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CONTENTS 06
Julia Lopez Political Update
Soon it will be Valentine’s Day so don’t forget to spoil the one you love on February 14th.
10
CLLR Clarence Barrett
14
James Blower
Tax Refund Scams
The Savings Guru
20 Its OK Campaign Its ok to not be ok
22
With the Christmas and New Year break just a memory, we are back in the swing of things here at Around Town Magazines!
What’s On When and Where...
We are very grateful to each one of our advertisers and ask that you support them whenever you can. When contacting an advertiser please let them know that you found them in Around Town Upminster. Don’t forget that if you would like to supply us with editorial, please get in touch! From everyone at Around Town Magazines
Copyright 2019. Around Town Billericay is an independent magazine and does not endorse the products or services that appear in the magazine. Opinions expressed in Around Town do not necessarily represent those of the editors of Around Town Magazines. Around Town Magazines are published by Black Square Print Media Ltd produced by Black Square Litho Ltd.
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improve services and ease pressure on Queen’s Hospital. It was with disappointment, therefore, that I greeted news that the centre’s bid for capital funding was not successful. The site on Suttons Lane has stood empty since 2012 and was sold by the NHS in March, raising £43 million. I asked the Health Secretary to review the bid for a new health centre to convince the local community that they benefit when local NHS assets are sold. He has offered to work with me and local health commissioners to look again at this decision, and my team are on his case for a meeting!
Julia Lopez
Member of Parliament For Hornchurch and Upminster This month Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, launched a ten-year plan to get the most out of the extra £20.5 billion that the government is injecting into the NHS, with a focus on prevention and treating people out of hospital. The proposed new health centre on the former St George’s Hospital site in Hornchurch - which would better integrate primary and social care - seemed to be just the kind of solution we need locally to
6
I know Upminster residents continue to be concerned about street crime, and I raised concerns in a parliamentary debate about the transport system being used by criminals in other areas to come to the area to target young residents. I attended a summit which brought together key local stakeholders to improve the police and council response to crime. After representations to police, we got patrols stepped up and I shall be meeting our Borough Police Commander soon to talk about the effectiveness of local operations. The consultation on the Lower Thames Crossing has now closed, but I continue to engage closely with their team about how
this new river crossing will affect our area. This month, I hosted a meeting in parliament between the Thames Chase Community Forest and the LTC’s Chief Executive to talk about potential compensatory measures for any land taken from the forest to provide the new link road, and how we might better connect this precious community asset to Upminster and Cranham. I have also met council executives and developer, Wates, to discuss plans to regenerate and rebuild Havering’s housing estates to provide more and better homes for local people. After requests from Upminster residents, I attended the Open Doors World Watch List event in parliament which highlighted the persecution of Christian communities in parts of Nigeria, the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. As ever, if you have a problem you think my team and I can help you with, please drop us a line! Or if you would like to come and have a look around parliament, we can book you in for a complimentary tour. Julia.Lopez.MP@parliament.uk 0207 219 2631 www.julialopez.co.uk Twitter: @julialopezmp House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
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7
#WEAREPRINT PROJECT OF THE MONTH Weddings are an exciting time, so when Laura wanted us to create invitations for her wedding in Malta, we knew we have to pull out all the stops. As you can see, the package that we came up with for her stands out, and is completely in theme with a wedding abroad.
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9
CLLR The CLARENCE BARRETT
Upminster & Cranham Residents’ Association
• Where possible, suspicious emails and details should be forwarded to the HMRC’s phishing team at phishing@ hmrc.gsi.gov.uk • But the Golden Rule is that HMRC will never ask for personal/payment information by text or email, if you are due a refund you will receive a letter.
