Living in Havering issue 152

Transcription

AUTUMN2011
Issue 152
Savings plan to
balance the books
Decent Homes
for residents
Taking care of
the vulnerable
Volunteers lend
a hand
What’s happening
in your community
Living in Havering is published quarterly
by the London Borough Havering
02 | AUTUMN 2011 | living IN HAVERING
The cost of producing and distributing
Living in Havering is supported by
advertising. To advertise, call 432232
6 & 27 Double
celebration Historic park
given £1.7m for extensive
refurbishment, while eight of our
flagship parks retain special status.
This community magazine should
reach every home in Havering,
with additional copies available in
libraries and leisure centres. If you
know someone who has not received
a copy, phone 431037.
10 Money Safe
scheme Protecting our
Living in Havering is published by
Havering Council. Reproduction in
whole or in part is strictly forbidden
without the prior permission of
Havering Council.
20 –21 Showing you
a great time The latest
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Borough of Havering, Town Hall, Main
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vulnerable residents.
about Havering’s shows, and
forthcoming events.
24 –25 Lend a hand
Meet museum’s award-winning
volunteer.
37–39 Coming up
Three pages of events happening
in libraries and in the borough.
Front page picture of Bedfords Park
courtesy of Mike Pitter of Romford.
Democracy
Week events
Havering residents will be able to
meet Council Leader, Cllr Michael
White, and other Cabinet members
in person next month.
They will be in Romford Market
Place on Saturday, October 15, from
11am – 2pm as part of Local
Democracy Week. For details visit
www.havering.gov.uk
Also as part of Local Democracy
Week, the Council and Havering
College of Further & Higher
Education is organising a debate for
secondary and sixth form students at
the college’s Ardleigh Green campus
on Thursday, October 20. Young
local people will be able to discuss
topical issues and put tough questions
to a panel of local and national VIPs
including Cllr White and Redbridge
Cllr and former NUS President Wes
Streeting. TV political journalist
Michael Cockerell chairs the event.
www.havering.gov.uk/living | AUTUMN2011 | 03
Hello again and welcome to the
autumn edition of our new-look
Living in Havering magazine, which
gives you all the news and
information about what’s happening
at the Council and around the
borough, four times a year.
I was happy to be able to meet so
many of you at this year’s Havering
Show and our Hornchurch Live
music event, which were both very
popular.
I’m very proud to say that, once
again, we ensured the Havering
Show was a free event for local
people, and Hornchurch Live was
also free to enter and enjoy.
We have a great spread of
pictures from both events in the
centre pages of this edition.
We are continuing our hard work
to reshape the Council to make it
even more efficient and effective
than before, following the
Government’s cuts to funding
for all local councils.
We will continue to support
These cuts mean that Havering
and protect vulnerable adults and
has to reduce its budget by a total of children.
£40 million by the year 2014.
And we will not be changing our
Last year we started reshaping
current weekly rubbish collections,
Havering’s finances by identifying
unlike some other councils.
where we can save £19m.
We know these are all things
And this summer we have
which matter a lot to our residents,
finalised plans to close the
which is why we have protected
remaining funding gap.
them.
There have been tough decisions
You will be able to read more
to take, but we were determined to
details about our financial decisions
make as many savings as possible
on Pages 4/5.
behind the scenes, in our offices and
I’d like to hear what you think
the Town Hall, while protecting our about our work at the Council, so
front-line services.
please write in to Living in Havering,
And we took our residents’ views to give us your thoughts.
and priorities, which you gave to us
in the Your Council, Your Say, survey
Cllr Michael White
earlier this year, into account when
Leader of Havering Council
deciding where we can make savings.
So I’m very happy to say we will
not be closing any libraries, unlike
some other councils.
We will not sell-off our parks.
Meet the
Ask the Cabinet
Leader of the Residents can ask questions questions to the Cabinet.
There are three ways to ask a
directly to Havering Council’s
Council
question
at Ask the Cabinet sessions:
Cabinet Members held before
You can talk to the Leader of
Havering Council, Cllr Michael
White, face to face at one of his
Meet the Leader events.
It’s a chance to pose your question,
query or concern about local issues
directly to him. Cllr White will be at:
• The Liberty Shopping Centre,
Romford, on September 28 and
November 30, both times from
1 – 2pm:
• And at Sainsbury’s in Hornchurch
on October 26, from 1 – 2pm.
Check out our website at
www.havering.gov.uk for details
of future dates.
Or why not comment on current
issues on the Leader’s blog at www.
haveringleader.org
each Cabinet meeting.
• By attending on the night and
asking the question in person
The Q&A sessions will be held at the
Town Hall on September 28,
October 19, November 16 and
December 14.
They all take place between
6.30 – 7.15pm.
Three members of the Cabinet
will be present to answer any
questions.
They will include Council
Leader, Cllr Michael White, Cllr
Robert Benham, Cabinet Member
for Community Empowerment,
and a third Cabinet member.
There is no need to register
beforehand – just turn up to the
Town Hall on the night.
Anyone who lives, works or
studies in Havering is entitled to put
• Email them to askthecabinet@
havering.gov.uk
• Or post them to: Ask the Cabinet,
London Borough of Havering,
Town Hall, Main Road, Romford
RM1 3BD.
All Ask the Cabinet sessions will be
webcast over the internet.
Residents’ views help s
Because of the national austerity measures, Havering Council must
reduce its budget by £40m, by 2014. A package of savings worth £19m
was agreed last year. This summer the Council agreed to save a further
£16m to close the gap. Living in Havering talks to two leading figures in
the Council about what this means for residents – and why services like
weekly rubbish collections and libraries will not be cut.
The views of Havering
residents played a very
important part in
the Council’s latest
savings plan.
Before submitting
plans to save a further
£16m, the Council
considered not only
what was possible, but
also how proposals
would affect the local
community.
They also looked at
the findings of the Your
Council, Your Say survey,
sent to every household
earlier this year.
In the questionnaire,
residents were asked
what they thought
about public services
and facilities around the
borough, and urged to
list the most important
things to them.
Cllr Roger Ramsey,
who as the Cabinet
Member for Value is in
charge of policies which
ensure Havering always
gets the best value for
money in everything it
does, explained: “This
survey told us what our
residents’ clear
priorities were – for
example weekly rubbish
collections, parks, roads
and pavements.
“I can assure
residents there will be
no closures of parks or
libraries in Havering,
unlike in some other
Council areas across the
country. And there will
be no fortnightly waste
collections here.”
Because of the
Council’s determination
to protect these
important frontline
services, it has had to
take some tough
decisions to get costs
down, he added.
Cllr Ramsey
t
e
g
r
o
f
Do n’t
explained:
“Our
focus in
making
savings was
very much
about
efficiencies
in the Town
Hall, and
driving out
red-tape.
We are also improving
the way we run the
organisation.
“In the £19m savings
that have already been
set in motion, the
largest number of
people affected has
actually
been our management.
“As the Council gets
even smaller and more
efficient, the number of
managers gets smaller.
It’s the right thing to
do.”
The day-to-day job
of looking after the
Council’s financial
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shape savings plan
assets and ensuring it
always balances its
books is carried out by
council officer Andrew
Blake-Herbert, the
Group Director for
Finance and
Commerce.
Outlining a major
way in which Havering
is saving money behind
the scenes, Mr BlakeHerbert explained:
“One of our biggest and
most complex projects
saw us bring together a
number of different
departments - pensions,
payroll, HR,
procurement and
finance - into one single
system, supported by
new technology.
“This will save us
£2.5m a year, which is a
significant amount of
money. It means that,
by making changes in
the way the Council
works, we can protect
more of our frontline
services.”
Residents might
have read that the
Council is also investing
in new technology to
reduce the need for
paper and red tape.
Havering believes that
investing in technology
now will save a lot of
money in the future.
Mr Blake-Herbert
said: “There were a few
raised eyebrows when
we started to trial the
use of iPads, but we’re
showing how we can
save money and time by
using the right
technology. iPads are a
serious tool for our
people to deliver
services on the move.
“Because they work
straight out of the box
without the need for
costly software updates,
they work out no more
expensive and often
cheaper than standard
laptops and PCs.
“We’re also making
real savings on paper
and printing, because a
lot of our reports run to
dozens of pages.”
Other savings can be
found by changing the
way the Council
delivers specific
services to residents.
Cllr Ramsey
explained: “For
example, we are finding
savings in social care by
focusing on prevention
rather than cure.
“If we can prevent
an older resident
injuring themselves
from a fall and needing
residential care, or if we
can work with a family
early on, so that
children don’t need to
Left Cllr Roger Ramsey, Cabinet
Member for Value
Right Andrew Blake-Herbert, Group
Director of Finance.
be taken into care, that’s
much better for those
individuals and it also
saves money for
taxpayers.”
The budget plans
were scrutinised by a
cross-party committee
of councillors and have
now been approved by
the Cabinet.
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Wednesday 2 November 6.30pm-9pm
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All Welcome
Heritage
Park’s £1.7m
revamp
An historic borough
park – described as one
of the best in London – has been awarded £1.7
million for extensive
refurbishments.
Raphael Park was opened in 1904,
but the site dates back centuries to
when the former Gidea Hall stood
there.
Royalty stayed in the Hall, which
was built in 1466, replacing a 13th
Century manor house.
The estate was remodelled in the
1770s, which is when the serpentine
lake was created and Blacks Bridge
was built.
Sir Herbert Raphael bought
Gidea Hall and the estate in 1897
and, in 1902, he gave the western
section of the grounds, lake and
bridge to the Council.
The site was transformed into a
public area, with new paths and a
bandstand created. Gidea Hall was
demolished in 1929.
Now Raphael Park
has been awarded
£1.7m by the Heritage
Lottery Fund (HLF).
The Council had
submitted a detailed
funding bid to the HLF
aimed at revamping the
site, improving facilities
and increasing visitor
numbers.
It worked on the bid
with residents and the
Friends of Raphael Park
group, while Veolia ES
Cleanaway
Havering
Riverside
Trust has
committed
to giving a
further
£200,000 to
boost the
project.
Work will
start in early
2012 and take
about 10
Far left
Sir Herbert Raphael.
Left
Council Leader,
Cllr Michael White;
Cllr Andrew Curtin,
Cabinet member for
Towns, Communities
and Culture; the
Council’s parks services
staff, and volunteers,
celebrate the lottery
funding news.
around Park Lodge will be renovated
to accommodate a café with a terrace.
New areas for the Park’s offices,
community meeting rooms and
education resources will be created.
The Council will also be offering
a range of volunteer activities
including guided walks and talks.
Visitors to the park will benefit
from a restoration of the Summer
Below
Raphael Park’s opening
ceremony.
Right
Gidea Hall, seen just
before its demolition.
months to complete.
The HLF money
will go to improve
and restore entrance
gates, benches and
walkways, and
protect the
parkland and
wildlife.
The area
Theatre Garden and Bandstand,
where community groups like the
Romford Summer Theatre Group
can stage events and performances.
Julia Herold, chairman of the
Friends of Raphael Park, said: “This
is a great opportunity for the park.
All aspects of the regeneration will be
done with a great deal of care and
attention.”
Cllr Andrew Curtin, Cabinet
Member for Towns, Communities
and Culture, said: ”Raphael Park is
one of the great landscapes of
Romford, with roots going back to
the 13th Century, and particularly
significant landscape developments
in the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries.
“This project will restore fine
views and vistas within the park, lift
our spirits and have important
benefits for quality of life and the
visual attractiveness of Romford as a
whole. I’m greatly looking forward to
work starting.”
Wesley Kerr, chairman of the
HLF’s London Committee, said:
“Raphael Park is among one of
the best parks in Havering and
in London. Funding for it will
improve biodiversity and tree
maintenance, regenerate planting and
engage the community with better
facilities and more activities.”
