Mitcham

[Pianolove]

HI I'm moving to Mitcham just near the Cricket Green.
Any advice how to meet mums in local and recommendation in the area?

I have 2 kids( 9 years old daughter and 11month old son)

Thanks

Hi Pianolove

Welcome to Merton.

You are most welcome to join our Book Group to meet some local(ish) mums. We tend to meet in Wimbledon (only a 200 bus ride away) every other month.

There are new twice-weekly stay and play sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays (10am-12pm) at The Vestry Hall, Cricket Green. They would give the opportunity to meet some local mums without having to stray too far from home.

A Dad commented on the related post we put up on our FB page and said "Hi! The Canons is nice with a playground and health club, and there's London fields park on London road. We live on the cricket green and happy to help with any questions!"

The beauty of that area is that it has great public transport links to Sutton, Merton and the Tooting side of Wandsworth , all of which are buzzing with activities for families with younger and older children. For example, the fabulous Gorringe Park Pub (take the 280 bus towards Tooting) puts on lots of 'mums/dads and tots' activities and has the added bonus of a downstairs cinema room which regularly screens free films suitable for the children. Walk/take a bus the other way towards Sutton and you're not far away from local gem, the glorious Morden Hall Park.

Let us know if you have any specific questions and we'll try to answer them.

Hope you enjoy living in Merton - it's a fabulous borough to bring up children.

Kate

Mitcham has some lovely houses (it was at one point in local history a rival to Wimbledon Village in terms of being well-to-do and desirable but that is well over a century into the past now) around the Cricket Green. It's a bit of a desolate 'one horse town' these days (you've only got to look at the town centre parade of shops to work that one out). It is the type of area that struggles to attract people from elsewhere in the borough to go.

Think you'll find that most families will 'defect' for activities to neighbouring areas with more going on. Having said that, Mitcham Library is okay and does lots of free family activities. The Hub, on the Mitcham/Morden borders (heading up towards the Rose Hill roundabout), has lots of sports activities going on and softplay for younger and older children too. And having The Canons on your doorstep is a big boon for swimming, more softplay and a wide range of sporting activities.

The stealthy gentrification of Tooting and Colliers Wood means that Mitcham is likely to be next (as it's a rare bastion of more affordable housing in this part of London!), so everything could change soon.

article in Homes and Property - Mitcham (five-year growth: 70%) features in the Top 20 cheapest London postcodes where house prices are tipped to soar and are on the strongest upswing. You've chosen your new home town well, OP .