Friday 8 October 2021
 This Sunday (10 October) is World Mental Health Day.
We know that there have been significant increases in the number of key workers experiencing severe symptoms of depression during the awful coronavirus pandemic.
If you are one of those key workers and you need some extra support, please ask for it. Help is available in Havering.
I am really pleased that Havering is participating in the Recycle Your Electricals campaign. I am proud that Havering Council already provides recycling facilities for electricals by offering a kerbside collection service for small electrical equipment.
You can read more about this campaign, and meet "HypnoCat" later in this newsletter.
Unfortunately scams continue to be the bane of many reisdents' lives. One of those doing the rounds at the moment is callers claiming to be part of a Government-backed loft insulation scheme and requesting a home visit in order to carry out an inspection.
If you have an answerphone on your landline, or voicemail on your mobile, use it to screen your calls. In August, charity Age UK updated its helpful guide to avoiding scams. If you have an elderly or vulnerable relative, or neighbour who may be worried about scam calls, please share this information with them.
Lastly, if you want to contact me directly, you can email me.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
A Romford-based fireworks trader has been lit up with a hefty fine for breaching COVID-19 regulations and opening his shops during lockdown, following an investigation by Havering Council.
Luke Vardy, owner of ‘Fireworks4Sale’, was charged with breaches to the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) Regulations 2020 and the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 5 October.
Vardy pleaded guilty to two charges in court, and was ordered to pay over £4,000 in fines and court fees.
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The Recycle Your Electricals campaign is encouraging us all to reuse and recycle our unwanted appliances, tech and cables – saving precious resources from being lost forever.
As part of that campaign “HypnoCat” (pictured), a pink fluffy cat will be on a mission to hypnotise Havering residents into recycling their small old electricals.
When we recycle our old electricals, we’re giving a new lease of life to the treasure hidden within. This includes precious metals like gold, copper, steel and aluminium.
These valuable materials can then be recycled and turned into everything from children’s playgrounds to life-saving equipment – even into new electricals.
To play your part, gather up and store your old electricals in a bag. When you’re ready to recycle simply put them in an open plastic bag and leave it next to your orange recycling sack on your collection day.
Alternatively you can take them to Gerpins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre and place them in the electrical and electronic area. Or you can use the Recycle Your Electricals postcode locator to find your local recycling point.
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 Havering Council is marking National Hate Crime Awareness Week, which begins tomorrow (Saturday), with events and activities to raise awareness, to remember those we have lost, to encourage reporting, and help those who need our support.
Hate crimes are crimes committed against someone because of their race, religion, belief, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and can include verbal abuse, intimidation, threats, harassment, assault, bullying, or damage to property.
The Council's Corporate and Community Resilience Team will be holding a stall at the Liberty Shopping Centre, Romford on Monday between 12 noon and 2pm.
Other activities include visiting community centres, an online StopHateUK session on Tuesday at 4pm, and training sessions for Council staff.
The team will also be at the Harold Hill Community Hub Relaunch on Thursday (14 October) from 1pm to 4pm.
You can use the NHS Quit Smoking app this month to help you quit smoking and start breathing easier.
Stoptober is a 28-day stop smoking challenge.
The Stoptober app allows you to:
- track your progress
- see how much you're saving
- get daily support.
The good news is, if you can make it to 28 days smoke-free, you're five times more likely to quit for good.
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 To mark Black History Month there will be a Community Cultural Celebration at Langtons Gardens organised by the Havering BME Forum.
The fun for all the family event will be on Saturday 23 October between 12 noon and 5pm in the Western Garden or Fielders Field.
You will be able to enjoy live music, dance, food, craft, plus children’s entertainment. Tickets will be sold on the day and are just £1 for adults. Children go free.
In celebration of the culinary influences of the Black community in the UK, Havering Council has collaborated with local resident Richard, originally from Ghana, to share his recipe for kelewele.
Kelewele is a popular Ghanaian snack made of fried plantains seasoned with spices. Try it for yourself.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) is refreshing its clinical strategy and it wants your thoughts on what your hospitals look like now, and in the future.
To help the Trust understand how patients and residents currently use its services it recently held a survey, and on Tuesday 19 October between 6 and 8pm it will hold an online event just for Havering residents.
If you want to take part, register your interest.
