Magical postbox

Special Delivery! Magical postbox will appear in Romford Market this week

​A bright green magical postbox will appear near the Clock Tower end of Romford Market on Wednesday 2 December, for all the good boys and girls to send their letters to Father Christmas.

​Father Christmas is looking forward to receiving lots of letters from children visiting Romford Market to help him decide what to bring them on Christmas Eve. He will do his best to reply to every child who writes to him via the magical postbox.  Father Christmas has asked that all children write their name and address clearly on their letter, because his friends at Havering Council will be posting the replies for him and they don’t have his magical powers.

 

As Father Christmas is very busy, all letters must be received by Thursday  17 December to ensure he has time to reply before loading up his sleigh in preparation for his busiest night of the year.

 

The postbox will be in the Market Place on market days only, and from Wednesday 9 December, the market will be open every day, including Sundays, up to and including Christmas Eve. The Market will turn into a Christmas Village with festive stalls and on-stage entertainment, at the Tollgate House end of the market, throughout the three week trading period.  

Once they have posted their letter to Father Christmas, children can enjoy the funfair rides including a helter skelter, large bouncy slide and carousel. There will also be a variety of performances in the run up to Christmas with real reindeer making an appearance too. The Christmas Coca Cola Truck and Choir will also be in the Market on Sunday 20 December.

Councillor Benham, Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

“The Christmas Market will be something really special this year and it will really get visitors into the festive spirit. As always, the magical postbox will arrive in the Market so that children can send their letters to Father Christmas.

“We have a lot of events and entertainment planned in December so it really will be a jolly good Christmas in the Market this year.”

Keeping warm and well

​As the cold weather arrives, Havering is urging residents to stay well this winter by taking simple measures to protect themselves.

​Local residents are being encouraged to get the flu jab to reduce the risk of getting the flu or spreading it to others and to keep warm this winter.

The Council is advising older people, who are most affected by the cold weather, to wrap up warm – by heating their home to at least 18 degrees C (or 65F) if possible. They are also being informed to seek medical help from a pharmacist or GP if they start to feel unwell, even if it’s just a cough or a cold.
 
Although many people associate winter with feeling poorly or ‘under the weather’, there are still some common misconceptions about the flu.
 
Common flu myths include:

​I had the vaccine last year, so I don’t need it again	​False. The vaccine is updated every year as the flu virus changes, so it’s important you have it every year to stay protected.
​The vaccine can give you the flu	​False. You cannot get the flu from the vaccine.
​It’s too late to have the jab	​False, it’s never too late.
​I think I have the flu, I need antibiotics to treat it	​False. Antibiotics don’t work against flu, the best way to protect against the flu is to have the vaccine.
​Flu is no worse than a bad cold	​False. Complications from flu can make you seriously ill.

 

Those who are eligible for the free flu jab are people aged 65 years or over, pregnant women, children aged two, three and four, and people with health conditions such as severe asthma, chest or heart complaints and diabetes.

 

People who are not eligible for a free flu jab, are advised to contact their local pharmacy – they charge around £10 for the flu vaccination.
 
Councillor Wendy Brice-Thompson, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Health, said: 
 
“It’s really important that people, and particularly our older residents, eat well, keep warm and get the flu jab. One in three people are eligible for a free flu jab and there is still time to get yours from your local GP or a pharmacy.  Getting the flu jab will reduce your chances of being unwell this Christmas.”
 
“Winter is a particularly difficult time for those who are elderly and alone. Please look out for vulnerable neighbours this winter. Check to see if they need any help, whether it’s picking up a repeat prescription of visiting them to make sure they’re okay. Every little can help.”
 
There are some useful tips in the ‘Winter Wrapped Up’ guide, just launched by Age UK, which include:

 

• Get your heating system serviced every year by a qualified engineer to ensure it's running safely and efficiently.

• Make sure you claim all the financial support you can to help with heating bills.

• Make sure your smoke alarm is working. You can ask your local fire service to check your home for fire safety

• Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm in each room that has a gas appliance.

• Make sure you claim all the financial support you can to help with heating bills.

• Dress in plenty of layers and make sure you have warm shoes or boots with non-slip soles.

• Keep a mixture of salt and sand handy to put on steps or paths in icy weather.

• Consider fitting a grab rail if you have steps at your front or back door.

• Follow up your GP’s invitation to have a flu jab.

• Order repeat prescriptions in plenty of time, particularly if bad weather is forecast.

• Eat healthily and keep as active as possible.

• Ask your family, neighbours or friends if they could call or visit you more often.

• Keep a battery-operated radio, torch and spare batteries handy in case there’s a power cut. Keep your mobile phone, laptop or tablet fully charged so you can use the battery power if there’s no electricity.

• Keep a list of emergency numbers, such as your utility companies, by your phone.
 
