Members of the Great Britain women's handball team will be making Crystal Palace their base in the final run-up to the 2012 Olympics - with 17 of the 24-strong squad looking to move into homes in the area.

Squad members come from across the UK - Cumbernauld, Ipswich, Manchester and Birmingham. But their main place of residence is abroad where team members will be coming from Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Sweden and Holland.where they play full time in handball leagues there..

At a 'meet and greet' held by organisers on Crystal Palace National Sports Centre's main arena on which the team will train, performance director Lorraine Brown said: "We're moving to Crystal Palace as part of making it our 'high performance' centre and what we wish to do is bring the surrounding community from Crystal Palace into getting behind an Olympic team.

"We want our players to live in the community and have as normal a life as you can being an elite athlete."

Team members are also looking for jobs in the area. They include a waitress, a lawyer, two physios, a nurse, a fitness instructor - along with one who wants to work in child care and another who wants to work in leisure. Anyone considering welcoming an athlete into their home or interviewing team members for a job should, in the first instance, contact  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Among the squad is Louise Jukes, an England hockey international, who gave up everything to relocate first to Denmark and then to Norway

She says she is really looking forward to relocating back to England, to have the opportunity to show handball to the nation - and inspire others to follow in her footsteps.

Selected into the GB World Class handball programme after making it through the Talent Identification Scheme in 2007, Louise says that like many she had be never seen the sport.

"I think the sport will only grow - and once people start watching the game they will want to see more and more."

The team, who will be moving into the area in May, are very much one of the underdogs in the Olympic event. Formed six years ago they have achieved some successes against Slovakia, Cyprus and Finland.

The team qualify because Great Britain is the host nation but make no mistake - these ladies are the underdogs in the real sense of the word.

Cue music. Vangelis. Chariots of Fire.

www.britishhandball.com

A GB women's handball team guide to the Crystal Palace Triangle (by Jerry Green)

Once upon a time much of this area was covered by the Great North Wood. Gipsies camped here. Paxton rebuilt the Crystal Palace here. Camille Pissarro painted here, Emile Zola photographed the area.

WELCOME WELKOM VELKOMMEN WILLKOMMEN ECOUTER TO CRYSTAL PALACE

CULTURAL:

Dinosaurs - the first 'must see' stop. These monsters can be found between the National Sports Centre and Thicket Road. Designed by Waterhouse Hawkins, who lived at 22 Belvedere Road.

Subway: Designed by Edward Barry, the son of Charles Barry who designed the Houses of Parliament, this subway was built under Crystal Palace Parade to link the already built Crystal Palace high level station (demolished in the 1950s) with the Crystal Palace. Currently closed to the public.

Museum.

Close to the top of Anerley Hill in the former Crystal Palace school of engineering. Open Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays 11 am to 3.30 pm    Admission free. Guided walks round the park set off from here from March each year. Next walk: Sunday April 3rd at noon. Tickets £3.50 plus concessions.

Upper Norwood joint library. Westow Hill, corner of Beardell Street. So called because it's run jointly by the London boroughs of Croydon and Lambeth and is the country's only independent library - and nothing to do with 'waccy baccy'.
Great staff - including one of Greater London's best children's librarians - who keep the place going brilliantly despite funding problems. IF you have a valid library ticket from where you live in the UK please bring it with you as it will enable you to borrow two books at a time.

Art: The recent closure of the Bigger Picture Gallery in the former car showroom next to the Grape and Grain pub at the top of Anerley Hill has deprived the area of one of its latest successes.
But the Picture Palace picture framers at 65 Westow Street (opposite Sainsbury's) has a wealth of framed and unframed paintings, posters and prints at ground level and above. Locally there's also the Dulwich Picture Gallery and the South London Gallery near Camberwell Green.

Cinema:

The former cinema building at 25 Church Road - closed in 1968 despite a 2,000-strong petition calling it for to for it to stay a cinema - was acquired from Gala bingo in secret by KICC (Kingsway International Christian Centre) in July 2009 prompting a massive public outcry by the local community.
Bromley council refused planning permission for change of use to a church  in December 2009. KICC have refused two requests by cinema operators City Screen to buy it. Since then KICC contractors have been working on the building.This one may run and run.

Films are shown at the Gipsy Hill Tavern close to Gipsy Hill Station by Crystal Palace Pictures on alternate Thursdays at   £5 on the door  and further afield by Dulwich Paradiso at 211 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich.

Nearest main cinemas are the Odeon Beckenham (227 or 358 bus) Empire Bromley (227 bus) or the Ritzy Brixton, run by the afore-mentioned City Screen. (Number 3 bus). Empire Bromley also shows special screenings on Wednesday mornings under the title 'Empire Seniors.' All three services leave from the bus station on Crystal Palace Parade.