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Next week children aged 12 to 15 in Havering wil begin to be offered one dose of the Pfizer jab.
Invitations for these vaccinations will be offered by the NHS. Parental consent will be sought before any vaccinations are given at school.
Alternative arrangements will be made for children who are home schooled, or in care homes.
Children in this age group who are clinically extremely vulnerable, or live with someone who is immunosuppressed, will be offered two doses of the vaccine. They will be contacted by their GP to arrange this.
The NHS has also begun rolling out COVID-19 booster jabs.
People over 50s, people in care homes, frontline health and social care workers, and vulnerable people aged between 16 and 49 are among those who will be offered a third dose. At least six months must have passed since a second jab was given.
See the banners below for details of walk-in booster jab centres in Hornchurch and Romford open this weekend.
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COVID-19 infection rates are still high in Havering as our weekly COVID-19 report shows.
When you’re travelling use hand sanitiser and make sure you wash your hands when you get to your destination and when you get home.
By taking a rapid test twice a week, you will help protect yourself and your colleagues as you’ll be coming into contact with more people throughout your day.
If you’re feeling unwell, make sure that you stay home and take a PCR test if you suspect you have COVID-19.
You can order a lateral flow test kit online or pick one up from many places in Havering. 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 the following weeks.
Have symptoms?
It remains vitally important to book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
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This Sunday (10 October) is World Mental Health Day.
One in three young people aged 16 – 39 are experiencing moderate or severe forms of depression compared to one in nine before the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you would like help getting back on track with learning and education, there is support available to you in Havering.
In addition, organisations across north east London have come together to launch some new services in each borough, including Havering, to help prevent suicide and to provide additional support to local residents.
These services are being delivered together as Safe Connections.
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Havering Council's Autumn Blitz of deep-cleaning activities across the whole borough, as part of its COVID-19 recovery plans, continues.
The campaign focuses on sprucing up Havering's streets.
Recent work includes graffiti removal and cleaning of subways (pictured).
Other work taking place includes weeding, grass cutting, and litter picking.
If you see fly-tips or other rubbish issues please report them using our website or the Love Havering app.
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 Havering Music Makers are back with their first post-COVID show, `Let’s Go On With The Show’. It's an original comedy review show telling the story of a group of actors rehearsing for a show after lockdown.
It features a wealth of songs from smash-hit West End shows such as Hamilton, Come From Away, Hairspray, Six, Mamma Mia and Singin’ in the Rain.
The show will be at Tweed Way Hall, Tweed Way, Rise Park, RM1 4AZ. Show dates are today (Friday 8 October) and tomorrow (Saturday 9 October) at 7.30pm, and a Sunday 10 October matinee at 2pm. Refreshments will be available. Tickets can be purchased from the Havering Music Makers' website or by calling 01708 520778.
The October lecture for The Arts Society, Havering, will be held on Tuesday 12 October at 10am at New Windmill Hall, St Marys Lane, Upminster, RM14 2QH.
The subject will be the work of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.The talk will be given by Daniel Robbins and is open to members and guests. It's just £8 to attend. Find out more on the Arts Society's website.
Be prepared to get spooked on Tuesday 26 October when you follow the ghostly trail of paranormal activity in some of the buildings in Romford's town centre.
This walk, organised by Havering Museum, shares elements of the history of some of the oldest buildings and paranormal activity in them today.
The walk starts at 7pm and will end at 9pm. It's just £10 to join and that includes a drink at the Golden Lion pub (pictured) which is where the walk finishes. The starting point will be advised when you book a ticket.
This event is for adults only and ticket numbers are limited. More information on the Museum's website.
The Friends of Marshalls Park Academy are holding a fireworks display at the school on 4 November.
Doors open at 6pm with the display beginning at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 for adults and £3 for those under 16 years old - if bought in advance via the Eventbrite website. Refreshments and food will also be on sale on the night.
Havering Singers first post-COVID live performance is a selection of Choral Favourites including Mozart's Ave Verum, Handel's Zadok the Priest and Brahms'
How Lovely are thy Dwellings.
This concert, at St Peter's Church, Gubbins Lane, Harold Wood, RM3 0QA, on Saturday 6 November, is free of charge but ticketed to allow for safe COVID-19 measures. You can get tickets from their website or by calling 01708 341265.