Tax Refund Scams While many people will be busy completing their self-assessment tax returns which are due by 31st January, so the scammers will be extra busy with a bombardment of tax ‘refund’ emails, texts and phone calls. The messages, ostensibly from HMRC’s personal tax team, inform you of a refund which you’re eligible to receive, usually a precise amount such as £134.52, and will direct you to an external website or to download and fill out a form in order to receive the money. Of course, what they are after are your personal and banking information so they can defraud you. Some helpful tips in recognising and protecting yourself against the scammers: • The emails will often be poorly worded, asking for too much information and urges a quick response (otherwise your refund could be lost). • Double check the email address from where the email the originated, it will not be from a genuine HMRC account. • If you’ve received a voicemail or automated call from ‘HMRC’ claiming legal action is being brought against you for outstanding tax owed, this is a scam and no account should be responded to.
£1m owed by overseas Dartford Crossing
lorries
at
Paying to use the Dartford Crossing has always been a highly contentious subject, but even more contentious is the revelation that, in 2018, 154,502 overseas registered lorries slipped out of the country owing almost £1 million in unpaid tolls. Back in 2014, the physical barriers were removed and a ‘free flow’ payment system introduced, however it seems that some drivers interpret the ‘free-flow’ system to mean just that, free! It should be possible to introduce a system whereby vehicles registered overseas must pay a deposit upon entry into the country and any tolls or fines are deducted from this sum. Any balance, full or partial, would then be credited back via an electronic payment system upon departure.
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Savings Roundup The start of 2019 will undoubtedly see many commit to New Year Resolutions. A recent survey from Inc.com found the following Resolutions to be the most popular: 1. Diet or eat healthier (71%) 2. Exercise more (65%) 3. Lose weight (54%) 4. Save more and spend less (32%) 5. Learn a new skill or hobby (26%) The only surprise to me was that changing job wasn’t in the top five (it was 7th) but diet, exercise and saving money are perennials on many a resolution list. Given this, I’ve pulled together my six savings tips to help you in 2019. 1) Pay off debts first If you have credit cards, store cards, loans, overdrafts or other expensive forms of borrowing then focus on repaying these first. Banking is fundamentally simple – banks make money by lending the savings from savers to borrowers at a higher rate than they pay to savers. Therefore, in the vast majority of cases, lending will cost more than savings. Paying debt off will be more financially rewarding. The only exception to this principle is a mortgage – otherwise, focus on paying off debts first. Pay off the most expensive debt first. I often see people focusing on clearing the smallest debt first but paying off the most expensive will save you more in interest costs in the long term. 2) Saving is a habit – start the habit! Like much in life, savings is a habit, so start forming that habit. One of
14
the best ways to start the saving habit is to set up a regular savings account. Not only that, it is one of the most financially rewarding as interest rates on regular savings are much higher than those on easy access accounts and even five year fixed rate bonds. If you bank with First Direct, HSBC, or M&S, you will get 5% for paying in between £25 - £300 per month. Customers of Nationwide get 5% on sums from £1 - £250 per month Essex based Saffron Building Society pays 3.50% on amounts from £10 £200 per month and accounts can be opened and run in their branches across the county or via post. For those who prefer to bank online, or who want to save smaller sums, Virgin Money pas 3% on amounts from £1 - £250 per month.
switching (and wins almost all banking customer service awards) and gives a free £250 overdraft. Switchers to HSBC’s Advance account get £150 and those moving to M&S get £100 gift card plus another £80 gift card after 1 Year. Halifax pays £50 straight away, £85 after 6 months and £2 per month – so £159 in total by the end of the first year. With the government introduced Current Account Switching Guarantee, your new bank takes care of closing your old account, moving your balance and switching all your payments so you don’t have to worry about transferring all your bills. You even pick your own switch date! Over 4 million have switched so far.
Another great habit is to put a penny away on 1st January and then increase this by a penny every day e.g. 2p on 2nd January, 3p on 3rd January etc. Do this every day by the end of the year and your final contribution of £3.65 will give you a balance of £667.95 for the year (plus any interest that you earn)
4) Check the interest rate on your savings Around 75% of the UK population keep their savings with their current account provider. This is often not the most rewarding place to hold your savings with many of the high street banks paying interest rates of 0.1% to 0.5% on their savings accounts.
