Chap in his 40s in south London

The Betty Wivell Academy was established in 1964. To date over 1000 boys and girls have studied with us. When we started, it was ballet lessons in Miss Wivell's sitting room.

Date: Saturday June

Witchfest is the largest Witchcraft festival in the World for bringing the world of Witchcraft, Wicca and Paganism together. A Children of Artemis event

The Festival of Model Tramways is the premier event for the model tram enthusiast.

The Festival will be on Saturday 18th July 2015 at the Arnhem Gallery, Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1DG.

Fully air conditioned hall. Stay cool!

Admission is at the charge of £8, Children (under 16) free if accompanied. Opening times are 10am to 5pm.

Croydon Blues Festival 2014, Fairfield Halls Croydon Surrey - information, lineup, line-up, news, rumours, reviews, photos

“Chilling by the dock of the bay...”

Reviewed 17 April 2013

Koh Kood is a great place to include on your Koh Chang island-hop. It’s a two-hour speedboat ride from the southern Koh Chang pier at Bang Bao, so make sure you plan your route around the islands in advance. Otherwise, like us, you might make a few unnecessary trips – as pleasant as they are when the seas are relatively calm. With a jetty of its own the Koh Chang [Nature] Resort is one of the many on the island that the fast boats can drop you at directly. [See our holiday video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIVwlS261Ak] You’ll know you are approaching the resort as you enter the narrow-mouthed, sheltered circular bay. The first pier on the left is yours, and we had a trio of staff running to meet us as we stepped ashore so that all the bags were carried to reception in double-quick time. Arrival felt a little formal and somehow slightly awkward, but maybe that was just us. Unlike some places they did want to see a printed booking form, although there is free wi-fi, so if you are relying on an email that you haven’t saved on your smartphone it’s easy enough to access it. The room choice is essentially one of three (or maybe four) seaview bungalows (A1 being the best) versus a decent number of garden ones, none of which seem to have much to choose between them. We had C1 and it was airy, spacious and perfectly OK. Nothing special, a few cracks here and there, but fine for the money (probably the best value on the island in fact). The air-con had no remote (which confused the porters) but operated from a wall control. It wasn’t the most efficient, but it did the job. It does however go off from about 6am until the early evening (although the power stays on all day and there is a good fan). In the bathroom you get a big area with an open-roofed shower. The shower ‘cubicle’ can’t be closed though, so expect a few flying things flapping around the wash-basin if you leave the lights on. The safe has a key rather than a code, which makes it solid and reliable. The mosquito net is big enough to cope with the size of the comfortable bed. Outside there is a decking area. Some rooms get chairs, some don’t – ours didn’t…but it’s not likely you’d want to sit out anyway, as the ‘garden’ is a relatively dusty area shaded by tall trees. If you decide to look inland from the resort then rent a scooter. I walked up to the nearest shop and café, and it was a half-hour round trip – with not much to show for it. Back down at the resort, the reception area and restaurant are on a small slope above the beach. As well as the free wi-fi there are also plenty of power sockets if you need to keep your laptop charged. Down the steps there is a small bar, a grassed section merging with a decking area full of sun loungers and the ever-present massage zone. A nice touch each evening we were there was that at around 8pm a projection screen was dropped in front of the massage booth and a ‘blockbuster’ film was screened. We got to see The Gangs pf New York and Pulp Fiction to a backdrop of lapping waves. Just remember to pull up a chair close to the speakers or the sound may get drowned out by the surf. The beach is non-existent at high tide as the sea comes right up to the decking. At low tide the sandy crescent bay is exposed and you can walk most of the way out to the end of the pier before getting much more than waist deep To the right of the beach the sand gives way to rocks, and if you follow these out to sea there is good snorkelling to be found. This is enhanced by the fact that the resort replenishes the natural coral by ‘seeding’ new pieces (which they were in the process of doing just as we prepared to leave). Kayaks are plentiful and free to use and if you do fancy a change of scenery there are a couple of other resorts just down the beach. However if you are only here for a few days there is no need to go elsewhere as the food is great and I can recommend the barbecue if you want a few days free of Thai-style cuisine.

“Chilling by the dock of the bay...”

KOH KOOD RESORT

Reviewed 17 April 2013

Koh Kood is a great place to include on your Koh Chang island-hop. It’s a two-hour speedboat ride from the southern Koh Chang pier at Bang Bao, so make sure you plan your route around the islands in advance. Otherwise, like us, you might make a few unnecessary trips – as pleasant as they are when the seas are relatively calm. With a jetty of its own the Koh Chang [Nature] Resort is one of the many on the island that the fast boats can drop you at directly. [See our holiday video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIVwlS261Ak] You’ll know you are approaching the resort as you enter the narrow-mouthed, sheltered circular bay. The first pier on the left is yours, and we had a trio of staff running to meet us as we stepped ashore so that all the bags were carried to reception in double-quick time. Arrival felt a little formal and somehow slightly awkward, but maybe that was just us. Unlike some places they did want to see a printed booking form, although there is free wi-fi, so if you are relying on an email that you haven’t saved on your smartphone it’s easy enough to access it. The room choice is essentially one of three (or maybe four) seaview bungalows (A1 being the best) versus a decent number of garden ones, none of which seem to have much to choose between them. We had C1 and it was airy, spacious and perfectly OK. Nothing special, a few cracks here and there, but fine for the money (probably the best value on the island in fact). The air-con had no remote (which confused the porters) but operated from a wall control. It wasn’t the most efficient, but it did the job. It does however go off from about 6am until the early evening (although the power stays on all day and there is a good fan). In the bathroom you get a big area with an open-roofed shower. The shower ‘cubicle’ can’t be closed though, so expect a few flying things flapping around the wash-basin if you leave the lights on. The safe has a key rather than a code, which makes it solid and reliable. The mosquito net is big enough to cope with the size of the comfortable bed. Outside there is a decking area. Some rooms get chairs, some don’t – ours didn’t…but it’s not likely you’d want to sit out anyway, as the ‘garden’ is a relatively dusty area shaded by tall trees. If you decide to look inland from the resort then rent a scooter. I walked up to the nearest shop and café, and it was a half-hour round trip – with not much to show for it. Back down at the resort, the reception area and restaurant are on a small slope above the beach. As well as the free wi-fi there are also plenty of power sockets if you need to keep your laptop charged. Down the steps there is a small bar, a grassed section merging with a decking area full of sun loungers and the ever-present massage zone. A nice touch each evening we were there was that at around 8pm a projection screen was dropped in front of the massage booth and a ‘blockbuster’ film was screened. We got to see The Gangs pf New York and Pulp Fiction to a backdrop of lapping waves. Just remember to pull up a chair close to the speakers or the sound may get drowned out by the surf. The beach is non-existent at high tide as the sea comes right up to the decking. At low tide the sandy crescent bay is exposed and you can walk most of the way out to the end of the pier before getting much more than waist deep To the right of the beach the sand gives way to rocks, and if you follow these out to sea there is good snorkelling to be found. This is enhanced by the fact that the resort replenishes the natural coral by ‘seeding’ new pieces (which they were in the process of doing just as we prepared to leave). Kayaks are plentiful and free to use and if you do fancy a change of scenery there are a couple of other resorts just down the beach. However if you are only here for a few days there is no need to go elsewhere as the food is great and I can recommend the barbecue if you want a few days free of Thai-style cuisine.