John Whitgift Foundation

• The Whitgift Foundation has announced a new photography competition for the Borough: Capturing Croydon, sponsored by the Croydon Partnership
• Year 6 pupils from six Croydon primary schools will participate in workshops throughout March, led by architectural photographer Richard Chivers and geographer Dr Paula Owens
• The initiative will inspire children to explore their surroundings and the environmental change happening in Croydon
• Photos taken at the workshops will be submitted for the chance to win cameras and photography equipment
• The shortlist of 30 images will be announced on 30 April 2019
• The winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony at Old Palace of John Whitgift School on 3rd July

The Whitgift Foundation in Croydon has announced its new photography competition for year 6 pupils from six local primary schools in Croydon: Capturing Croydon. 

In one-day bespoke workshops taking place throughout March, pupils will be given cameras to discover Croydon through a photographic lens. From the historic landmarks to the exciting new developments happening in Croydon, Capturing Croydon will inspire children from local schools to engage with their historic and evolving surroundings.

Images taken by the children at the workshops will be entered into the competition for a chance to win prizes including cameras and photography equipment.

The workshops will be led by:

• Award-winning architectural photographer Richard Chivers. Richard’s work has appeared in the Sunday Time Magazine, Evening Standard, and New York Times
• Dr Paula Owens, BBC geography advisor and Canterbury University Research Fellow 

The schoolchildren will be encouraged to explore their own unique sense of place and engage with the changing urban landscape of Croydon through photography. 

The six schools taking part are:

•      All Saints Primary School, Croydon
•      Atwood Primary Academy, South Croydon
•      Howard Primary, Croydon
•      Fairchildes Primary School, New Addington
•      Beaumont Primary School, Purley
•      St Peter’s Primary School, South Croydon

The winner will be announced at a special Award’s Ceremony at the historic Old Palace of John Whitgift School in Croydon on 5 July.

Capturing Croydon is sponsored by the Croydon Partnership, the joint venture between Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and Hammerson set to transform Croydon’s two main shopping centres Whitgift and Centrale into a world class retail and leisure destination.

Martin Corney, Chief Executive of the Whitgift Foundation said: “Each workshop will start at the historic Whitgift Almshouses, and will begin the schoolchildren’s discovery of the borough and its 400-year-old history, through its iconic landmarks and modern-day developments taking place. Capturing Croydon will enable them to discover the stories and hidden histories behind their borough, as well as help them better understand what it means to them today.”

Steve Yewman, Development Director, Unibail Rodamco Westfield said: “As the Croydon Partnership redevelopment becomes part of Croydon’s busy, bustling urban landscape, we hope that this exciting initiative will engage children with their area. I’m thrilled that as part of our partnership with The Whitgift Foundation, we can help inspire children to learn more about the borough, and see their hometown in a new light.”

Carolyn Kenney, Development Director, Hammerson added: “This is a great initiative which offers children a great opportunity to capture how they see Croydon and how important the built environment is to residents and visitors. We look forward to seeing the results and hope that this project shines a light on the up-and-coming creative talent within the Borough.”    

For further information please contact:

Kallaway: capturingcroydon@kallaway.com| 0207 221 7883

Notes to editors

About The Whitgift Foundation 

The Whitgift Foundation is a registered charity with the aim of providing education for the young and care for the elderly in Croydon and the surrounding areas. Established in 1596 by the former Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift, The Whitgift Foundation comprises of:

• Three schools – Old Palace of John Whitgift School (girls), Trinity School (boys with a co-educational sixth form) and Whitgift School (boys)     
• Whitgift Care – three care homes, Whitgift House, Wilhelmina House and the Whitgift Almshouses offering a range of care provision including sheltered accommodation, full nursing care, residential care, respite and day care.
• The Carers’ Information Service – provides free information, support, advice and training to an estimated 34,000 carers in Croydon and manages the Carers Support Centre, 24 George Street.

The Whitgift Foundation currently supports approximately 45% of current pupils in its schools through financial 'means tested' bursaries.  This equates to just over £5million a year to enable talented young people to benefit from the outstanding education provided by the schools

About Croydon Partnership 

About Croydon Partnership’s plans for Croydon

The Croydon Partnership’s £1.4bn scheme will transform Croydon’s town centre into a major mixed-use state-of-the-art destination, which is retail, leisure and restaurant led. Alongside new public realm, the regeneration will support 7,000 jobs, new car parking and new residential units including affordable housing. This will sit at the heart of the wider regeneration of Croydon, attracting new residents and visitors back to the town centre for the benefit of all local businesses, whilst delivering a safe destination for families.

The Croydon Partnership can be followed on Twitter at @croydonpartners.  You can also visit the website www.thecroydonpartnership.com