Books:

Bookseller Crow on the Hill at 50 Westow Street have a wide range of the latest titles. See also: Haynes Lane Market.

HEALTH AND BEAUTY / NAIL CARE

Beauty by Renata Brown 77 Church Road

Crystal Nails 40 Westow Hill

Mother Earth health and beauty salon 42 Westow Street

Nails Palace 81 Church Road

Nature Palace 10 Church Road. Acupuncture, massage, herbals.

Revitalize beauty salon 14 Church Road

Training Points. Personal training studio 85 Church Road.

Your Style - hair, beauty and nails aka Studio Fryzjersko Kosmetyczne 75 Westow Hill

HAIRDRESSERS

2nd Glance hair and beauty salon. 113 Church Road. In parade to right of Belvedere Road

fortyseven 47 Westow Street - see also: clothes

Jay Michaels 30 to 34 Westow Street

Way Ahead 41 and 43 Westow Street

Willie Smarts 1 Westow Hill at corner of Westow Hill and Gipsy Hill

CLOTHES

fortyseven 47 Westow Street - see also: hairdressers.

Allbone and Trimmit 4 Coopers Yard off Westow Street - the long slope down the left hand side of Iceland. Part of 'The Overspill' building.

Et Pourquoi Pas? 45 Westow Street

Frankie and Lola 16 Westow Street

Grand Bay 23 Westow Street

Shoufang Fashion. 60 Church Road. Saturdays and Sundays Midday to 5pm.

Vien 87 Church Road

Vintage Hart. Inside the White Hart pub on the corner of Church Road and Westow Street.

And more clothes stalls in Haynes Lane Market.

JEWELLERY

Crystal Palace jewellers. 76 Church Road. Wedding rings to order.

Andreea - designs and sells her own jewellery  in Haynes Lane Market. Second-hand  jewellery can be found on other units there.

SHOES

Grand Bay 23 Westow Street

Merlin Shoes 44 Westow Street  (corner of Haynes Lane and opposite Grand Bay)

SHOE REPAIRS

Topy 38 Westow Hill

KEY CUTTING

Topy 38 Westow Hill

LAUNDERETTES

One just off the Triangle at 9 Central Hill. There's another on Anerley Hill close to its junction with Hamlet Road which is nearer to the NSC.

MARKETS (Second Hand)

Haynes Lane Market. Haynes Lane off Westow Street. Clothes, books, jewellery, vinyl, CDs etc etc etc. Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays 11 am to 5 am; Saturdays 11 am to 6am.

Jasper Road Antiques Market. Jasper Road. Not just antiques. Spread over four floors

CHARITY SHOPS

Cancer Research 30 Westow Hill. Open seven days a week.

Enterprise Trust 18 Westow Street.

Living Water Satisfies. 68 Church Road. The charity counsels battered women. Also runs a community cafe on the corner of Westow Street and Haynes Lane.   

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

CAFES / RESTAURANTS  etc

Too numerous to mention them all. They include:

Breakfasts: At Crystal Pantry Cafe 6 Church Road from 7 am Monday to Saturday

Little Palace Cafe 49 Westow Hill from 8 am seven days a week

Wetherspoon's pub The Postal Order - so called because it is housed in the former Upper Norwood sorting office - serves breakfasts 9 am to midday, seven days a week.

Living Water Satisfies community cafe  46 to 48  Westow Street corner of Haynes Lane. Breakfasts from 9 am.

The area has an amazing mix of restaurants.

There's the award winning The Exhibition Rooms at 69 - 71  Westow Hill (corner of Jasper Road);  Lorenzo's pizza next door at 73 Westow Hill; Joanna's restaurant 56 Westow Hill and  Domali's vegetarian bar/cafe at 38 Westow Street. There's also a vegan - Caribbean cafe at 105 Church Road while Comfort and Joy at 79a Church Road prides itself on its 'global' menu.

Continuing the global theme there's also:

Braziliana cafe at 72 Westow Hill

Chinese: Noodle Time 3 to 7 Church Road

Japanese: Edo 18 Westow Hill

Mauritian / Indian: Neo India 78 Westow Hill

Mexican: Los Amigos Mexican cantina and cocktail bar. 11 Central Hill..

Nepalese and Indian: Yak and Yeti 107 Church Road. in the parade to the right of Belvedere Road.

Portuguese A Torre 19 Westow Street

Sardinian:Mediterranea restaurant and pizzeria 21 Westow Street

Thai: Tamnaq Thai 50 to 54 Westow Hill

Venezuelan: Mi Coluna es Tuya 61 Westow Street

Vietnamese: Urban Orient 74 Westow Street

BAKERIES

Bettys 67 Westow Hill patisserie, bakery, tea house.

