Croydon's top charity event is just three weeks away, and there is still time to show your support.

The Croydon Charity Ball will take place on Tuesday, May 20, in a marquee at Selhurst Park, the ground of Crystal Palace Football Club.

It is an ideal opportunity for local businesses to get together and help raise much needed cash for two local organisations.

The finishing touches are now being put to the black tie event, which, it is hoped, will raise in the region of £40,000.

Here's a reminder of how the money will be used.

Guardians in Action - A new police initiative in Croydon to tackle crime and put those responsible behind bars. It replaces what used to be the Crime Prevention Panel and some of the money raised from the charity ball will get the initiative off the ground.

Spearheading the scheme is crime prevention officer PC Kevin Hitch. He said: "We want to open this up to everybody in the borough. Once they buy into the initiative they automatically become a Guardian of Croydon. It doesn't have to be money, people can donate time, or things in kind. The more people get involved, the more we can spread our wings."

The Croydon Colorectal Cancer Charity - Around 200 people in Croydon are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year, and the borough's colorectal cancer charity hopes to raise enough money to really help these people.

The charity aims to £3 million to create and fund a state-of-the-art unit at Mayday Hospital, capable of investigating and diagnosing all forms of bowel cancer and bowel disease in a single visit. This would increase the chances of detecting the condition at an early stage.

Gina Regan, charity fundraiser, said £1 million is needed to get the new unit off the ground and figures show it is already half-way towards getting that million.

April 30, 2003 12:30