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Wednesday 22 July 2020
 Havering has always been a borough of people who support each other, but during the coronavirus pandemic we have seen our communities come together to offer support and guidance to one another like never before.
Whether through volunteering, new community-led projects and initiatives, or simply helping out a neighbour in need, it is safe to say community spirit is alive and well in Havering.
Tomorrow, we are launching the Havering Together Innovation Fund alongside Spacehive. The crowdfunding initiative will give residents the opportunity to fund and support community-based projects that will play an active role in shaping communities for years to come.
We are calling out for creative ideas that will help residents and neighbourhoods to improve and thrive, and I urge everyone with a creative idea to apply. You can read more information below, and join us for the launch tomorrow at midday via Zoom.
We are getting back to a new normal. The market is back in Romford, Libraries are open again, leisure centres are making preparations to open very shortly. And most importantly our businesses are trading. It’s up to all of us to support them with our custom. What we have seen so far is promising and it provides us with a glimmer of hope that our borough will continue on the path to recovery from the pandemic.
However, this will only happen if we continue to be cautious, sensible and considerate of each other. We must all continue to follow the rules; continue social distancing, wear face coverings, wash hands properly and comply with NHS Test and Trace and isolate if we develop symptoms.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
Havering Council is calling on people with great ideas for improving their local area to pitch for funding to help bring them to life.
The Havering Together Innovation Fund will launch tomorrow (23 July) at midday, in partnership with Spacehive, a new crowdfunding platform to support local projects hoping to improve the community. Through the partnership, residents will be able to crowdfund project ideas which will help their local neighbourhoods.
So far, the Council’s seen eight crowdfunding ideas across the borough. These range from a fund to support local foodbanks to a vibrant collection of street art murals in Collier Row high street.
It comes after we successfully reached our Havering Heroes £10,000 target back in May. The fund gives small emergency grants of up to £5,000 to local organisations as part of the Havering Funding Programme.
The Council has provided 17 charities and non-profit organisations with emergency grants totalling £82,415. This has allowed vulnerable residents get the support and help they need during the coronavirus outbreak.
In addition to the Havering Together Innovation Fund, the Council has launched a second round of its pilot grants programme today, aimed at small charities and social enterprises, in partnership with The Fore.
Known as the “Havering Funding Programme” this initiative offers unrestricted grants of up to £15,000 to help fantastic small charities plan for the longer term and gain a stronger footing in a post-coronavirus world.
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We are working with Wates Residential to encourage local residents to sign up to a free, three-week construction training course.
Participants will learn the skills needed to kick-start an exciting career in the construction industry and all participants will also benefit from a guaranteed job interview with a potential employer.
Interactive training sessions will take place via Zoom video calls each day between 10am and 3pm with rolling courses starting every Monday, giving a significant boost to the Havering workforce.
Wates Residential is working in partnership with Havering Council to deliver more than 3,500 new homes over the next 12 to 15 years in one of the capital’s most ambitious regeneration projects.
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Havering Council publishes a weekly report on coronavirus in Havering on its website.
It includes information on the number of Havering residents testing positive for COVID-19 each week, starting from 6 March 2020.
It also compares the number of new cases in Havering with neighbouring boroughs and the regional and national figures, and provides a link to the daily figures produced by the UK Government.
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We have introcuded a new parking app for drivers using any of Havering's Council-owned car parks.
RingGo means you can use your phone to pay for parking, making it quicker, easier, and COVID-safe - not to mention you don’t have to hunt around for loose change to feed a parking machine.
You can use it when parking in pay and display bays, and, if you use it when parking in one of Havering Council's car parks you get a 20 per cent discount on the parking fee.
You can download the free RingGo parking app from the Apple Appstore or Google Play Store.
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Has your child missed their school vaccination due to Covid-19?
We are running catch up clinics in your area for both the Year 8 HPV vaccine, and the Year 9 Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio (DTP) / Meningitis ACWY vaccine.
These clinics will be running on an appointment only basis.
Appointments can be booked for either of two sessions:
- Friday 24 July, 10am - 2pm at Arnaud Lodge Hall, Hornchurch
- Wednesday 12 August, 9:20am - 12:40pm at Mardyke Community Centre, Rainham
If you would like to attend please either call us on 0203 432 1971 or alternatively email havering@vaccinationuk.co.uk to make an appointment.
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Restaurants and other establishments serving food for consumption on their premises can now sign up to a new government initiative encouraging people to safely return to dining out.
Restaurants, bars, cafes and other places which use the scheme will offer a 50 per cent reduction, up to a maximum of £10 per person, to all who dine-in every Monday to Wednesday, between 3 and 31 August 2020.
Businesses will receive a window sticker to show they are using the scheme.
Watch our video to find out more.
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 Illustrations © Laura Ellen Anderson 2020
Havering Libraries have 400 funny and silly book prizes to give away to 4-11 year olds in their exciting Silly Squad competitions this summer.
There are four competitions to choose from and winning entries will be full of fun, laughter or silliness.
You can:
- write a short story
- make a piece of artwork
- compose a poem
- write a book review
The closing date is Saturday 5 September 2020.
NHS Test and Trace tracks down close recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for coronavirus and, if necessary, notifies them that they must self-isolate at home to help stop the spread of infection
NHS Test and Trace’s team of tracers will contact all individuals with a positive test result asking them to share information on their close contacts in the 48 hours before symptoms started until seven days after symptoms started.
Test and Trace then anonymously alerts contacts identified advising them to self-isolate for 14 days to help stop the spread of the virus.
If you have any symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste) you must self-isolate and book a COVID-19 test. A mobile testing unit is at the Town Hall, Romford, tomorrow (Thursday) and Sunday, see more information below.
You can arrange a test online or by calling 119.
If you need to get a test for someone under five years old – you should call 111.
By understanding NHS Test and Trace we can reduce the virus in Havering and prevent local lockdowns.
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A mobile testing unit for COVID-19 will be at Havering Town Hall again this week.
Before you attend the site in Romford, you will need to make an appointment.
The testing at the Town Hall rear car park is between 10.30am and 3.30pm, on the following days:
- Sat 25 July
- Tues 28 July
- Fri 31 July
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.
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