News centre

Christmas Day Dinner Richmond need your help

The volunteers behind the Christmas Day Dinner in Richmond are kindly asking for gift donations to fill 50 stockings for young adults aged 18 to 25 from across the borough who have recently left the care system.

Presents for the guests can be dropped off at Positive, Willoughby House, 439 Richmond Road, TW1 2AG on Friday 14 December between 9.30am and 5pm. 

View the wishlist on Amazon and find out how you can get involved and make this Christmas a special one to remember.

Find out more

Former Mayor raises over £33,000 for charity

The Former Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Lisa Blakemore, presented her three Mayoral charities with cheques yesterday.

A total of £33,241 was raised at the Mayor’s events, with the funds being evenly distributed between Cavernoma Alliance UK, Me too & Co and Off The Record Twickenham.

Find out more

Christmas pop-up at the ETNA Community Centre

On Monday 17 December the Real Junk Food Project in Twickenham will be hosting a special Christmas themed pop-up cafe. Wear your best (or worst) Christmas jumper and be in the running to win a prize!

The cafe will open from 12.30 to 2.30pm at the ETNA Centre, 13 Rosslyn Road, Twickenham TW1 2AR.

Find out more

Book your Christmas moonlight swim

Tickets are selling fast to the Hampton Pool Christmas moonlight swim. Enjoy a swim under the night sky and amongst the festive lights on Friday 21 and Friday 28 December from 10pm to midnight. Seasonal drinks and snacks are also available for purchase.

The two hour session costs £8.50 per adult and £4.25 per child. Booking is essential, please call 020 8255 1116.

Find out more

Borough’s parks provide highest levels of satisfaction

The latest Good Parks for London report notes that on the basis of the Council’s Park Satisfaction survey, 96% of the borough’s residents are satisfied with our parks.

We also scored very highly in the ‘supporting nature’ category which indicates commitment to preserving local wildlife and biodiversity.

This also comes in the year when North Sheen Recreation Ground became the eighteenth of the borough’s Parks to be awarded a Green Flag.

Find out more

Pupils make a pound go a long way for charity

Year Six students at St Mary’s and St Peter’s School have used their business brains to raise £3,000 for charity.

Students were each given £1 by their teacher and were told to put together a plan that would make their money grow over the term. The children came back with over £3,000 from ventures including gardening and leaf clearing, cake making and dog walking.

All the money raised was donated to Over the Wall, a charity which runs adventure holiday breaks for young people with serious illnesses or health conditions and their families.

Find out more

Age UK Richmond welfare benefits

You may be eligible to apply for the Barnes Workhouse Fund to receive a Tesco Gift Card for £50 or up to £200 towards the cost of your utility bills.

If you receive Housing Benefit, Guaranteed Pension Credit, Pension Credit, Council Tax Benefit or if you are struggling with your bills, contact Age UK Richmond Welfare Benefits Team for further information on 020 8878 3073.

Find out more

Students graduate from NCS Term Time Programme

Students from Richmond upon Thames College took part in the National Citizen Service Term Time Programme for 15 to 17 year olds. The programme included a four day residential trip to Devon and students worked in two teams to support community social action projects.

One team raised £120 towards the Community Kitchen project at the ETNA Community Centre in Twickenham. The second team packed bags in a local Sainsbury’s store and raised over £450 for SPEAR, a local charity supporting people experiencing homelessness in South and West London. 

Find out more

Helping those in need this Christmas

Richmond based business Econocom are supporting two Birmingham City Mission’s charity programmes, helping those in need.

Staff have collected food, toys, household and clothing items since mid November and already have eight black bags of donations for both charities.

The charity gives out over 200 food parcels a month to individuals who struggle to make ends meet and also provide gifts to around 3,000 children in the city with its Toy-Link appeal.

Find out more

Christmas Eve lunch for lonely and isolated residents

Older residents who might be alone this Christmas can apply to attend a Christmas Eve lunch hosted by the Mayor.

The event is sponsored by Radfield Home Care and Cllr Ben Khosa, who is hosting the event, appealing to local businesses to come forward and donate small gifts to give to the attendees.