3) Maximise your current account It can be a challenge to save at times. However, almost all of us have money in our current account at some stage of the month. Nationwide pays its customers 5% on the first £2,500 held in a current account with them and Tesco Bank pays 3% on sums up to £3,000. This is a great chance to earn money by doing nothing!
The best paying easy access accounts (those which don’t require any notice to get your money out) pay 1.50%. Marcus (part of Goldman Sachs), Virgin Money and West Brom Building Society all pay this rate. Sainsburys Bank pay 1.45% and Essex based banks Ford Money (1.42%) and Shawbrook (1.40%) have been stalwarts of our best buy tables.
Banks will pay you to switch to them. First Direct pays £125 for
In fact, there are a dozen banks paying 1.40% or more on easy
access savings with minimum opening balances from £1, there’s plenty of choice. If your savings aren’t paying you a competitive rate – switch! 5) Buy Premium Bonds instead of Lottery tickets Premium Bonds have an annual prize fund of 1.40% - very competitive compared to the best easy access accounts. They are government backed so 100% safe and you can invest from £100. There’s a prize draw every month with 2 £1m prizes, 5 x £100,000 prizes and a range of prizes down to £25. The great thing about Premium Bonds is, unlike the National Lottery, you get your money back. If you like the chance to win big but want to keep your money, take a look at Premium Bonds. Over £91m of prizes were paid out in December 2018. 6) Make sure your money is protected The government offers a protection scheme which guarantees savers deposits if your financial services provider fails. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects deposits up to £85,000 per person, per bank, building society or credit union and up to £170,000 for joint accounts. 96% of UK savings and current accounts are FSCS protected – for free. If you are unsure whether your savings are covered, there is a handy tool on their website www.fscs.org.uk which will tell you. What are the best rates currently? The savings market does move quickly, so we always recommend that you check our website for the latest rates. At time of print, our best personal savings rates are:
James Blower Founder Savings Guru Ltd
www.thesavings.guru
Terms
Interest Rate
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hello@thesavings.guru
Instant Savings
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Marcus, Virgin Money and West Brom
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Atom, Bank of London & Middle East and Vanquis Bank
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This article is reproduced on our website www.thesavings. guru, with links to all the accounts and providers mentioned. Good luck with your New Year Resolutions and have a great month.
15
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Thames Chase volunteers help
Terms & Conditions: Deal valid on Friday & Saturday evenings only. Upon booking you will be required to pay for the offer in full, schoolchildren create an outdoor this payment is non-refundable. This deal cannotlearning be usedgarden. in conjunction with any other offer. The Thames Chase Conservation Volunteers are supporting a number of projects throughout the Thames Chase Community Forest. At present the teams are working with schools to provide learning opportunities about the natural world close to their classrooms.
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS NEEDED
THAMES CHASE VOLUNTEERS HELP SCHOOLCHILDREN CREATE AN OUTDOOR LEARNING GARDEN.
A recent project was at Drapers Maylands School in Harold Hill, where over the course of four days our Thames Chase Conservation Volunteers delivered an exciting project creating a fantastic outdoor learning area within the school grounds. This was facilitated through a Community Action Fund grant from a Heritage Lottery Grant under an extensive project entitled ‘The Land of the Fanns’
ThetheThames Chase Conservation The school children helped teams of volunteers over four days to transform the area. AVolunteers wildlife pond was hand dug with spades, linedhelp and a are supporting Thames Chase volunteers Thames Chase volunteers help Thames Chase volunteers help filled with water. A pond dipping platform designed and throughout constructed schoolchildren create an number of was projects schoolchildren create anoutdoor outdoor schoolchildren create an outdoor and safety fencing wasthe built around the pond and platform. Community Hand crafted learning garden. Thames Chase learning garden. learning garden. benches and a table were built and installed by the volunteers. Forest. At present teams are The Conservation Volunteers are aanumber TheThames ThamesChase Chase Conservation Volunteersthe aresupporting supporting numberof of The Thames Chase Conservation Volunteers are supporting a number of projects the Chase At projectsthroughout throughoutwith theThames Thamesschools ChaseCommunity CommunityForest. Forest.provide Atpresent presentthe the working to
Would you like to write in our magazine?
