Friday 7 January 2022
 January is always a good time to think about our health and wellbeing and to look forward to the year ahead.
Joining a gym or one of our excellent leisure centres could be one way to keep fit in 2022. If you think you may be a bit overweight, take a look at the article below about our new Live Healthier Havering campaign.
While last year saw the opening of the Harrow Lodge Leisure centre – on Wednesday we will start construction on a brand new leisure centre in Rainham. Once finished, the building will offer a range of facilities including a fitness suite and six-lane swimming pool.
I am proud that, unlike many other councils, we continue to invest in our leisure centres as they are so important to both our physical and mental health.
Another way I like to stay healthy is to take regular exercise in my local park. While it can be a bit nippy at this time of year if you wrap up warmly you can still enjoy Havering’s fantastic award-winning parks.
Perhaps there's a park you haven't explored yet? Now could be the perfect opportunity. There are full details of all our magnificent parks on our website.
Lastly, I would like to add my congratulations to those Havering residents who were honoured recently by The Queen.
Among those receiving medals were Claire Saunders of a Co-op store in Gidea Park who was recognised for her campaign to increase workplace protections for shop workers, and Thomas Fletcher from Everyone Active. Working with Havering Council, Thomas set up a logistics centre that delivered donated items and about one million items of PPE to care homes and frontline services during the height of the pandemic.
Also honoured was Tony Brooking from Hornchurch, who has worked for the Metroplitan Police in various roles for 59 years. He was recognised for his services to policing and to physical and mental wellbeing while he was the Met Police Athletic Association manager.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and stay safe.
If you want to contact me directly, you can email me.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
Live Healthier Havering is a new 12-week programme run by Everyone Active, on behalf of Havering Council.
It is aimed at helping people to lose weight, increase their energy levels and feel better, whilst reducing their risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and strokes.
Residents who are overweight, according to the NHS definition, can join the programme or speak to their GP or practice nurse.
Also, earlier this week the Department of Health and Social Care launched the latest instalment of its Better Health campaign to encourage adults across the nation to lose any excess weight, eat more healthily and get active at the start of the new year.
Losing excess weight can lower your chances of being hospitalised with COVID-19.
The Better Health campaign has lots of free tips and tools to help people get started if they want to lose weight, eat better or get active; and the Better Health website can help you find additional weight loss support.
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If you want to recycle your real Christmas tree you can take it to Havering Council's Gerpins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre any day, or to Gidea Park Sports Ground, Main Road, Romford tomorrow (Saturday 8 January) between 10am and 2pm.
Please make sure you have removed all the decorations from the tree.
If you’re a garden waste service customer - cut your tree in half and place it in your green bin with the lid closed on your collection days. Garden waste collections begin again on Monday (10 January).
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Last week nearly 5,500 people in Havering were infected with COVID-19, the highest weekly figure since the start of the pandemic.
Find out if you, or members of your family, are infected by ordering a lateral flow test (LFT) kit online, or pick one up from a pharmacy or library in Havering.
Take a rapid LFT before you attend any social events where you are likely to be mixing with people indoors, and also before going to see anyone who may be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 infection.
Earlier this week the UK Health Security Agency announced temporary changes to the requirements for PCR testing. See the latest testing advice, and an explanation of how and when to test on the NHS website.
Have symptoms?
It remains vitally important to book a PCR test if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
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 Getting fully vaccinated is the best way of protecting you and others against COVID-19.
If you cannot book appointments online, you can call 119 free of charge. You can speak to a translator if you need to.
Advertorial
Are you a parent of a child aged three or four?
If so, your child is due to start at an infant or primary school in September 2022 and you should apply now for your child’s place.
If you live in Havering, you can apply online.
If you live outside of the borough you should apply to the local authority you pay your Council Tax to.
If your child attends a school nursery then please remember that you must still apply online for a place in the Reception year.
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The Big London Energy Switch is a way of saving money on your gas and electricity.
Residents group together and then the energy companies bid against each other in an auction to get their custom.