Spaces at the event are limited. Tickets cost £7 and booking is essential.

Find out more

Authentic French market in Twickenham

Come and enjoy the festive fun at the Christmas French market in Church Street, on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 December.

This is a great place to pick up last minute Christmas presents and enjoy the authentic French street food with live music all day from local bands on Saturday.

Find out more

Civic Pride grant supporting local dance project

Local dance group Combination Dance have been awarded a £4,975 Civic Pride Grant to help develop a dance project marking 100 years of suffrage and the end of the World War I.

The group will create a dynamic dance involving professional dancers, dance students from Roehampton University and a women’s community group which will be performed at various locations around the borough.

Find out more

Christmas social at Twickenham Library

Are you aged over 65 years and interested in socialising in an informal and friendly setting? Do you enjoy sharing memories and stories with others?

Come to Twickenham Library on Friday 14 December from 11am for the Christmas themed edition of the monthly Reminiscence Cafe and celebrate the festive season with mince pies, joyful activites & songs and a friendly chat.

To book a place visit Twickenham Library or call 020 8734 3340.

Find out more

New litter-pick scheme to reduce plastic entering the Thames

South West London Environment Network and BeRichmond are making it easier for Richmond residents to keep the towpath tidy and reduce the amount of plastic entering the Thames with #2minutelitterpick. Locals can quickly and easily get hold of the equipment they need to run a litter-pick with the support of The White Cross and The Bingham.

To take part, look out for an A-board outside either business with litter pickers and a roll of rubbish bags attached. Simply take the pickers, fill the bags, bin them and then return the pickers to the board.

Find out more

Christmas lights in Richmond

An estimated 2,000 people enjoyed an evening of festive entertainment and fireworks in Richmond on Thursday 22 November to mark the switching on of the 2018 Christmas lights.

The lights, the entertainment and the fireworks were funded by Be Richmond (the brand ‘persona’ of Richmond BID), an alliance of businesses in Richmond town centre. Watch the highlights video from the night.

Find out more

Help the Mayor spread some Christmas joy this year

The Mayor of Richmond is inviting residents to get into the spirit of Christmas by joining him at an Evening of Festive Music to support his chosen charity, Refuge.

Featuring the Band of the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall and the Royal Logistic Corps, the event will take place at Clarendon Hall, York House from 8pm on Tuesday 11 December. Tickets cost £17.50 (£15 for concessions). 

Find out more

RuTC students receive prestigious Jack Petchey Award

During the last week of November, three Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC) students were awarded a Jack Petchey Award at the annual ceremony held at The Rose Theatre in Kingston.

The Jack Petchey award initiative recognises outstanding young people between the ages of 11 and 25 throughout London and Essex and allows students and staff to celebrate their efforts, endeavours and achievements.

Winners were presented with the awards by The Mayor of Richmond, Cllr Ben Khosa.

Find out more

Be a good neighbour this Christmas

We are encouraging residents to be a good neighbour this Christmas and check on the wellbeing of older people in their communities who live alone. 

There are a few simple ways you can help keep your elderly neighbours safe this festive season, such as catching up over a cuppa, inviting them around for dinner or even helping to set up their Christmas decorations.

Find out more

Happy International Volunteer Day!

Today is International Volunteers Day and we would like to thank all of the wonderful volunteers across the borough who make a difference to our community.

Richmond upon Thames has a thriving and vibrant voluntary sector with over 800 local voluntary organisations providing services and activities that enrich our community.

Whether you're an organisation looking for volunteers, or want to find an opportunity yourself, find out how the Richmond Council for Voluntary Service can help!

Find out more

Mayor and Leader select young artists for Christmas cards

Six young budding artists from primary schools across the borough have been picked as the designers of the Mayor’s and Leader of the Council’s annual Christmas cards.

Over 400 children from across the borough submitted their designs for the competition. All the winners and runner ups attended a thank-you tea party with the Mayor and Leader, where the winning designs were turned into official civic Christmas cards.

Find out more