HEALTHIER LIVES COUNCIL NEWS COMMUNITY NEWS Can you say Get fit outdoors Enter our photo #IHadMyJab? this summer competition SEE PAGE 6 SEE PAGE 29 SEE PAGE 31 ISSUE TWENTY-ONE// JUNE 2021 Businesses bounce back Shoppers return to our high streets – see pages 20-21 An exceptional school for 14-19 year olds JOIN US YEAR 10 PLACES AVAILABLE forSeptember 2021 As a Year 10 student at Mulberry UTC, you will study: CORE CURRICULUM YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE: + English + Outstanding pastoral care + Maths + A peer transition mentor + Science + Careers Information, Advice + Humanities and Guidance SPECIALIST TECHNICAL + Independent study time CURRICULUM + High quality enrichment opportunities + Creative and Digital Media + Access to the Mulberry STEM Academy + Performing Arts in partnership with Mercedes-Benz + Health and Social Care Grand Prix Ltd + Business Studies Visit our dedicated Year 10 page for more Apply now information about our exciting offer. SCAN ME www.mulberryutc.org g 64 Parnell Road London E3 2RU A 0203 137 7024 m [email protected] mulberry_UTC MulberryUTC 2 // Our EastEnd JUNE 2021 // NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY As summer approaches and the Covid vaccine is being 4-7 // Healthier lives 25-26 // Arts & events rolled out, we have reason to be upbeat. We must still Regular testing protects everyone, Return of In the Neighbourhood and be cautious as new variants remain of concern and not roadmap out of lockdown, Covid All Points East, celebrating Bangladesh everyone has been fully vaccinated. Getting vaccinated as champion spreads vaccine word, can at 50, what’s on. you say #IHadMyJab?, losing that soon as you are asked and having regular tests is the best 27 // Council news way to protect our community. lockdown weight. Delivery of laptops, return of arts and During the pandemic we’ve had to change the way we 11 // Housing cultural businesses, £90,000 cultural deliver services and refocus on helping those who are New council homes unveiled as grant for Wentworth Street. vulnerable – from assisting those shielding, to delivering ‘Altab Ali House’, empty garages emergency food aid and PPE, and setting up a vaccine transformed into new 29 // Council news hotline. We have gone the extra mile. council homes, borough New playgrounds and sport partnership column. facilities for a great time We are now able to resume some of the services you rely on outdoors this summer. but, in some cases, this will take time. 12-13 // Celebrating Over the summer we’ll be running a summer activity our borough 30-31// programme for our young people. We’ve invested in new The show must go on. Community news facilities in our parks and planted over 600 trees. Our Poplar Rates Rebellion council-funded police and our enforcement officers will be 14-15// Council and Will Crooks out and about to keep our streets safer. news anniversaries, bench tribute, it’s competition time, As things return to some degree of normality, we’ll 84,000 vote in May 2021 polls, nominations sought for the the health tree, lobby on support our businesses that have been hit hard by the borough’s highest honour, pledge to fire safety. lockdowns and continue to promote and enhance our become an anti-racist borough. local high streets. We’ll also be continuing our WorkPath 32-33 // Young people and and Kickstart programmes to get people into training and 16-17 // Clean & green families work as we focus on ensuring our borough bounces back Did you see the ‘Living Car’?, traffic-free strongly from the pandemic. Starting a new school, all good things boost for Brick Lane, safer streets for must come to an end, teacher tackling We want to build on new ways of working. Our Every Child schoolchildren on the Isle of Dogs. vaccine hesitancy, social workers in Online campaign to provide laptops to schools and students schools, Dizzie’s creative workshop. will help to both tackle the ‘digital divide’ and ensure our 18 // Safer Together young people have the best start in life. New rules to tackle anti-social 36-37 // Harmony behaviour, mums urge Council news in Bengali I’m very proud of the way our community Londoners to call with info and Somali. has pulled together through this crisis. I on knife crime. intend that we’ll not just do all we can to 38-39// History recover, but be stronger and better than 20-21 // Jobs & It starts with a spark. before. economy Stay safe. Businesses bounce back, 40-41 // Know Pivot Project business your council As ever, you can get in touch wins award, give your Contact details for the mayor with me by emailing career a Kickstart. [email protected] or and councillors. calling 020 7364 4000. 