Come and sing: workshop with St Cecilia Chorus
Saturday 26 September, 10am-3pm
Priory School, Bolters Lane, Banstead, SM7 2AJ
Cost: £10
Come and enjoy a day of singing with St Cecilia Chorus, a 70-strong amateur choir in Banstead. Coffee and tea available but bring lunch your own lunch.
To book a place, email St Cecilia Chorus or call 020 8669 3472.

Banstead Country Fayre
Sunday 27 September 2015, 10.30am-4.30pm
Banstead Woods, Holly Lane, CR5 3NR
Cost: £2 per car
Fun and activities for all the family. Presented by Banstead Scouts, activities include displays and demonstrations, rides, bouncy castle and roundabout, medieval re-enactment, local crafts and local history with a woodland walk and story teller.
Further details visit the Banstead Country Fayre website.

French market
Friday 2 October, from 9am
Redhill town centre
Cheeses, breads and patisserie, olives, hams and more, all in one location.

Events for Epsom Mental Health Week
3 to 11 October
A range of talks, activities and an exhibition are on offer as part of this awareness raising week on mental health and ill health.
Find out more or download the full events programme from the Epsom Mental Health Week website. 

Gatton Park garden and grounds open afternoon 
Sunday 4 October, 1-5pm 
Gatton Park, Rocky Lane, Reigate, RH2 0TW
Cost: Adults £4, free entry for children
Discover more about apples and orchards, with activities for all ages. Enjoy a walk around the park, free activities available for children.
Find out more from the Gatton Park website.

Hurried Steps - a play about domestic abuse
Tuesday 6 October, 7.30-9.30pm
Harlequin Theatre, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Part of Surrey Domestic Abuse Awareness Week, Hurried Steps highlights the issue of violence against women and girls which can affect people from all walks of life in different ways. Eight stories are presented in an honest, no frills style. The performance will be followed by a Q&A session with local domestic violence experts. The play is performed by actors from the likes of Downton Abbey, EastEnders and the Archers.
Suitable for adults and young people over 15. Tickets are free but need to be booked from the Harlequin’s box office, 01737 276500.

Walk: Merstham moors and marshes
6 and 20 October (first and third Tuesday of every month), at 12pm
Meet at Moat House Surgery, Worsted Green, Merstham RH1 3PN
Explore Merstham with this free one-hour walk run by YMCA East Surrey. Mainly on level ground with some small inclines, this is just one of the YMCA’s regular free walks taking place all over the borough and neighbouring areas. Find out about other regular walks from the YMCA East Surrey website.  
Free but a small donation is welcome. No need to book. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes appropriate for the weather.

First aid training
Monday 12 October, 10am-12.30pm
Kingsfield Business Centre, Redhill, Surrey RH1 4DP
A free certified first aid training course provided by St John Ambulance for people on a limited budget who may be unemployed, a lone parent, elderly or a vulnerable adult. The course covers essential and basic first aid. 
Place are limited. To books yours, email Lisa at Reigate & Banstead Voluntary Service or call on 01737 762115.

Surrey Opportunities Fair
Tuesday 13 October, 3.30-6.30pm
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Over 100 employers, colleges and training providers are on hand to help young people plan ahead and gather information on the wealth of options available to them, from further education or training to apprenticeships and permanent employment. Visit the Surrey Opportunities Fair website to find out more. 

Preston Community Day
Saturday 17 October, 12-4pm
Tadworth Leisure & Community Centre, Preston Manor Road, KT20 5FB
Face painting, free sports taster sessions and the chance to find out about local sports training and health information.
Free entry.

Check the Events section of our website for more events, clubs and regular activities. Many local clubs and societies publicise their activities there, including local history talks, dance groups and parents and toddler sessions. If you have a community activity or event you would like to publicise, visit our events page to find out how you can publicise it. You can also email Borough e-news for inclusion in the next issue.

This is so we can make sure that the electoral register is up to date and to invite residents who are entitled to vote but who haven’t registered yet, to do so.

The easiest way to respond is online. The form details all the other ways you can reply.

Canvassers will be calling at homes that have not replied to our reminders over the coming weeks.

Are you registered?

Local elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections are taking place in the borough in May 2016 and you must be registered to vote to take part.

The way we register to vote changed last year so that everyone is responsible for registering themselves.

If you’ve received a letter from us inviting you to register but haven’t done so yet, go online to regisiter to vote. It only takes a couple of minutes to apply.

It’s particularly important that anyone who has moved address recently makes sure they are registered, as well as any first time voters. You don’t need to wait for an invitation from us, you can just go online to register.

Registering to vote also helps to keep your credit reference up to date.

If you don’t have access to the internet or if have any questions, email our Elections team or call 01737 276794.

A memorial event to honour a Victoria Cross hero and a free, interactive family event are among the events coming up to remember the borough and its residents’ role in the First World War.

Memorial for Redhill’s Victoria Cross hero

A special commemorative stone to honour Redhill-born First World War hero Second Lieutenant Rupert Price Hallowes is to be unveiled in Memorial Park on Friday 25 September at 12 noon.

Residents are welcome to attend the ceremony which takes place on the centenary of the battle for which he was awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross medal, the highest military decoration awarded for valour in the face of the enemy.

2Lt Hallowes, who served in The Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment), was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery and devotion to duty during the battle at Hooge in Belgium, which took place between 25 September and 1 October 1915.

