29 November: The Children's Trust Christmas Fair

Tadworth Court, Tadworth, KT20 5RU

With special guest Peppa Pig for a fun filled festive afternoon including Santa's Grotto, skating rink, carol singing, arts and crafts, donkey rides and much more.

Time: 12pm - 5pm

Cost: Adult £3, Under 16s free

Contact info: Hannah Vince 01737 365017 or visit the Childrens Trust website

4 December - 4 January: Reigate on Ice

Skate on real ice in the Big Top in Reigate's Priory Park.

Other attractions and a bar will also be available.
 
Find out more and book online on the Reigate on Ice website

6 December: Christmas Fayre and Christmas Lights Switch on

Reigate Business Guild will be hosting a street market, entertainment, vintage cars and carol singing along Church Street Reigate.

Time: 11am - 5pm

Further details: Email: chairmanrbgwarrenandrews@gmail.com

6 December: Parents Apart Workshop

Relate Centre, 44c Church Street, Reigate, RH2 0AJ

For parents who have separated/divorced or are in the process of doing so, this one day workshop explores the impact upon children and helps parents develop a new and different co-parenting style.

Time: 9.30am-3.30pm

Cost: £80

Contact: 01737 245212 or visit the Relate website

6 December: Tattenhams Indoor Market

The United Church of St Mark, Great Tattenhams, Epsom Downs, KT18 5RD

Lots of stalls to browse including cards, jewellery, gifts, homemade crafts and many more.

Time: 10am-2pm

Visit the St Marks Church website

7 December: Film Merry Christmas - Joyeux Noel

Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Redhill, RH1 1NN

An event for Reigate & Banstead Remembers WWI.

Book your free ticket from the Harlequin Booking Office 01737 276500

11 December: Annual Science Lecture

The Warwick School, Noke Drive, RH1 4AD

A science based evening lecture which is open to everyone. Dr Kathryn Harkup will talk on 'Poisons-Murder from a chemical point of view'.

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: Free

Contact info: Allan Hopkins 01737 378471

Flu symptoms - fever, chills, headache, joint and muscle pains and extreme tiredness – can be nasty. So consider getting a flu jab, especially if you have a long-term health condition, are pregnant or aged 65 or over as catching flu can make you seriously ill and make complications like pneumonia more likely.

Children experience the same symptoms as adults. Children aged two to four and those aged two to 18 in at-risk groups are eligible for a nasal spray vaccination with no need for an injection. Children aged six months to two years are offered the vaccination by injection.

Ask your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist about flu vaccinations. More information is also available from NHS Choices.

AirAlert

If you or a member of your family suffers from asthma or poor respiratory health, why not sign up for the free airAlert service? It sends you messages about air pollution levels in your area, the day before or on the day so you can make choices about where you go, what you do and whether you need to take medication with you.

You can choose to get a text, voicemail or email alert and can control when they are sent to you. To register or find out more, visit airAlert . 

Flooding

To help protect your property from flooding the Environment Agency suggests three simple steps to follow:

• use the Environment Agency’s maps to find out if you’re at risk of flooding
• sign up for free flood warnings for your area
• prepare a personal flood plan.

More practical advice

The Met Office website is crammed full of practical advice on:

• traveling in the winter
• protecting your home
• keeping warm and keeping well

Spend a few minutes online to help make sure you’re ready for winter.

If you’re plagued by pests, have a flea in your ear or the bedbugs are biting, get rid of them by getting online.

With one quick visit to our website you can:

• chose the pest control service you need
• book a convenient time for your appointment
• pay for it
• allow our contractor, SDK Environmental Ltd, to do the rest.

Pests we can help you with - whether it’s for your home or commercial premises - include:

• rats
• mice inside properties
• squirrels in domestic roof spaces
• moles in domestic gardens
• wasps and hornets
• common black ants
• fleas
• cluster flies
• bedbugs
• cockroaches.

So if you need these pests out of your life, get online and see how we can help.

Our other online services

While you’re online, why not check out our other services available on our website including:

• pre-application planning advice
• making a planning application
• bulky waste collection
• green waste service subscription
• checking the balance of your council tax bill
• paying council tax, parking fines, business rates and invoices
• applying for benefit
• telling us about a change in circumstances affecting your benefits, council tax or business rates
• set up a direct debit to pay your council tax.

Report it

Get online to report things to us too including:

• a missed bin
• fly tipping, graffiti, abandoned cars, litter and other anti-social behaviour issues to the Joint Enforcement Team
• potholes and highway issues, via a link through to Surrey County Council’s website.

Whether you’re going out or staying in over the festive season, we’ve got the ingredients to help make your Christmas a safe and healthy one.

Going out?

