By George it was a fun at Croydon parade (From Wandsworth Guardian)

By George it was a fun day out for everyone

10:30am Thursday 26th April 2012 in Video

Thousands turned out for a day celebrating the St George, the dragon-killing patron saint of England.

Crowds enjoyed a host of music, dance, extra market stalls, fairground rides and tours of the town’s historic quarter as part of the Croydon Recovery Project, funded by Croydon Council through money from the General London Authority.

Live cooking demonstrations, additional market stalls and roaming entertainment occupied Surrey Street, Exchange Square enjoyed live entertainment from a huge variety of performers while historic tours were run throughout the day, highlighting the town’s heritage.

Trevor Reeves, director of the iconic House of Reeves furniture store, said: "There was a wonderful atmosphere throughout the whole Old Town area and much better footflow around Old Town than usual.

"There seemed to be a lot more activity in the shop than there would usually been on one of the middle Saturdays of the month and we were very pleased with the event and the interest that it generated.

"Certainly on the day the morale of the area was very positive with lots of nice things going on such as the activities on the green outside our shops, the market stalls being decorated and the bunting up outside the participating shops. It all created a great buzz."

The day even enjoyed a visit from Labour Mayor of London candidate Ken Livingstone.

The Croydon Recovery Campaign is being delivered on Croydon Council’s behalf by Croydon Business Improvement District (BID), the company which represents, and is funded by, Town Centre businesses.