22-24 // Walk with 42-43 // Useful information John Biggs, Graham Barker Council news, meeting dates and how Mayor of Tower Hamlets Spitalfields re-awakens. to get in touch. Our East End is produced by: Tower Hamlets Council Sign-up to Facebook Editorial enquiries: 020 7364 4389 Tower Hamlets news /Towerhamletscouncil Email: [email protected] Twitter Find out what’s on, get Tower Hamlets Advertising enquiries: 020 7364 6005 news, take part in competitions and receive @TowerHamletsNow Printed by: Reach Printing Services local offers straight into your inbox! Instagram Distributed by: London Letterbox Marketing Visit www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/signup @TowerHamletsNow // 2021 JUNE Our EastEnd // 3 Regular testing protects everyone – play your part HEALTHIER LIVES all coming into contact with more people, so regular testing is even more important going forward. People can Everyone should take rapid One simple action we can all take to still catch Covid-19 and pass it onto Covid-19 tests twice a week. continue to protect ourselves and others, even when vaccinated, so others is getting regular Covid-19 tests. everyone needs to test. Testing finds cases of Covid-19 and Recently, a small number of variants Small, portable and can be done from home stops further spread because people of concern were identified in Tower can self-isolate when they know they Hamlets. These variants were first Fast results and safe are positive. identified in Brazil and South Africa. As social restrictions ease, we are While variants of concern are not more harmful, but they may be more Can detect if someone might be carrying the virus Remember: easily spread or respond differently • If you have symptoms to vaccines. Testing helps us learn more about new variants, as well of Covid-19, take a test One in three people with Covid-19 show no symptoms. immediately as reducing, or even stopping, their • If you do not have spread. symptoms of Covid-19 take Everyone is encouraged to take and places people can pick up kits to If you do not have internet access, you regular tests, ideally twice a regular Covid-19 tests – whether test at home. can contact our dedicated helpline on symptomatic or not. There are a wide All information about testing week with at least three days 020 7364 3030 (Monday to Friday, between each test range of testing options available in and options is available online at Tower Hamlets, including testing sites www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/gettested. 9am – 5pm). Moving through the roadmap out of lockdown As we continue to move through the as groups of six or two households Hamlets, said: “We continue to see family, friends and our community.” government’s lockdown roadmap, we and enjoy indoor hospitality such as light at the end of the tunnel, but With the next stage approaching no are all enjoying the gradual lifting of restaurants and bars. As with each everyone must remain cautious and earlier than 21 June, everyone should social restrictions. stage of the roadmap, every step must continue to play their part in stopping keep up to date with Covid-19 advice On 17 May we reached the next be taken safely and is reliant on low the spread of Covid-19. This means stage of the roadmap and can now do case numbers and monitoring of any regular testing and getting vaccinated and restrictions as advice can change things like meet outdoors in groups variants of the virus. when eligible, both of which can help quickly. For information visit www. of up to 30 people, meet indoors John Biggs, Mayor of Tower protect individuals along with their towerhamlets.gov.uk/coronavirus. Tower Hamlets has one of the lowest Covid-19 testing rates in London and we need your help to change it. Please take up regular testing and keep Tower Hamlets safe. www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/gettested 4 // Our EastEnd JUNE 2021 // Covid champion gets creative to spread vaccine word With over 400 members, our growing appointment – using space on the Covid-19 Champions programme is advertising boards of the borough’s a fantastic community-led network iconic Genesis cinema. The Covid- where residents work with the council buster slogan, which takes inspiration to help us spread messages around from a famous blockbuster film, Covid, including current restrictions, was the work of Rachel and her son testing and vaccines. Along with David. It is just one example of how weekly meetings, the group also attend our fantastic champions work with virtual coffee mornings to share ideas and help us keep our community safe. us to suggest fresh, unique ideas that Recently, one of our champions, can really reach our residents out and Rachel, suggested a novel and about in Tower Hamlets. innovative way to help encourage So, who you gonna call if you’re people to book their vaccine eligible for the vaccine? 119! Matt, manager at Genesis Cinema and Rachel, a Covid Champion Join the thousands of residents already vaccinated Over 125,000 residents in Tower • Cable Street Surgery, 445 Cable by calling 119.