Tuesday 22 June 2021
 This Saturday, 26 June, is Armed Forces Day.
The annual event gives thanks to the dedication of our armed forces who serve to keep us all safe.
Yesterday we raised a flag outside the Town Hall to mark the occasion and you can read about that below.
After 15 months of restrictions and lockdowns I know how desperate many people are to get back to living their lives "the way things used to be". The nature of a pandemic like the one we are living through now is that it leaves many changes in its wake.
Some of these changes bring opportunity for organisations like Havering Council to reassess how it best supports and provides value for money services to its residents, and to work more closely with other agencies and the voluntary sector. For example, taking advantage of new technology to allow for flexible and innovative ways of working.
There is a strong body of evidence that an increased focus on hand-washing and sanitising has had a positive impact on reducing the spread of other illnesses.
I cannot stress enough the importance of the uptake of the vaccinations and the continued adherence to the Government's guidance "hands, face, space, and fresh air" advice.
We are now on the last leg of the massive exercise in making sure everyone gets their COVID-19 vaccination. I urge everyone to help us get over the line. With the Delta variant growing as our latest weekly COVID-19 report shows, one of the best ways of fighting back is booking that appointment. This is why we are also ensuring the Hornchurch vaccination centre remains open for at least another month, as we reported in this newsletter last Friday.
If you are 18 and over, please book your first jab now.
If you have had your first one already, please get your second one when asked.
If you have friends or family who are still undecided, you could book together to give them reassurance.
We saw a massive response from people on "super Saturday" to people getting their first jabs at sports stadia, including the London Stadium (pictured).
I thank all those in the NHS and everyone who supported this work.
Lastly, today is Windrush Day.
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22 June 2021 marks the fourth national Windrush Day and 73 years since the SS Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex in 1948 carrying the first Caribbean migrants to the UK.
Havering Council is joining the thousands of people across the UK to honour the British Caribbean community and the half a million people who travelled to the UK to help rebuild it after World War II.
That's why the Windrush Day flag (pictured) is flying outside the Town Hall in Romford today.
If you want to contact me directly, you can email me. Stay safe, and with England's game tonight against the Czech Republic in mind, make sure it’s football that comes home this summer, not COVID-19. Come on England!
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
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With the UEFA Euro 2020 football tournament in full flow we know that friends and family across Havering will be getting together to watch, celebrate and commiserate.
If you're meeting up to watch tonight's England match, or any of the games in the following days, please make sure you follow these rules and protect those around you:
- If you're meeting up with friends, outdoors is safest
- If you meet indoors - open windows and doors whenever possible and stick to the rule of six people or two households
- Wash your hands regularly
- Wear a face covering if you can
- Keep apart from anyone you do not live with
- Test regularly.
Thanks for helping keep Havering safe.
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The Armed Forces flag was raised outside the Town Hall, Romford, yesterday (Monday) to mark national Armed Forces Day, which takes place this Saturday, 26 June.
The annual event gives thanks to the dedication of our armed forces who serve to keep us all safe.
Deputy Mayor of Havering, Cllr. Christine Vickery, raised the flag. She was joined by Cllr. Roger Ramsey, Havering Council CEO, Andrew Blake-Herbert, Deputy Lieutenant for London, Colonel Mark Bryant, and representatives from the Romford Naval Association and the Romford and Upminster branches of the Royal British Legion.
See later in this bulletin for news of how you can help celebrate Armed Forces Day on Saturday.
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On 22 June 1948, just over 800 passengers from the Caribbean disembarked from the Empire Windrush ship at Tilbury docks. Many of them were intending to live and work in the UK.
That summer 236 of the newly arrived people from the Caribbean stayed in temporary accommodation below Clapham South Tube station, in a deep-level shelter built during the Second World War, while they looked for housing and work in London.
To celebrate the huge contribution the Windrush generation and their descendants have made to London’s transport and culture, London Transport Museum will be hosting an online panel discussion tonight (Tuesday 22 June) from 6.30 to 7.45pm.
The Museum of London also has some new special content to mark Windrush Day. See Black and British: A Fashionable Windrush Story.
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Getting vaccinated is one of the key ways to get things back to normal and will protect you, your friends and your family from COVID-19.
Read more about vaccines.
If you are aged 18 or over (or will be by 1 July) you can book appointments at a larger vaccination centre or pharmacy now.
The Delta variant now makes up 96% of new cases. After only one dose, the vaccines are around 26 to 40 per cent effective at reducing symptomatic disease from the Delta variant. After two doses, the vaccines are estimated to be between 76 and 84 per cent effective against symptomatic disease.
If you book online, you'll need to book appointments for both doses.
If you have your first dose through your GP surgery, you'll be contacted when it's time to book your second dose.
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 Every week Havering Council publishes a report on coronavirus in the borough on its website.
It includes data on infection rates and testing, as well as the vaccine roll-out. It also compares the success of that programme in Havering with other parts of London and the rest of the country.
The graph above is taken from the report. It shows the number of Havering residents testing positive for coronavirus each week since 6 March last year.
There were 131 cases reported in the last week, 56 more than the previous week.
This corresponds to an incidence rate on 18 June of 51 new cases per 100,000 population. This is lower than the London (81/100,000) and the whole of England (97/100,000) figures. Unfortunately the incidence rate in Havering has increased by 148 per cent since the beginning of June, but remains relatively low compared with other parts of England.
Sadly, a total of 924 people in Havering have died with COVID-19 but no new deaths have been reported in the week ending 11 June.