Housing
Borough
housing
stock
gets £62
million
facelift
Resident’s delight as
Government approves
funding for extensive
refurbishments at
thousands of Councilowned homes
A disabled mother is
over the moon after her
27-year-old kitchen was
replaced as part of a
multi-million pound
home improvement
programme in Havering.
Cancer survivor
Patricia Harman says she
is “thrilled” with the
transformation of her
Romford home.
The work was carried
out by Homes in
Havering (HiH), the
arms length company
which took on the
management of Havering
Council’s housing stock
five years ago.
For years, Havering
Council has led the
lobbying of successive
governments for funding
to carry out muchneeded refurbishments
to its properties.
Finally, this February,
they were told they
would receive £62m from
the Government’s
Decent Homes Backlog
Programme, which
Above Patricia Harman and her
carer enjoy a cuppa in her
newly refurbished kitchen in
Harold Hill.
Below Patricia’s new kitchen.
awards grants to bring
Council-owned homes
up to national standards,
and ensure they are
well-repaired, free of
hazards and with
adequate heating,
windows, boilers,
plumbing and electrics.
Patricia, 59, has lived
in her two-bedroom
house in Waverley
Crescent, Harold Hill,
since 1988.
Four-year programme of work to refurbish housing stock
Thousands of homes across Havering are to be
transformed over the next four years as part of the £62m
improvement programme.
This year £8.16m is being spent on a raft of work,
including fitting 400 new bathrooms, 630 kitchens, 630
central heating systems, 150 new roofs and 390 double
glazed windows, plus the external refurbishment of
360 homes.
The oldest houses and flats, or those in the worst
state of disrepair, are being done up first.
After this year’s first phase of improvements, another
£16m will be spent in 2012-13, with £15m in 2013-14
and £23.5m in 2014-15.
Havering Council, working in partnership with
Homes in Havering, had led the battle for funds to
carry out the much-needed work on its homes - many
of which date back to the 1960s - for several years.
The Council led the lobbying of the previous
Government to reinstate £112m of funding which had
been originally promised.
Following last year’s change of Government, the
Council was invited to re-assess the programme’s cost
and re-bid for a grant. After applying for £67.9m, it was
told in February that it was to receive the £62m.
Havering Cllr Lesley Kelly, Cabinet Member for
Housing, said: “A lot of the housing stock was built
almost 50 years ago and, after decades of underinvestment, many of the properties are below standard.
“The Council had to fight hard to secure this
funding from successive Governments so we are
absolutely delighted to see this programme of
improvement work finally get up and running. I am sure
tenants are as pleased as we are to see all our efforts
come to fruition.”
Residents to be asked
about management plan
Havering is set to consult residents on the future management
of the borough’s 10,000 council homes.
The homes are currently run, on behalf of the Council, by
Homes in Havering (HiH) which is an arms-length
management company.
HiH was first set-up back in July 2006 in order to access
Decent Homes funding from the Government. Now that has
been achieved, Havering Council is deciding what is its best
option for the future.
The Council could bring the borough’s housing stock back
under its full control, which is expected to make greater
efficiency savings than are possible under the current
arrangement; or the other option is to keep things as they are,
while still making efficiency savings within the HiH budget.
She said: “My new
kitchen is absolutely
beautiful – I love it.
“The kitchen was last
changed four years
before I moved in. It’s
certainly been well worth
the wait. I got to choose
the units, handles, work
surfaces, floor and tiles.
It looks fabulous.
“After the initial
consultation with HiH
about what I wanted, I
was told on the Friday
that work would be
starting and the
workmen from Orsini
Builders arrived on the
Monday. It took two
weeks to do and they
were brilliant.”
Work included
installing all new kitchen
units, flooring, lighting,
extra smoke alarms, a
new fire door and an
extractor fan.
She was so delighted
with the quality of the
work that she wrote two
letters of thanks to the
team for their hard
work and excellent
customer service.
Patricia added: “The
staff are really helpful
and eager to please,
which is nice. And, if
you need a repair doing,
they will give you a date
and time for when they
will do it.”
Cllr Lesley Kelly, Cabinet member for Housing, said: “We
have the opportunity of choosing a different structure to
manage our homes which would provide the same service but
with significant savings. We will want to hear the views of
tenants and which option they would prefer.”
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Night-time award
A group made up of the Council,
police, local businesses and
volunteers has received a top award
from the Association of Town
Centre Management (ATCM)
awards for Developing the Evening
and Night-time Economy in
Romford. The judges were looking
for projects with evidence of
success at proactively tackling
problems in a coordinated way.
Cllr Geoff Starns, Cabinet
member for Community Safety,
said: “This is yet another award
that everyone involved can be
proud of.
“This is a huge team effort
involving the police, licensees,
door supervisors, taxi marshals,
street pastors and Council officers.
We as a group are being recognised
continually by experts for our joint
work in making Romford a safer
and more pleasant place to enjoy a
night out.”
Grate thefts alert
Havering police are asking people
to be vigilant following a series of
metal thefts across the borough.
Crooks have stolen lead roofing,
copper pipes, boilers, iron gates,
shopping trolleys and at least 30
metal drainage grates from roads in
Havering. These items are then
sold as scrap metal.
Holes left in the roads by thefts of
manhole covers and drains can be
up to 2ft by 2ft, and could cause a
motorcyclist to be thrown from
their bike or pedestrians to trip.
Each costs £150 to be replaced and
fitted properly. The Council
replaces missing grates the same or
the next day.
Anyone concerned about metal
thefts or who wants tips on crime
prevention should ask their local
Safer Neighbourhood team.
Community Safety
Protecting you and
your cash
Elderly and vulnerable people using the bank will now
have greater protection from thieves and conmen.
Havering Council has teamed-up
with local banks, the Met Police and
Age Concern to launch a ‘banking
protocol’, which is a new way of
working to keep
local residents safe
when they
withdraw their
money.
The scheme
- the first of its
kind - ties in with
the Council’s new
Money Safe
campaign which
gives advice to the
elderly and
vulnerable on how
they can keep
their cash, for
example their
pension or any
money they
withdraw from
the bank, safe and secure. It also
offers tips such as not to carry large
sums of money in public, and not to
keep lots of money at home.
The banking protocol comes after
several local people have been
pressured to withdraw their savings
by bogus builders, including one
elderly Havering man who took
£10,000 from his account after being
driven to the bank twice by conmen.
They’d promised to do some work on
his house, but never did.
The scheme is sponsored by the
Havering Community & Police
Consultative Group.
Dominic Keating, customer
services manager at Lloyds TSB in
Romford Market Place, welcomed the
protocol, saying: “We already keep an
eye on our customers and look out for
anyone who might be lurking outside.
If we see that, we ask them what they
are doing.
“There have been a couple of
people followed down the road and
one person lost several thousands
when he was pickpocketed on
the bus.
“We know a lot
of people still like
using cash these
days. Under the
protocol, all our
cashiers will have
set questions to
ask if they see
anyone
withdrawing a
large amount.
“We will
discreetly ask
them what it’s for.
If they still want
to withdraw cash,
we’ll say it’s not
the best thing to
do and offer to
issue a cheque instead. A genuine
workman will accept cheques.
“It’s all about educating our
customers, and us remaining vigilant
and inquiring. We also give out key
chains for people to attach their
purses to their handbags.”
Such vigilance among bank staff
has already helped prevent several
offences, including an 81-year-old in
Sutton, London, who tried to take
out £3,000 for a potential bogus
builder.
Staff called the police and the
woman decided not to withdraw the
cash in the end.
Chief Inspector Tracey GoddardKing said: “While levels of these
crimes remain relatively low, this
scheme sends a strong message to
criminals that this borough, its
residents and banking services will
not tolerate their actions.”
After the riots
Havering Police stepped-up their
efforts during the public disorder
last month, supported by the
Council, to ensure the borough
remained safe and peaceful.
This was particularly important
because there were a lot of worrying
rumours of public disorder appearing
on social media, and being talked
about around the area, that turned
out to be untrue.
During those few days of
disorder, Havering Police met
daily with the Council to assess
the ongoing situation.
There were also more Council
CCTV operators on duty in the
control room during that time to
support the police operation.
Streetcare staff were on standby
in case any areas needed cleaning
up quickly. Licensing officers helped
give advice to licensees who might
have been affected by troublemakers.
And, as a precaution, Property
Services staff ensured the stalls on
Car park re-opens
Romford Market, which usually stay
in place on Friday nights, were taken
down and reassembled early Saturday
morning.
Thankfully, there turned out to be
only a small handful of minor
incidents involving a minority of
young people in Havering.
Police Borough Commander,
Chief Superintendant Mick Smith,
met the public at Central Library
days after the disorder.
He said afterwards: “We are
working with local communities,
businesses and youth groups to
ensure Havering remains a safe place
to live, work and visit.
“Officers continued to operate
extended shifts and high visibility
across the borough over the
following weeks.”
He said that Havering police
officers have been approached by
many members of the public offering
their thanks and support for the
police’s efforts.
Havering Council has reopened a
car park to the public on weekdays
because of increased demand for
parking spaces in Romford.
Slaney Road Car Park, which is
between Eastern Road and
Western Road in the town centre,
was closed to the public on
weekdays back in 2007.
The Pay & Display car park has
100 spaces and is now open 24
hours a day, with a 12-hour
maximum stay limit.
Season tickets are available (the
holders are exempt from the
maximum stay limit).
Tariffs apply Mondays to
Saturdays, including public and
bank holidays.
Parking is free on Sundays and
solo motorbikes can park for free
every day.
For details of Havering’s car parks
and tariffs, call the car parks team
on 768615 or visit the website
www.havering.gov.uk
Life-saving gadgets on show
Lee Cranston is living proof that hightech gadgets supplied by the Council
can save lives.
The Romford resident, who suffers
from fits and seizures following a
brain haemorrhage, had a major
seizure while sleeping which could
have left him dead.
Thankfully he had an epilepsy
sensor from Havering’s Telecare
service under his mattress, which
measures movement.
It’s so sensitive it raises an alarm
with Telecare’s round-the-clock
monitoring centre if the movement
suggests the person may be having a
seizure – this is what happened in
Lee’s case.
Two trained officers from the
centre arrived promptly and called an
ambulance.
Lee said: “Knowing
the (sensor control) box
is there makes me feel
safe – it really does.
Having seizures scares
me. The sensor saved
my life.”
He also wears a
standard alarm pendant,
which he can press if
he starts going into a fit
or seizure.
The Telecare service provides
a whole range of different alarms
and sensors to elderly and vulnerable
residents which help them
continue to live independently
in their own homes.
The alarms give
residents a strong sense
of security, as they
Registered Charity
no. 1079969
know help will be
HOPWA House
quickly at hand if they
Inskip Drive
fall or there is an
Hornchurch
RM11 3UR
accident.
And by being able to
respond to incidents so
Age Concern Havering provides a TOENAIL
quickly, staff can help
CUTTING SERVICE at various venues
prevent the situation
around the borough, which are all easily
getting even worse,
accessible by public transport.
having a positive impact
on the residents’ lives
Our friendly staff are trained by Havering
and, at times, saving the
PCT Podiatry Service to provide social
Council time and
toenail cutting and footcare to a very high
money in, for example,
standard and can offer fingernail cutting
follow-up healthcare
on request.
services.
The service is available by appointment
These alarms are
to anyone aged 50 and over or with a
disability. It is chargeable at a competitive
rate, and clients need to purchase their
own set of instruments at reduced cost
for use at all future appointments to
eliminate the risk of infection.
For more information or to book an
appointment, please call 01708 796608.
You can also leave a message on our
24 hour answer phone, and you will be
contacted.
www.ageconcernhavering.org.uk
Lee Cranston with his
alarm pendant.
now on show at a special Telecare
demonstration room in Yew Tree
Lodge, Romford. It has a specialised
door, shower, armchair and bed for
residents to try out.
