 I am delighted that the East London Waste Authority, have agreed to reopen their Reuse and Recycling Centres from Monday 11 May.
Among these is the centre in Gerpins Lane, Upminster.
I urge residents not to descend en masse on that centre on Monday morning. It will be open every day and so will the reuse and recycling centre in Frizlands Lane in Dagenham that can be used by Havering residents.
To avoid long queues please consider visiting later in the week if there is waste that you really must dispose of urgently. More details on what can be taken to these centres can be found in the news item below.
Earlier this week I was invited to join the Manager and staff at Bekash Tandoori restaurant in Romford to help deliver 50 hot meals to the fantastic staff at Queen’s Hospital.
It was great to be able to support this kind gesture and I thank Bekash for giving something back to those who are giving so much to us all at this difficult time.
Tonight we can show that support for the frontline NHS workers with the weekly clap for carers at 8pm. When clapping this week I would also like us to think about those working in care homes, and those Havering Council employees who have been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic collecting your refuse, cleaning your streets and supporting our looked after children and foster carers.
|
Tomorrow the weather looks set for a fine day to celebrate VE Day - the end of the Second World War in Europe. See my video. We have organised a number of virtual events to help you mark the anniversary of this historic event and I know many other local organisations, including the charity Havering Mind, have too.
Please enjoy the day but do continue to respect the Government advice to socially distance. As much as it may be tempting to link arms and dance with neighbours and friends please don't.
Keep your close celebrations to just the people living in your household. In this way we can keep safe and make sure we don't undo all the sacrifice that so many people have made over the last six weeks.
Ask yourself: do I want to be the person who recklessly infected my nearest and dearest with the coronavirus?
Please stay safe, and maintain two metres distance from anyone who doesn't live in your household.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
The Gerpins Lane reuse and recycling centre will re-open on Monday 11 May in line with new government guidance.
The site, which is managed by ELWA (East London Waste Authority), will be available for residents to visit during the usual opening hours of 7.30am to 5.45pm Monday to Sunday.
It comes after Havering, Newham, Redbridge, and Barking and Dagenham councils agreed with ELWA that their sites could be opened now that the required staff resource and traffic management was available to run them safely and effectively.
Trade waste will NOT be accepted and no large vans or trailers are allowed.
For more details of opening hours, permitted items that can be taken to the centre, and traffic restrictions that will be in place around the site visit ELWA's website.
|
 Tomorrow, Friday 8 May, is a public holiday to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
Havering Council is organising a series of online events to mark this historic occasion.
At 3pm on the day there will be a ‘Nation’s Toast to the Heroes of WW2’. From the safety of your own home stand up and raise a glass, of a refreshment of your choice, and join in the toast – “To those who gave so much, we thank you.”
The cheers in Havering will be led by Colonel Mark Bryant MBE DL, the representative Deputy Lieutenant for the borough. The Nation’s Toast marks the time and date that the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, declared the Second World War in Europe was over.
We also encourage you to decorate your home with bunting and have a picnic in your garden or living room. See our video for help to make your own celebratory bunting.
Visit our website for more details of the activities planned for VE Day.
 Across Havering there is a wide range of support available to anyone affected by COVID-19.
Bereavement line – Havering MIND is offering counselling to any Havering resident or Havering carer over 18 years of age, who has been affected by a bereavement or trauma relating to COVID-19. This free service is available seven days a week from 9am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 1pm at weekends.
Email help@haveringmind.org.uk or telephone 01708 457040, or visit the Havering MIND website to complete a referral form.
Befriending line - The Tapestry befriending phone line Tel: 01708 796611 is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and weekends, 10am to 4pm.
Havering Volunteer Centre – can assist with emergency supplies, medication delivery and collection, and even dog-walking! Please call them on 01708 922214.
If you need a GP appointment this Bank Holiday Friday, there are several ways to do this - visit your GP practice website, use an NHS app to book online, or call your practice.
Most appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional will now be via a phone call, and if you are told you need to see a clinician in person, the NHS has put measures in place to make sure patients are seen safely.
It is important that you continue to attend routine appointments, such as antenatal checks, sexual health advice and contraception, and childhood vaccinations, as normal, unless you have been told not to attend.
Community pharmacies across Havering will also be available this bank holiday weekend. Before visiting your local pharmacy, first check the opening hours on the NHS.UK website. When you visit you must comply with the social distancing measures in place to protect yourself and staff.
