News centre

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.

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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.

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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). 

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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.

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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.

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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!

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Mayor’s Asian celebration raises £2,800 for Refuge

Eighty guests joined the Mayor for an Asian Celebration last week to raise money for Refuge.

The delicious Indian meal took place at Twickenham’s newest Asian restaurant, Panas. A performance by Bollywood dancers helped to put everyone in a giving mood, as they raised over £2,800.

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The only way is up at the Landmark

Changing light bulbs in their magnificent, but enormous, building has always been an expensive challenge for arts charity the Landmark Arts Centre. Thanks to wonderful community support for two fundraising events and a generous private donation last week, the Landmark team took delivery of an access lift.

This will enable safe access by trained staff and contractors up to 11 metres - enough to change the light bulbs, service the heating and even do the dusting!

Have a very Mayorly Christmas

Join one of the Mayor's magical fundraising activities taking place this month. 

The annual Mayor's Christmas concert will be taking place on Tuesday 11 December at Clarendon Hall Twickenham, featuring musicians from the Royal Military School of Music (Kneller Hall). Doors open at 7.30pm and the performance starts at 8pm.

Beauty and the Beast will be screened at the Exchange in Twickenham on Saturday 15 December. Free face painting will be available from 10am and there will be a prize for the best fancy dress.

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Struggling to pay your fuel bills?

If you are on benefits or have a low income you may be eligible for help with heating bills. Grants of up to £85 per household are now available, to protect residents who are at risk from living in fuel poverty.

The deadline for applications is 1 March 2019. Please note, applications received after the closing date will not be processed. Successful applicants will not be notified of the outcome until after the closing date.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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Have your say on the future of our transport

The new Local Implementation Plan (LIP) outlines how we intend to deliver the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy in Richmond upon Thames.

We will work towards making our streets cleaner, greener, safer and healthier for everyone who uses them so that more people choose to make journeys on foot, by bicycle or on public transport.

Have your say on the plan before Friday 11 January 2019.

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Don’t fall victim to scams this Christmas

It may be the season of goodwill but fraudsters are working overtime at Christmas. To help residents spot the scams and not fall prey to the criminals, we have come up with a 12 scams of Christmas list.

Shoppers must look out for bogus charities, fake online gift cards and be cautious of telephone calls from scammers or con-artists. The 12 scams of Christmas list includes information on subscription traps, bogus charities, loan scams as well as phishing emails.

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Work to start on new footbridge in Barnes

We are partnering with Network Rail to fund a new footbridge over White Hart Lane level crossing in Barnes. The project will see construction run from 3 December 2018 until mid April 2019 with most of the work taking place between 7.30am and 6pm Monday to Friday.

For safety reasons some work will require the train line to be blocked as well as lane and road closures over some nights and weekends. Any disruption will be communicated to residents closer to the time.

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Local artists help those affected by homelessness

Vineyard Editions is a local art initiative that aims to help make a difference for people affected by homelessness. 100% of funds raised go directly to Richmond’s Vineyard Community Centre, a charity that works to meet the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable in our area.

Six renowned local artists are supporting the effort, each donating a unique, signed, limited edition piece of art that you can buy now at a fraction of their usual price.

In keeping with the local focus, the prints are all of Richmond scenes.

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