Telecare sensors can detect people
having a seizure, falling over, smoke
or carbon monoxide from a fire or gas
leak, overflowing sinks and baths, and
a front door or fridge door left open
too long.
There is an alarm which
reminds people when to take their
medication, and a bogus caller
button which residents press when
answering their front door. The
call centre listens to the conversation
to ensure the caller isn’t attempting
a scam.
Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr
Lesley Kelly said: “These high-tech
devices not only allow elderly
residents to continue to live
independently in their own home,
but they can and do save lives. This
room is an excellent way to
demonstrate in practice how much
these gadgets work.”
Telecare’s basic package includes the standard alarm pendant
and two other devices for £6 a week. This includes full
installation and monitoring service 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. If you qualify for social care support, you might be able
to get the service for free. For details and to book an
appointment to visit the showroom, call 434343 and ask for
the Telecare Team.
www.havering.gov.uk/living | AUTUMN 2011 | 13
New homes to meet care needs
Residents with extra care needs
will benefit from 98 new homes
being built in Gidea Park.
housing services.
There will also be a hairdressers,
guest suite, resident lounge,
restaurant, terrace garden and
landscaping. It will be completed
around January 2013.
Havering Council is developing
the £12 million scheme with housing
provider East Thames, which has
contributed £7m to the cost. The rest
comes
from a
social
Snowden Court, an empty and
rundown sheltered housing scheme
in Squirrels Heath Lane, has been
demolished to make way for the new
units, suitable for people over 55.
The development will have
self-contained one and two bedroom
apartments, with specialist care to
meet individuals’ needs, support and
housing grant of £5.33m from the
Homes and Communities Agency.
Cllr Lesley Kelly, Cabinet
Member for Housing, said: “We want
our elderly residents to live as
independently as possible, which is
what they want, and which has the
added benefit of keeping costs down
for local taxpayers.”
From left Cllr Lesley
Kelly, Geoff Pearce from
East Thames and Darren
Nolan from builders
Willmott Dixon.
Supportive Lodgings involves
caring for a young person between
the ages of 16 –18 in your own
home. The aim of Supportive
Lodgings is to assist, teach
and prepare young people
to live independently when
they reach 18.
Crown Landscape
Gardeners
Back garden specialist
Patios Driveways Decking
Pergolas Walls Fencing
Turfing Ponds
All work guaranteed
Free estimates
www.crown-landscapes.co.uk
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Tel 01708 739639
Mob 07976 152744
If you feel you could encourage,
teach, support and advise a
young person – you will receive
an allowance to cover the costs
for the care you provide.
For further information,
please contact the Fostering
Team on
2012 Olympics
Students in Olympic
film project
HAVERING 2012
Havering College’s HND Media Production students with BBC Blue Peter
gardener Chris Collins, celebrity builder Tommy Walsh and landscaping
apprentices working on the Olympic Park.
Borough students feel
they are a part of
history after making
two short films linked
to the Olympics.
The up-and-coming film-makers,
who are doing an HND Media
Production course at Havering
College of Further & Higher
Education, were commissioned by
the Olympic Delivery Authority to
make the six-minute promotional
movies on the Olympic Park in
Stratford.
The films have now been
uploaded to the London 2012
website to help increase the take-up
of apprenticeships in landscaping and
horticultural and to attract more
women into the construction
industry. They have also been shown
at London’s City Hall.
The first film was directed and
produced by Kirstie Burrows,
Beth Whitehead, Holly Bond and
Jason Potter, and was presented by
BBC TV’s Blue Peter gardener
Chris Collins.
Kirstie, 19, from Hornchurch,
said: “Being able to see the Olympic
site so close up has been an exciting
experience and something we
will always remember.
“It has given me more experience
of working with celebrities.”
Elm Park resident Beth, 19, said:
“Working with a client has been a
valuable experience and the skills
I’ve learned will definitely help
me in my future studies and career.”
The second film was a mini
documentary centred on the
successful Women into Construction
project set-up to help women get
training and jobs on the Olympic
Park site.
It was made by Tim Petherick,
Nicola De Boo and Munya Gatawa,
who focused on the experiences of a
group of female mechanical and
electrical apprentices.
Tim, 19, from Upminster, said:
“We gained experience in the field of
working with clients. The Olympic
Park is a bit of history and we will be
able to say we were there and filming
part of that whole process.”
The college’s academy director
Jenny Probert said: “We are
extremely proud to have our HNC
Media students involved in such a
high prestige project.”
Local legacy of the Games
Havering residents have a fantastic
opportunity to take part in cultural
and community events in the
run-up to the 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games.
There’s plenty happening across
our borough as we approach the
Games next summer, and many
activities will create a lasting legacy
of sporting and artistic
accomplishment in Havering.
The London 2012 Cultural
Olympiad is a four-year celebration
that aims to give communities the
chance to create, enjoy and join in
with as many cultural events and
programmes as possible.
Launched locally back in 2008 with
a fun run in Raphael’s Park, local
Cultural Olympiad activities so far
include festivals, music and dance,
arts and crafts, and story-telling.
Havering’s work to promote
Cultural Olympiad events and
increase people’s opportunities to
take part in sports and the arts are
two of the Council’s 10 priorities to
ensure borough residents can
benefit from the 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games.
Others include improving people’s
health and well-being; increasing
volunteering and charity work;
maximising job and training
opportunities; promoting Havering
as a great place to visit, stimulating
interest in education and learning;
and maximising community safety.
Find out what’s going on locally by
visiting www.havering.gov.uk
News
Pool
plan
latest
The Council’s work to bring a
new leisure centre, ice rink and
pool to Romford is continuing
steadily.
Havering’s Cabinet has already
officially approved the plans to create
the new facility in the town centre.
And the Council has
commissioned a feasibility study to
try to find a temporary replacement
rink for private and professional
skaters to use while it is being built.
Havering is currently negotiating
with a retail developer to fund the
new state-of-the-art leisure centre,
which will take around three years to
complete.
It will have an eight-lane, 25 metre
competition swimming pool, a pool
for beginners, sauna and steam
rooms, health and fitness studio,
gym, a dance studio and a cafe.
The new centre will also be home
to a high quality ice-rink that can be
used by the public and for
competitive events, including ice
hockey. It will replace the existing ice
rink in Rom Valley Way.
Cllr Michael White, Leader of
Havering Council, said: “This is a
very important development for us.
The Council has had a long-standing
aim to bring a first-class swimming
pool to Romford, and I’m happy
that the scheme is continuing to
progress steadily.”
Want to know more
about Havering?
The Council has launched an
online tool that provides a wealth
of facts about the local population,
economy, education, health and
environment of Havering.
Called the Havering Data
Intelligence Hub, the site will
assist residents, school pupils and
employers when compiling
business plans, school projects or
researching their local area.
The Council itself used the Data
Hub to gather lots of interesting
facts and information, which it
displayed on boards for the public
to look at, in the corporate tent at
the recent Havering Show.
The Data Hub is easy to use. Visit
it at: www.haveringdata.net
The Council wants to know what
people think of the site. Please fill
in the Feedback Form online.
nice save
Last year Havering residents
saved £730,000 by recycling.
Let’s recycle even more. Find out how at
www.recycleforlondon.com/local
Health
Why should I have the flu jab?
Elaine Greenway, of Havering’s NHS Public Health Team, talks to Living in Havering about why some
people might be missing out on this important health protection.
Q: Who exactly is eligible to have a flu vaccination?
A: The Department of Health says the vaccine should be offered
to pregnant women, at any stage of their pregnancy, and to
people with chronic respiratory disease including asthma and
COPD, chronic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic
liver disease, chronic neurological disease, diabetes, and
immunosuppression (which affects the immune system).
Q: Why it is so important for some under 65s to have
the vaccine – I thought it was mainly older people at
greatest risk from flu?
A: This is a general misconception. It is equally important that
some under 65s also be vaccinated if they have an underlying
condition that means they could be more badly affected.
Influenza is not just a dreadful cold - it is a serious illness that
claimed the lives of 539 people in the UK last year.
Q: Then why isn’t the vaccine offered to everyone?
A: The targeted flu vaccination programme is aimed at those
who are at most risk of becoming seriously ill. If someone is
younger, and does not have an underlying condition, then
although they will feel ill for quite a few days (and up to a
be outstanding
…be a
foster carer
• Fullsupportand
trainingisprovided
• Generousfinancial
allowances
• Childrenneed
caringhomesin
Havering,short
andlongterm
• Fostercarersare
alsoneededfor
siblinggroups,
teenagersand
childrenfrom
minorityethnic
backgrounds
Formoreinformation
pleasecall
01708 434574
fortnight), they should recover, provided they rest
and have plenty of fluids. It is also important they
follow the hygiene advice detailed in the “catch it,
bin it, kill it” campaign.
Q: Is it true that some people, after having
the vaccine, end up being ill with flu?
A: It’s impossible for someone to catch flu from
the flu vaccine. The vaccine does not contain the
whole virus.
Q: But I know some people who go on to
feel unwell. What explains that?
A: For some people, this is their body’s defence
system kicking into action. It is an important stage
in the immune system, and it means that when the
real virus tries to attack, the body is prepared to
stop the virus before it gets a chance to take hold.
If people feel off colour, and develop a slight
temperature after vaccination, they should take
paracetamol for the short period of time that this
lasts. However, many people don’t feel at all unwell
after vaccination.
Q: Why must people who have the vaccine
get it done every year?
A: New strains of virus emerge every year. So a
vaccine is produced that protects against the three
most dominant strains that are circulating.
Q: Where can I go to find out more?
A: If you want to check if you are eligible for a flu
vaccination, then start with the Department of
Health’s website www.dh.gov.uk or speak to your
local GP or practice nurse for more information.
News
Don’t lose your right to vote
Electoral Registration forms are
currently being delivered to every
home in Havering – and it’s vital
they are filled in.
Information provided on these forms
will update the Council’s Register of
Electors, so if you don’t return them
to us, you won’t be able to vote in any
coming elections including for
London’s Mayor next year.
Forms will be addressed to “The
Current Occupier”. If the names of
previous occupants are printed on
them, cross them out and put your
own instead.
You must list everyone living in
your home aged 16 and above, who is
a British, Irish or Commonwealth
citizen, and who will be living with
you on October 15 this year.
The register is for all the relevant
occupants, so lodgers and tenants
should be included. It doesn’t matter
who owns the property.
Tick the box if you want to have a
postal vote. A postal vote application
form will then be sent to you.
It is a legal requirement to
complete a registration form. If you
don’t, you could be fined up to
£1,000 or might find it hard to get a
loan or mortgage, or open a bank
account, because the register is used
by credit agencies.
Returning your form as quickly as
possible helps the Council save
money, as it doesn’t then have to send
New 5* development in the heart
of Essex Hayes Farm mobile home park
Luxury living at affordable prices
in the heart of beautiful Essex countryside
Hayes Leisure Park is owned and
Benefits include
 UK Home Exchange Scheme avoiding
managed by Leisure Park Real
the hassle of selling your home
Estate Ltd.
This established company has been in the  No estate agents fees. (Valuation and
leisure and residential park home industry
holding fees paid by you)
for over 40 years, you can be confident
 Peaceful, secure setting with 24 hr
your home is secure, in a well maintained
CCTV for peace of mind
 Ideal for semi-retired or retired couples
and managed park.
 Fully accessible for wheelchair users
Modern park homes for sale
 24hr shopping facilities close by
Fully equipped to a high specification
with good size living areas, 2/3 bedrooms  New health centre & doctors surgery
close by
and en-suite bathrooms. These homes
 Pets welcome
come fully furnished
 Shop on site
 Friendly community atmosphere
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All homes have full services, private
garden and adjacent parking
(Block paved driveways)
Local bus service stops outside
the park
Beautiful countryside, river views and
walks, golf clubs and leisure centres
nearby
10 year maintenance free on all
new Lodges
Houses taken in part exchange
Currently there is a ten month
occupancy condition on the Park, but
permission is being sort for permanent
occupation.
