African Showcase Market returns to Romford

The African Showcase Market first came to the borough last month, and due to its popularity, it will return to Romford Market on Friday 25 July from 9am to 4.30pm.

The Showcase promises to provide a fun day out for all the family and give visitors a chance to sample some African delights.

 

There will be cultural representations from four African countries, displaying the best of African artefacts, jewellery, books, music, food and more.

 

There will also be exotic displays and a number of workshops where people can learn how to play African drums, or how to tie traditional head ties.

 

More information about the market can be found on the African Showcase Market website.

Romford Libraries

Summer Events.  In addition to the Summer Reading Challenge, we  have a host of other activities lined up for your children.  These include the fabulous Mr Custard and Mr Ballooney who will be visiting all our libraries with their shows.  Mr Custard will be performing either magic and games or circus shows, whilst Mr Ballooney will be bringing his puppet shows along.  We have Snakes Alive visiting some of our libraries - they will be bringing lizards, snakes and other creatures with them.  Your child will have the chance to learn about each of the animals and then will be given the opportunity to get hands on!  To book any of these events just pop into any Havering Library.  All events cost £5 per child (£6.50 non-members).  

Summer reading takes children through a 'Mythical Maze'

​Libraries have been decorated with mythical creatures

​The popular Summer Reading Challenge has returned to Havering’s libraries to keep the kids busy with books during the school holidays.

Children in the borough are being asked to rise to the challenge of reading six books through the holidays. The theme this year is ‘Mythical Maze’ – and libraries have been decorated with wondrous mythical creatures to create a fun environment for them.

 

The Summer Reading Challenge is a national campaign led by the Reading Agency that encourages kids to read during the summer. It came about after research found that kids reading levels drop significantly over the period, which means they struggle when they go back to school and subsequently fall behind.

 

Research has also found that enjoyment of reading and literacy skills are key in later success and quality of life.

 

Councillor Melvin Wallace, Cabinet Member for Culture and Community Engagement, said:

“We want kids to stay at the top of their game, despite being on holiday, to keep learning and keep progressing – initiatives like this help them to do this in a fun way!”

 

Children need to read six books over the summer, and at the end of each book, they visit their local library and talk through the book with a volunteer or member of staff.

 

When they complete all six, their certificate and medal are presented to them when they return to school in their assembly. If the child goes to pre-school, secondary school, or is schooled out of the borough, they can collect their medal and certificate from the library that they participated in the challenge at.

 

Havering Council’s libraries have taken part in the challenge since it started, around 16 years ago. In 2012, Havering achieved a 69 per cent completion rate against a London average of 49 per cent - which was joint top in London with Richmond. Last year, even more children took part, with 73 per cent of 3,876 participants completing it.

 

The libraries have a dedicated group of volunteers of all ages who make this an enjoyable and worthwhile experience for the kids taking part. And there is also a volunteer at Harold Hill library who offers Summer Reading Challenge sessions for deaf children, allowing the children to sign about the books.

 

For more information, visit your local library.

Possible owner cuts

UK Power Networks has been notified of a severe weather warning from the Met Office with heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning forecast to hit the East of England, South East of England and the London area this Friday night and over Saturday 19^th July.

 

Our paramount focus will be on restoring electricity to customers as quickly and safely as possible and we are currently putting in place a range of measures to be better prepared to respond to any potential impact on our networks and customers. 

 

Measures

 

We are preparing to deal with the storm’s potential impact on our network and customers.

 

Below are some of the measures we are taking:

 

·        We are arranging additional staff to cover call centre roles. Additional people have been allocated to take and make phone calls and provisions are in place for even more engineers and resources to be available on short notice in case of need.

·        We invest in a partnership arrangement with the British Red Cross and can activate their volunteers to support vulnerable customers if power is affected.   

·        The emergency teams in the local authorities have access to the web link that enables them to see fault levels. 

 

Our electricity network is built to be resilient but extreme weather can affect overhead power lines when tree branches and windborne debris damage them. In the event of a power cuts as result of the localised gusts, lightning and heavy rain, UK Power Network’s priority will be to restore supplies as quickly as is safely possible and keep people informed as best we can during a constantly changing situation. We will work from job to job targeting big jobs first where many customers are affected.

 

In communication with customers, we urge the public to stay well clear from power lines and anyone spotting a damaged power line needs to report it to UK Power Networks.

