Until 3 January
Reigate on Ice
Location: Priory Park, Bell Street, Reigate
Times vary
Ice skating in Reigate, just moments from the high street.
For session times, costs and to book tickets, visit the Reigate on Ice website.
www.reigateonice.co.uk

Thursday 10 December
Derek Paravicini Quartet Christmas performance
Location: St. Mary's Church Centre, Chart Lane, Reigate, RH2 7RN
Time: 7.30-9.45pm
Cost: £16.50
Experience the amazing Derek Paravicini Quartet in its Christmas performance. Derek Paravicini is one of the most extraordinary pianists and musical entertainers of his generation despite being blind, autistic and having severe learning difficulties.
Tickets are available from the Derek Paravicini website or the Buy Tickets website. Profits from the concert go to local charity Stripey Stork.

Thursday 10 December
Free lecture: A Perfect Picture – the science of modern photography
Location: The Warwick School
Time: 7.30pm
Cost: Free
Delivered by Dr Radu Sporea, RAEng Research Fellow, University of Surrey and Dr Andrew Pye, photographer, the lecture is suitable and enjoyable for all ages, from primary pupil to adult. The lecture is free and everyone is welcome. No need to book; please just turn up. Parking is available on site and refreshments will be available courtesy of the students in the Warwick Interact Club.
For more information, contact Allan Hopkins at the Warwick School.

Saturday 12 December
Carol service in Horley Town Centre
Location: Town centre precinct
Time: Gather at 10.45am for carols from 11am
Cost: Free
The Carol Service is organsied by all the local churches and will take place by the Christmas tree in Horley town centre. Refreshments will also be provided afterwards in the Albert Road Sports & Social Club. Everyone is very welcome.

Friday 11 December – 3 January
Panto: Aladdin
Location: Harlequin Theatre, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Cost: Tickets £10.50-£20
Times vary.
It's a jewel encrusted family pantomime set to dazzle and delight. Fasten your seat belts for a magical ride of mystery, sparkling romance and dazzling adventure with this year’s lavish production of Aladdin. Audiences can escape to a world of magic, where adventure beckons on this pantomime flight of spectacle, slapstick and song! Starring former Steps star, Lee Latchford-Evans.
Visit the Harequin’s website for more information or to book tickets.

Saturday 12 December
Carols, readings and mulled wine
Location: St Ann's Catholic Church, 4 Brighton Road, Banstead
Time: 7.30pm
Cost: Small fee payable on the door
Performed by St Cecilia Chorus. Further details visit the Borough of Reigate and Banstead Arts Council website

Sunday 13 December
Let it snow
A gorgeous Christmas performance of words and music from the English Arts Corale. (Also taking place at Bletchingley Church (St Mary’s) on 19 December at 7.30pm.)
Time: 4.30pm
Location: Balcombe Church (St Mary’s)
Cost: £12
For more information and to buy tickets online visit the English Arts Corale website.  

Sunday 13 December
Carols in the Belfry
Time: 6.30pm
Cost: Free
Location: The Belfry shopping centre, Redhill
Join in this popular seasonal event of traditional Christmas carols and readings from the nativity.

Thursday 17 December
Walk: The Headley Hike
Location: meet at the Chequers pub car park, Chequers Lane, Walton on the Hill, KT20 7SF
Time: 11am
What better way to enjoy winter than a walk in Surrey’s beautiful countryside.  This walk offers a little more challenge than flatter routes, with some steeper inclines and declines.
This walk is organised by East Surrey Walking for Health and is held on the first and third Thursday of each month. Find out about their other walks on the Walking for Health website or contact Julie Haslett by email or on 01737 779979 to find a walk that suits your ability.

From Friday 18 December
Star Wars: Episode VII – the Force Awakens
Now booking for the eagerly awaited Episode VII where a new generation of heroes fight for the freedom of the galaxy. 
Location: The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Warwick Quadrant, Redhill, RH1 1NN
Times vary.
Cost: Tickets £5-£7.50 
Visit the Harlequin Theatre’s website for times and to book your tickets.   Audio description, subtitles, baby club screenings and silver screen showings are available. Find out more about these from the Harlequin's accessibility page. 

Sunday 3 January
Tadworth 10 mile race
Location: The Queens Stand, Epsom Downs KT18 5LQ
Time: 11.30
A scenic and challenging 10 mile, two lap course. The event is supporting two charities, the Woodland Trust and QEF. Further details and to book your entries online (no entries on the day) visit the Sportsystems website.

From Monday 11 January (10 week course)
Introduction to Beekeeping course
Woodhatch Centre, Whitebeam Drive, Reigate, RH2 7LS
Reigate Beekeepers’ Introduction to Beekeeping Course is a 10 week theory course followed by four practical training sessions in the spring at the training apiary near Dorking. Visit the Reigate Beekeepers website to find out more or to enrol.

From Wednesday 6 January
Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, performed by the Chipstead Players
Location: Courtyard Theatre, Chipstead
Time: 7pm
Cost: Ticket prices are to be announced. To find our more visit the the Borough of Reigate and Banstead Arts Council website.