Call
Howard
01245
320054
07876
658871
Come and visit our luxury 5* park only 30 miles from London
Can you help?
The Council is recruiting people
to help in the final stage of the
annual canvass of electors.
Canvassers visit properties where a
registration form has not been
returned to help the householder
complete and return it. These
visits are made over from the end
of October to mid-November.
Payment is based on the number
of forms returned. Full training
and appropriate equipment will be
provided. Call 432445 or email
[email protected]
out a reminder or send canvassers to
your home.
The Register of Electors will be
published on December 1 this year.
If you have any questions or need
help completing your form, call the
Election Services Officer on
432444/5 or email elections@
havering.gov.uk
Available
Exclusive Country Lodges
ready now for sale
Exclusive country lodges for sale at
the new Battlesbridge site in Essex.
Be the first to own a home at this
exquisite new development.
• Showlodgesreadytoview
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• Partexchangeavailable
• Luxuryfivestarleisure facilities on site including
swimming pool & club house
• 24houronsiteCCTV
and security
Leisure Park
Real Estate
Tel 01245 320054
Email sales@leisureparks
uk.co.uk
For sales call
Howard 07876 658871
For further information
please visit:
www.leisureparksuk.co.uk
Hayes Farm Leisure Park
Burnham Road, Battlesbridge
Wickford, Essex SS11 7QT
Education changes
Young people in Havering have
been learning more about changes
to their education this summer –
and how it will benefit them.
More than 4,500 students attended
sessions held by employment and
careers advice service Prospects, to
talk through fundamental changes
the Government will be making to
the education system.
The age in which young people
must stay in education or training
will go up to 17 (from the current
16) in 2013, and up to 18 in 2015.
This is to reduce unemployment
among young people by helping
them get more skills and training.
These events were part of a
borough-wide campaign, ‘Learn
Longer for a Better Future’, run by
the Council.
Pupils from years eight to ten
will be the first to be affected by
these changes.
Learning
High achievers ac
Student Kelly Sears didn’t let a
debilitating illness stop her
achieving top marks in her A
Levels this year.
She gained an A* in general studies
and A grades in history and
sociology, despite having to deal with
narcolepsy.
The condition, diagnosed when
she was 14, causes 20-year-old Kelly
to fall asleep without notice.
She worked closely with the care
team at Havering Sixth Form College
to manage her studies.
And for the last four months Kelly
has been working with Theo, a
medical protection dog who is being
trained to recognise and warn her
when she is about to have an attack of
narcolepsy. Their partnership is the
first of its kind in Europe.
Kelly said: “I’m really surprised,
I’ve done better than I thought. I
thought I was going to fail history.
I’m shocked but really happy.”
Kelly now plans to find a job and
get some work experience.
Meanwhile, Graham Feinson from
St Edward’s School Sixth Form has
gone to Cambridge after achieving an
outstanding three A*s in maths,
further maths and physics.
The 18-year-old, who will
continue studying maths, said: “I was
a bit surprised but I did spend a lot
of hours studying. I’m not sure what I
want to do for my career but I may go
into research.”
Havering’s A level results have
been outstanding and well above the
national average. With a borough pass
rate of 99.7%, they topped last year’s
results by 0.9%.
Cllr Paul Rochford, Cabinet
Member for Children and Learning,
said: “What a great result for
Havering. Our students have shown
that all their work has paid off by
posting another year of brilliant
results of which we can all be proud.”
cross borough
On left Kelly Sears
with her medical
protection dog Theo.
Bottom left
Graham Feinson.
Below Eni Familusi.
Joy at GCSE results
Despite only joining Brittons Academy a year
ago from Kuwait, Eni Familusi achieved a
fantastic set of GCSE results.
The 16-year-old achieved an A* in maths, As
in biology, chemistry, additional science, Bs
in physics, additional maths, additional
applied science and Cs in English literature
and language.
She moved to England a year ago with her
mother who wanted her to have English as her
first language to give her a better future.
Eni said: “It’s been a lot of hard work and I’ve
spent a lot of hours studying. I’m really happy
and I know my mum will be really pleased.”
She will now go to Palmers College in Grays,
Essex, to study maths, double applied ICT and
physics. She hopes to become a computer
scientist or electrician.
Across Havering, approximately 3,000 GCSE
students and their teachers were celebrating
after posting another year of great results.
Students achieving five or more grades A* to C
rose to 78.8%, up 1.4% on last year. Those
achieving five or more grades A* to C including
English and maths also went up to 63.6%, an
increase of 1%.
Borough events
Live at
the Show!
Record crowds visited Harrow Lodge Park,
Hornchurch, for two free bank holiday
events organised by Havering Council.
An estimated 43,000
people attended the
annual Havering Show
on the Sunday and
Monday of August bank
holiday - a record
attendance.
The Show was free
for the third year in a
row. The threatening
weather held off and
more families came to
see the entertainment
that was on offer.
Displays from
Legends Medieval, the
Royal Artillery
Parachute Display
Team, Hornchurch
Drum and Trumpet
Corps, Colin Gordon’s
Sheep Dogs, Colchester
Birds of Prey and
Tigers Motorcycle
Display Team
entertained audiences
in the main arena.
And performances
from Alvin Stardust,
Josh DuBovie, Danyl
Johnson, Dr and the
Medics and The Real
Proposed Extension
to Dagnam Park
An exhibition will be held at
Harold Hill Library
Hilldene Avenue
Romford RM3 8DJ
Thing on the music
stage made sure the
Show had something
for all ages.
Mayor of Havering,
Cllr Melvin Wallace,
welcomed visiting
mayors from other
boroughs and gave them
a tour of the Show.
One of the most
popular stalls was
Planet Havering which
offered children’s
environmental
workshops, energy
saving advice and
musical acts on a solar
powered stage.
On the Saturday
before the Show, 27
bands entertained
thousands of young
people at the first ever
Hornchurch Live.
This free event, with
headline act Hadouken!,
showcased new and
up-and-coming musical
acts and gave bands
from the local area a
chance to play in front
of an outdoor audience
in a festival atmosphere.
Leader of Havering
Council, Cllr Michael
White, said: “With both
events being free it
made sure that a great
time was had by
everyone who came.
“The record crowd
Saturday 24 September 2011
between 10am - 2pm
made sure that the
Havering Show was
of the best I’ve ever
Looking forw
Please drop in to the exhibition to view the
plans and have your say on the proposed
extension to the park.
As the nights start getting darke
weather gets colder, Havering C
started looking towards this yea
Christmas celebrations.
For further information on the exhibition
please contact Viktoria Oakley at
Strutt and Parker on 01245 254 629 or
email [email protected]
There are a number of events bein
in towns and communities across
borough in the run-up to the festi
The events start with the tradi
Christmas lights switch-on in Rom
centre on Thursday, November 17
This will be followed by the sw
of the Elm Park Christmas tree lig
Friday, November 25.
The popular annual Hornchur
Crowds of people enjoyed the Christmas
lights switch-on in Romford last year.
Left Pop star Alvin Stardust.
Above Two allotment growers
compare their produce.
Below left A daredevil
motorcyclist wows the crowds.
Below X Factor singer Danyl
Johnson with Ruby Yeomans.
Right Hadouken! make some
noise at Hornchurch Live.
Above right Crowds cheer
and applaud the Show acts.
Far right Knights in Legends
medieval spectacular.
Have you thought about where
your child will go to school?
one
been
to and the bands at
Hornchurch Live were
outstanding.”
ward to festive period
er and the
Council has
ar’s
ng planned
the
ive period.
itional
mford town
7.
witching on
ghts on
rch
Christmas Cracker will be taking place on
Saturday, November 26. The event, organised
by Havering Council, will feature
entertainment, music and late-night
shopping in the town centre, as well as lots of
seasonal treats to enjoy.
Rainham holds its traditional Christmas
Fayre on Saturday, December 3. There will
also be festive events being held in
Upminster, Harold Hill and Collier Row.
Check out the Council’s website
www.havering.gov.uk nearer the time for
details of event times, venues and activities.
If your child was born between
1 September 2007 and
31 August 2008, they will be
due to start Reception in
September 2012
You will need to apply for a
school place by 15 January 2012
You can pick up an application pack from
your local primary school or apply online at
www.havering.gov.uk/admissions
For more information please contact the School
Admissions Team on 01708 434600
or email [email protected]
Armed Forces
Remembrance
services
Services to remember and
reflect on the sacrifices made
by those who lost their lives or
suffered during the two World
Wars and in conflicts since will
be held throughout Havering
this November.
The borough’s official Service of
Remembrance will be held at the
War Memorial in Coronation
Gardens, Main Road, Romford, on
Sunday, November 13, from 10.50am.
There will also be an Armistice
Day Service held on Friday,
November 11, in the Market Place,
Romford.
Details on both these Services
and others taking place around
Havering will be available nearer
the time on the Council’s website
www.havering.gov.uk
Meanwhile, thousands of people
lined the streets of Romford for the
annual Armed Forces Day parade
through the town centre in June.
The parade was led by the Royal
British Legion Band & Corps of
Drums, Romford along South Street,
and continued through the Market
Place, ending at Tollgate House.
Top Deputy Lieutenant Mark Bryant
inspects ACF cadets.
Above Veterans’ standards on display
during the march.
Right Dick Bouchard MBE receives an
award for his services to Havering, from
borough Mayor Cllr Melvin Wallace.
Armed Forces Covenant
Later this Autumn, Havering Council will be signing the Armed Forces
Community Covenant, which is a voluntary statement of mutual support
between a community and its local Armed Forces.
The aim of the Community Covenant is to encourage more residents to
support the Service personnel in their area and to promote understanding
and awareness of issues affecting the Armed Forces. The Community
Covenant is intended to compliment, at local level, the Armed Forces
Covenant which outlines the moral obligation between a nation, its
government and the Armed Forces.
Later in the day, the Mayor of
Havering, Cllr Melvin Wallace,
presented awards of meritorious
service at the Town Hall to local
people who had given distinguished
service to the borough.
After the parade, a uniformed
youth festival took place in the
Market with information stalls from
Air Cadets and Hornchurch Drum
and Trumpet Corp.
Charity stalls were also set up
for Help for Heroes and the Royal
British Legion.
The borough’s Deputy Lieutenant
Mark Bryant said: “Havering Council
did us proud with the Armed Forces
Day event and it was really good to
see the service by the Royal British
Legion and to see all the families and
young children there as well. The
crowds were exceptional.
“We are now looking forward to
and organising the commemoration
events to be held later this year.”
News
Give a child a home
Becoming an adoptive parent
means giving a loving home to a
child who can’t stay with their
birth parents.
It’s a life-long, emotional and legal
commitment – but those parents say
it is also one of the most rewarding
things you can do.
Havering couple Sarah and Peter
(not their real names) had assumed
adoption was all about babies, until
they found a website about older
children who also needed a home.
They contacted Partners in
Adoption (PiA), the consortium for
adoption in Havering, Southend and
Thurrock, and a team member visited
them, answered their questions and
guided them through the process.
Then were then approved to
adopt, and the process of matching
them with a child began.
Sarah said: “Our son came from
another borough. We were quite
nervous at first, hoping he would like
us, but we seemed to connect pretty
early on.”
She said many people have it
within them to be adopters, and it’s
important to remain flexible and
patient with a sense of humour while
going through the adoption process.
Havering residents thinking of
taking on this responsibility can find
out more at an open evening being
organised by PiA.
It will be on November 2, at the
Orsett Hall Hotel, Prince Charles
Avenue, Orsett, from 6.30pm.
The event runs in conjunction
with National Adoption Week, which
is from October 31–November 6.
- For details, visit www.partnersin-adoption.co.uk, phone 0800
652 1271 or email fostering.
