French Market
Sunday 29 March, 10am-4pm
Tunnel Road, Reigate
Delicious olives, fresh croissants, fantastic cheeses and more from the French market.
For more information visit the France at Home website

Event cinema: Royal Opera House presents Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogonny
Wednesday 1 April, 7.15pm
A satire on money, morality and pleasure-seeking among the dubious citizens of a fictional city.
Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Tickets from £14
For more information visit the Harlequin's website 

The Sword in the Stone
Wednesday 1 April, 2.30pm
A participation event for the whole family. Arthurian legends have excited children for centuries and this adaptation is no exception. The mystical 'Sword in the Stone' follows the life of Arthur, a young squire destined to be king, and the magical wizard Merlin.
Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Tickets are £8.50
For more information visit the Harlequin's website. 

Star for a Night
Thursday 2 and Friday 3 April, 7.30pm
Enjoy live performances of classic pop songs and energetic dance from local youngsters in Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s annual talent showcase. Read more in this issue’s Borough e-news.
Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Tickets are £8 from the Harlequin Theatre’s box office or call 01737 276500.

French Market
Friday 10 April, 9am-4pm
Authentic range of top quality products straight from France: cheeses, fresh breads, patisserie products and more.
Takes place in Redhill town centre.
More information from the France at Home website.

Relate Workshop: Teen talk for parents
Saturday 11 April, 9.30-11.30am
This session explores the most effective ways to parent young people.
Relate Mid Surrey, 44c Church Street, Reigate, RH2 0AJ
Cost: £30
For more information call 01737 245212 or email admin@relate-mid-surrey.uk

Film: Paths of Glory
Sunday 12 April, 4pm
An event for Reigate & Banstead Remembers. When soldiers in World War I refuse to continue with an impossible attack, their superior officers decide to make an example of them.
Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Admission is free for all screenings but tickets must be booked in advance. Book your free ticket from the Harlequin's Booking Office, 01737 276500

Film: Selma
Monday 13 April, 3.15pm and 7.15pm
This Oscar winning film portrays the unforgettable true story of the tumultuous three-month period in 1965 when Martin Luther King led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.
Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Tickets from £5.00
For more information visit the Harlequin Theatre and Cinema's website.  

Spring Time Community Litter Picking
Sunday 19 April, 12-4pm
Honeycrock Litter Pickers is a small community group that cares about the environment and wants to see the community free from litter. Supported by Salfords and Silow Parish Council, this event raises awareness about the damage litter does to our local area, environment, our children, wildlife and pets. It’s also great exercise for all ages and abilities and a chance to do something good in your community.
Meet at Salfords Village Hall, Salfords, RH1 5DG
Contact claire.minter@salfordsandsidlowpc.org.uk or 01737 780339.

Moving forward after a relationship
25 April, 9.30am-1:30pm
This workshop discussed coming to terms with a relationship ending and understanding the emotions surrounding it.
Relate Mid Surrey, 44c Church Street, Reigate, RH2 0AJ
Cost £80
Visit the Relate Mid Surrey website or call 01737 245212. 

Gatton Park Open Day
Sunday 5 April, 1-5pm
Enjoy a guided tour around Gatton Park (contacting Gatton Park in advance is advised) or wander round the beautiful grounds at your leisure.
Gatton Park, Rocky Lane, Reigate, RH2 0TD
Cost £4 per adult, children go free.
For more information visit the Gatton Park website. 

If you’re looking for something a little different over the Easter holidays, don’t miss our annual young people’s talent showcase, Star for a Night which takes place on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 April at the Harlequin Theatre.

Eighty local young people from schools around the borough - from Oakwood School in the south up to Epsom Downs Primary School in the north - have been working hard in rehearsals over the past few months. The show features talented and enthusiastic local young singers and dancers, so expect high quality, polished performances. 

Classic pop songs

Star for a Night is a lively show, packed with great music and energetic dancing, making it a fun night out for all the family. This year’s show is based around the theme of ‘time’ and features the young people performing well-loved classic pop songs such as Dolly Parton’s ‘Nine to five’ and Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time after time’ alongside more recent hits such as Leona Lewis's ‘A moment like this.’

Prizes of one-year scholarships to So You Wanna Be stage school and Urban Play Dance Classes will be awarded to winning performers.

Performances start at 7.30pm. To buy tickets, call the Harlequin's box office on 01737 276500 or visit the theatre's website  and click on ‘Book tickets online’ in the top right hand corner.

