the years to become the amazing institution it is today – and it is still just a charity.
Lois is a good speaker as I heard her speak this year and I can thoroughly recommend coming to listen to her talk. Please come along early to get your refreshments, so we can start on time.

OBJECTivity, + a "September Presentation"!
2024-11-26 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
This will be a relaxed evening in South Croydon. We shall welcome any of you that can make it – with or without objects!
🤔 ? 😆 ? 🧐 ? 😳
However, if you can, please lift off your shelves, extract from your treasure chests of mementoes or seek from storage boxes beneath your beds etc. any object(s) that can be brought to our hall with an explanation offered. We have entertained ourselves in this manner previously and an interesting array of items was displayed.
Have you something that is a little puzzling and perhaps not readily identifiable? Have you a family heirloom – from this country or from another? Please bring that. It might be an extraordinary “something” or just a very ordinary “something”, but with a tale to tell about it. In other words, anything goes – or comes, please! So, be it of sentimental value, of educational interest, or something humorous, we do hope you can bring it along.
If you pass me up to three of your objects, when you arrive at the hall, these will form our initial display. If you have further items, please keep them bagged but with you and they could be added, if time allows.
The “September Presentation” bit will happen at announcements, giving advance details of a Club-wide trip that some of you might like to join.

Christmas Art
2024-12-03 20:30 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Tuesday night at the Hall we’ll once again dig deep into our reserves of artistic talent to create some Christmas cheer in anticipation of our party on the 17th.

Talents on show last time

.
Come along, with or without your own materials, to make some decorations and generally make the place festive.
Ken

"My Travels" with Nicholas
2024-12-10 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
Dear All,
Is your passport handy? Are you ready to take your traveller’s seat? The invitation is from Nicholas Fox, who will be our “pilot”. We shall journey with him along the route he negotiated in 1974!

Do come early to the hall, grab your coffee or tea and be prepared for lift off by 8.30pm.
Nicholas’s itinerary:

Nepal to Malaysia Singapore,
Perth Australia, New Zealand,
Tahiti, Peru and Mexico . . .
across the Atlantic back to England.
Questions about the trip.

Many others of us will have been to these places before or since Nicholas’s trip so comparisons might prove interesting to note.

Regards,

Ireen Best (07968 035522)

Christmas Party!
2024-12-17 20:00 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom

No Club Night - it's Christmas Eve!
2024-12-24 08:00 - 17:00

No Club Night, have a night off for Hogmanay!
2024-12-31 08:00 - 17:00

ShelterBox "Mystery Auction"
2025-01-07 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
7th January will be the night you can generously pass on some goodies to our “Mystery Auction”. Many of you know the basic format for this. There will be further details between now and next week.
This is just a reminder to please put aside, then wrap ready to donate, any duplicated, unloved, Christmas pressies you might have received.
Also, any “household clearance” items that you’ll appreciate getting rid of could well be welcomed by other COPSErs.
The procedure involves us bringing along to Club Night any duplicated Xmas items that we may have received – or others that we feel might be more welcomed in someone else’s home! Also, unwanted but reasonable donations of other things, e.g. an appliance you might have bought and planned to use but found you never have. Basically, not just rubbish but something you donate that another might happily gain!
Please wrap items “anonymously” without disclosing the packages’ contents and slip them to me, when you arrive. The fun of the evening is that people bid for something but don’t know what they will get! Of course, the success of the auction relies on the generous spirit, pockets, wallets and purses of everyone attending. I.O.U.s can be noted and cheques passed. Treasurer Bob will once more be collecting your funds.
If you have an item of particular value, we can set a “reserve” start price. Likewise, please speak to me before the auction begins, should you be donating something specifically suited for only one gender -although we have had a good laugh when, for example, a lacy camisole top was successfully bid for by one of our strapping gents!
* The recipient of all our early 2025 goodwill is ShelterBox, the charity very suited to COPSE in that we camp and enjoy outdoor living “for leisure and pleasure” and ShelterBox provides emergency supplies for people having to camp merely to survive. In brief:
“YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DISASTER AROUND THE WORLD”

Fuller details via: https://shelterbox.org/
Every year that we have raised our £££s for the charity, we have achieved the purchase of a complete box, currently costing £590. Since our Jan ’24 auction, we have a kitty put aside from people’s kind contributions later in the year from purchasing other COPSErs unwanted kit etc. This stands at £117.50. With a big push from our good- hearted folk next week, we may again achieve buying one more full box! Advance thanks to all who can come along.
Regards,
Ireen Best (07968 035522)

Navigation Taster
2025-01-14 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom

Happy Birthday COPSE
2025-01-21 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom

Pre-Ski Event
2025-01-28 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
An evening of Fun & Games to send the Skiers off on their annual trip to the slopes.