projects throughout the Thames Chase Community Forest. At present the The school children and their watched in delight as theopportunities area was about teams are working schools teams areteachers workingwith with schoolsto toprovide providelearning learning opportunities about teams are working with schools to provide learning opportunities about learning opportunities the world tototheir transformed into a haven for wildlife. Some children had a practiseabout at pond thenatural natural worldclose close theirclassrooms. classrooms. the natural world close to their classrooms. natural world close toHill, where dipping although it willthe a little while until the wildlife moves in.Harold Abe recent project was atatDrapers Maylands School inin A recent project was Drapers Maylands School Harold Hill, where A recent project was at Drapers Maylands School in Harold Hill, where classrooms. However, they were their happy just catching leaves in Chase their nets and Volunteers over course ofoffour days Thames overthe the course fourfallen daysour our Thames ChaseConservation Conservation Volunteers over the course of four days our Thames Chase Conservation Volunteers ananexciting creating delivered exciting project creating outdoor learningarea area learning about some ofdelivered the animals thatproject will soon liveaaafantastic infantastic theiroutdoor pond. learning delivered an exciting project creating fantastic outdoor learning area within the school grounds. This was facilitated through a Community
withinthe theschool schoolgrounds. grounds.This Thiswas wasfacilitated facilitated through through aa Community Community within A recent project at Action Fund a aHeritage Grant an Action Fundgrant grantfrom from HeritageLottery Lotterywas Grantunder under anextensive extensive Action Fund grant from a Heritage Lottery Grant under an extensive
The children also helped with planting up the many aquatic plants in Do you have a subject that you baskets for the pond Drapers (kindly donated byMaylands Latchford Aquatics,School Upminster) in grown Harold Hill, where over and planted some locally native trees around the pond area. think needs to be heard? the course of four days our project the projectentitled entitled‘The ‘TheLand Landof theFanns’ Fanns’ project entitled ‘The Land ofofthe Fanns’
The volunteers Theschool schoolchildren childrenhelped helpedthe theteams teamsof volunteersover overfour fourdays daysto to The school children helped the teams ofofvolunteers over four days to transform transformthe thearea. area.AAAwildlife wildlifepond pondwas washand handdug dugwith withspades, spades,lined linedand and transform the area. wildlife pond was hand dug with spades, lined and filled filledwith withwater. water.AApond ponddipping dippingplatform platformwas wasdesigned designedand andconstructed constructed filled with water. A pond dipping platform was designed and constructed having planting trees asand part offencing afencing Community Forest Project, forHand safety was the pond platform. and safety wasbuilt builtaround around the pondand andTrees platform. Handcrafted crafted and safety fencing was built around the pond and platform. Hand crafted Learning, funded by thebenches Department for Environment, Food and Rural and were built bybythe volunteers. benches anda atable table were builtand andinstalled installed the volunteers. benches and a table were built and installed by the volunteers.
Thames Chase Conservation
Volunteers delivered an We would love to hear from you! Affairs the children are very happy to take care of the creating area and look exciting project a
Theschool schoolchildren childrenand andtheir theirteachers teacherswatched watchedinindelight delightasasthe thearea areawas was The
The school children their teachersprogramme. watched in delight as the area was forward to using it regularly as part of and their learning transformed into a haven for wildlife. Some children had a practise at pond
transformed into a haven for wildlife. Some children had a practise atarea pond fantastic outdoor learning transformed into a haven for wildlife. Some children had a practise at pond dippingalthough althoughititwill willbebea alittle littlewhile whileuntil untilthe thewildlife wildlifemoves movesin. in. dipping dipping althoughthe it will be school a work little while until Thames the wildlife moves in. within grounds. Projects such as this are fundamental tohappy the of the However, theywere were happy justcatching catching fallenleaves leavesininChase theirnets netsand and However, they just fallen their
Please contact for more information
However, they were happy just catching fallen leaves in their nets and
Trust, who manage thelearning Community Forest arethat hugely grateful to the learning aboutsome some theand animals that willsoon soon liveinintheir their pond. about ofofthe animals will live pond. learning about some of the animals that will soon live in their pond. fantastic teams of volunteers and would their leader, Becky Gibson, who yet plants againin IfTheTheyou like help with childrenalso alsohelped helpedwith withplanting plantingupup themany manyaquatic aquatic children the plantsa in The children also helped with planting up the many aquatic plants in demonstrate their excellent skills, and workone on another basketsfor forthe theknowledge pond (kindlydonated donated byLatchford Latchford Aquatics, Upminster) baskets pond (kindly by Aquatics, Upminster) project such asteam the above baskets for the pond (kindly donated by Latchford Aquatics, Upminster) andplanted plantedsome somelocally locallygrown grownnative nativetrees treesaround aroundthe thepond pondarea. area. very successful project.and and planted some locally grown native trees around the pond area.