Surrey Crimestoppers, Surrey County Council Trading Standards and Smokefree Surrey Alliance have joined forces to ask for your help in spotting fake fags and stamping out illegal tobacco and their many side effects including:

• increased health risks. All tobacco is harmful but cheap illegal tobacco products with no control over their quality or what goes into them can be even more dangerous. Contents can include very high levels of tar, nicotine, lead and other dangerous chemicals, with dust, asbestos and even rat droppings found in some.
• less incentive to quit. Easy access to cheap tobacco encourages people to keep smoking and smoke more.
• serious fire hazards, as illegal tobacco products aren’t often self-extinguishing, unlike legal products.
• funding serious organised crime. Organised criminal gangs target vulnerable people, including children, by selling cut-price cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco. Gangs infiltrate our communities and can use the same routes for importing and distributing other drugs including cannabis and heroin. The money they make is also used by gangs to fund more serious crimes, such as people and arms trafficking.
• harming genuine retailers. Any retailer selling fake fags is undercutting those selling genuine products and taking criminal advantage.

Check out Surrey Crimestoppers' 'How to spot illegal tobacco' webpage so you know what smuggled, bootlegged and counterfeit tobacco can look like. For a safe, anonymous way of sharing any information that can help put an end to this trade call Surrey Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or report it online using the Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable illness in Surrey. Please help stamp out fake fags and help reduce smoking rates.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is very proud of the part played by residents in the first world war and we are keen that their stories are remembered. If you have a relative who fought, or who is buried in one of the borough’s war graves or played an interesting role on the home front, we’d like to hear from you so we can learn more about them and their remarkable stories. We’d like to collate as many stories as possible to create a legacy for future generations.

Caring for the graves of the fallen

Following our project to restore the borough’s war graves last year, over the last few months local schools, uniform groups, organisations and residents, have been helping us to look after them, so they are kept neat and tidy over the coming years.

Julie Boden, Head of History and Sociology at Dunottar School explains why they got involved: “We are delighted to be involved in the Reigate & Banstead Remembers World War I 'Adopt-a-grave' scheme. Not only does it allow students to commemorate the First World War but it also enables them to be involved in a community-based project and gives them the opportunity to engage with some local history. As a school, we are particularly pleased to be working alongside Reigate School through the sharing of responsibility for a section of Reigate cemetery.'

Volunteers are still needed to help care for war graves at certain sites, so if you’d like to get involved, please contact us to find out more.

Commemorative events - tell us about yours

Our programme of commemorative events for Reigate & Banstead Remembers continues in 2015, from a special film programme at the Harlequin and show-and-tell events to remembrance events and historical talks.

We would also like to hear from you if you or your local organisation is putting on a commemorative event so that we can help to promote it through our Reigate & Banstead Remembers publicity.

Get in touch

If you have a story to tell, want to help with our 'Adopt-a-grave' scheme or tell about your events, please contact leisure.services@reigate-banstead.gov.uk or call 01737 276700. For more information visit our Reigate & Banstead Remembers webpage. 

It’s that time of year when the annual bills start landing on your doormat. If you’ve got money worries and are finding it hard to keep up with payments, there’s lots of help and support available.

Contact your creditors

If you’re struggling to pay your bills, contact your creditors as soon as possible to let them know and seek independent advice. If you’re unable to meet your mortgage payments it is vital to talk to your mortgage lender immediately otherwise you risk losing your home. If they contact you, be sure to respond. Ignoring the problem can cause things to escalate.

Often you will be able to come to an arrangement with creditors about re-paying what you owe, such as setting up a new payment arrangement.

Get independent advice

There’s a whole range of organisations out there which can offer independent advice to help you take control of your situation.

• Community Debt Advice offers free, confidential advice to help residents in the Redhill area with their money problems. Visit www.cdamoney.org 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 at www.reigate-bansteadcabx.org.uk or phone 08444 111 444. Text Relay 08444 111 445.
• National Debtline is a free, confidential service providing independent advice about dealing with debt, run by the charity Money Advice Trust. Get information online or via a web chat at www.nationaldebtline.co.uk or on freephone 0808 808 4000.
• The Money Advice Service, set up by the Government, gives free, unbiased money advice online, over the phone and face to face. Visit www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk or call 0300 500 5000 (Text Relay: 18001 0300 500 5000).
• If you are a tenant of a housing association, talk to them. Many have their own advice and support schemes to help you manage your money.

