Christmas in Sutton

This year has been tough for many across our community and the news of the fatal fire at Collingwood Road has left many across Sutton with a profound sense of sadness.  

Despite the tragic circumstances, our community has come together in support of one another and this has been reflected by the outpouring of messages and tributes left near Collingwood Recreation Ground in remembrance of the four young boys who tragically lost their lives.

Our thoughts are with the family, friends and the entire local community who are still coming to terms with this difficult news. If you are struggling, there are services across Sutton available to help. Sutton Crisis Café is offering support to anyone who feels in need. Please call 0202 8770 0172 during the day or contact the Sutton Crisis Café on 0800 012 9082 for out of hours support. Other services of support across Sutton can be found on our website.

As we enter another Christmas and New Year with uncertainty we wanted to thank the community of Sutton, its businesses, schools, health and social care staff, key workers, council staff and the voluntary sector for their continued support.

This Christmas will be another difficult one for many across our community, so please do take this time to check in with neighbours, friends and family. For those facing loneliness during this festive period, Trinity Church will be opening their doors for their Christmas Lounge, a drop-in café, open between 11:30-14:30 each day from 27 December to 1 January. This offers a friendly environment for anyone who would appreciate time to relax over refreshments. 

Despite all the hardships and challenges, this year has provided us some incredible highlights: from Sutton United’s well deserved promotion to the English Football League, to welcoming our first Afghan family to Sutton via the Operation Warm Welcome scheme. This year we also saw the opening of the The Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, an important part of the London Cancer Hub in Belmont that will bring world-leading cancer research to Sutton along with thousands of new jobs. 

The international COP26 climate change summit saw our community come together and celebrate our status as one of London’s greenest London boroughs. We planted trees with the Friends of Rosehill Parks, launched 10 new School Streets schemes, as well as announcing the development of two new green spaces. These achievements, and many more in the borough, have shown us that Sutton continues to be a great place to live, work and raise a family, and we are filled with gratitude for the day-to-day efforts of Sutton’s community. 

We have been tested this year but it has shown us the importance of our local economy, the significance of our health and care workforce, and the resilience and compassion of our residents to come together and support one another. 

For now, we wish all those who are able to take a break over the coming days some peace and rest as we look forward, with optimism, to the new year.

Councillor Jayne McCoy and Councillor Manuel Abellan