[email protected]
Online community
More than 300 community and
voluntary groups, clubs and
organisations have signed-up to a
new local online facility.
Havering Community Portal has
been launched by the Havering
Association of Community and
Voluntary Organisations
(HAVCO) and the Council’s
Community Engagement Team.
The website can be used to search
for local clubs and organisations,
and find out what’s going on across
Havering.
The Portal is free for voluntary
and community groups to join, and
has lots of information for anyone
wanting to start their own group.
For details, call 432494 or email
christopher.marsh@havering.
gov.uk or call 742881 or email
[email protected]
Langtons
Wedding Fair
Over 30 fantastic activities on land, on water
up in the air and all sorts of motor sports
Holiday activity camps
Birthday, stag and hen
parties and corporate
events
Schools, young
peoples groups,
teams and
organisations
Come to
where the
action is
7 days a
week, open
all year round
Stubbers Adventure Centre, Upminster RM12 2TY
• Launchingofour
NewExclusive
CeremonyPackage
• Fashionshow
• Ahostofexhibitors
• Freegoodiesandfree
entrytotheevent
Special
one day offer book your ceremony
18 months in
advance
Amazing
new activity
from September:
Laser Tag
Call for information 01708
www.stubbers.co.uk
Gavin Woollard Photography www.reportagephotography.com
Sunday 30 October 2011 – 10.30am to 4pm
Langtons House, Billet Lane, Hornchurch RM11 1XL
224753
Volunteering
Museum
helper
honoured
Chloe Branwhite was so keen
to volunteer her services at
Havering Museum, she joined
as soon as possible after it
opened last year.
The 20-year-old, who
is passionate about
history, is one of the
40-plus people who
give up their time to
help out there in
various roles.
Now Chloe has been
honoured for her work
at the High Street site.
She won the Special
Youth Award in the
2011 London
Volunteers in Museums
Awards, held at the
Museum of London.
Romford resident
Chloe said: “I’ve been
here since February last
year. I came into the
museum the first day
they asked for
volunteers.
“I’ve always wanted
to work in one as I’m
obsessed with history,
and I was delighted
when this museum
opened in Romford.”
She works four
hours a week,
researching, cleaning
and cataloguing exhibits
and artefacts which can
range from fossils, Stone
Age items, bottles from
when the museum site
was a brewery, tools
from Havering Forge,
clay pots, and clothing
to items from the
Council’s own archives.
Chloe wants to go
on to take an Open
University course in
conservation or
archiving.
Museum curator
Elizabeth Neathey said:
“Chloe is an important
member of the
volunteer team and I am
pleased she has found
her niche.
“The museum has
over 40 volunteers
working a wide variety
of roles. Their hard
work and commitment
to the museum makes it
a success.”
Also at the Awards,
Havering Museum’s
front-of-house team
leader Keith Martin was
a runner-up in the
Going the Extra Mile
category, while former
outreach development
officer Michelle
Johansen was ‘highly
commended’ in the
Supporting, Managing,
Havering Museum volunteer Chloe
Branwhite cleans and restores a tool
from Havering Forge.
and Encouraging
Volunteers section.
The Awards
recognise the hard work
and commitment of the
9,000 volunteers who
work across London’s
250 museums.
Professor Jack
Lohman, director of the
Museum of London,
said: “We are incredibly
grateful for the
volunteers’ time,
dedication and energy.”
Havering Museum is
actively seeking more
volunteers.
Curator Elizabeth Neathey
said: “There are a number
of specialised roles we
would like to get more
people to help with, from
archiving and cataloguing
items, to helping to clean
and restore exhibits, carry
out research, and helping
out with our visitors.”
Volunteering praised
Havering Museum’s
volunteer programme
has been hailed as an
example of good
practice in the Mayor
of London’s 2011
guide to volunteering.
The museum, which is
largely staffed by
volunteers, was named
alongside HMS Belfast,
Imperial War Museum,
The Royal Parks and
Shakespeare’s Globe
Theatre for its ‘Project
E’ which uses
volunteers to engage
young people with
the site.
Museum volunteers
organised “A Victorian
Adventure” to help
young people gain
experience of working,
as well as developing
and strengthening their
l
communication,
presentation and
team work skills.
Youngsters got
individual and group
support, visited local
sites, explored the
museum’s collections
and took part in
training programmes.
Cabinet Member for
Culture, Towns and
Communities, Cllr
Andrew Curtin, said:
“Havering Museum
is fast becoming one
of this borough’s
true assets.”
He praised the
partnerships formed
between the museum
and local schools,
libraries and heritage
sites.”
The volunteering
spirit is also alive and
well elsewhere in the
borough. Recent
examples include local
volunteers visiting the
homes of elderly
residents to make them
aware of the range of
support available to
them and gather their
feedback.
The Council is also
developing a volunteer
support scheme for
older people with long
term conditions who
come out of hospital, to
try to prevent readmission by providing
in-home care.
And there is have a
strong and dedicated
network of Friends of
Parks groups, who work
with the Council’s
Parks Service to
maintain and improve
our parks.
Half page (landscape) 200x137
Should I have the flu jab?
The flu jab is not only for people over 65.
You should get a flu jab if you:
•
•
•
•
•
•
arepregnant
haveaseriousmedicalcondition
haveaheartorchestcomplaint,includingasthma
havekidneydisease
havediabetes
haveloweredimmunityduetodiseaseortreatment
suchassteroidmedicationorcancertreatment
• haveeverhadastroke.
A flu jab is safe, quick and free just
call your GP to book an appointment
www.nhs.uk/flu
Greener Havering
Megan is a
customer
How not to waste
your food or money
- Check food dates. Food can be
eaten right up to its ‘use by’ date.
No need to throw away food on its
‘best before’ date, except eggs.
- Plan ahead. Check what’s in the
cupboard, fridge and freezer and
make a list before going shopping.
- Being creative with leftovers can
make what’s in the fridge go
further. Or combine leftovers with
canned and dried foods in the
cupboard to make a great meal.
Smoothie contest winner Megan
Lampard and her mum Jill, with
the judges.
Instead of throwing
away some over-ripe
fruit, Megan Lampard
had a great idea
– turn them into a
drink.
She later used her
smoothie recipe in a
contest organised by
the Love Food, Hate
Waste
campaign, and won
£500 in store vouchers.
The 12–year-old, from
Romford, said she
entered the contest
after seeing it advertised
locally.
She added: “I had
some bananas and
oranges that were so
over-ripe I thought the
only thing I could do
was to compost them.
Then I decided to make
a smoothie with them
and was really pleased
with how it tasted.”
Her winning ‘FruityCut out and keep
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raspberries, an orange
and fresh lime juice and
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Helping judge the
finals were the
Council’s head of
Streetcare Bob Wenman
and waste and recycling
officer Lisa Foster.
Love Food, Hate
Waste is a national
campaign by the Waste
& Resources Action
Programme, funded by
the Government.
It is run locally by Havering
Council.
Studies in this borough show that,
on average, we throw away more than
20,000 tonnes of food each year - a
third of all we buy.
By finding ways to use this food
instead, families could save an average
of £480 a year.
Since the campaign was launched
locally in 2009, Havering has offered
tips and advice on how to reduce
food waste to thousands of residents
at 159 talks, roadshows and cookery
workshops.
As well as making direct savings
for local families, the campaign aims
to make savings for Council taxpayers
by reducing the amount of waste
removed in rubbish and recycling
collections.
Havering is charged for every
tonne of waste it collects - so the
lower the tonnage collected, the more
the Council can keep costs down.
For details on the campaign
and tasty recipes, visit
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Saving water
The Brewery Shopping Centre in Romford is working with
Essex & Suffolk Water in a bid to reduce its water
consumption. Together they will review the site’s current
water usage, and analyse where centre bosses and their
retailers can save water and money at the same time. The
Brewery will also promote cost-effective water consumption
to the public by providing Essex & Suffolk Water’s free water
savings products at the centre.
Parks keep prestigious status
Eight parks across Havering have
retained their prestigious Green
Flags environmental status.
This national standard for parks and open spaces has already
been awarded to St Andrew’s Park and Hylands Park in
Hornchurch; Lawns Park, Collier Row; Harold Wood Park;
Cottons Park and Lodge Farm Park in Romford; Bedfords Park
in Havering-atte-Bower; and Upminster Park.
Green Flags status is reviewed annually. To achieve it, parks
must be welcoming, safe, clean, involve the community, and
attention must be paid to the landscape and environment.
Veolia ES Cleanaway Havering Riverside Trust have
contributed more than £200,000 towards a number of projects
in our Green Flag parks, including funding for ball courts,
outdoor gym equipment, a skate park and play equipment.
Members of the Friends of Cottons Park said the public are
becoming increasingly aware that Green Flag status is a sign of a
park’s quality, of being very clean and welcoming.
And members of the Friends of Upminster Park thanked the
Council’s grounds maintenance staff for their work in helping
keep the park well-maintained. The group is now looking to
include table tennis tables, a boules court, more benches and
trees in the park.
The deer relax in Bedford’s Park.
Bin your green waste for less
The Wheeled Bin Garden Waste Collection
Service is available to Havering residents for a
reduced price of £19.80 (£15.80 conc) between
October 2011-March 2012. Collections will be
every fortnight. You can put flowers, plants,
garden weeds, grass cuttings, hedge trimmings,
leaves and small twigs in the bins. To sign-up to
the service call 432563 or visit the PASC in the
Liberty Shopping Centre, Romford. For details,
visit www.havering.gov.uk/greenbin
great fun and
great shopping at
Enjoy our wide range of stalls including; foods,
clothing, books, music, crafts, household and
electrical items, cosmetics, flowers & plants.
www.havering.gov.uk/romfordmarket
Older people
Club members
Two clubs catering for older people
are looking for new members.
The Royale Senior Citizen Club
meets every Monday and
Wednesday from 1-3.30pm in the
Betty Whiting Centre, Briar Road,
Harold Hill.
And the Millennium Club meets
every Thursday from 1-3.30pm at
the Betty Strathern Centre, Myrtle
Road, Harold Hill.
So why not pop along to either
club and make some new friends,
play games or just have a cuppa.
Call Sue McNally on 438931.
Safety meeting
A Safe as Houses community
safety event, run by Age Concern
Havering and the Met Police’s
Brooklands Safer Neighbourhood
Team, will be held on Friday,
September 23, from 1–3pm at St
Augustine’s Church Hall, Birkbeck
Road, Rush Green.
There will be advice and tips on
subjects including personal and
home safety, and motor vehicle,
garage and shed security.
Refreshments available. Call Kim
or Angela on 345138 or just drop
in on the day.
Care choices
for elderly
Anyone who is thinking of
arranging residential care for
themselves or a loved one
could find the process rather
daunting.
What is a care home, how much
does it cost and who can help me
are some of the most frequently
asked questions.
Hoping to answer those questions
and more are staff at Age Concern
Havering, who are holding an
information day at Romford Library
on Tuesday, October 4, from 10am to
noon.
The event costs £3 each, by
ticket only. Refreshments included.
Jane Leacy, support worker with
the charity, said: “The event gives
people all the do’s and don’ts of
choosing a care home.
“This is a very important decision
for many people as they get older and
one which is quite a complex process
if you don’t have a good knowledge of
what to do.
“The object of this event is to
give people an all round picture of
what to expect.”
For details and to book, call
Cliff Reynolds or Jan Mountford on
796602.
Social evening
Every Friday there is a Charisma
Over 50s social evening at the
Ascension Church Hall, Collier
Row, Romford.
Whether you are single or attached,
want to make new friends, or just
want to listen or dance to the
music, everyone is welcome.
For details, call Valerie or Kathy
on 706250 or 386464.
Over 50s fun
There’s a social club every Tuesday
at Romford YMCA, in Rush Green
Road, from 1-3pm which is ideal
for the over 50s.
