COVID / East Coulsdon update May 2022

Covid Update : People over the age 75 and those with immune deficiencies are now able to have a 4th Covid Booster Vaccination. To check if you are eligible and to book an appointment you need to go to the NHS web site www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination or you can phone 119.

It is pleasing to see that the Vaccination Centre at St Aidan’s in Chipstead Valley Road run by Valley Pharmacy  020 8939 7926 is open on a number of days per week.

We would like to thank Valley Pharmacy for setting up this local facility and excellent work they have done on our behalf. In the 18months to April 2022 they have administered over 70,000 vaccine injections.

How to get your COVID-19 vaccination, January 2021

Accessible text version:

If you are over 80 there are three ways you might be contacted to get your vaccination. Please do not try to book a vaccination if you have not received a letter.

  1. Using a local GP service: GP services are working together in your area to vaccinate as many people as possible. You may be contacted by a different surgery to the one you usually go to.
  2. Local hospital services: You might be contacted to have the vaccination as an inpatient or outpatient. 
  3. At a vaccination centre: If you live within 30 to 45 minutes of a vaccination centre, and haven’t already been vaccinated, you have have received a letter asking you to book an appointment online at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination. Or if you can’t access the NHS website you can call 119 free of charge.

If you can’t travel to a vaccination centre, or there is another reason you can’t book an appointment at the nearest vaccination centre, you can choose to wait until your local GP services contact you if they haven’t already. If this is your preferred option – you don’t need to do anything now – wait for your GP service to make contact. More locations will become available through www.nhs.uk or 119 in the coming weeks so you could also try again there later.

If you receive a letter and already have an appointment booked to have your vaccination at a local service please ignore the letter. There is nothing you need to do and please attend your appointment. 

If you have had your first jab, you will be contacted about getting your second. 

For more information visit: www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination

East Coulsdon Residents’ Association and COVID-19

When the lockdown was announced in March it was clear that the ECRA committee could no longer functional as normal. We had to postpone our AGM and cancel our social events including the Quiz nights. We were fortunate that we had already printed the Spring Review and with the help of our road stewards who didn’t have to self-isolate and some additional volunteers, we were able to distribute it without knocking and collecting the annual subscription (this accounts for the reduction in subs and reserves in the accounts).

We have continued to act in your interest by having committee meetings online by zoom and in back gardens where we could maintain social distancing. We have continued to engage on your behalf with the outside bodies such as the Croydon council, TfL, Network Rail, the NHS, BrickbyBrick, etc. by zoom, MS Teams, email and phone.   

As we could not have the AGM in June, we decided to delay the Summer Review until July/August, but to publish an additional on-line version which can be downloaded from our web site.

We now find ourselves in position where it is clear we will not be able to hold the AGM in the Autumn, our Stewards’ night or the Christmas Dinner. I am pleased to say that the committee have all volunteered to carry on until we are in a safe position to hold an AGM which may be well into next year. 

We will continue to engage with those outside bodies on your behalf and we will also publish and distribute the Review for the rest of the year. You can find the accounts for the year 2019/20 in this PDF

As you can see our main sources of income is subscriptions and adverts. It is important that we collect as many subscriptions as possible. This enables us to maintain the subscriptions at £3.00 and to use any surplus money on your behalf in the community.

If you have not paid your subscription this year. You can help us and our road stewards by paying your subscription by Standing Order or Bank Transfer. To do this please contact us on and we tell you how to do this. Alternatively, you can pay by cash or cheque (payable to ECRA) direct to your road steward or you can put the £3.00 in an envelope with your address on it through my door at 50 Reddown Road.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a very serious issue and it is important we do what we can for ourselves and others to keep safe. It is pleasing to see how the Coulsdon community has pulled together to help each other. Please stay safe.

Charles King
Chair : East Coulsdon Residents’ Association