 

To report any power cuts and damaged lines on free helplines, please refer customers to the following numbers: In the South East call 0800 783 8866, in the East of England call 0800 783 8838 and in London call 0800 028 0247. You can also see www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk and follow the company on twitter for updates @ukpowernetworks .

 

Preparing for a power cut

 

Below is some advice on how our customers can prepare for a power cut:

·        Keep our freephone number handy

·        See the website for some useful videos offering you advice during a power cut.

·        Keep spare batteries for radios and torches – local radio stations often broadcast helpful information

·        Keep an old-fashioned corded phone which you can plug in, as cordless phones won’t work in the event of a power cut

·        Take care if using candles, tea-lights and other naked flames

·        Keep fridges and freezers closed, with a blanket over as they will stay cold for many hours

·        Switch off all your electrical equipment, except one light which will let you know when the power comes back on

·         Remember the street lights may also be off so take care if you go out

·         Exercise caution in localised flooded areas -specific advice is available on the Environment Agency website.

·        Look out for elderly neighbours and other vulnerable people

No more cash fares on buses

Cash fares no longer accepted on buses in London

​London buses will no longer accept cash from Sunday 6 July, to speed up boarding times and ensure customers benefit from the best value fare for each journey they make.

​The decision to go cash-free was made by Transport for London (TfL) following a considerable drop in the number of people paying with cash. Currently only one per cent of journeys are paid for in cash.

 

Most travellers prefer to use Oyster cards or other contactless payment cards, as these offer the most convenient way of paying for travel. Oyster cards, prepaid tickets, contactless payment cards and concessionary tickets will still be accepted. Other benefits include:

 

• A new 'one more journey' feature on Oyster that will allow passengers who do not have sufficient credit for a bus fare, but who have a positive balance on their card, to make one more bus journey 
• The Oyster Ticket Stop network has been subject to a review and additional locations added - particularly in outer London 
• Refreshed guidance on vulnerable passengers will be provided to all 24,500 London bus drivers

 

For more information about the change visit TfL website

Mark it in the Market puts the brakes on cycle theft

​Havering's regular bike-marking event, Mark It in the Market, takes place on Saturday (5th July 2014) at Romford Market.

Cyclists can get their bikes security coded free of charge between 11.00am and 2.00pm at the South Street end of the market place between Lloyds bank and the Cooperative bank.

 

All residents have to do is turn up with their bike so it can be registered and stickers attached to warn would be thieves that they should leave this cycle alone. In order to keep crime levels low in the Borough, Havering Council is working with the Police to provide these sessions.

 

Havering Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Osman Dervish, said:

 

“I would urge anyone who has bought a bike recently to get it marked, no matter how much the bike costs or whether they think it will get stolen or not. If the bike is stolen, the Police will be able to return it to its owner if it is found and it is marked.”

 

Inspector Neal Donohoe, from Havering's Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "This is a great opportunity for everyone. Registering your bike helps police and retailers identify and verify the legitimate owner of bikes that have been stolen or are being resold. Security marking your bike deters potential thieves as your bike can be easily traced if it is stolen."

 

More information can be found on the cycling in Havering web page.

 

Met Police cycle crime prevention advice can be found on the cycle security advice website.

Faster Business Connections for Havering

Business in Havering is about to get faster

​Small businesses in Havering can get their broadband connections up to speed by taking advantage of a new voucher scheme.

Havering Council is encouraging business owners to apply for the scheme, which will allow eligible businesses to receive a grant of up to £3,000 each to cover the costs of installing faster and better broadband. Better broadband will give businesses the chance to provide faster service and increased reliability.

 

The funding comes from the Government’s £150 million “Super Connected Cities” programme and is an integral part of the Government’s offer to small businesses.

 

Those who take up the offer could benefit from:
• A flexible ‘cloud’ storage system, saving businesses money on buying server hardware and allowing staff to access all files and applications on the go
• Fast connection allowing really quick data transfer
• The ability to send big files quickly and securely
• Customer and supplier management systems will work better and be more accessible
• Reliable video conferencing

 

Councillor Robert Benham, Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

 

“I’d like to urge all those who think they may be eligible, to take up this fantastic offer to get better, faster broadband connections. When it comes to broadband, it really is a case of go fast or go home.”

 

Businesses can access a range of business related information and advice on the dedicated Business webpages where more detail about the voucher scheme is available; visit the business web page.