Eating out this Christmas? You can check your chosen restaurant’s food hygiene rating before you book. In our borough, 95% of restaurants have a hygiene rating of '3' or above so there’s plenty to choose from.

Look out for the green and black food hygiene rating scheme (FHRS) stickers displayed on windows and doors or check online on the Food Standards Agency's website. You can keep up to date when you’re on the go too with the FHRS app.

Staying in?

Make sure food poisoning doesn’t ruin your festive feast with our top food safety tips:

• Don’t wash your turkey (or other poultry) as it spreads bacteria, and make sure it’s cooked all the way through until the juices run clear of blood.
• Ensure your Christmas bird is properly defrosted - check there’s no ice in the body cavity and that the legs and wings move freely.
• Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate to avoid cross contamination
• Cool leftovers down quickly and refrigerate immediately. Reheat to a high temperature (piping hot) and eat within three days.

For more food safety tips visit the Food Safety section of our website.

Use a licenced taxi

If you are getting into a taxi or mini cab, make sure it’s licensed. You can easily tell by checking that the vehicle has Council-issued identity plates and that the driver is wearing a photo identity badge. Put the phone number of a reputable taxi firm you know and trust into your mobile phone address book.

The must-have app

You can keep within your limits while enjoying a festive drink with a great app from the Change 4 Life website which helps you keep an eye on how much you’re drinking. It also tells you how many calories are in each drink and how much you’re spending.

To download the app and see more of the tools available, visit the Change 4 Life website. 

Alcohol unfortunately contributes to increases in domestic abuse and public place violent crimes. If you are worried about your safety with your partner, remember you can call ESDAS (East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services) for support and advice on 01737 771350 or the Surrey Domestic Abuse 24-hour Helpline, 01483 776822

Overspent? Take back control

If you find you’ve overspent, or are having trouble paying your bills, contact your creditors as soon as possible and seek independent advice.

Community Debt Advice offer free, confidential advice to help residents in the Redhill area with their money problems. Visit Community Debt Advice online  or call them on 01737 887558. 

Citizens Advice Bureaux provide free debt advice by phone and face to face from premises in Banstead, Horley and Redhill. Find out more on the local Citizens Advice website or phone 08444 111 444.

Surrey Save Credit Union offers a fair affordable alternative to high-cost lenders for people living or working in Surrey. They are a not for profit community bank offering competitive savings accounts and flexible loans with no early repayment penalties. Visit Surrey Save's website or call 01932 339290.

Feeling safe and secure at home is something we take for granted. Thankfully there are simple steps you can take to help prevent your home becoming a target for burglars.

Surrey Police is urging residents to think about the potential impact of burglary on their lives. Once a burglar invades your home, they take much more than possessions, threatening your feelings of security, safety and even happiness. Burglars are astute. To understand what’s going on in their heads, and prevent them getting into yours, one rehabilitated offender explains:

“I walked around just looking at people’s houses to see if there was an easy target. I just assessed people’s homes to see if I could get in, and as a career burglar I could do this in seconds. It was only when I met two of my victims face-to-face that it began to dawn on me what I had done – I had ruined many lives.”

Don’t let them in

Lock it… Double check all windows and doors are securely looked before leaving home. Also, make sure sheds and gates are locked, and even that outside bins are not left where burglars could use them as a stepping stone.

Light it… If your working hours mean that you don’t get home until after dark, consider installing outside security lights or timed lighting within your property.

List it… Register your valuables on Immobilise. Visit the Immobilise website to find out how you can increase the chances of being reunited with your property should it be stolen.

Report any suspicious activity by calling 101 or in an emergency dial 999.

Do you care about public transport in Surrey? Perhaps you use the buses, or maybe you have a friend or relative who relies on community transport such as Dial-a-Ride to get around. If you’re an employer, you may have staff members who take a bus to work.

Surrey County Council is reviewing local transport and asking residents about the services that matter most to them. Whether you regularly travel by or rarely use local transport, this is your chance to help shape the future of these services in Surrey – all you need to do is complete the online questionnaire.

You can find out more and have your say online. The questionnaire takes less than five minutes to complete and is available until 14 January 2015.

We would like your views on our initial proposals to introduce a charge on new housing and commercial developments in the borough to help pay for necessary infrastructure such as schools, roads, public transport and community facilities.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a new planning charge that councils can set on new building developments to raise funds to help pay for the infrastructure, facilities and services needed to support growth such as road improvements, schools and community facilities.

The levy is intended to offer fairness and transparency to local authorities, communities and developers alike, balancing the need to fund infrastructure with the viability of development.

You can take part from 28 November

The consultation is open from this Friday, 28 November until 12 January. You can find out more via our website.