Friday 15 January
Film: 45 Years
Times: two showings - doors open at 2.15pm and 7.30pm
Presented by Curzon Country Cinema
Location: Riddell Hall, Deans Lane, Walton on the Hill, KT20 7UA
Fabulous performances from Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay in this moving film. In the week leading up to their 45th wedding anniversary, a couple receive an unexpected letter which contains potentially life changing news.
Cost: Tickets are £5 and bookable in advance from Curzon Country Cinema  http://curzoncountrycinema.co.uk/

Do you know about an event coming up that we could mention in Borough e-news? Simply email the details to the Borough e-news team with ‘Borough e-news’ as the subject header. You can also upload it to the events section of our website. Just fill in the online form to submit your event and we’ll do the rest.

Winter can be seriously bad for our health so we’re getting behind this year’s Stay Well This Winter campaign to help inform people how to stay healthy.

Have you had your flu jab?

Don’t put off getting the flu vaccination. If you’re eligible for a free jab get it now. It’s free because you need it. Those eligible are:

• Pregnant women
• Children aged two, three or four or in school years one and two
• Other at risk groups including over 65s and people with long term health conditions.

Viruses cause flu; antibiotics only work against bacteria so can’t be used to fight flu. Make sure you’re well informed and visit NHS Choices to find out if you or your family are eligible for a free flu vaccine. And don’t forget you need to get a new jab every year as the flu virus can change. Contact your GP or pharmacist for more information.

Stay well this winter

Keep well – winter conditions can be seriously bad for our health, especially for older people and those with long-term conditions.  For advice on how to keep you and your family well this winter visit the Health Surrey website.

Keep warm – it’s important to keep warm in the winter, inside and outdoors. Keeping warm over the winter months can help prevent colds, flu and more serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia and depression. See the Healthy Surrey website for support available to help you keep warm.

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

Look before you book

If you’re going out for a Christmas meal, make sure you check the food hygiene rating before you book. Look out for the green and black food hygiene rating stickers displayed on windows and doors or check online at www.food.gov.uk/ratings. You can keep up to date when you’re on the go too with the FHRS app. 96.5% of restaurants in the borough have a hygiene rating of 3 or above so there’s plenty to choose from!

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 splashes bacteria around the kitchen
• Ensure your Christmas bird is properly defrosted - check there’s no ice in the body cavity and that the legs and wings move freely.
• Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling meat and poultry.
• Make sure the turkey is cooked all the way through until the juices run clear of blood.
• Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate to avoid cross contamination
• Cool leftovers quickly and then refrigerate immediately; eat all leftovers within three days; if reheating, ensure the food is piping hot all the way through before serving.
• If you’re preparing a buffet, keep cold items covered and in the fridge until the last minute. Don't keep them out for more than four hours.

For more food safety tips visit 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. Take the phone number of a reputable taxi firm you know and trust with you when you go out for the night, and never get in to a stranger’s car if you are offered a lift.

Don't let drink sneak up on you

If you’ll be enjoying a drink this festive season, you can keep track of how much you’re drinking with a helpful app from the Change 4 Life website. The number of units in each drink may surprise you. It also helps you keep track of how many calories are in each drink and how much you’re spending.  

To download the app or find out some of the other tools available, visit the Change 4 Life website. 

Do you park in Reigate & Banstead regularly? If so you could save nearly £300 on the cost of an annual car parking season ticket.

We’re offering competitively priced monthly, quarterly and annual car park season tickets at 12 of our car parks across the borough – plus a 10% discount for new customers, for a limited time only. Visit the car parks page of our website for our car park locations.

So don’t delay – apply and pay online today on our season tickets page. The offer ends 31 January 2016.

There’s always small print so please check our website for the terms and conditions applying to this offer. 

Do you have a property you’d like to rent out or are you a landlord looking for your next tenant? If so, the YMCA’s successful NextStep scheme can help you. Next Step is a professional housing service that works with the Council to help families in need of housing into private rented accommodation by matching them with landlords and providing a deposit guarantee. The team has over 15 years’ experience and has worked with over 275 landlords to create over 700 tenancies.

The scheme has many advantages: 

• it is free of charge with no hidden costs or fees 

• it has ready and available tenants, so no need to advertise 

• NextStep deals with all the paperwork needed to start and maintain a tenancy (except gas safety and EPC certificates) 

• all applicants undergo an assessment and NextStep provide references 

• the scheme provides financial security through a six-month guarantee bond or cash deposit, while NextSteps work with tenants to save for their own deposit 

• they also provide advice on landlord and tenancy matters to help the tenancy run smoothly.

Landlord Gill has worked with NextStep for eight years: “I have recently purchased a second rental property and NextStep was the first place I turned to to find a tenant. They had a tenant ready to go on the day of completion”, said Gill. 

“NextStep carry out all the checks and vetting. They complete all the paperwork, an inventory and take photographs. The two best things of all are, I no longer have to deal with estate agents and, the service is completely free!” 

NextStep is looking for accommodation of all sizes for tenants ready and waiting to move, so if you’ve got property to rent, get in touch. 

For more information visit YMCA East Surrey's housing webpage, email the Next Step team or call them 01737 378482.

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 ‘Dragons' Den’ style competition for the chance to win £5,000 to kick-start your business. 

Run in partnership with hosts East Surrey College, this free scheme 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 essential 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 more tailored experience.

Start-up funding

At the end of the 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 all participants to help and advise them through their set up and initial trading.

Sumi Wang, who has just won this year’s pitch 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.”

Don’t miss out, apply today

The scheme, now in its fourth year, starts again in spring 2016. There are only 12 places available, 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 the Economic Prosperity team or call 01737 276008.