Vaccines
The latest data shows that by 13 June over 67 per cent of all adults in Havering have had at least one dose of the vaccine.
More than 48 per cent of all adults in Havering have now received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Hospitals
As of 21 June there were 13 inpatients admitted due to COVID-19 to our local hospitals.
The trust that runs those hospitals, BHRUT, also publishes weekly data on the number of patients it is treating.
 To help make sure you're not passing on COVID-19 without knowing, regular, twice-weekly rapid testing for people without symptoms is available for everyone in Havering.
Our local BHRUT hospitals provide maternity care to around 8,200 women each year, and they are encouraging pregnant women and their partners to take a lateral flow test 24 hours before an appointment. This will keep people safe, and play a key role in allowing the hospitals to further relax the visiting restrictions in their maternity departments.
You should still test even if you have had one or both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination.
You can order a test kit online or pick one up locally. Find your nearest testing site and collection point.
If you aren't sure how to do a rapid test at home, visit one of these centres first and be shown by the professionals. You can then take a test kit home with you to use in subsequent weeks.
Please note that the local test centres at Upminster Methodist Church and the North Romford Community Centre in Collier Row will close on Wednesday 30 June.
Have symptoms?
It remains vitally important to book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
Last week the Government announced that, from October 2021, people working in CQC-registered care homes must have two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, unless they have a medical exemption.
This follows an extensive public consultation with thousands of care staff, residents and families and will be subject to parliamentary approval and a 16-week grace period.
It will apply to all workers employed directly by the care home or care home provider (on a full-time or part-time basis), those employed by an agency, and volunteers.
Those coming into care homes to do other work, for example healthcare workers, tradespeople, hairdressers and beauticians, and CQC inspectors, will also have to follow the new regulations, unless they are medically exempt.
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This week is Breastfeeding Celebration Week.
This year's theme is encouraging families and friends to encourage breast feeding by new mums.
Breastfeeding provides all the nutrition a baby needs for the first six months and also helps build a strong emotional bond between a mum and her baby.
Breast milk also helps boost a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection by passing on the mother’s immune defences. Babies who are not breastfed are more likely to get diarrhoea and respiratory infections.
Midwives and health visitors play an important part in supporting breastfeeding and mums and mum-to-be are encouraged to reach out to them if they need support.
Try the Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life available on Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Assistant, or on Facebook Messenger.
You can also visit the Start4Life website for helpful information and, if you wish, sign up to receive weekly emails and videos with advice about pregnancy, birth and parenthood.
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A new initiative aimed at providing easy access to support, advice and affordable food has seen over 130 residents visiting for advice and support since it opened.
The Harold Hill Community Hub offers much-needed support for residents and is located within the former Housing Office on Chippenham Road.
It is part of the new way the Council is making it easier for residents to access local services.
It will also help defeat food poverty and work with a wide range of partners, including the voluntary and community sector.
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 The Reading Agency and Havering Libraries have announced their Wild World Heroes, Summer Reading Challenge 2021.
This year it's a celebration of nature and action for the environment, in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund UK.
Children aged 4-11 can sign up for free at their local Havering library from 10 July.
Then during the summer holidays they can read any six library books of their choice to collect special stickers and rewards along the way – all for free.
This year only two library visits are needed, one to pick up a pack and a second to return a completed book review sheet in order to receive a medal and certificate.
Parents and carers will be discussing books and giving out stickers to their children. Find out more online.
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Havering Council's Early Help, Youth Services and Local Area Coordinators invite you to join an information sharing event on Wednesday 30 June.
The event will tell parents and parents-to-be about the services that are available to families across Havering and how to access them.
This includes information on children's centres, the Healthy Start scheme, the Family Information Hub, Youth Services, the Local Area Coordinators scheme, and more.
The event will run from 9.30 until 11.45am and is open to all parents, carers and families in Havering. Book your space online.
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 Havering Council is encouraging residents to make their own pop-up card for Armed Forces Day.
Email us photos of your cards to be included in a community collage, honouring all veterans, living and deceased, by Wednesday 23 June.
This will be posted on Saturday 26 June as part of our Armed Forces Day virtual event.
 Are you a parent or carer living in Havering with a child or children under the age of five?
If that's you, please take part in the School Readiness Survey.
The last year has been challenging and this is an opportunity to help the Council understand the impact of the pandemic, as well as some of the general challenges around ensuring children are ready to start school.
The survey should take no more than ten minutes to complete. It's open until 16 July.
A local theatre has been helping the artistic community recover from the pandemic.
Queen's Theatre Hornchurch, supported by the Culture Recovery Fund, called for submissions from professional local artists living in outer East London or South Essex.
The Theatre was looking for projects that had a value of up to £500 which would help these artists post-pandemic, involved new work, or the artists coming and using the Theatre's rehearsal space and performance opportunities.
As a result, the Theatre is now supporting 15 professional local artists to create 13 separate projects.
Those who were not successful have been offered on-going support for their project from Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s Associate Producer, including rehearsal space, performance opportunities and careers and advice sessions.
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In August there will be closures on the District line for essential track replacement work designed to deliver better journeys and greater reliability.
Transport for London has announced that between Wednesday 4 and Thursday 12 August, there will be no service between Earl’s Court and Aldgate East on the District line.
On the weekend of 7 and 8 August, the planned closure on the District line will also be extended from Earl’s Court to Hammersmith, Kensington Olympia, Wimbledon and Edgware Road.
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