Blackbyrd 71 Church Road. Also a deli. eat in or take away.

Photographs © Guy Milnes www.guymilnes.com

CHEESE SHOP

Good Taste 28 Westow Hill Also a deli.

DELICATESSENS

Blackbyrd - see Bakeries

Good Taste - see cheese shop

Piast  Polish and Continental deli 3 Holly Bush Terrace between Westow Hill and Paddock Passage.

Sergio's. Deli counter inside post office, Westow Street.

PUBS/WINE BARS

Again there's a lot - almost as many as there are estate agents!

The Grape and Grain at the top of Anerley Hill has just been voted the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) South Eastern Regional pub of the year.

There's also The White Hart on the corner of Westow Street and Church Road; Westow House at the end of Westow Hill where it meets Crystal Palace Parade and Numidie's wine bar at 48 Westow Hill.

And that's just for starters!

SUPERMARKETS

Iceland 19 Westow Hill

Sainsbury's Westow Street

CASHPOINTS

Sainsbury's supermarket, Westow Street has its own cashpoints (two) on the right hand side wall outside its main entrance.

Barclays 59 to 61 Westow Hill

Lloyds TSB 84 Westow Hill

CHEMISTS

Sefgrove  3 to 5 Westow Hill

CYCLES

Popiel 1 Westow Street (corner with Paddock Passage)

Blue Door Bicycles 5 and 7 Central Hill. This shop for many years was Talbot Cycles. Being renovated prior to re-opening under its new name.

DRY CLEANERS

Franklin Bell 77 Westow Hill

Palace Cleaners 101 Church Road

Top Quality 9 Westow Hill

OPTICIANS

Crystal Eye Centre 20 Westow Hill

FURNITURE

OK - Unlikely I know but Do South has just opened with a mouthwatering display of wonderfully kooky items on the corner of Westow Hill and Central Hill.
Lawrences at 2 Holly Bush Terrace, Westow Street between Westow Hill and Paddock Passage sells second hand furniture.
Second hand furniture can also be found in the Haynes Lane and Jasper Road markets and in several shops on Church Road where they occupy four out of a row of five shops opposite the side of the cinema building. These are (from left) Belle Coco at number 40, unnamed at 38, Cartwrights at 34 and Bambino at 28 to 32  .

GIFT SHOPS

Glitter and Twisted at 25 Westow Street (part of the Foresters Hall building)

Smash Bang Wallop  40  Westow Street

South of the River 56  Westow Street

HARDWARE

Hollybush Stores 24 to 28 Westow Street

Macdonalds  57 Westow Hill (corner of Woodland Road). Not the burger bar. If you can't find it anywhere else on the Triangle then Macdonalds is the only place likely to have it. And if they haven't you're looking at a trip into Penge or Bromley.

COMMUNICATIONS

Internet Cafes include:
Chimeby Links at 89 Church Road Open from 10 am Monday to Saturday. Late Monday to Friday but shuts 4pm Saturdays. With one (honourable) exception all the blokes who work here are Arsenal fans!

Link Telecom at 4 Westow Hill (open seven days a week from 8 am) and

Upper Norwood Joint Library (see above) also has Internet access but you do need to join their Computer Club 24 hours before you can use the computers.. No fee.

Post office:   Westow Street. Prepare to queue....and queue....and queue.

Sorting office:   Westow Street between Hollybush Stores and the Enterprise Trust charity shop.

FLOWERS/GARDENING

Edward James florists. On Crystal Palace Parade just to the right of the Westow House pub.

The Secret Garden. Access via Coxwell Road off Westow Street. Hidden at the back of the Phoenix Centre and to the left of Sainsbury's. Just across from one of the entrances into Westow Park.

LEISURE

As well as Crystal Palace park there are a couple of other parks in the area and which, like Crystal Palace park, have a Friends group.

Westow park. Behind Sainsbury's. Several entrances including one from Westow Street into Coxwell Road and another on Church Road near the top of Fox Hill. The odd-shaped park originally formed part of the grounds of the Royal Normal College for the Blind which began life in two shops on Anerley Hill.

Beaulieu Heights. Access from South Norwood Hill which is at the far end of Church Road and at its lower end from Lancaster Road.

NOW THE BAD BITS

There's only one set of public loos. These are behind the Phoenix Centre which stands to the left of Sainsbury's and are open 7 am, to 7pm only. Some pubs and restaurants will let you use their facilities if you ask.

The Triangle also has a lot of alleys in the middle which are best avoided. One recent mugging took place at 10.30 on a Saturday morning.

Cycling on pavements. Because of the one-way system many cyclists travel on the pavement going against the traffic. So much for getting fit. And healthy.

Chewing gum on pavements.