Easter Egg Hunt and Family Fun Day
Saturday 26 March, 10am-3pm
Memorial Park, Redhill.
Easter Egg Hunt plus arts and crafts, bouncy castle, table stop sale and face painting. Entry £1 per child. Each child receives a gift no matter how many eggs they find.
Tickets available in advance from the cafes in Memorial Park, Priory Park and from Merstham Community Facility, 20 and 44 Portland Drive.

Junk modelling – castles
Wednesday 30 March, 10am-12pm or 1.30pm-3.30pm
Gatton Park, Rocky Lane, RH2 0TW.
Build a princess’s castle or a knight’s fortress. Suitable for children aged four to seven.
£7. Booking essential.  Visit Gatton’s Park’s website. Various activities run throughout the Easter holidays. Visit the park’s website for full details.

Memorial and dedication service: WWII Arctic convoys
Sunday 3 April, 11am
War Memorial, Merstham
Memorial service for the sailors who served on the Arctic convoys between 1941 and 1945. They sailed around northern Norway to Soviet ports to deliver essential supplies.  The service will be led by Rev John Scott and has been arranged with help from the Royal British Legion and the Royal Naval Association. The Mayor of Reigate & Banstead will attend.

The Danish Girl
Monday 4 April, 2.15pm, 5.30pm and 7.50pm at Riddell Hall, Deans Lane, Walton on the Hill, KT20 7UA
Tuesday 19 April, 2.15pm, 5.30pm and 7.50pm at Institute Hall, High Street, Banstead, SM7 2NG
Oscar-winning film. A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's ground-breaking journey as a transgender pioneer.
Tickets £5, bookable in advance from Curzon Country Cinema.

Minecraft Event
Wednesday 6 April, 1.30-4.30pm
Horley Library, Victoria Road, Horley, RH7 7AG
Sit with friends, have fun, build and create. Please bring your Minecraft account log-in if you have one. Library log-in available if needed.
Booking advised. Visit the library to book or find out more from Surrey County Council's website.  

Redhill Lawn Tennis Open Day
Saturday 9 April, 10am-4pm
Linkfield Lane, Redhill, RH1 1JW
Adults and juniors welcome to play fun tennis and meet current members. Activities include coaching sessions, cardio tennis, social play, BBQ lunch and drinks. 20% discount offered for new members joining on or before the day. Visit the Redhill Lawn Tennis Club website for more information.

Star for a Night
Thursday 7 and Friday 8 April, 7.30pm
Harlequin Theatre, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Variety show performed by young people
Tickets £10 / £8 concessions available from the Harlequin Box Office.

Journey’s End
Until Saturday 9 April, 7.45pm
Archway Theatre, The Drive, Horley, RH6 7NQ
“An unflinching portrayal of men facing the unbearable but finding the camaraderie to keep on fighting. RC Sherriff wrote this powerful, moving play based on his own experiences in the trenches.”
Tickets £10 and £12 available from the Archway Theatre.

Are you a Taylor Swift fan or is Bowie more your thing? Whatever your taste in music, there is something for you in this year’s Star for a Night.

Star for a Night is the council’s annual talent showcase where young people aged 11 to 18 take to the stage to put on two nights of dance and musical theatre live on stage at Redhill’s Harlequin Theatre. 

The theme for this year’s show is wishes and dreams. This year 85 youngsters are taking part, performing songs such as Taylor Swift’s I wish you would, David Bowie’s We could be heroes, Jessie J’s  Hero, plus many more.

Performances and tickets

Performances take place on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 April from 7.30pm. Tickets are just £10/ £8 concessions making it a great value night out for all the family. 

You can buy tickets direct from the Harlequin’s website. 

Time is running out to make sure you have registered to vote for Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and for local councillors on 5 May. 

All households should have recently received information from us confirming who is registered to vote at their address. Eligible voters who are not listed will need to register themselves by 18 April.  

 If you have moved recently or are a first-time voter you will also need to register. You can do this on the government’s Register to Vote webpage. 

Registering now also ensures those people eligible to vote in the European Referendum will be able to do so on 23 June.  

Other benefits of registering can include improving your credit rating as credit reference agencies check the electoral register for address information. 

PCC election candidate information 

The Police and Crime Commissioner is Surrey is responsible for holding the Chief Constable and the police force to account on the public's behalf, overseeing how crime is tackled in his or her area, and aiming to make sure the police are providing a good service.

Information on all the candidates for Surrey will be available closer to polling day on the Choose My PCC webpage.  

If you would like to stand as a candidate in the PCC election, you must submit your nomination by 4pm on Thursday 7 April. For further information about the PCC elections and how to stand as a candidate visit our website.  

Where will you be on 5 May?

If you’re not able to get to a polling stationon Election Day, apply for a postal vote before 5pm on Tuesday 19 April or a proxy vote (someone to vote on your behalf) before 5pm on Tuesday 26 April on our website. If you don’t have access to the internet you can call us on 01737 276794.

We have launched a new online service to give you instant access to a whole range of useful information about your council tax or business rates account and housing benefit and council tax reduction claims. 

It’s all part of our drive to help you to interact with us more easily when and where it suits you, from your phone, tablet, laptop or PC. 

Use the checker to see:

Council tax

• instalment details
• how much you have left to pay
• how your bill is calculated, including discounts or benefits
• your property band
• how your Council Tax is spent

Business rates

• how much you have left to pay
• instalment details
• rateable values in the borough

Housing benefit

• claim status
• claim start date
• weekly entitlement
• next payment date and amount

Council tax reduction

• claim start and end date
• weekly entitlement
• weekly liability (how much you owe)

Quick, easy and secure

 The checker is quick and easy to use and you can check your account or claim securely at your convenience 24/7, so you no longer need to wait to phone us during office hours.

