The Story Sanctuary

Community Garden & Maintenance Drop In
2026-09-01 10:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-04 10:00 - 15:00, 2026-07-07 10:00 - 15:00 (Europe/London)
Join us for a gentle gardening and tidy up session. No experience or regular commitment needed.

We’d love your help keeping our gardens welcoming and well cared for. There will be a range of simple tasks like sweeping and weeding, through to more hands-on jobs such as pruning and helping to plant our new community garden.

It’s also a lovely chance to make new friends and find out more about what we do.

🗓 First Tuesday of each month — 10am–3pm🗓 Third Friday of each month — 10am–2pm

Tea, coffee and biscuits provided ☕🍪If no one is outside when you arrive, please come to the staff entrance.Bring tools if you have them (no worries if not!).

Feel free to join our WhatsApp group for updates and reminders:https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jz4ecXsEyoI4HkfpzWCKRa

We’d love to see you there! 🌱

If it’s raining, we’re probably not gardening but do pop down and say hi!

Community & Carers Cafe: optional £2 donation
2026-08-31 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-08-24 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-08-17 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-08-10 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-08-03 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-07-27 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-07-20 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-07-13 10:30 - 12:00 and 1 more date
Kettle’s On: a friendly weekly space for conversation, connection and company.

Every Monday morning, we open the doors for a relaxed social gathering where people can come together over a cuppa. Whether you are a carer, feeling isolated, new to the area, or simply looking for community, you’ll find a warm welcome here.

We know it can sometimes feel difficult to reach out or find the right support. Kettle’s On is designed to be an informal, low-pressure space where people can connect, share experiences, and feel less alone.

What to expect

Tea, coffee, biscuits and friendly conversation

A calm and welcoming environment

Creative activities and materials available each week, colouring, doodling, tangling and more…

Support with finding local services and community resources

Monthly focus

First & Third Mondays: dedicated carers focus, but all still welcome

Second Mondays: Dawn, our community builder, will be available to help signpost support, services and opportunities locally

Drop in anytime between 10:30am and 12pm, £2 donations are welcomed but never expected.

Practical Details:

Our building is not (yet) fully accessible, there are steps down to the toilets which are not suitable for wheelchair users or those who need assistance.

Community Garden & Maintenance Drop In
2026-08-21 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-17 10:00 - 14:00
Join us for a gentle gardening and tidy up session. No experience or regular commitment needed.

We’d love your help keeping our front garden welcoming and well cared for. There will be a range of simple tasks like sweeping and weeding, through to more hands-on jobs such as pruning — and even opportunities to help us think about future garden plans.

It’s also a lovely chance to make new friends and find out more about what we do.

🗓 First Tuesday of each month — 10am–3pm🗓 Third Friday of each month — 10am–2pm

Tea, coffee and biscuits provided ☕🍪If no one is outside when you arrive, please come to the staff entrance.Bring tools if you have them (no worries if not!).

Feel free to join our WhatsApp group for updates and reminders:https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jz4ecXsEyoI4HkfpzWCKRa

We’d love to see you there! 🌱

If it’s raining, we’re probably not gardening but do pop down and say hi!

Chair Yoga with Veronica Moulder: from £8
2026-07-29 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-07-22 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-07-15 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-07-08 13:30 - 14:30
Chair Yoga is a safe form of exercise that is suitable for everyone. It is especially useful for people who have restricted movement due to disability, injury or ageing. It can help with conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety, arthritis, MS, depression and chronic pain.

Chair Yoga allows you to move your body safely and increase strength and flexibility. It will also help with balance, relaxation and stress management.

Veronica Moulder has been teaching yoga for over 20 years. She trained with the British Wheel of Yoga and is passionate about the benefits of yoga for improving the quality of life of her students both physically and mentally.

Practical Details:

Our building is not (yet) fully accessible, there are steps down to the toilets which are not suitable for wheelchair users or those who need assistance.

Ticket Costs:

The Story Sanctuary is a grassroots community initiative, led by volunteers. To help balance accessibility with sustainability, we use a tiered pricing model:

SUPPORTER – £15Covers the true cost of your place at an event/workshop and helps support our future.Intended for those on a decent salary or pension who can comfortably meet their basic needs.

STANDARD – £12Covers the bulk of the cost of your place at the event or workshop.Intended for those who are waged or have a reasonable pension and can meet their basic needs.

ACCESSIBLE – £8Helps make participation possible when money is tight.Intended for those on benefits or pension credits, or who are experiencing financial difficulty.

Click here to book

Community Yoga: Gentle Flow: from £8
2026-07-22 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-15 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-07-08 19:00 - 20:00
Meet Ana — Your Wednesday Evening Guide

Ana Miranda is a yoga teacher and Āyurveda consultant with over 20 years of personal practice and a genuine passion for making yoga accessible to everyone.

Her classes are gentle, welcoming, and beginner-friendly — built around breath, movement, and a little stillness. There are no perfect poses here, no pressure, and no experience needed. Just a warm space to slow down and reconnect with yourself.

And if you do want to explore your edge a little? There is always room for that too.

Come as you are. All are welcome.

Practical Details:

Our building is not (yet) fully accessible, there are steps down to the toilets which are not suitable for wheelchair users or those who need assistance.

Ticket Costs:

The Story Sanctuary is a grassroots community initiative, led by volunteers. To help balance accessibility with sustainability, we use a tiered pricing model:

SUPPORTER – £15

Covers the true cost of your place at an event/workshop and helps support our future.Intended for those on a decent salary or pension who can comfortably meet their basic needs.

STANDARD – £12

Covers the bulk of the cost of your place at the event or workshop.Intended for those who are waged or have a reasonable pension and can meet their basic needs.