or would like your school to
be involved in the ‘Trees for If you are interest in joining our army of volunteers working throughout admin@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk
havingplanting plantingtrees treesasaspart partofofa aCommunity CommunityForest ForestProject, Project,Trees Treesfor for having having planting trees as part of a Community Forest Project, Trees for Learning, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Learning, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural the Forest or at the Forest Centre, get in touch. (Email below) Learning, funded please by theProject, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Learning’ please email Affairs the children are very happy to take care of the area and look Affairs the children are very happy to take care of the area and look
Affairs the children are very happy to take care of the area and look forwardtotousing usingititregularly regularlyasaspart partofoftheir theirlearning learningprogramme. programme. enquiries@thameschase.org.uk forward
forward to using itsuch regularly as part of above their learning programme. If you would like help with a project as the one or would like Projects suchas‘Trees asthis thisare arefundamental fundamental thework workofplease ofthe theThames Thames Chase Projects totothe your school to be involved insuch the Learning’ emailChase Projects such as this arefor fundamental to Project, the work of the Thames Chase Trust,who whomanage managethe theCommunity CommunityForest Forestand andare arehugely hugelygrateful gratefulto tothe the Trust, enquiries@thameschase.org.uk Trust, whoteams manage the Community Forest andBecky are hugely grateful fantastic of volunteers and their leader, Gibson, who to yetthe again
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The school 17 ch transform the
fantastic teams of volunteers and their leader, Becky Gibson, who yet again fantastic teamstheir of volunteers and leader, Becky Gibson, who yet again PLEASE MENTION AROUND TOWN MAGAZINE WHEN RESPONDING TO ADVERTS demonstrate excellent skills,their knowledge andteam team workon on another demonstrate their excellent skills, knowledge and work another demonstrate their excellent skills, knowledge and team work on another verysuccessful successfulproject. project. very very successful project. If you are interest in joining our army of volunteers working throughout
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ITS OK CAMPAIGN The Story of Dawn Wood - It’s OK Campaign Founder
D
o you know what the hardest thing about this journey is, that you can’t explain to people why you feel the way you do. It’s hard to tell someone, anyone that you can’t cope, that you need help, that you feel alone, even as far as to say that you don’t want to be here anymore. Even when you have the most amazing people around you. That’s the hardest, because to everyone else, you have everything, but inside you feel you have nothing. When you don’t understand what is going on in your own head, how are you possibly meant to make someone else understand? I started suffering with my mental health when my mum and dad broke up. Now this was years ago, I was 21 and people would think you would be old enough to understand it. But I wasn’t. I struggled for years and years. Counselling, doctors appointments and a ton of medications later I started feeling relatively back to “normal” years go by and I think life is going great!! Then 2017 arrived. I had to watch my brother and his girlfriend go through their toughest time losing their baby boy, then have to explain to their 5 year old son why his baby brother wasn’t coming home. My cousin then attempted suicide... Weeks later my relationship broke down after 10 long years together. I lost my boyfriend and best friend in one day. My ride or die... A break up is bad enough but having already been through a tough few weeks I just couldn’t cope anymore. I shut out all my friends and family. My closest most loyal friends became strangers. I was signed off from work with severe depression and anxiety. Anxious that everyone was talking about me and my break up. Not wanting to be out where someone could see me and ask how I was or how my “boyfriend” was then having to explain everything. It was just too much. I spent all my time with one friend and her absolutely amazing family, every single day for almost 6 months. Barely leaving my house unless it was to go there or to the doctors. I lost 3 stone in weight, my hair fell out, skin was terrible and my IBD was the worst it had ever been. I felt so alone, so betrayed and scared. Now being 29 years old (at the time) and having already been in a relationship for 10 years I thought my life was
