Thursday 14 August, 8.30-9.30pm and Tuesday 9 September, 7.45-8.45pm
Bat walk
Join the council’s Countryside Rangers for a bat walk around Priory Park lake, home to the comparatively rare Serotine bat. This event may have to be cancelled if the weather is too cold or wet. No dogs please. Email countryside@reigate-banstead.gov.uk or call 01737 276134 for more information.

Wednesday 20 August, from 11am
Scrub clearance at Nork Park
Play a part in improving this great outdoor space by clearing scrub for a few hours with Reigate & Banstead Countryside Rangers. Bring the family, and a pair of sturdy boots. Tea and biscuits provided. Meet at the car park, The Drive, Banstead, SM7 1DN. For more information call 01737 276134 or countryside@reigate-banstead.gov.uk.

Friday 22 August, 10am-3pm
Wild play in Furzefield Wood
For children aged 7-11 years, a chance to spend a day in the woods with Surrey Wildlife Trust. Play games, cook snacks on the campfire, build dens, and take part in lots of other fun activities. Cost: £8 per child. More information from Surrey Wildlife Trust, 07967 575255 or laura.ashfield@surreywt.org.uk.

Saturday 23 August, 7.35pm
Doctor Who: Series 8 Episode 1, Deep Breath plus live Q&A with Peter Capaldi
The feature lenghth first episode of Dr Who will be landing at Harlequin Theatre and Cinema. Tickets are £9 and £10. 

Thursday 28 August, 8.15-9.15pm
Bat walk
Join our Countryside Rangers for an evening walk around the lakes to discover the bat species living on the Common. This event may have to be cancelled if the weather is too cold or wet. No dogs please. Email countryside@reigate-banstead.gov.uk or call 01737 276134 for more information.

Sunday 31 August, 11am-3pm
Nature reserves walk
A guided walk with Surrey Wildlife Trust around the nature reserves of Merstham. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the meandering pace while appreciating these reserves and the exciting wildlife which lives there. Meet at Merstham Community Facility, 44 Portland Drive, Merstham, RH1 3HY. More information is available from Surrey Wildlife Trust, 07967 575255 or laura.ashfield@surreywt.org.uk.

Thursday 4 September, 7pm
Live from the National Theatre: Medea, at The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema
Helen McCrory (The Last of the Haussmans) returns to the National Theatre to take the title role in Euripides’ powerful tragedy, in a new version by Ben Power, directed by Carrie Cracknell.
Tickets £13-£15 from the the Harlequin Theatre and Cinema.

From Friday 5 September
The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema in Redhill will be showcasing its very first film festival by screening a selection of the best LGBT cinema from around the world. See the full listing on the Harlequin's Over the Rainbow webpage.

Tuesday 2 September, 2.30-3.30pm
Reigate Heath: purple in all its glory
Lowland heath is one of the most threatened habitats in the world. Come and admire the heather at its best. Meet at Flanchford Road car park, Flanchford Road, Reigate, RH2 8AB. Call 01737 276134 or email countryside@reigate-banstead.gov.uk

Thursday 11 – Sunday 14 September
Heritage Open Days
Free access to 24 local historic buildings not usually open to the public. The Town Hall is just one of these and features great architecture and interior décor plus a World War I exhibition. Details of all local participating buildings are on the Heritage Open Day page of the council's website.

Friday 12 September, 2-3.30pm
Tree walk
Join the council’s Tree and Woodland Officer for a guided walk around Priory Park, including some record breaking trees. Meet at the Pavilion, Priory Park, Bell Street, Reigate, RH2 7RL
Email countryside@reigate-banstead.gov.uk or call 01737 276134 for more information.

If you have a community event you would like to promote, why not add it to our What’s on page on the Reigate & Banstead Borough Council website.

The way you register to vote is changing across the UK. We are writing to residents about the change. Look out for your letter that tells you if need to take action.

In Reigate & Banstead around 9,000 residents may need to take action to join the new electoral register, even if they were registered in the past.