ACCESSIBLE – £8

Helps make participation possible when money is tight.Intended for those on benefits or pension credits, or who are experiencing financial difficulty.

Click here to book…

Lunchtime Yoga: Beginners/Gentle: from £8
2026-07-20 12:30 - 13:30, 2026-07-13 12:30 - 13:30, 2026-07-06 12:30 - 13:30
Beginners/Gentle Yoga is suitable for complete yoga newbies or those returning to yoga after an injury or if you just haven’t done yoga for a while.

These classes are designed to teach you the basic yoga postures, breathing and relaxation techniques whilst promoting a sense of overall wellbeing. As well as offering you a chance to gently stretch and strengthen your body and improve balance, you will be able to press pause on your day and take time out to reconnect and re-energise.

Please note that you will need to be able to get down and back up from the floor to take part in this class, however some chair-based modifications can be made if required.

Veronica Moulder has been teaching yoga for over 20 years. She trained with the British Wheel of Yoga and is passionate about the benefits of yoga for improving the quality of life of her students both physically and mentally.

Practical Details:

Our building is not (yet) fully accessible, there are steps down to the toilets which are not suitable for wheelchair users or those who need assistance.

Ticket Costs:

The Story Sanctuary is a grassroots community initiative, led by volunteers. To help balance accessibility with sustainability, we use a tiered pricing model:

SUPPORTER – £15

Covers the true cost of your place at an event/workshop and helps support our future.Intended for those on a decent salary or pension who can comfortably meet their basic needs.

STANDARD – £12

Covers the bulk of the cost of your place at the event or workshop.Intended for those who are waged or have a reasonable pension and can meet their basic needs.

ACCESSIBLE – £8

Helps make participation possible when money is tight.Intended for those on benefits or pension credits, or who are experiencing financial difficulty.

Click here to book…

Rhyme Time with Croydon Libraries: free
2026-07-16 13:30 - 15:00, 2026-07-09 13:30 - 15:00, 2026-07-02 13:30 - 15:00
Join us for our new extended, relaxed Rhyme Time – developed in response to feedback from our local community, supporting as many families as we can. No booking required.

Songs and rhymes for families with babies and toddlers, every week during term time.

Please note that you do not need to book. Bookings do help us with our preparation but please don’t let not booking stop you from popping in, we’d love to see you.

We’ve listened to lots of new mums, their partners, and the grandparents and we’ve changed up Rhyme Time to try and include as many flavours of family life as we can!

We know that for many, it’s harder to find things to do in the afternoon; some babies nap til 2pm but others don’t, sometimes it just takes longer to get out of the house, other days it has to feel like it’s worth it, and some will be thinking about school pick-ups.

We’ve rejigged our session to have a gentle beginning with time for settling in, so if you’re running 20 minutes late or dealing with one of those poos, no need to feel defeated – you won’t miss out. The session is longer, with time for relaxed chat and socialising at the end, and if you need a cup of tea or a biscuit before you face the journey home, we’ll put the kettle on.

Drop in at the time that suits you – there will be songs, rhymes and giggles from 1:45pm to 2:45pm – and, importantly for first-time mums, friendly faces to talk to and that cuppa if you need one.

Come along and join the fun at our FREE Rhyme Time, now back on a regular basis!

This activity is delivered in partnership with Croydon Libraries and is offered free of charge.

Practical Details:

Our building is not (yet) fully accessible, there are steps down to the toilets which are not suitable for wheelchair users or those who need assistance.

Click here to book…

Sew and Chat Group: Creative Sewing & Embroidery
2026-07-16 10:30 - 12:00
A growing community of soft makers: all ages, all skill levels, all backgrounds, all together: bring a project or start one; help with a group make to display in the space or help others to learn. Whether it’s patchwork or embroidery, cross-stitch or simple sewing, you will likely find someone who shares your making joy.

Led by Christel Stranack (@craftybleublancrouge), a talented multidisciplinary maker, supported by other volunteers of all ages. These sessions are predominantly for hand-makers, but all welcome!

Practical Details:

Our building is not (yet) fully accessible, there are steps down to the toilets which are not suitable for wheelchair users or those who need assistance.

Ticket Costs:

The Story Sanctuary is a grassroots community initiative, led by volunteers. To help balance accessibility with sustainability, we use a tiered pricing model:

SUPPORTER – £15Covers the true cost of your place at an event/workshop and helps support our future.Intended for those on a decent salary or pension who can comfortably meet their basic needs.

STANDARD – £12Covers the bulk of the cost of your place at the event or workshop.Intended for those who are waged or have a reasonable pension and can meet their basic needs.

ACCESSIBLE – £8Helps make participation possible when money is tight.Intended for those on benefits or pension credits, or who are experiencing financial difficulty.

Click here to book

Listen to Literature: free
2026-07-13 13:30 - 15:00, 2026-07-06 13:30 - 15:00
Come along for a relaxed session to listen to a story or poems being read. There is no pressure to read aloud yourself, so just come and listen, have a hot drink and relax in friendly company.

Please note that you do not need to book. Bookings do help us with our preparation but please don’t let not booking stop you from popping in, we’d love to see you.

At our Open Weekend in September 2025, many people expressed a desire to come to a listening group – no pressure, just companionship – and share in the joy of prose, poetry and stories. We’ve developed this gentle, welcoming group that we hope will evolve based on the wishes of those who come.

This activity is delivered by the brilliant outreach team from Croydon Libraries and is offered free of charge.

Practical Details:

Our building is not (yet) fully accessible, there are steps down to the toilets which are not suitable for wheelchair users or those who need assistance.

Click here to book…
