Gatton Park: gardens and park open day
Sunday 3 May, 1pm-5pm
Park and gardens open all afternoon, bird hide open, free guided tours and free activities for children.
Gatton Park, Rocky Lane, Reigate, RH2 0TW
Adults £4, children go free
For more information visit the Gatton Park website.

Annual YMCA East Surrey Fun Run and Reigate & Banstead Festival of Sport
Sunday 3 May, 10.30am-2.30pm
The 16th Annual YMCA Fun Run will be joining forces in Priory Park to bring you a day full of activities and fun for all.
Bell Street, Reigate, RH2 7RL
To take part in the fun run, visit YMCA East Surrey's website. To find outmore about the Festival of Sport, visit Reigate & Banstead Borough Council's website.   

Woodmansterne Village May Queen Fete
Monday 4 May, 1.45pm-4pm
A parade with the May Queen, her attendants and local community groups followed by the crowning of the May Queen by the Mayor of Reigate & Banstead, Cllr David Pay and a fete on the green.
For more information visit the Woodmansterne May Queen website.

Lower Kingswood Village Fete
Monday 4 May, 1:30-4.30pm
Traditional village fete plus laser quest, circus demonstrations and workshops, fun dog show, children's roundabouts and a variety of food and craft stalls.
Buckland Road, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, KT20 7DN
For more information contact Gill Utting or call her on 01737 832654.

Coulsdon Sixth Form College open evening
Wednesday 6 May, 5.30pm-8.00pm
Calling year 10 and year 11 students: take a look around Coulsdon Sixth Form College’s impressive campus, meet the college’s principal, Brett Freeman and find out first-hand what makes the college a great choice for sixth form education.
Couldson Sixth Form College, Placehouse Lane, Old Coulsdon, Croydon, CR5 1YA
For more information visit the college's website.

Film: War Horse
Sunday 10 May, 4pm
Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the Cavalry. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and to the front lines as the war rages on.
Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill RH1 1NN
Book your free ticket 01737 276500 or visit the Harlequin's website.

Relate workshop: Parents apart
Saturday 16 May, 9.30am-3.30pm
This one day workshop helps parents who are separating or who are divorced understand what their children are experiencing, and provides the tools to develop a new co-parenting style.
Relate Mid Surrey, 44c Church Street, Reigate, RH2 0AJ
Cost: £80
For more information visit Relate Mid Surrey's website.

Capability Brown's vision for Gatton
Sunday 17 May, 1pm-4pm
A tour of the whole of Gatton Park and how this landscape is managed today. Good level of fitness is required.
Meet at Wray Lane car park, Reigate Hill, Wray Lane, Reigate, RH2 0HX
Cost: adults £10, children £2
For more information visit the Gatton Park website.

Tea in the Japenese Garden at Gatton Park
Tuesday 26-Friday 29 May, morning and afternoon slots
Enjoy tea in the Japenese tea house surrounded by nature.
Gatton Park, Rocky Lane, Reigate, RH2 0TW
Cost: adults £10, children £5
For more information contact visit the Gatton Park website.

Bark in the Park
Saturday 31 May, 10am-12pm
St Catherine’s Hospice third year of Bark in the Park. Join them for their tail wagging 3km sponsored dog walk.
Priory Park, Bell Street, Reigate, Priory Park, RH2 7RL
For more information visit St Catherine's Hospice website.

Information evening: volunteering to visit and befriend children in care
Tuesday 2 June, 7-8.30pm
Surrey Independent Visitor Service is looking for men and women to visit and befriend children and young people in care. Training is provided. This information evening sets out how befriending works, what is involved and is an opportunity to ask questions.
Consort House, 5-7 Queensway, Redhill, RH1 1YB.
For more information contact Joanne Mackintosh by email or call 01372 833359.   

The bluebells are starting to transform the countryside in our beautiful borough and soon you’ll see carpets of intense blue in some of our woodlands.

Banstead Woods

Banstead Woods provides a perfect spot for a bluebell walk.  Explore this ancient 250 acre woodland site with its idyllic carpet of bluebells. Parking is available at Holly Lane car park, Chipstead, CR5 3NR.

Felland Copse

Another wonderful spring show of iconic bluebells awaits you at Felland Copse. You can park at New Pond Farm car park (opposite Earlswood Lakes), Woodhatch Road, Reigate, RH2 7QH.

Why not join our Countryside Rangers on Friday 8 May at 11am on a one-and-a-half hour guided walk around the Copse? It will also give you a chance to find out how we are looking after the site for wildlife and conservation. The walk starts at New Pond Farm car park. No need to book but email our countryside team  or call 01737 276134 with any questions.

Priory Park

A wander around the woods in Priory Park, Reigate at this time of year will reveal bluebells with their delicate scent. Park at Bell Street car park, Reigate, RH2 7RL and then it’s an easy walk to the woods at the back of the park.

Don’t forget - bluebells are a protected species so please remember not to pick them.

Countryside Guide

Did you know you can recycle clean, dry clothes, footwear and home textiles at some of our recycling centres?

In Surrey last year, more than 10,000 tonnes of clothes and home textiles that could have been reused or recycled were thrown away, including shirts, coats, towels, pairs of shoes and bags.

But if you bring your unwanted clothes and home textiles to one of our recycling banks, your donated items will be sorted to be worn again in the UK or abroad, or recycled into other products like felt, insulation or stuffing.

So if you’re having a spring clean, please take your clothes and textiles of one of the recycling centres that accept them – our website lists your nearest sites.

It’s all part of our drive to increase textile recycling and cut the amount of clothes and home textiles being put in the bin and then in landfill.

With the Parliamentary and local elections taking place on Thursday 7 May, make sure you use your vote on polling day to choose who will represent you locally and in Parliament.

"This election will affect every voter in the borough, so if you are registered, please make sure you use your vote," urges John Jory, Reigate & Banstead's Acting Returning Officer for the Parliamentary election. 

Mr Jory continued: "Residents in 18 of the Borough Council’s 19 wards will also be able to vote for their chosen representatives. Borough councillors get involved in very local matters like planning policy and development, housing, parking, bin collections, parks and green spaces, leisure centres and so on, so if you care about what happens in your neighbourhood, make sure you cast your vote on 7 May." 

There is also an election for Horley Town Council’s Horley North Central ward on 7 May.

What you need to know to have your say

• Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on polling day.
• If you registered to vote, you should have already received your polling card with details of your polling station. 
• When voting at your polling station, it’s helpful to take your poll card with you. But if you don’t have it, don’t let that stop you – you can still vote. 
• The polls close promptly at 10pm – so please arrive in good time to cast your vote. 
• If you are voting by post, your vote needs to be received by 10pm on Thursday 7 May. If you have left it too late to post yours back, you can drop it off at your polling station or to the Town Hall, Reigate. 
• If you applied for a postal vote but haven’t received one, you can apply for a replacement from 30 April. Call 01737 276794.

More information about the elections and voting is available on the council’s website or from the about my vote website.

The way in which we can secure contributions from new developments to help pay for infrastructure is changing.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a new charge that councils can set on new property developments. It will help raise funds to help pay for much needed infrastructure and facilities in the borough such as road improvements, schools and health facilities.

We would like your views on our Draft Charging Schedule which sets out how much we are proposing to charge developers who build new housing and some commercial developments. The consultation is open until 26 May and you can find out more information via our website.

If you live or work in Tadworth, don’t forget that we are currently consulting on an application from the Tadworth Forum to be granted powers to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for Tadworth.