Further information on staying warm this winter is provided by Age UK:

Shop safely this Christmas

When Christmas shopping we often lower our guard and make it easier for thieves to target us, so please remember:

• When using an ATM protect your PIN so no-one can see it.
• Don’t count your cash at the machine but put it away securely, as quickly as you can
• Fit ‘sleigh bells’ to your handbag fastener so they alert you if someone is trying to open it
• Lock your car whenever you leave it, even when just for a minute to get your parking ticket
• Lock valuables, including Christmas presents, out of sight in the boot
• If shopping on line, make sure the site has the padlock icon showing its secure before entering payment details
• If expecting deliveries when you are out, make arrangements for them to be delivered to a trustworthy neighbour or to an alternative location where you can collect them so they are not left on the doorstep.

Secure your screws

Three in 10 thefts from motor vehicles in Havering are stolen number plates, which are then used in other crimes, with the police tracking them back to the original owner.

You can beat the thieves by using tamper-proof screws to fix your number plates to your vehicle – they cost a couple of pounds but save a lot of hassle and are cheaper than buying replacement number plates.

If your number plates do get stolen remember to report it to the police so they can watch out for them on the wrong vehicle.

Market days over half-term

Market days during the school half-term holidays (Wednesday 28, Friday 30 andSaturday 31 October) will see plenty of family fun in Romford Market.

To keep the young ones busy there will be - weather permitting - an inflatable slide, merry-go-round and face painting on all three days.

Then on Saturday stallholders will be dressing up in scary costumes and decorating their stalls in spooky style. Children can take part in the pumpkin hunt with sweets and give-aways as prizes.

Give A & E a break and visit your GP at weekends for a better service says Council

 

Visits to Accident and Emergency in Havering's hospitals are among the highest in the country and patients are being urged to take advantage of new extended evening and weekend services from the borough's GPs instead.

As many as 50 per cent of visits to A & E could be managed by family doctors or even pharmacies, according to NHS England. Havering Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Health, Councillor Wendy Brice-Thompson, wants people in need of medical treatment to visit GPs instead.

GPs in Havering have opened two late night and weekend practices to make it even easier for local people to get urgent, same day appointments with a family doctor.

The urgent appointments are open to anyone registered with a Havering GP and are available between 6.30pm and 10pm on weekdays, and between 12pm and 5pm on Saturday and 12pm and 4pm on Sunday.

Patients can call the service directly on 020 3770 1888 between 2pm and 9pm on weekdays and 9am and 5pm on weekends to book an appointment. Alternatively they can be booked in through your own GP or via NHS 111.

Pharmacists are another alternative. They give expert, confidential advice and treatment for common ailments such as coughs, colds and rashes. Pharmacies can also provide emergency contraception and may be able to provide a small supply of repeat medicines if you run out of medication when the surgery is closed.

Last year 8 per cent of A & E visits could've been dealt with by a pharmacist. That means hundreds of thousands of people sat in A & E for hours when a nearby pharmacist could have seen them within minutes.

Councillor Brice-Thompson said:

"Clearly the most serious cases will still need to go to A & E, but every year thousands of people with less serious conditions wait for hours at hospital to be seen by a doctor, when they would get much faster treatment by going to their GP. They also clog up the A & E service, ensuring that those who really need to be in hospital are also kept waiting unnecessarily".

Make sure ducks are healthy this autumn

​Havering Council is urging families to feed the ducks a different diet this half term week, which includes salad, grains and vegetables.

​Duck stickers will be given out to those feeding the ducks in Havering’s parks over the half term break, to help spread the word about the campaign to encourage families to educate others on why bread is bad for ducks. Residents can also get a duck icon for their Twitter photo, from the campaign page.

Issues at some of the borough’s parks, such as Harrow Lodge and Raphael Parks​, have seen wildfowl suffer fatal consequences due to botulism - a severe form of food poisoning. Uneaten scraps of mouldy bread can harm oxygen levels in the water in the lake and causes an increase in these harmful bacteria.

The bread also fills duck’s stomachs, making them feel full so that they don’t eat the grains or get the nutrients that they are supposed to. This can cause a syndrome called ‘Angel Wing’ – which can be caused by a high-calorie diet and means the joints in the wing become twisted and stops the birds from being able to fly.

In addition, overfeeding ducks with bread can lead to a build-up of droppings - this causes the growth of more algae, which can deprive the water of oxygen and be a source of botulism.

Items on the menu for a healthy duck include greens such as lettuce and spinach, uncooked grains such brown rice, linseed and plain porridge oats, bird seeds and corn. Some of these items are available at some local cafes in the borough’s parks, but most will be in the cupboard at home.

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

“Residents will be used to going to the park to feed bread to the ducks because it’s one of those things that we have all got used to doing. But unknown to many, this is seriously damaging the health of the birds and the wildlife in the borough’s lakes. 

“This half-term, our parks are likely to be busy with families feeding the ducks and I ask residents to make sure our birds get a varied diet by feeding them the food they need.”m