The Sidcup Partners BID

20/01/2026

Sidcup Partners are delighted to have supported Castle Cinema and wish them a huge success.

One month on from the reopening of Sidcup’s cinema the Council is delighted to see the venue thriving once again as a vibrant cultural hub for the community. Audience numbers have grown week on week since reopening with good attendance across a wide range of films and events.

Castle Cinema, who currently operate a similar successful independent community-driven cinema in Hackney, are the new team running the cinema and café that will be known as the Castle Sidcup. The building that the cinema, café and library are housed in will continue to be known as the Storyteller building.

The cinema is now operating at full opening hours 9.30am until 11pm daily, screening films throughout the day, 7 days a week and continuing to expand its programme. Over the coming weeks this will include the introduction of regular specialist and inclusive screenings such as parent and baby showings, silver screen performances for older audiences and accessible screenings including hard-of-hearing and subtitled sessions.

Craig Wood, returning as General Manager said:
“It’s been fantastic to welcome people back through the doors and to see the cinema settling back into its role at the heart of the community. There’s a real appetite locally for a broad mix of films and events and we’re excited to keep building a programme that reflects the community and offers something for

Castle cinema are pleased to support former Sidcup Storyteller members by recognising legacy memberships. This recognition will remain available until 31 January 2026. Just pop in and speak to the friendly Castle Sidcup team.

Further information about screenings, accessibility, opening times and to book tickets is available at www.castlesidcup.

19/01/2026

🌼 Sidcup Library – Starting February!🌼
We’re excited to share that our seed swap will begin in February at Sidcup Library. It’s a great chance to exchange seeds, discover new plants, and connect with fellow gardeners.

🌿 Monthly Gardening Club
Sidcup Library also hosts a gardening club once a month on a Saturday. If you’re interested in joining, just check in with the library team to find out the date of the next session.

19/01/2026

🌼 Britain in Bloom Update! 🌼

We’re thrilled to share some lovely news as we celebrate being finalists in Britain in Bloom.

Just before Christmas, Marks & Spencer kindly donated beautiful milk‑jug plants to the Sidcup Community Larder. Chris, Liz and Sue decided to gift these to the residents of Smyth Lodge, and the joy was incredible — every resident woke up on Christmas morning with a plant waiting in their room.

We’re delighted to have received a further donation, and as one of our partners in London in Bloom, Chris, Liz and Sue are now distributing these plants to several local schools, nurseries and care homes. They’ll be potting, planting and photographing their journey from start to finish.

Another wonderful partner, The Alma, will be adding even more bird boxes to their already beautiful gardens — and they’re also creating a hedgehog home for the little hedgehog spotted visiting their grounds.

We’re always open to more ideas from our amazing community. Let’s keep growing together 🌱💛

19/01/2026

We were advised this morning of a dangerous Thames Water frame and cover that come in over the weekend at station road Sidcup .

Thames Water have traffic lights in place this morning that is causing traffic congestion. I have been informed that the works should be completed just after midday today .

18/01/2026

Huge congratulations to Jessica Shields‑Scott, who’s bagged our cinema ticket giveaway.

💛 More treats on the way
Keep your eyes peeled — our fantastic local businesses have even more exciting giveaways coming soon. And let’s just say… a little birdie tells us that Valentine’s Day is creeping closer, so you won’t want to miss what’s next.

13/01/2026

🌼 Exciting News for Our Community! 🌼

We are absolutely thrilled to share that we’ve been selected to represent our region in the 2026 RHS Britain in Bloom UK Finals in the Town Centres & City Centres category.

After our incredible success at last year’s London in Bloom awards, this invitation has truly blown us away. It’s an honour to showcase the hard work, passion, and community spirit that make our town so special.

A huge thank you to everyone who supports, volunteers, plants, waters, weeds, and cheers us on. This achievement belongs to all of us — and we can’t wait for the journey ahead. 🌿✨

Let’s bloom even brighter in 2026!

07/01/2026

06/01/2026

Good afternoon.
After meeting Riney this lunchtime and assessing the weather and other logistics and issues, it was decided to start resurfacing operations at Main Road at 9pm tonight with these very cold and freezing conditions.
This is one day later than programmed.
The weather for the rest of the week does not look very promising so we shall continue to review operations on daily basis.
Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly and we get to finish all our work in Sidcup with minimum disruption quickly.

05/01/2026

The resurfacing work scheduled for tonight on the High Street has been postponed due top the frezzing weather.

I will let you know as and when I get any more info...

31/12/2025

1 “Thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns regarding the ongoing works on Elm Road. I fully understand the frustration and disruption that prolonged road closures can cause for residents and local businesses, and I appreciate the strength of feeling within the community.

I would like to reassure you that these are gas emergency works, and the full road closure is essential to ensure the safety of both members of the public and the engineers on site. Due to the nature of the works and the risks involved, it is not safe or appropriate to temporarily cover the excavation or allow partial access while repairs are ongoing.

Public safety must remain the overriding priority in situations such as this, and the decision to maintain a full closure has been made on that basis.

That said, I am pleased to confirm that the works are progressing and are scheduled to be fully completed by the end of this week, including permanent reinstatement of the road surface. The road will be reopened as soon as it is safe to do so.

I acknowledge that clearer communication would have been helpful, and I am sorry for the inconvenience this situation has caused. We are committed to ensuring the works are completed as quickly and safely as possible and appreciate the patience shown by residents and businesses during this necessary emergency repair.

This specialist kit or repair is bespoke and is only made by one company in the whole of the UK. They are based in Birmingham and have an extremely busy schedule. It is to encapsulate a leaking 4” saddle coming off an 18” CI main. There is no alterative repair for this.

2. TFL and the street works inspectors has been to site and at the time there was no buses driving on the footway. Buses can only use the road in one direction due to the width restriction, and TFL have used this route many times to ensure they serve as many residents as possible in the area and needing to access the High Street.

If inconsiderate vehicles and buses are driving on the footway illegally, this should be reported to the police for dangerous driving.

The response we received hope this is helpful 💜

31/12/2025

Message from Sarto Lounge

Just a quick note to clear up some confusion 💬
Although the building we’re in is being sold, we’re still very much here and open as usual.
Same team, same food, same opening hours — and we can’t wait to see you soon.
Thank you for your support 🥂

We say…..Wonderful news you are a great asset to our community 💜