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planned out. Living with my boyfriend, kids and a lovely house with a dog! Instead I was 29, newly single, depressed with almost every single friend of mine pregnant (all absolutely gorgeous babies may I add) this in itself was a struggle and looking back now probably some of the hardest conversations I’ve probably ever had to have with my friends. Regardless of how I was feeling inside, I was so happy by the news they shared one by one. Even if my face didn’t look like it. Anyway I could go on and on but I won’t - countless doctors appointments, tons of counseling, meds and the odd tantrum I started feeling back to myself beginning of this year. It’s taken me over a year to finally feel like me again and although I hate the thought of taking tablets to help me the truth is if I had a issue with my liver or kidney I wouldn’t refuse medication because I know I need it - therefore I just need to remember that my brain needs this medication. I’m lucky that I am now strong enough to openly talk about my past experiences, hoping that I can help someone at some point in the future. I’ve started university this year to study psychology, I have a great job that’s allowed me to go on all types of mental health training, I’m running a work stream with an amazing colleague of mine (that’s helped me through the last 12-14 months) to promote physical and mental wellbeing within the corporate workplace. I have amazing friends and their gorgeous babies, the best work colleagues a girl could ask for and so much to look forward to over the next 18 months. Weddings, more babies and uni. So with that in mind, please reach out to someone, anyone of you ever feel down, depressed or anxious. To everyone else, be careful what you say to people. What you see their lives to be may not be the full picture. People only let you see what they want you to. The rest is their secret. Be mindful of how to talk to someone, you just don’t know what they might be going through. Tough times don’t last, tough people do. #mentalhealthawareness #1in4
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The Big Orange Quiz will be presented by the BBC’s Eggheads
Music round hosted by Steve Davis
Friday 22nd March 2019 The City Pavilion, Collier Row Rd, Romford, RM5 2BH Entry from 6.30pm. Quiz at 7.15pm. £12 per person (or £15 includes £3 donation) £135 table of 12 (or £155 includes £20 donation) Please bring your own food and drink.
Visit www.sfh.org.uk/big-orange-quiz Search Saint Francis Hospice Saint Francis Hospice is a registered charity, number 275913.
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ACS Dance Centre Ballroom dancing weekly class to learn something new, have fun and get fit! Beginners welcome Fridays 7.30-8.30pm at ACS Dance Club, 66 Albert Road, RM1 2PP. Experienced dancers Tuesdays 8.30pm or Mondays 8.30pm- please Call Diana 01708 783576 for details Basildon & District Rambling Club The group meets every Saturday at 2.00pm. The Saturday walks are 4-5 miles with a rest halfway, we have some longer walks on other days. New members are welcome and membership is only £6 per year which includes all walks. See our website www. basildonanddistrict ramblingclub.btck.co.uk for full details Cranham Art Society If you would like to join a friendly Art Club why not give us a try. We meet every Tuesday in Cranham Community Centre in Marlborough Gardens every Tuesday between 10am & noon. Whatever your standard you will be made welcome. Ring Gordon Setter on 01708 225612 for more information.
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Cranham Community Library Come along to our new style Library at Cranham Community Centre in Marlborough Gardens. We have a great range of jigsaws and fiction books to borrow. We are open Tuesday to Friday 10.00 to 12.00 and Monday 1.30 to 3.30. Volunteers wanted ring Janet 01708 222665 for information. Cranham Over 60s Club Covers Upminster and Cranham. Every Thursday 1’00pm ‘till 3.00pm. Cranham Social Centre. Good company, tea and biscuits, entertainment, dancing free raffle, bingo. Car parking at the rear. Access for the disabled. All welcomed. £4.00 each. Just turn up, or ring 0208 5935 625.