 You will automatically be sent your unique log in details for your council tax or business rates accounts on your new bill. Benefit claim customers can use their reference number, found on any letters from us about your claim, along with your date of birth and National Insurance Number.

Did you know?

You can already use our website to pay your bill, set up a direct debit mandate, tell us about a change in your circumstances, make a benefit claim or apply for a council tax reduction.

More information

Visit our Council tax and benefits checker page for more information or to watch out short video tutorial on how to use it.

Are you looking to get your children more active? Would your child like to try out a new sport or enjoy the challenge of taking part in a county-wide sports competition?

Choose from 14 sporting events

The P&G Surrey Youth Games is a sports competition where boroughs and districts from across Surrey enter teams into 14 different sporting events. There are events for children aged seven to 16, including events for young people with disabilities. Coaching is offered in girls cricket, hockey, girls football, badminton, table tennis and more.

You don’t have to be great at sport to participate; in fact you have to be below county standard in your chosen event to take part.

Free coaching 

The games themselves take place in Guildford on 18 and 19 June but the free coaching sessions for participants start in April. Coaching is led by fully qualified coaches and is held after school or at weekends from April to June. To be eligible children must live or go to school in the borough of Reigate & Banstead.

To take part, visit our website and download the form which gives full details of all the coaching sessions.

If you’ve got a great business idea you’d like to get off the ground but need a bit of help to get started, or you are in the early stages of running a business, sign up for our next Entrepreneur Academy to develop the skills you need to be successful. You’ll also get the chance to pitch your idea to a panel of business experts in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition for the chance to win £5,000 to kick-start your business.

The free scheme, run in partnership with hosts East Surrey College, is now in its fourth year and starts again in April. It provides an ideal opportunity for those who want time to grow their ideas and become part of a network of like-minded entrepreneurs where everyone can learn together and share experiences.

Essential business topics

You will get support to develop your business proposal and will hear from local professionals at workshops and seminars on a range of business topics, covering: 

• business planning
• finance
• marketing
• legal advice
• networking.

Your group will also have the ability shape the content of the sessions as the scheme progresses, making it a tailored experience. 

Start-up funding

At the end of the six month course, entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch to a panel of business people for the chance to win £5,000 start-up funding. 

Business mentors will continue to be on hand for participants to help and advise on business set up and initial trading. 

Sumi Wang, who won the pitch at the end of last year with her eFoldi product, said: “The Entrepreneur Academy has helped me tremendously to understand the business world, from cash flow through legal protections to digital marketing. It has also provided a friendly and welcoming environment to get honest feedback of eFOLDi, which is invaluable at product R&D stage. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to start their own business.” 

eFoldi has since gone on to be chosen as a finalist for Gadget Show Live British Inventors’ Project.

Don’t miss out, apply today

There are only a few places left on the next intake, so register your interest to make sure you don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to turn your business idea into reality. 

The programme is open to anyone with a new business idea who lives in the borough of Reigate & Banstead and is aged over 18. 

To apply or find our more visit the Entrepreneur Academy page on our website, email Catherine McDermott or call 01737 276008.

Do you visit Reigate Heath? Or perhaps you have visited in the past but not been for a while? If so, you can take part in the latest consultation about our plans for the Heath.

Management plan

Reigate Heath is a rare example of lowland heath habitat and, since 1993, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, Reigate Heath Golf Club and volunteers have carefully managed the heath through a series of management plans to protect and enhance this scientifically important and visually valuable area.  

The management plan, which is committed to restoring the heath’s habitat to 27% heathland, 35% grassland and 38% woodland by February 2018, is now due for review and part of that review includes asking current users of Reigate Heath what might improve their experience and former users of Reigate Heath what discouraged them from visiting.

Take part
 
You can take part online. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and closes on Friday 22 April.

If you’re planning a clear out this Easter, you can recycle more than you think at our borough-wide textile recycling banks in a variety of places including supermarket and town centre car parks and at stations.

Here’s a quick checklist of the things we can accept for recycling, as long as they are clean and dry:

• underwear
• socks
• tights
• sheets
• towels
• handbags
• belts
• shoes (paired)
• clothes
• ties
• hats
• gloves.

Please recycle any of these using our textile recycling banks and avoid throwing them in the bin – a move that’s expensive for the taxpayer as disposing of rubbish costs money.

Did you know?

Last year in Surrey more than 11,500 tonnes of clothes and home textiles were thrown away that could have been reused or recycled instead.

What happens to textiles dontated for recycling?

They’re either sorted to be used again in the UK or abroad, or recycled into new products like felt, insulation or stuffing. So if you’re having a clothing clear out, please don’t bin them. Bring them along to one of our textile recycling banks. 

Thank you for rethinking your rubbish and recycling more. 

Nominations are open to find local individuals, groups and businesses who give their time and commitment to help others in the borough. The Mayor’s Volunteer Awards, run by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and Voluntary Action Reigate and Banstead, celebrate the unsung heroes who do a great amount of valuable work for the borough and its community and to show appreciation for their selfless service. 

The awards aim to recognise the commitment and say ‘thank you’ from the local community. If you know someone who gives up their time and energy to help others, please nominate or vote for them.

Award categories

Nominations are split into six categories: 

• individual volunteer (aged over 25 years)
• young volunteer (up to 25 years)
• volunteer team
• trustee (individual)
• trustee team
• business award.

How to apply

To find out more or make a nomination, visit the Mayor's Awards webpage. Please make your nominations by 6 May. Nominees must either live or volunteer within the borough of Reigate & Banstead and receive no remuneration for their time. 

Successful nominees will be invited to a special awards ceremony in September.