You could be one of them, so it’s important that you look out for your letter that will tell what you need to do.

Individual Electoral Registration

The new system is called ‘Individual Electoral Registration’. Previously, the ‘head of household’ was responsible for registering everyone who lived at an address, but now every individual is responsible for their own voter registration.

Do you need to re-register?

Most people who are already registered have been transferred automatically to the new register. However around 9,000 Reigate & Banstead residents will need to re-register.

There are also people in the area who are not registered to vote at all and so need to register to have their say in elections.

Register online

The new system means that you can now register quickly and easily online. It only takes a few minutes and you will need to provide your National Insurance number and date of birth. This helps make the electoral register more secure.

• Riverside Garden Park in Horley – sandwiched between residential streets and Gatwick Airport, it’s home to wonderful scenery, a tranquil pond and mature trees
• Stagbury Downs – part of the North Downs and grazed by cattle and sheep to help conserve the area’s rare and special habitat
• Banstead Wildlife Field – developed as an environmental education site, fully accessible for wheelchair and buggy users, it’s a great place if you enjoy birdsong, and butterflies
• Nork Park – a compelling combination of fascinating history, diverse habitats and outstanding views across London  
• Earlswood Common – a nature reserve, where fishing is allowed on the lower lake and the upper lake is maintained as an undisturbed, tranquil wildlife haven.

Walk this way …

You may prefer to explore the great outdoors with the help of knowledgeable local guides. If so, download our Guided Walks programme. Our Countryside Rangers and some of the voluntary organisations we work with host guided walks. Here are a handful of this summers’:

• Bat walk at Earlswood Lakes – 8.15pm, Thursday 28 August
• Nature reserves walk (run by Surrey Wildlife Trust) – 11am, Sunday 31 August
• Reigate Heath, a tour of the purple heather on the heath at is best – 2.30pm, Tuesday 2 September
• Bat walk in Reigate’s Priory Park – 7.45pm Tuesday, 9 September.

See our Guide for meeting point details and detailed information on each event.

The University of Brighton has launched its highly successful business collaboration network, Profitnet, in Reigate.

Aimed at business leaders in small and medium sized companies, Profitnet drives innovation and growth by bringing together decision-makers to share their collective expertise in problem-solving and supporting them to develop new opportunities and growing their business.

If you are looking to grow your company through innovation and would like a meaningful connection with a group of like-minded businesses professionals, Profitnet would love to hear from you.

Participants will meet monthly to develop their strategy and tackle business challenges in confidence, with access to expertise and resources from the University of Brighton.

In its 10-year history Profitnet has worked with over 1,000 companies, totalling over 40,000 hours of collaboration.

A practical two-hour taster session is being held on 25 September. It will demonstrate the impacts and innovations companies have achieved through Profitnet and hear from former Profitnet members.

The University of Brighton secured funding from the Regional Growth Fund to enable the launch Reigate network, which will be hosted by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council at the Town Hall.

To find out more visit the University of Brighton's website or email profitnet@brighton.ac.uk.

• log onto www.instagram.com 
• follow the council’s new account @love_reigateandbanstead
• post photos of your favourite parks or countryside areas in the borough 
• tag them @love_reigateandbanstead
• use the hashtag #lovereigateandbanstead

Change4Life is the antidote to some of the problems linked to how we live now. Modern life often means we are less active, we move around less and don’t eat as well as we used to. 
 
How to sleep better and lose weight

Nine out of 10 children could grow up with dangerous amounts of fat in their bodies. And by the time we reach middle age, many of us could do with losing a bit of weight. Being overweight isn’t just about how we look – it can lead to more aches and pains, problems sleeping and an increase in the chance of getting heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Sign up for the Change4Life campaign on its website for tips on how to eat well and move more.

10 Minute Shake Up for kids

If you have children, apply for Change4Life and Disney’s 10 Minute Shake Up – a pack full of games and ideas to help your kids get the recommended 60 minutes or more of physical exercise they need every day. Perfect timing for the summer holidays, if you’re looking for ways to keep your children active and entertained!