You can find out more about 2Lt Hallowes’ story and the memorial ceremony on our World War I webpage. 

Discover World War I with Reigate & Banstead

This fascinating, free event takes place on Saturday 17 October from 2-4pm at the Harlequin Theatre, Redhill offering fun and facts for all the family.

You can see World War I artefacts from Surrey Infantry Museum and even bring along your own wartime heirlooms from the attic to find out more about them from museum experts.

You’ll get the chance to research your family history with the help of Surrey Family History Centre and find out more about what part your family may have played in the conflict.

Learn more about the borough and its residents’ role in the Great War through displays and activities.

In addition there will be vintage afternoon tea and cakes in the Harlequin café, free face painting, entertainment provided by Stompers Military Jazz Band, children’s activities and more.

If you’re interested in local or military history or if you just want to find out more about the part your family may have played in the First World War, come along!

For more details visit our World War I webpage. 

Are you retired, living in the borough and looking for new activities, groups or clubs to get involved with but don’t know where to start? Then why not take part in our popular Living and Ageing Well week, sponsored by Anchor (housing and care provider for older people) from 28 September to 2 October. There is plenty to choose from including:

• art taster sessions
• bingo
• computer advice
• chair-based exercises
• swimming
• pilates
• gym sessions
• walking football
• pamper sessions
• cinema screenings at The Harlequin Cinema in Redhill
• and much, much more.

Events take place every day from Monday to Friday at locations borough-wide. The week will also promote services available for older residents. Download the full event programme from our website for more details. Our programme also includes useful information on regular, year-round activities including volunteering opportunities, services available from Surrey County Council libraries and support organisations working to help people across our borough.  

In its third year, this Living and Ageing Well week promises to be the best yet. It could be your way in to an exciting new pastime and to meeting new friends. So sign up today and try something different.

Help is at hand if you want to kick the habit. Visit the Healthy Surrey website to find out how to sign up for support or call the Surrey Stop Smoking Service on 0845 602 3608.

You’ll get a variety of free and proven support including packs, apps and emails to help you quit for those key 28 days and beyond.

Before you sign up, speak to a Surrey Stop Smoking advisor. They’ll be able to arrange even more support for you tailored to your needs. You can choose from advice over the telephone or face to face support at weekly clinics, pharmacies and GP surgeries.

There are lots of benefits to quitting. You’ll be healthier, save money, have fresher breath, an improved sense of smell and taste, cleaner lungs, a stronger heart and your breathing and fitness will improve.

So far over three quarters of a million people have taken part in Stoptober since it began so why not join them?

East Surrey Community Mediation is offering three confident, calm and open minded individuals the chance to join its dedicated team of mediators, with training beginning in October.

Longstanding volunteer Pam describes it as "professional, thorough, and thought-provoking." She adds "I met like-minded people and couldn't wait for my first case."

If you have good communication skills and want to find out more about this interesting work email East Surrey Community Mediation Service or call on 0208 144 5612. 

Do you know what anti-social behaviour is and which agency is best placed to help solve any local problems you have? To help residents make the right decisions Surrey Police and partners are launching the first Antisocial Behaviour Awareness Week on Monday 28 September. 

Antisocial behaviour covers a wide range of problems from dog fouling and inconsiderate parking to noisy neighbours and vandalism. 

Residents are sometimes unsure what is and isn’t anti-social behaviour, what self-help options (such as mediation) are available and who problems should be reported to. To address this, Surrey County Council, in conjunction with Surrey Police, borough councils, and housing providers, has launched a new one-stop-shop, Surrey community safety website. 

During Antisocial Behaviour Week there will also be opportunities for residents to ask questions about antisocial behaviour via Facebook and drop-in sessions.

Ask a question on Facebook

Are you on Facebook? If so, why not take part in the live Facebook question and answer session on antisocial behaviour. The session will be hosted by Surrey Police's local neighbourhood team and includes council officers from Reigate & Banstead Joint Enforcement Team.

The session takes place on Thursday 1 October at 6.30pm. Just log on to the Reigate and Banstead Beat Facebook page to post your question to the team. 

Antisocial Behaviour bus drop–in sessions

If you prefer talking to people face to face, come and visit the Antisocial Behaviour bus on its tour of the borough to talk to the local Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Thursday 1 October
Morrisons, Reigate 1-3pm
Asda, Burgh Heath 4-6.30pm

Friday 2 October
Portland Drive, Merstham 9-11.30am
Earlswood Mosque/Earlswood Station 12.15-3pm

Saturday 3 October
Horley - venue and time to be confirmed - check Surrey Police's website nearer the time for details

Sunday 4 October
Redhill Town Centre, 3-5pm

Do you have questions about keeping your neighbourhood safe? Or concerns you would like to raise with the Police and its partners. At the Reigate & Banstead Crime Summit you can find out about policing and community safety in your local area and will also have the opportunity to ask questions, raise issues or concerns that you may have, and share what you think should be the priorities in your area.

The Crime Summit will see senior people from Surrey Police and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council join the Police and Crime Commissioner, Kevin Hurley, to talk about their work and hear from local people about the issues that matter to them in their communities.

The Crime Summit takes place from 7-9pm (refreshments available from 6.30pm) on Thursday 22 October at the Harlequin Theatre, Redhill, RH1 1NN. To take part and find out more, simply register online.