There is entertainment, quizzes,
speakers and refreshments, while
day trips are available.
Cost is £1.80. Details from
Denise on 766211 ext 217.
Help is at hand when choosing
a care home.
Perky pensioners
Want to make some new friends and
perk up your social life?
If you are 60 or above, why not
give one of Age Concern Havering’s
Perky Pensioner Clubs a go?
There are seven clubs around the
borough, in areas such as Romford,
Collier Row, Cranham, South
Hornchurch and Harold Wood,
which meet weekly.
They offer good conversation,
activities, quizzes, guest speakers,
lunches, day trips and much more.
Anyone who wants to attend must
make their own travel arrangements
to and from the club, as well as be
able to manage their personal needs
and be able to pay for any meals,
refreshments, trips, etc.
For details call 345138.
Watch your
cash this Autumn
Check your workman is
reputable with the Council
Don’t put all
your cash in
one place
Don’t withdraw more
cash than you need
Fit an anti-theft chain
ND COMM
EA
OUP
HAVERING
S
GR
CON
UL
ITY
UN
POLI
C
Zip up your purses
and button down
your pockets
T A T A TIV E
Win football tickets
The AFC Hornchurch youth
football club is giving away free
season tickets for all local children
under the age of 11, for the team’s
forthcoming 2011/2012 season.
Hornchurch AFC has been playing
in Havering since 1923, and their
ground is The Stadium in Bridge
Avenue, Upminster.
Nicknamed The Urchins from the
time when Hornchurch had one of
the largest orphanages in London,
the team plays in the Ryman
Premier League. The club
welcomes new members and fans.
For details about the club and to
get the free season tickets, call
220080 or 07017 401000, visit
the website www.afchornchurch.
com or email AFCHStadium@
aol.com
In the Neighbourhood
Borough towns get a £4
Work to regenerate two
town centres in Havering
has received a £445,000
funding boost.
The Council had successfully bid for
the cash from the Mayor of London’s
Outer London Fund. It will go
towards the ongoing revitalization
schemes already operating in
Hornchurch and Rainham.
More than half the bid money £225,000 - will go towards a
campaign promoting businesses and
special cultural facilities in
Hornchurch, as well as helping
deliver Christmas celebrations, a
Shop Local campaign, developing a
heritage trail and town centre signs.
It will also help deliver arts-based
activities for children and young
people, and fund work to design
exhibition space in Fairkytes arts
centre as well as improved links
between the High Street and the
cultural area.
The other £220,000 has been secured
for Rainham Village, to help secure
the long term objectives of the
Rainham Compass project, working
with local people to improve
Rainham and South Hornchurch.
One stop shop
Harold Hill residents have easier
access to advice and local services
thanks to a re-launch of a popular
one stop point.
A mini Public Advice and Services
Centre (PASC) runs every Tuesday
and Thursday at Homes in
Havering’s Chippenham Road
office in Harold Hill.
Residents will be able to bring in
their Council tax and housing
benefit claim forms, notify the
Council of changes to their
circumstances and access a broad
range of local services normally
provided at the PASC in Romford.
To arrange an appointment with a
PASC advisor, call 434000.
Join the band
The Haverettes All Girls Marching
Band wants new members.
Based in Hornchurch, they are a
military-style marching band with
members aged from eight up to 25.
The band is involved in contests,
local and national fetes, carnivals
and parades throughout the year.
Practice sessions are Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 7.30-9.30pm at
Albany School, Broadstone Road.
For details, call 07814 145312 or
visit www.haverettes.org.uk
Thousands of people enjoyed the
Festival. Photo courtesy of Don Tait.
Summer fun in Harold Hill
More than 2,5000 people enjoyed
the fine weather at the annual
Harold Hill Summer Festival, which
took place in Central Park.
The event was organised by the
Harold Hill Festival Committee, a
partnership consisting of Havering
Council, Homes in Havering, and
local residents and volunteers.
It showcased some of the
borough’s finest talent including the
Glee Club, Lauren Langdon, Drapers
Academy Science Fair, X-presents
choir, local bands, dance and
majorettes groups. There were also
many family activities including a
hovercraft, bouncy castle, climbing
wall, mobile skate park, face painting,
science and maths tricks, circus skills,
community cooking, henna tattooing,
bag decorating, beat the goalie,
trampolines and lots more.
If you want to get involved with
next year’s Festival by performing on
the stage, having a stall or
volunteering on the committee, email
[email protected] or
call 433395.
445,000 boost
It will ensure and enhance current
and future events in the village
including Christmas, the May Fayre,
and outdoor performances and
activities in Rainham Hall Gardens.
The popular Shop Local campaign
will also continue and there will be
further promotion of the business
improvement district and
improvements to Upminster Road
South.
Cabinet member for Community
Empowerment, Cllr Robert Benham,
said: “This is fantastic news. The
money will ensure the effects of our
current regeneration of Hornchurch
and our Rainham Compass
programme will improve these town
centres for residents and businesses
for years to come.”
Left Hornchurch town centre
Above Rainham
Libraries mark 75 years of lending
Havering residents are being urged
to share their memories of the
borough’s three oldest libraries.
Upminster, Rainham and
Hornchurch libraries are all 75 years
old this year.
They were all built in 1936 for
Essex County Council at,
respectively, The Clockhouse in
Upminster; in the village school in
Rainham, and at Harrow Lodge,
which was at that time the area’s
main library.
Since then, there have been many
changes which have seen these library
services move to new premises, staff
change, buildings get renovated, and
their collections expand.
Upminster, Rainham and
Hornchurch libraries are all planning
a series of events and exhibitions later
this year to mark the special occasion.
Library staff are calling on
Havering residents to share their
photographs, stories and memories
with them.
If you can help or for details of the
exhibitions, call Hornchurch library
on 434903, Upminster on 434933,
or Rainham on 434970.
Fayre play for community festival
Residents didn’t let the odd light
shower stop them enjoying the
MYCA’s annual festival in Rainham.
Hundreds of people of all ages
attended Newtons Primary School
for the massively popular event,
organised by Mardyke Youth &
Community Association.
Local majorette group The
Newtonettes opened the fayre.
Attractions included a football
tournament (won by Newtons
Primary), displays by local groups
including the Funky Vibes Dance
Group, MYCA Falconry Team, a
workshop with Romford’s Rhythm &
Balls juggling group, Zumba fitness,
face-painting, a circus workshop,
stalls, a huge slide, and much more.
Jenette Ogborn of MYCA said:
“The day was a great success.”
Children enjoyed
having their faces
painted as part of
the fun.
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Helping
you get
back on
your feet
A specialist council
service helped
Lorraine DarganMcGrath get back to
work and full health
after breaking a leg.
Lorraine, of Elm Park,
Hornchurch, had spent
two weeks in hospital
after breaking her leg in
two places by slipping
on the patio.
Before being
discharged, an
occupational therapist
assessing Lorraine
suggested she’d benefit
from Havering
Council’s reablement
service, which helps
people to re-learn the
essential skills they may
have lost following a
stay in hospital.
Lorraine started
using the free six-week
service, with a carer
visiting her every
morning to help her out
of bed and carry out
various tasks for her.
She said of the
service: “I felt more
confident and more
independent every day.
“Thanks to the
positive attitude of my
carers and the
confidence they gave
me to use my leg again
and do the jobs around
the home that I used to,
my recovery was much
enhanced.
“I had a huge
amount of help from
friends and neighbours
who did shopping and
other daily tasks, and
Age UK fitted hand
rails at home so I could
get around more easily.”
Lorraine added: “I
can’t thank the
reablement service and
my carers enough.
“Without their
support I wouldn’t have
been able to get back to
my work as a learning
support assistant as
quickly as I did.
“It is a hugely
valuable service and I
hope more people are
able to benefit from it
in the future.”
The reablement
service currently has
1,100 users each year,
and the Council wants
to increase this number.
But to ensure that
reablement remains
free, Havering is
looking at different
ways of delivering the
service.
This could involve
providing the service
jointly with another
council, delivering it
through an external
partner or looking to
see what services are
available in the private
or voluntary sectors, as
these can deliver the
same standard of care
for less money.
This does not meant
the service is being cut
at all, just that the
Council is exploring all
the options to get the
best outcome for
residents.
Lorraine Dargan-McG
Campaign puts families at the heart of things
Think Family is a strategy
being used in Havering
which puts families at
the heart of work to
safeguard children.
Key workers at the Council offer vital
guidance and support to various local
families, in the knowledge that early
intervention into their lives before
problems become big issues has a
positive impact on not just the family
but the community as a whole.
Sue West, Service Manager for
Prevention and Intervention in the
Council’s Parent Support Team,
explained how the strategy has
benefitted a local mother, who suffers
with ill health, and her five children
aged from four to 18.
Anti-social behaviour carried out
by her eldest child had left the family
at risk of eviction from their home,
and there were also concerns of
neglect towards the children.
Under the Think Family strategy,
the family was given a key worker
who worked intensely with them to
start to improve their home life.
Mum was given hands-on help to
keep her home clean and tidy, set
boundaries to deal with challenging
behaviour from her children, and
help to ensure the younger children
attended school and to get the older
children into education or training.
The key worker also ensured mum
had counselling to deal with her
difficult past and helped arrange
mediation with her ex-partner so he
could see the younger children.
Sue said: “We helped mum to
build on her strengths. Despite all
the difficulties, she had kept her
family together and was very willing
to accept help. We have stopped the
anti-social behaviour so they are no
longer at risk of eviction, the younger
children’s attendance at school has
gone up and the relationship with
her ex-partner has improved. We are
also helping her get into volunteering,
so she can set an example to her
children.”
The Council has been working
with the family for 18 months and
will continue to support them. When
they are ready, a gradual step-down
process will begin, helping mum to
create her own support network to
continue to put what she has learned
into practice.
Grath.
Funding chest opens
Community
groups in
Havering are
being offered up
to £5,000 to
finance small
projects to
benefit their
local area.
Despite facing major
financial challenges, the
Council, in partnership
with the Havering
Strategic Partnership,
has set aside a total of
£200,000 to fund local
schemes and activities.
The Community
Chest Programme is
open to any voluntary
or community
organisation, or non-
profit group, based in
or predominantly
serving Havering.
Grants of up to
£5,000 are available,
with no minimum
amount for applications.
The money can be
used to organise a local
event, for example, or to
buy equipment. It is up
to the community to
decide how best such a
grant could be spent.
Leader of the
Council, Cllr Michael
White, said: “The
Council recognises the
vital role that
community groups play
in offering social,
sporting and cultural
activities, as well as
caring and social
services that improve
people’s health and
wellbeing.
“During these
difficult financial times,
the Council wants to
support our grassroots
community groups that
play such an important
role in making Havering
the fantastic place to
live that it is.”
Applications will be
considered by a funding
panel.
All projects must
take place by the end of
the financial year, on
March 31, 2012.
For details and an
application form, visit
www.havering.gov.uk
email carol.jackson@
havering.gov.uk or call
433393.
BRINGING TOGETHER BUSINESS IN HAVERING
Business Focus
34 | AUTUMN 2011 | living IN HAVERING | NEWS
VIEWS
COMMENT
ISSUE 10:
AUTUMN
2011
Breastfeeding friendly firms
Mums are supporting a move to get more
local businesses involved in Havering’s
Breastfeeding Friendly Scheme.
First time mum Claire
Wallace-Jones said:
“The scheme is good
because it’s important
that mums feel
comfortable and
welcome to breastfeed
in public places.”
The Gidea Park
resident, who has a
nine-month-old son
Milo, added: “Most of
my friends have
breastfed so it was
normal to me but it isn’t
to everyone.
“I hope schemes like
this will make it more
common and accepted
in public places, and
help to make it less of
a taboo.”
She welcomed the
fact that sandwich bar
Taste in Romford has
become the first local
business to sign-up to
the scheme.