Benefits help

Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to claim certain benefits. For more information visit www.gov.uk/browse/benefits.

Beware of loan sharks

If you have borrowed from a loan shark, or illegal money lender, you can get advice or report illegal money lenders anonymously on 0300 555 2222.

Fair affordable lending

Surrey Save Credit Union offers a fair affordable alternative to high-cost lenders for people living or working in Surrey. It is a not for profit community bank offering competitive savings accounts and flexible loans with no early repayment penalties. Visit www.surreysave.co.uk or call 01932 339290.

Do you know a child who is keen to try a new sport, or improve at one they already play? The P&G Surrey Youth Games could be right up their street and offer them the chance to represent the borough in a countywide sports competition this summer. The Games offer children aged seven to 16:

• free coaching in 14 different sports at local venues, during April, May and June
• team selection, based as much on enthusiasm, effort and participation in the coaching as on sporting ability
• chances to compete, representing Reigate & Banstead, during the two day P&G Surrey Youth Games 2015 taking place at the elite Surrey Sports Park’s world class sports facility on 20 and 21 June. 

Free coaching

The free coaching courses cover a variety of sports including basketball, boccia, non-contact boxing, cricket (girls only), football (girls only), hockey, lacrosse, netball, rugby (girls only), squash, swimming, table tennis and tennis. Organised by the council’s Sports Development Officer in conjunction with local club and sports centre coaches, the coaching all takes place at local schools, clubs and leisure facilities. Each session is led by fully qualified coaches and takes place after school or at the weekend.  Up to eight weeks of free training sessions and trials are offered in 14 different sports. We are able to offer this with the kind support of our sponsors Better (GLL) and Toyota GB Ltd.

Representing the borough

Every child attending the coaching sessions or trials has a chance of being selected to represent Reigate & Banstead at the P&G Surrey Youth Games 2015 in June at the world-class Surrey Sports Park. The weekend will be an extravaganza of sport, and provides an inspiring experience of an Olympic-style event.  All 11 Surrey boroughs and districts compete in 15 different sports, with 2,000 people taking part over the weekend. In keeping with Olympic tradition, the top three teams in each event receive gold, silver or bronze medals.   

To qualify for the free coaching sessions, children must:

• live or go to school in the borough of Reigate and Banstead
• be of the right age and sex for the sport they wish to take part in
• be below county standard in the sport they wish to take part in
• want to have loads of fun!

Details of venues, dates and times are available from our website. More information is also available by emailing the council’s Sports Development Officer, Cat Gibson or calling her on 01737 276125.

Do you or someone you care for need information on local services, welfare benefits, health care, community transport or staying safe at home? Do you need to know how to get support as a carer?

There are several ways you can get information:

• Visit: the Surrey Information Point website
• Call: 0300 200 1005
• Text: 07527 182861

Surrey Information Point is supported by Surrey County Council and the NHS.

If you’re not registered by Monday 20 April, you won’t be able to vote in the UK Parliamentary and local elections on 7 May. Don’t lose your vote – make sure you’re registered. 

Check out Ballot Box Man. He shows what happens if you go to a polling station to cast your vote, but didn’t register beforehand!

Register online

It only takes a few minutes to register online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. Every individual is responsible for registering themselves. If you’re not sure if you’re registered, please call us on 01737 276794 to double check.

If you haven’t received your poll card by 10 April informing you about the elections in May and where you need to go to vote, please contact us to make sure you’re registered.

Myth busting

Recent research by YouGov for the Electoral Commission found that: 

• 21% of people who rent privately think they’re automatically registered to vote if they pay council tax 
• 40% of those surveyed think it is not possible to register online to vote in England, Scotland and Wales 
• 69% do not know the deadline to register to vote, with 13% thinking it is already too late to register. 

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

Unable to get to a polling station?

If you are registered to vote but will be away or unable to get to a polling station on election day you can apply for a postal or proxy vote via the Voting and elections page of our website. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April. Applications for a proxy votes for someone else to vote on your behalf must be received by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.

If you do not have access to the internet you can call us on 01737 276794 for assistance.

We are inviting views from people living and working in Tadworth about an application from the Tadworth Forum to be granted powers to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for Tadworth. Find out more and tell us your views on our Neighbourhood Planning in Tadworth webpage.