Have you got a brilliant business idea that you want to get off the ground and need a helping hand to get started? Our Entrepreneur Academy may be just what you need. Established in 2013, and run in partnership with East Surrey College, the Academy has supported over 80 entrepreneurs and offers budding businesspeople an opportunity to gain essential skills needed to set up and successfully run a business. The opportunity also comes with a chance to win £5000 to help get your business running. The academy is free and open to anyone with a new business idea who lives in the borough and is aged over 18 years. 

If you’ve received an email, text or form from us asking you to check important electoral registration details, make sure your follow the instructions we’ve sent as soon as possible so you can have your say in future elections. Later this month, we'll begin calling or visiting households that are yet to reply. The annual canvass allows us to keep the electoral register up to date and invite people to register if they aren’t already. With Borough Council and Police and Crime Commissioner elections taking place in 2024, this is an important opportunity to make sure you can take part.

Council Leader, Cllr Richard Biggs, would like to hear from you. If you live or work in Reigate & Banstead Borough and have questions that you would like to put to the Leader, please email leadersurgery@reigate-banstead.gov.uk to book. The next Leader's Surgery is on Tuesday 19 September 2023.

Come work with us! We are looking for, among others, a Homelessness Prevention Officer, a Homeless Resettlement Worker, a Graduate Planning Officer, an Independent Audit Committee Member, and an Independent Remuneration Panel Member. We also have various casual jobs going so please take a look at our current vacancies.

Did you know throwing vapes in the bin can cause fires in rubbish trucks? To get rid of 'disposable' vapes responsibly, only place filters and canisters in the bin and recycle the batteries. You can take the batteries to your community recycling centre or some manufacturers or vape shops may take them back for recycling. If you're not sure about an item of household waste, you can use the interactive search tool on our website.

We are organising an arts festival to celebrate the importance of the arts in connecting people and promoting creativity. Dubbed the Harlequin Arts Takeover, the week long festival which is scheduled to start on Saturday 7 October and end on Thursday 13 October, will see various artists perform and lead activities at selected locations across the borough. Activities include Creative writing with Niki Mackay, Ukelele with Mark Orchin, Drumming with Kario Kafo, and Poetry with Woodzy. Some sessions are free to attend but tickets are required for others.

To all parents and guardians. We hope you had a good summer and and that you enjoyed our R&B Active summer holiday activities. We would like your feedback on our holiday activities, to help shape the programme in the future. Even if you expressed interest and were unable to attend, we would still appreciate your feedback. It takes five minutes.

We are excited to welcome Pride in Surrey- to Reigate this weekend, marking the first time the event has been held in East Surrey since the organisation's foundation in 2018. The event will start with a parade before a gathering in Priory Park where revellers will be treated to various forms of entertainment. This is a family friendly event and everyone is welcome. Entrance to the event is free although bookings are advised. 

The Town Hall will be open for pre-booked tours on Saturday 9 September 2023 from 12pm to 3.30pm to celebrate Heritage Open Day. This is a chance to look behind the scenes and discover the building's 122 - year history. Tours are free but booking is required via eventbrite.

What a summer we have had! And how fitting that it should end with perhaps one of Shakespeare's finest plays. Harlequin Outdoors will close its 2023 chapter with Much Ado about Nothing - a raucous romantic comedy that is less about Hero, Claudio, Beatrice and Benedick but more about the importance of communication. Tickets are still available to book online, so grab yours if you haven't yet and prepare to be entertained. We hope you have enjoyed all the shows, and shall hope to see you again next year, and the year after!

Run Reigate will take place on Sunday 17 September at Priory Park. Applications are still open for those wishing to take part in the Half Marathon, 10K, 5K or the 1.1 mile Kids Race. Now in its tenth year, the event is a great day out for everyone with lots of activities including bars, music, food and family entertainment.

The Preston Community Event is back this year at Preston Park. It will take place next weekend from 12pm to 3pm. Come along to enjoy lots of fun activities, including arts and crafts, bouncy castle, animals, teddy bears picnic area, refreshments, and more. Entry is free.

You can now have your say on the public space protection orders (PSPOs) used to control the behaviour of dogs, particularly in our parks and play areas. These orders set out how dog owners and walkers should control their dogs, for example where dogs must be kept on a lead, where they are not allowed to go, or the maximum number of dogs that one person can walk at any one time. Whether you have a dog or not, we’d like to hear what you think about the current orders and some new proposals. The consultation closes on 3 October.

New boundaries are being proposed for council divisions in Surrey County. The Local Government Boundary Commission wants to hear what residents and local organisations think of the proposals to make sure they reflect communities, are easy to understand, and convenient for local people. A consultation on the proposals will run until 16 October 2023. The Commission is the independent body that draws the boundaries. It is reviewing Surrey to make sure councillors will represent about the same number of electors, and that division arrangements will help the council work effectively. 

This year's Skyline London to Brighton Bike Ride will take place on Sunday 10 September and will affect a number of roads within the borough. The affected roads include: the entire lengths of Hazelwood Lane, Markedge Lane, Rocky Lane, Cormongers Lane, Fullers Wood Lane, and Clay Lane. Emergency access will be maintained for the police, fire brigade, and ambulance services. Access will also be maintained for organisations dealing with the loss of supplies of gas, electricity, water, or electronic communications.

Based in Merstham, Age Concern Merstham, Redhill and Reigate (MRR) has been active in the local community since 1957. More than 60 years later, their vital services are as important as ever. The day centre for older people, known locally as ‘The Club’, is open four days per week. Visitors can choose from a variety of activities on offer and enjoy a traditional hot meal. There is a Men’s Shed in the garden, open three days a week, for older men who prefer not to attend a traditional day centre. For older people who cannot or prefer not to attend in person, Age Concern MRR also runs a Befriending Service, where socially isolated older people are carefully matched with volunteer Befrienders. New volunteer Befrienders are always welcome. There is a minimum commitment of 1 hour a week and it is a wonderful opportunity to make a new friend and make a real difference to someone who is socially isolated or lonely.

Young people aged 20 and under are now entitled to 50% off all adult bus fares across Surrey.  A new ‘LINK’ card has been developed by Surrey County Council which can be shown on any bus in Surrey to qualify for the discount on all single and return journeys. Journeys should start and/or end in Surrey and people in the qualifying age group must live in the county.