The Council wants
to encourage more
mums to breastfeed, as
Havering has the lowest
breastfeeding rate in
London.
Cafes, play centres
and restaurants are
being urged to get
behind the scheme, so
that mums have a
number of welcoming
places where they can
go and breastfeed their
babies in confidence.
By signing up,
venues agree to provide
a friendly, welcoming
environment for mums,
and babies; ensure they
will not ask any mums
to move or stop
breastfeeding even if
there are objections
from anyone else; and to
promote the scheme by
displaying a window
sticker and certificate.
Jill Martin, who
launched Taste with
husband Richard five
years ago, said: “I have a
22-month old myself
and am expecting my
second baby in
September so I am very
pro supporting mums
while they’re out and
about.
“Our café is all about
being welcoming and
feeling like a home away
from home so we want
mums to feel
comfortable
breastfeeding in public.
It’s completely natural
and healthy.”
Businesses are urged to support Havering’s
Breastfeeding Friendly Scheme to make it
easier for mums to breastfeed in public.
Other Romford
businesses which have
also signed-up to the
scheme include: Ciao
Bella restaurant,
Poppins cafe, and
branches of McDonalds
in South Street, The
Brewery, Mercury Mall,
and the Harold Hill and
Gallows Corner Drive
Thrus.
Once accredited, the
venue will be added to
the Breastfeeding
Friendly Accredited
information page at
www.havering.gov.
uk/breastfeeding
For details, call
433576 or email
breastfeeding@
havering.gov.uk or
visit the above webpage.
TV campaign
Havering’s work to
promote
breastfeeding has hit
the airwaves!
Channel 5’s Wright
Stuff Extra was down
in Romford this
summer filming
Council Leader, Cllr
Michael White, about
the borough’s
breastfeeding
scheme. They also
interviewed local
mums and the owner
of Taste, the first
local business to
sign-up.
The show aired to
coincide with World
Breastfeeding Week.
Havering Business Awards winners to be announced shortly
Winners of this year’s
Havering Business
Awards are to be
announced next month.
The awards
ceremony is being held
Maylands Golf Club in
Romford on October 7.
The Havering
Business Awards are
now in their seventh
year of rewarding and
recognising business
excellence across the
borough. They’re
designed to encourage
innovation,
entrepreneurship and
community spirit.
This year’s awards
are the biggest yet, with
four categories focusing
on firms which provide
enjoyable days and
nights out across the
borough: Best Family
Venue, Best Pub, Best
Restaurant and Best
Entertainment Venue.
Other categories
include Apprentice of
the Year, Green Award
and Havering Business
of the Year.
|
Beauty is her business
Amy sets up shop to bring glamour to the town
A young entrepreneur is ‘sitting
pretty’ after setting up her beauty
therapy business in Romford town
centre.
Amy Marriage, 26, runs Beauty by
Amy by herself from a room at
Fitness First, by the railway station.
She started in April 2009, first as
a mobile therapist, until she found
the gym room to rent on the Internet.
“I wanted to keep it central, and
you can’t get more central than the
station. I knew it would be a risk but
am glad I came here.
“Most people know where the
gym is and I have gym members as
customers and passing trade asking
about me,” explained Romford
resident Amy.
From her one therapy room, she
offers a range of services including
waxing, facials, massages, gel nails,
eyelash tinting, manicures and
pedicures.
She said her client list is always
changing, with new customers
joining and old ones moving on,
adding: “It keeps you at the top of
your game.”
She added: “My bank has been
really accommodating to me. I am
always getting new qualifications to
expand the services I can offer. I
think a lot of people underestimate
this job – it’s really hard work!
“This is just the starting point for
me. I’m already thinking ahead and
maybe I will teach in the future.”
Beauty by Amy is open Tuesday
to Friday 9am–7pm and Saturday
8am–5pm. Email beauty_by_amy@
live.co.uk or call 07506 273052
AUTUMN 2011
Youth employment
Lifeline, an employment service in
Romford, is working with the A4e
group to deliver a programme of
youth employment schemes for
the Department for Work &
Pensions and Jobcentre Plus.
This will see them work with local
colleges and other organisations to
offer additional training to both
the short and long-term young
unemployed to maximise their job
chances. For details, visit www.
lifelineprojects.co.uk
Shooting schedules
Havering firms are being urged to
find out more about which news
programmes, TV shows and
movies are being filmed in and
around the borough.
They can get details of how to
apply for their offices, land or
warehouse to be used as film
locations by calling Joanne
Yeomans on 432232.
Career women
The next Women in Business
events will be on October 12 and
December 7, held at The Bistro,
Havering College, Ardleigh Green
Road, Hornchurch. Call 433602
to book.
Leader’s meeting
Amy Marriage in her beauty therapy
room in Romford.
Quarter pounder of a century
The boss of a burger bar and
grill is celebrating his 25th
anniversary.
Huseyin Otkay has been running the
business in Clockhouse Lane, Collier
Row since buying the franchise in
July 1986, when it was a Wimpy
burger bar.
In 2007 he decided it was time for
a change and took over the business,
turning it into Top Grill Ltd.
Huseyin says he is proud to have
continued the same high standards as
before and, for the last two years
since the introduction of the ‘scores
on the doors’ scheme run by
Havering Council, Top Grill has
achieved the maximum four stars for
hygiene.
The next Leader’s Business
Networking event is on November
30 from 5.30pm for 6pm at
Harefield Manor Hotel, 33 Main
Road, Romford. To book,
call 433602.
The next issue of Business Focus
will be published in Living in
Havering Winter 2011.
To contribute contact Jolly
Choudhury on 432680 or email:
[email protected]
|
35
Getting
a taste
of culture
A variety of music, dance and
cultural cuisine is planned for
this year’s Community Cultural
Celebration.
Visitors will be treated to Indian
bhangra dancers, Caribbean singers,
belly dancers, flamenco dancing, and
Greek and African musicians.
There’s also a variety of food from
across the globe including Asian,
Thai, Caribbean, Italian and English
food, and an Asian fashion show.
Now in its sixth year, the event is
on Saturday, October 22, from 10am
to 4.15pm at the Queen’s Theatre in
Hornchurch.
It is organised by the Havering
Cultural Events
BME Forum with Havering Council.
Cllr Andrew Curtin, Cabinet
Member for Culture, Towns and
Communities said: “Events such as
this are fantastic opportunities to
learn more about other cultures and
establish good relations among all the
different communities represented.”
Entry is £1.50, £1 for pensioners,
free for children under 16. Cultural
Cuisine is £2 per portion.
For details, call 432494.
Havering’s annual cultural
event brings together
people from different
backgrounds.
Listings
Collier Row
September 12 & 21, 6-8pm
both nights
Make-up class with Havering
Beauty Academy. Bring your
own foundation. £18 for
members for each class.
If you would like your event featured for free
in Living in Havering, email living@havering.
gov.uk or write to us (address on page 2).
September 19 & October 12,
6-8pm both nights
Soy massage candles
workshop. £20 for each class
The next issue is out on December 5. Copy
deadline is November 1. Due to limited space,
not all submissions can be used.
September 28, 6-8pm
Shea body butter and bath
salts class. £18 members.
All phone numbers are 01708 unless
otherwise stated.
You can also put your item in the Council’s
calendar of events on Havering’s website
www.havering.gov.uk
Library
Romford
September 14 &
September 27, 6-8pm
Skincare beauty workshop with Havering
Beauty. £18 for members for each class.
September 15 &
September 19, 6-8pm
Make-up class with Havering Beauty
Academy. Bring your own foundation. £18
for members for each class.
September 20, 2-3pm
Young at Heart meeting. Simon Donoghue
gives presentation of Victorian and
Edwardian Romford. For adults. Free.
September 21 &
September 29, 6.30-8pm
Soy massage candles workshop, to help treat
dry skin conditions or help you relax. £20
for each class.
September 22, 6-8pm
Make colourful cupcakes with Tracy. £25-22
September 24, 10am-3pm
Craft Fayre with cakes, glass painting, free
Hobbycraft taster workshops, jewellery and
accessories, homemade crafts, food, baby
gifts and more. Free entry.
September 24
Library Forum. How to improve library
services. Free to attend.
September 26, 6.30-8pm
Shea body butter and bath salts class. £18
members.
September 27, 2-3pm
Talk by Nigel Oxley on historic houses and
gardens of Havering. Free.
October 5, 6-8pm
Skincare beauty workshop
with Havering Beauty. £18
for members for each class.
October 19
Talk on Havering Museum.
October 25, 7pm
Ghost and Paranormal
Activity Investigation Talk
with Ellen Own. £3 each
November 16
Talk on the Post Office.
Gidea Park
Until September 17.
Harvest Festival Celebration.
Donations needed of tinned
food for the Salvation Army.
On September 17 there is a
children’s craft event at
2.15pm. £3, all ages welcome.
September 20, 5.45-7.45pm
Chocolate cupcake
decorating. £22, £25
non-members.
October 25
for all ages, to celebrate
National Poetry Day (on
Oct 6). Child-friendly session
4-5pm, adults welcome.
Adult Slam 5-7pm.
South Hornchurch
September 30,
11.30am-12.30pm
Young at Heart meeting, talk
by Lorraine Wood on
Trading Standards. For ages
55 and over.
Harold Wood
September 23, 11am
Secrets of the Palace
Kitchen Kew Gardens
Workshop. Explore recipes
and cooking ingredients of
the Georgian period. £2 or
£2.50 non-members,
booking essential.
November 17, 7pm
Wartime Havering event..
Hear the stories of residents
during WW1 and WW2.
Find out about the impact of
bombing on the borough.
With refreshments. £3.50 or
£4 non-library members.
Book in advance at any local
library.
Elm Park
October 5, 2pm
Murders of the East End Talk by author Ian Porter on
famous local murders
(excluding Jack the Ripper).
£3 members or £3.50
non-members.
Harold Hill
September 13, 11am-1.30pm
Kew Gardens workshop
based on the life of Victorian
traveller and botanical artist
Marianne North. £2, £2.50
non-members. Booking
essential.
September 27 & October 25,
11am-12noon
Young at Heart Club talks,
50p for refreshments.
ARDLEIGH HOUSE
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
42 Ardleigh Green Road, Hornchurch (shared entrance with Havering College)
Ardleigh House Community Association was founded in 1947, and it is a registered
charity run by an elected committee under a constitution. New members are always
welcome to our association, as a student in one of our classes or a member of one
of the clubs based here.
The canteen is open from 9am to 3pm weekdays serving hot & cold drinks & snacks.
The office is open weekdays 9am to 3pm & 6.30pm to 8.30pm weekdays to answer
any queries you may have about classes or the association.
Our ‘pleasure for leisure’ classes are all tutor lead, without exam pressure, and are
reasonably priced, so come along and meet new friends and have fun.
Science Museum visiting.
Interactive story time at
10am (£3, for ages two to
six). Bubble Show at
11.15am and 1pm (£3, all
ages). Hot Air Balloon
Workshop at 2.30pm (£4,
ages six to 11).
Craft Classes Decoupage, glass
engraving, card making, pergama, jewellery
making and lots more.
Upminster Library
Spanish All levels catered for from
absolute beginner up to advanced
conversation. Small friendly classes.
September 28, 6-8pm
Celebration Cupcakes. Fun
for all abilities. £22. Booking
essential.
Hornchurch
Crochet – Knitting Brush up on a
forgotten skill or learn from scratch, small
friendly class – all welcome.
Computers Absolute beginners, Level 2
& intermediate. Desk Top Publishing,
re-fresher courses, internet, email and
digital photography, Computer Club,
very relaxed friendly classes.
Pottery Craft Clay by hand or on the wheel,
Beginners and advanced, all welcome.
Keep Fit Exercise gently to music, includes
use of balls, hoops, ropes & ribbons. All
ages & abilities. Come & get fit in a fun and
friendly environment.