Havering Concert Orchestra are holding a Belated Happy Birthday Beethoven concert on Saturday 20 November at 7.30pm. The venue will be Frances Bardsley Academy, Brentwood Road, Romford RM1 2RR.
Tickets are £10 in advance. You can get more information on their website.
A free outdoor Christmas Fair will be held at Langtons Gardens in Hornchurch, on Sunday 21 November. If you are interested in having a free stall at the event use the online registration form.
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The Romford Business Improvement District (BID) has picked up two awards from London in Bloom for its work in the town centre.
The first award was a silver in the ‘Living Wall’ category for the Romford BID’s collaborative effort to spruce up the area outside Romford Station.
The second award came in the ‘Business Improvement District of the Year’ category and saw the Romford BID itself recognised with a silver gilt for its efforts overall in helping to brighten up central Romford with planters and hanging baskets like the one pictured in Romford's Market Place.
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Contractor Cappagh will be carrying out sewer repair work on behalf of Thames Water in Junction Road and Kingston Road, Romford, until 10 October. The work, near the Asda car park, will require the use of temporary traffic signals.
The Lanes Group will be cleaning drainage sewers in Heath Park Road at the junction with Fairholme Avenue tomorrow (Saturday). During the work temporary traffic signals will be used.
UK Power Networks will be installing new electrical connections this weekend (9 and 10 October) outside Sam's Yard, Ferry Lane in Rainham. This work will mean that temporary traffic signals will be used in the section of the road just north of the roundabout under the A13.
Collier Row Roundabout and the section of Chase Cross Road between number 26 and the Collier Row Roundabout are being resurfaced during night-time work that should be finished by 6am tomorrow (Saturday 9 October).
Starting Monday (11 October) Dagenham Road, Romford, between Crow Lane and Grosvenor Road, will be resurfaced over the course of two nights. During these works the road will be closed to through traffic with traffic diverted via Rom Valley Way.
A number of new service water connections are being made outside 17 Hall Lane, Upminster, starting on 13 October. This work will require temporary traffic signals to be used until the work is complete on 21 October.
Courage Close in Hornchurch will be resurfaced on Thursday 14 October. Work will take place between 8am and 5pm.
Cappagh will be carrying out sewer diversion work on behalf of Thames Water outside 113 Upper Rainham Road in Hornchurch, between 18 and 29 October. This work will require temporary traffic lights.
Road resurfacing work will take place between Monday 18 and Thursday 21 October from 8am to 5pm daily in Acer Avenue, Fagus Avenue and Elder Way in Rainham. Unfortunately, during these works vehicle access to homes in these roads will be restricted.
A water box outside 121A Collier Row Road in Romford will be replaced by Essex and Suffolk Water on 19 October. Temporary traffic signals will be in use for a time during the day.
Sewer cover replacement work in the road outside 114 Upminster Road South and outside 93 Mungo Park Road, will take place on 20 October.
Road resurfacing work will take place in Esher Avenue, Romford, on 25 October.
Advanced warnings:
Problems with a rattling manhole cover in the raised pedestrian crossing outside of The Liberty Shopping Centre in Western Road, Romford, will be addressed with work that will begin on Monday 1 November and should be complete by Wednesday 3 November.
During this time, this part of Western Road will be closed to traffic. Any vehicles wishing to get in or out of properties within the closed section, may be able to do so under guidance from traffic marshals, who will be located at either end of the road.
For the duration of the works buses heading towards Romford station will be diverted into Grimshaw Way, Slaney Road, Chandlers Way, and Eastern Road back on to their route. Buses heading away from Romford station will be diverted via Victoria Road and Mercury Gardens back on to their route.
Cadent Gas will be working on pipes in St Marys Lane, Upminster at its junction with Upminster Road, from 1 to 12 November. Temporary traffic lights will be in use.
On the tracks
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This weekend (9 and 10 October) c2c train services on the Ockendon line will start and terminate at Grays.
This is due to Network Rail engineering works between Grays and Shoeburyness. Rail replacement buses will run between Grays and Pitsea.
Due to Network Rail engineering work in connection with the Barking Riverside Project, c2c train services will not be running on the Rainham line this Sunday (10 October).
Rail replacement buses will run between Upminster and Grays via Rainham.
There will be no service this weekend (9 and 10 October) on the District tube line between Turnham Green and Richmond. Replacement buses will be operating.
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