Working Parties meet for a couple of hours, at 10 a.m., on the second Wednesday of every month. If you would like to join us please visit our website, www.friendsofparklands.org. uk, for further information, or email our Working Party Organiser, Andy Brett, at: upminsterbrett@gmail.com Friends Of Upminster Mini Golf Course We are a recently formed group with the aims of promoting the Mini Golf Course in Hall Lane, Upminster and working in partnership with Havering Council to improve amenities and to encourage people of all ages to participate at the course. Find us on Facebook. Why not come and give it a go. Equipment is supplied and the course suits all abilities from novices to experienced golfers looking to improve their short game.
Friends of Parklands The aim of our “Friends” Group is to maintain Parklands Open Space as a pleasant place to walk and relax, surrounded by a natural environment.
More information on the Councils website: www.havering.gov.uk/Pages/ ServiceChild/Hall-Lanegolf-course.
We arrange Working Parties to keep Parklands tidy and to help control any excessive overgrowth. The
Friends of Upminster Windmill Volunteers are sought to help us develop and maintain
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an attractive garden area around the new visitor centre at Upminster Windmill. Our small friendly group meets on Tuesdays. If you would like to help email info@upminsterwindmill.org or enquire at the site on a Tuesday. ‘Gone Too Soon’ 18th February Bereavement Support for Parents who have lost a Son or Daughter, all ages. Monthly meetings are held on the third Monday of each month, at Reids, 66-68 Laindon Road, Billericay CM12 9LD from 7.00 p.m,. – 9.00 p.m. There is ample free parking. For further details please contact Lyn on 07387 805406 or email lyn-currie@hotmail.co.uk Greenfingers Gardening Club We are a friendly group and meet at the Cranham Community Centre, Marlborough Gardens, Cranham. 7.30pm First Monday of the month, but if this falls on a Bank Holiday we meet on the following Monday. No meetings in January or August. Horticultural speakers, raffle and free refreshments. Come & join us you will be
very welcome. Info from Sheila Woodrow 01708 228752 Havering Museum The Museum tells the remarkable story of Havering from pre-history to the present day and celebrates the achievements of local people while exploring how the areas that make up the Borough were formed and developed. Currently exhibiting; Titanic - Honour and Glory. It tells the story of the Titanic disaster through artefacts and includes stories from local people, who have a connection to the ship. We also have various family events, talks and events on throughout the year. See website for details www.haveringmuseum.org.uk or phone 01708 766571 Registered charity no109376 Learn, Laugh and Live! Havering U3A meets at 2:30pm second Wednesday of the month at St. Michael’s Church Hall, Main Road, Gidea Park. Interest groups run throughout the month. Doors open 2:15pm. For more information come along or see our website. www.u3asites.org.uk/havering
Pilates for a Healthier Spine Experienced Sports & Remedial Massage Therapists Charlene & Neil Carpenter teach traditional Pilates in private sessions and also to small groups in Upminster & Cranham. For further information or to book a course or trial class please visit www. upminstersportsmassage. co.uk or call Charlene on 07411 826721, or email upminstersportsmassage@ gmail.com Upminster and District Probus Club Retired with free time during the week - Upminster and District Probus Club. Luncheon club, with talks and outings, for retired men, covering art, crime, gardening, history, music, sport and transport etc. Meet on the last Wednesday of the month at the Cranleigh Restaurant, Hornchurch. Outings planned 2018: Chelmer Cruise, Bressingham Gardens, The Peoples Post and Kentish Curios. Secretary: Barry on 01708 703783 secretary@upminsterprobus.co www.upminsterprobus.com
If you would like to promote your club or event for Jan/Feb then please email a maximum of 70 words to:
admin@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk Please ensure that all contact details are included. PLEASE MENTION AROUND TOWN MAGAZINE WHEN RESPONDING TO ADVERTS
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Your Stove is waiting for you! Photo for illustration purposes only