 Thursday 30 March
 The cost of the weekly shop will be plummeting for people across Ilford and the surrounding area with the opening of Ilford Community Grocery earlier this week, attended by Council Leader Cllr Jas Athwal, Deputy Leader Cllr Kam Rai, and the Mayor of Redbridge Thavathuray Jeyaranjan.
Based at City Gates Church, the Community Grocery will help tackle food poverty locally by providing affordable food for members who are struggling with bills whilst also giving them access to advice and support too. By signing up at the grocery, members who would otherwise find it hard to put food on the table for their families can do a large food shop for only £4 per visit - saving on average £20 for each shop.
An initiative of international charity The Message Trust, the store is being run in partnership with City Gates Church, with support from Redbridge Council. The store will be the newest Community Grocery to open, with twenty other stores across England already helping to feed over 40,000 families.
Ilford Community Grocery store will be at City Gates, 25 – 29 Clements Road, Ilford, IG1 1BH and open 9:30am – 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
 Is your child in Reception to Year 11 and in receipt of benefits-related Free School Meals?
Redbridge’s Easter Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) programme is an opportunity for children and young people to get involved in fun activities, make new friends, and enjoy a daily meal during the holidays.
Activities range from multi-sports, arts and crafts, drama, cooking and much more!
Redbridge HAF will be taking place on the following dates at various venues.
- Monday 3 April
- Tuesday 4 April
- Wednesday 5 April
- Thursday 6 April
For further information, please contact haf@redbridge.gov.uk
Are you wondering about bin collection over the Easter bank holiday?
If so, we’ve got it covered. All you need to do is check our handy guide & jot down your revised bin collection day for the bank holiday period:
If you’re having a spring clear-out, remember that most items can be recycled or reused via the Chigwell Road Reuse and Recycling Centre.
Please don’t forget to check opening hours over the Easter bank holiday. period.
 A dropped kerb or footway crossing is when the pavement in front of your property is lowered so you can drive over the pavement onto your driveway or front garden.
From April 1, 2023, our Footway Crossing Policy is changing, so if you’re thinking about applying for a crossing, head to our web page to familiarise yourself with the new policy and the new requirements.
 The Great British Spring Clean is back and will run until April 2. It’s the UK’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign, and last year Redbridge’s litter-picking heroes turned out to help keep our borough clean by pledging to pick a bag of litter or more for the national campaign. Why not get involved and join the campaign this year with your pledge?
Find out more here.
 Don’t forget; we’re resuming our free fortnightly Green Garden Waste Collection service on Monday 3 April. On your collection day, please present your garden waste in sacks at the boundary of your property. For each collection, we will empty up to five sacks. Sacks may be:
- Re-usable sacks provided by the Council previously or similar to those offered by the Council,
- Black sacks, as long as they are open,
- Clear sacks and,
- Carrier bags that are open
Garden waste not presented at the boundary will not be collected.
Find out which week your collection falls on by checking online
- Week 1 Garden Waste Collection: April 3 to October 20
- Week 2 Garden Waste Collection: April 10 to October 27
 More than 1,300 students are participating in our School’s Tree Planting initiative this year, which will help pupils plant 71 new trees in school sites across the borough.
The initiative gives school children hands-on experience in planting and caring for trees while learning about the importance of trees and greenery in helping tackle climate change.
It is also part of efforts to increase tree coverage in Redbridge and supports the council’s wider tree-planting programme, which will see just over 6,000 trees planted in the borough by the end of April alone.
 Why not join us this Saturday for the launch of our new facilities at Hainault Forest between 10am – 4pm. Come and see the renovated barns and new café and visitor centre and take part in a range of activities, including
- Forest Explorers
- Guided Walks with Rangers
- Woodland Detectives
- Nature Trail
- Adult Bushcraft
- Wellbeing taster sessions
- Volunteering at Orchards
- Information stall on volunteering and event opportunities at the forest
Entry is free on the day, with a small charge for some activities.
 Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide their feedback in person or by completing our housing survey as part of our listening exercise. We had a phenomenal response, with over 750 individuals and organisations participating. The feedback will inform the new housing strategy and shape our housing services over the next five years.
We’re now undertaking the analysis together. Watch this space for further updates.
 Your local NHS is working to improve care for people in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge who have been discharged from the hospital with long-term or short-term catheters.
We want to give you better support in the community so that if you have any issues with your catheter, you won’t need to go to A&E (Accident and Emergency) for help.
Please tell us about your experiences of having a catheter by completing this short online survey. By answering the survey, you can help us to improve local services and ensure people get the support they need.
The survey will be open until Monday 24 April 2023.
If you need to contact us or need the survey in other formats, please email bhr.communications@nhs.net.
|
