Here Ian Marvin explains Why He Loves Thornton Heath:

“I moved to Thornton Heath in September 2003 almost by accident. I wanted a reasonably sized house near a station and easy access to my sons’ schools. Fate led me to Woodville Road. Much has happened since then and the house has grown significantly but at no point have I regretted my choice; I still eagerly throw open the curtains every morning to see what the sky has to offer. “On a good day I can see the Chilterns, and in the other direction Grangewood Park, Surrey Hills and of course downtown Croydon.

“In the beginning I was focussed on upgrading and extending the house, looking after my growing children and keeping my business going. Recently I’ve started to appreciate the strength and friendliness of the community. One of my most heart-warming experiences here was when I was supervising the skating at the Christmas Market (pictured left); the rink hire company told me that the children of Thornton Heath were the most polite they had encountered. That we were able to raise over £2000 in a few weeks to fund the skating rink was itself a reflection of how generous our friends and neighbours are too.

“Thornton Heath is not without problems but has so much potential; for the future I hope that we retain our character and avoid becoming another cookie-cutter district centre. For me the most pressing problem is to ensure that everybody here is decently housed and fed, achieving this without just displacing families is not going to be easy.”