Creative Writing Want to get your work
published? You can, with help from within
a friendly and supportive group.
French Beginners for those with no
knowledge, intermediate to
increase confidence.
Art Mixed media classes covering drawing,
sketching, water colours, oils & pastels,
Drawing Classes – Beginners welcome.
Social Activities Ardleigh House offers
various social events during the year, such
as quiz nights, day trips, fetes etc, please
check notice boards, look out for posters
and flyers promoting upcoming events.
September 22, 2-3.30pm
A Year of Living Gratefully.
Poetry, song and stories on
theme of gratitude. Free.
Yoga Course of classic postures, combines
stretching with breath awareness and
relaxation. Yoga can help you to get fit,
regulate weight, be more supple and relieve
stress of everyday life.
October 5, 4-7pm
Havering Poets Poetry Slam
Two halls for hire for private functions/parties & classrooms available for
hire to clubs/groups or for one off meetings.
For more information, a prospectus or to book a course, please contact the office
where one of our friendly staff will be available to answer any queries on
01708 440660 or check out our website www.ardleighhouse.org
Weekly Social Afternoon
Wednesday 1.30pm to 3pm.
£2 admission on door.
Listings
CONTACT NUMBERS
Collier Row 434936
Elm Park 434919
Gidea Park 434978
Harold Wood 434975
Harold Hill 434973
Hornchurch 434903
Rainham 434970
Dr Jekyll’s experiments with
a powerful potion transform
him into Mr Hyde,
unleashing murderous havoc
in Victorian London’s murky
underworld. This adaptation
is by Chris Bond, whose
Sweeney Todd thrilled
audiences at the Queen’s in
2009. Call the box office on
443333 or visit www.
queens-theatre.co.uk
Romford 432387/89
South Hornchurch 434921
September 30,
10am-12.30pm
World’s Biggest
Coffee Morning
Join fundraisers at Elm Park
Baptist Church in Rosewood
Avenue, Elm Park, for tea,
coffee, homemade cakes and
chat to raise money for
Macmillan Cancer Support.
Upminster 434933
Or visit www.havering.
gov.uk/libraries for
more events
Theatre & Music
Until September 17
The Young Ones
Based on Cliff Richard’s
feel-good movie, it includes
hits The Young Ones and Living
Doll. Call Queen’s Theatre
box office on 443333 or visit
www.queens-theatre.co.uk
September 15-17, 8pm
Dish of the Day
Comedy performed by All
Saints Players, at All Saints
Church Hall, Ardleigh Green
Road (next to Havering
College). Tickets £4. Tel
343275.
September 30-October 15
Up ‘n’ Under
John Godber’s smash hit
comedy focuses on a pub
rugby team who never win a
match. Call Queen’s Theatre
box office on 443333 or visit
October 2, 7.30pm
An Evening with
Christopher Biggins
The larger than life actor
and TV presenter kicks off
his national one man show
tour with an appearance at
the Queen’s Theatre. The I’m
a Celebrity winner will be
giving an insight into his
showbiz lifestyle, with
hilarious tales about his
celebrity friends and antics.
Tickets £18, call box office
on 443333 or email www.
queens-theatre.co.uk
October 28-November 19
The Strange Case of
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Don’t miss this world
premiere of a new
adaptation of Robert Louis
Stevenson’s classic horror
tale at the Queen’s Theatre.
September 17,
7pm for 7.30pm
A Quiz Night
for Kenya
To be held at North Street
Hall, Hornchurch. Tables of
8-10 people. £6 per person.
If you can’t make up a full
table, you can join up with
other couples/singles. Details
from Terry Keens on 473408
or the Parish Office on
441571.
October TBA
Langton’s Winter
Concert
Details to be announced
soon, check our website for
updates.
November 19, 7.30pm
Classical music concert
Havering Concert Orchestra
will be playing Wagner’s
Prelude & Liebestod (Tristan
und Isolde), Haydn’s Cello
Concerto in C (Matthew
Strover), and Tchaikovsky’s
Symphony No. 4 at Frances
Bardsley School, Brentwood
Road, Romford. Tickets £10
on the door, £8 in advance
from the orchestra, or by
calling 0208 220 5147.
Special Events
September 16-October 16
East London Book
Festival
Havering Council is teaming
up with six other east
London boroughs for this
annual event. Look out for
special guest authors. Check
our website for up-to-date
details.
Until September 17
British coins through
the ages
Special exhibition at
Havering Museum in
Romford, by the Havering
Numismatic Society,
explores how early coins
were made, with examples
on display. Access to this
exhibition is included in the
standard admission charge.
Call 08452 707 737 or
visit www.haveringmuseum.
org.uk
October 9, November 13,
December 11
Upminster Farmer’s
Market
Upminster holds a Farmers
Market in Station Road on
the second Sunday of every
month, from 11am to 3pm.
Visitors can take home fresh
seasonal high quality local
produce.
October 15, 11am-1pm
Autumn Fayre
Held by the 8th Squirrels
Heath Scout Group at
Kingsland Hall, Station Road,
Harold Wood. Assorted
stalls, raffles and Christmas
gifts. Admission 35p (children
go free).
October 20, 10.30am-noon
Guide Dogs for the
Blind coffee morning
Havering branch of charity
meets at The Lodge, Corbets
Tey Road, Upminster. Entry
50p. Buy Christmas cards,
cakes, raffle tickets and
more.
October 22, time TBA
Queen’s Theatre
Charity Gala Dinner
Dance
Four course gourmet meal
and musical entertainment
from members of cut to the
chase, the Queen’s
professional ensemble of
actor musicians. Held at the
De Rougemont Manor,
Great Warley Street,
Brentwood. All proceeds go
to the Queen’s Development
Fund. Tickets £500 for a
table of 10 or £55 per
person. To book, call the box
office on 443333 or visit
October 24-November 5
Cranham Art Society
Annual Exhibition
Paintings on show and for
sale at Hornchurch Library
(normal hours). Tel 454108.
October 22, 7.30pm
Quiz Night
Held at Elm Park Assembly
Hall, Eyhurst Avenue, Elm
Park. Teams of eight max, £3
per person. Tel 703631.
November 12, 11am-2pm
Late Risers Table
Top Sale
Held at North Street Hall,
North Street, Hornchurch,
and organised by the Friends
of St Andrews, Hornchurch.
Refreshments available. Cost
of tables £7, own rail £2. For
bookings call Wendy on
250724.
November 12, 7.30pm
Autumn Concert
Experience Beethoven’s
Mass in C & Puccini’s Messa
di Gloria, and the Havering
Singers with soloists and
orchestra, at St Peter’s
Church, Gubbins Lane,
Harold Wood. Tickets £11 at
the door or £10 in advance,
call 341265 or visit www.
haveringsingers.org.uk
Activities
From September 13
Line-dancing
Held at Hornchurch
Community Centre, Nelson
Road, Rainham. 1-2pm
beginners (new people
welcome). 2-3pm - Improver
and Intermediate. Tel 01277
657387. September 17 & 18
From October 5, 7-8pm
Line-dancing
New beginners class held in
Inskip Drive, Hornchurch.
For venue and details call
01277 657387.
October 1 & 2
Open days at
Upminster Windmill
The Mill Field, St Mary’s
Lane, Upminster. Opening
times 2-5pm. Friends of
Upminster Windmill will give
free guided tours of the
200-year-old structure
(September viewings are
part of London Open House
weekend). Wear sensible
clothes and shoes. Children
under five must stay on
ground floor, children five to
16 must be accompanied by
adult. No dogs except guide
dogs. For details visit www.
upminsterwindmill.co.uk
Various days
Swimming lessons for
children or adults
Courses for beginners,
improving and advanced
swimmers, run by Havering
Aquatic Swim Team at The
Campion School,
Hornchurch, and St Edwards
School, Romford. Tel 477951.
Saturdays, daytime
Ballet, tap and
modern dancing
Fun classes for children aged
four and above in South
Hornchurch. For details, call
Magda on 07765 836796.
Mondays, Tuesdays,
Wednesdays
Pilates
Friendly, fully qualified
teacher. All levels, beginners
welcome. Sessions held at
venues in Hornchurch, Gidea
Park and Romford. Call
476072 or email virginia.
[email protected]
Saturdays
Nordic Walking in
Havering
Courses and classes available
on a group or one-to-one
basis. Call Sue Gill for details
or to book a taster session,
on 0794 1233180.
Wednesdays, 1.30-3.30pm
Havering Depression
& Anxiety Support
Group
Meets on second and fourth
Wednesday of the month.
New members welcome.
Call Patricia on 07919
846098 for details.
Groups & Societies
Mondays
Tai Chi
Classes at Holy Cross
Church Hall, Hornchurch
Road, Hornchurch, from
11.30am-12.30pm, and St
Michaels Church, Main Road,
Gidea Park, from 1-2pm. Call
0208 593 9284 or email
shenchilinguiwhushu@
yahoo.co.uk
Third Thursday of every
month, 7.30-9.30pm
Romford Brain Injury
Support Group
Meet at Rush Green
Community Association &
Social Club, in Rush Green
Road, Romford. Open to
anyone affected by an
acquired brain injury. Group
offers emotional support,
advice regarding benefits,
care packages, help with
housing, rehabilitation and
referral to other services,
and organises social events.
Tel Amy Neeb on 020 7749
7790 or 07940 058 513 or
email amy.neeb@headway
eastlondon.org
Mondays
Evening Yoga class
New class starts September
12 at Trinity Methodist
Church, Romford. Qualified
teacher. Call Freda on 0208
508 1454 or email freda_
[email protected]
Fridays, 7-8.15pm
Pregnancy Yoga
Relaxation, breathing
techniques and yoga to help
you through pregnancy, birth
and beyond, at The Yoga
Workshop,Victoria Road.
Romford. Call 07939 055017.
Health & Wellbeing
Mondays, 7.45-10pm
Hornchurch
Photographic Society
Meets every Monday except
bank holidays at Ardleigh
House, Ardleigh Green Road,
Hornchurch. Everyone
welcome. Beginners and
experienced competitions,
shows, walks, etc. Call
472301 or email hps@
hornchurchphoto.co.uk
October 1, 2pm
November 5, 2pm
December 3, 2pm
Havering Branch of
the East Of London
Family History Society
Meets on the first Saturday
of every month at Trinity
Church, Gaynes Road,
Upminster. October’s
meeting is “City Livery
Companies” with John Neal.
In November, the Branch
Elections are followed by
“Copshow”with Frederick
Feather. And at December’s
meeting, the talk is “Seeing it
through their eyes in Song”
(Be prepared to have fun),
with Michael Gandy. The
Computer Group meets the
same days at 11am-1pm.
Members and visitors
welcome. Admission is free.
Havering Bake-Off
event hosts TV judges
Are you a budding baker? Do you think you
have the best family recipe?
If so then why not join in the Havering
Bake-Off event on September 23, which is
part of Homemade in Havering Month.
There are five categories - Best Fruit Cake,
Best Victoria Sponge, Best Small Cake or
Cupcake, Best Other Category and Best
Junior Cake Category (16s and under).
Cost is £1.50 per entry. All cakes must be
submitted by September 22.
Contact your local library for details and an
application form. Terms and conditions apply.
The event is being filmed for the Good Food
TV channel. Judges include Edd Kimber,
winner of BBC 2’s Great British Bake Off
2010; Georgia Bradford, winner of Junior
MasterChef 2010; and confectioner Christine
Taylor of Choccywoccydoodah Brighton
(pictured above) and star of BBC’s Good
Food Show.
Judging takes place at 7pm on September 23
at Romford Library. Tickets £5 members,
£6.50 non-members and £2.50 children.

Living in Havering issue 152

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Art and War: The Artists Rifles and Romford, 1915 - 1918

ROMFORD RM1

Emlenton Borough - MID-ATLANTIC YOUTH SERVICES, CORP.