By grouping together residents can get lower tariffs as the energy companies want to get lots of customers in one go and so offer lower tariffs than if an individual customer had contacted them.
To benefit, you need to register.
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Advertorial
Are you missing out on free childcare for your 2 year old?
You may be entitled to claim a maximum of 11 hours free childcare per week throughout the year, or a maximum of 15 hours per week during term time.
You may qualify if:
- you have a child aged two years (funding will be available from the term after their second birthday)
- your family is living on a low income or claiming income based benefits
For more information and to apply please visit www.havering.gov.uk/earlyyears
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 The Arts Society Havering holds monthly lectures. The next one is on Tuesday 11 January when Adam Busiakiewicz will be giving a talk titled The Queen of instruments - the lute within Old Master paintings. Find out more online about joining this society.
The Havering Means Business group will be meeting on 21 January at Queen's Theatre Hornchurch from 10am to 12pm. To attend register online.
The Havering Chamber of Commerce and Industry are hosting a breakfast networking meeting for members on Wednesday 26 January. It starts at 8am and will be held at Bunno,14 South Street, Romford, RM1 1RA.
Breakfast will be provided, and it's free attendance for members, £5 for guests. At this meeting Julie Frost from Romford BID and Executive Committee member of the Chamber will update members with news for 2022.
You can reserve a place via Eventbrite.
Havering U3A will be meeting at 2.30pm on Wednesday 9 February at St. Michael’s Church Hall, Main Road, Gidea Park. Doors open at 2.15pm.
John Gordon will be speaking. His subject is “My time as a Professional Photographer.” For more information go to their website.
South Street, Romford is closed between its junctions with Clydesdale Road and Rom Valley Way for scaffolding work on Vickers House.
This work is expected to be complete by 4 February. A diversion will be signposted.
Sewer lining work in Brook Road, at its junction with Roslyn Gardens, Romford, will take place on Monday 10 January.
Overnight work to modernise the traffic lights at the junction of Pettits Lane, Pettits Lane North and the A12 (Eastern Avenue East) is likely to continue until 12 February.
Water supply connection work in London Road, Romford will mean that temporary traffic signals will be in use until 11 January.
The Lanes Group will be cleaning sewers in Gubbins Lane at the junction with The Drive on Friday 14 January. During both sets of work temporary traffic signals will be in use.
Essex and Suffolk Water will be working in the Broadway in Rainham until 11 January. During this work on a water main, temporary traffic lights will be used. The same company will also be working in Collier Row Lane on Tuesday 25 January, and renewing a water main in Highfield Road, in Chase Cross, between its junctions with Avelon Road and Highfield Link, from 24 January to 18 February.
Angel Way in Romford will be closed between its junction with St Edwards Way to Rubicon Court from 10 January to allow for new building work. The road is expected to re-open by 19 February at the latest.
Temporary traffic signals will be in use in Upminster Road North in Rainham at its junction with King Edward Avenue on Thursday 13 January to allow for sewer cleaning work.
Telecom ducts and chambers will be installed in St Mary’s Lane at the side of Monks Farm Cottages from 10 to 19 January, and also in Hall Lane at the side of St. Kathryn's Place, near Upminster Station, over the weekend of 15 and 16 January.
Cadent Gas will be working in Sylvan Avenue, Hornchurch from 17 to 21 January.
Nightime road resurfacing work by Marlborough Highways in Brentwood Road, Romford from Osborne Road to The Drill roundabout will begin on 24 January. The work is expected to be complete by 27 January. Overnight on these days Brentwood Road will be closed in sections to through traffic and diversion routes will be in place.
On the tracks
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This weekend (8 and 9 January) there will be closures to parts of the District tube line in West London. Check TfL's service alterations website for more details.
Due to Network Rail undertaking track maintenance work between Barking and London Fenchurch Street, c2c rail services on the Rainham and Ockendon lines will be diverted to start and terminate at London Liverpool Street station this weekend (8 and 9 January).
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