If you have an urgent medical need, visit NHS 111 online – if you cannot access the internet, call 111. If it is a serious or life-threatening emergency, such as if you or a family member have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, call 999 immediately. If you are told to go to hospital, it is important that you go.
In addition, if you are pregnant and are worried about your health or the health of your unborn baby, please contact your midwife or maternity team.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature), you must stay at home for at least seven days. Anyone you live with should not leave home for 14 days.
You can use the NHS 111 COVID-19 online service to check your symptoms and get more advice. Do not go to a GP practice, pharmacy or hospital if you have these symptoms - this is to help limit the spread of the virus.
|
Due to tomorrow being a bank holiday, rubbish and recycling collections scheduled to take place on Friday 8 May will take place on Saturday 9 May.
If Friday is your usual collection day, please don't put any of your sacks out until 7am on Saturday morning.
|
 Havering Council is running a free-to-call helpline for residents with urgent emergency food or medicine needs because of coronavirus.
The helpline - 0800 368 5201 - is for you if you are already vulnerable and have no means of getting more food or medicine.
You can call between 11am and 4pm this Bank Holiday Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Alternatively, email: covid19support@havering.gov.uk.
In his message this week, Tony Chambers, the Chief Executive of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust, updates us on outpatient appointments.
Since March more than 10,800 outpatient appointments have taken place over the phone to prioritise patients’ safety and this month over 1,000 appointments are already scheduled to take place over the phone.
He also shares the positive experience of first-time mum Baksho Rani, who was anxious about going to the hospital. She was reassured by staff from the minute she arrived at Queen’s Hospital where she safely gave birth to her daughter Julia.
|
Havering Mind is holding a special VE Day 75th anniversary Virtual Quiz on Facebook tomorrow night at 8pm.
If you would like to be part of the fun, join MIND's Facebook page before 8pm on Friday 8 May.
|
Testing for COVID-19 is now available for all those who meet the eligibility criteria as outlined on the Government website.
This includes symptomatic people who are key workers, cannot do their work from home - such as shop workers and delivery drivers - those aged over 65, and members of their households.
Arranging a test must be done by appointment via the self-referral portal. You’ll usually have the option of taking the test at home or at a drive-through testing site.
A Mobile Testing Unit for COVID-19 will be at Havering Town Hall, this Saturday and Sunday (9 and 10 May). Testing is being carried out between 10.30am and 3.30pm. Vehicles and pedestrians should enter via Park End Road, Romford RM1 4AU, where a one-way drive and walk through system will be in place. Please do not try to enter from Main Road
If you choose to go to the Town Hall location, when registering, type WALKING when asked for vehicle registration if you will be attending on foot.
The test involves taking a swab of the inside of your nose and the back of your throat, using a long cotton bud.
The test is an ‘antigen test’. It tests if you currently have coronavirus.
The test to tell if you’ve ever had coronavirus (‘antibody test’) is not available yet.
|
The Museum of the Home in East London has launched a new national collecting project called Stay Home.
It will document people's home lives during the coronavirus pandemic in the UK.
They want to find out what home means to people right now – from changing uses and habits, to personal feelings and the impact of lockdown on our relationships with families, friends and neighbours.
Contributions can be made online.
Stay Home is part of the Museum’s Documenting Homes collection which was established in 2007 recording people's everyday experiences and bringing to light hidden or overlooked stories of home.
Contributions to the Stay Home project will be acquired into the Museum collection and be used for research and shared on the Museum’s digital channels.
|
Havering Council's Arts Development Team, Waste Team, and Havering Libraries have been working together to invite you to create a piece of art from something that you might have previously thrown away.
Some examples are a piece of art created from milk bottle tops, a train with the carriages made from empty toilet roll centres, a collage made from old magazines or newspapers, or a sculpture made from a cereal packet.
Email a photograph (ideally at least 1MB in size) of the art work with the artist's name and age to:
arts@havering.gov.uk
If you can, also include some text explaining what you used, and how you made your art piece. Art work will be displayed online once collated.
Terms & Conditions: Free entry. Only original designs and pieces allowed. Copyright laws apply. All submitted works may be shared on all of Havering Councils social media accounts. The online exhibition will include the artists first name and age.
|
We have been sent pictures of children from the County Park estate in Hornchurch who organised a large sign to say "thank you" to all the NHS and key workers working so hard to keep critical services functioning.
Each letter features a key worker.
Well done children! Bet you will all be clapping at 8 o'clock tonight.
|
