Sutton Community Farm and Sutton Council are serving up a treat this summer – a range of great People’s Kitchen pop-up stalls will be appearing across the borough and bring people together to celebrate great food.

The pop-up stalls will offer activities including cooking demonstrations, food tasting, recipe cards, and games and activities, as well as tips on growing food and healthy living.

The summer schedule starts on Saturday 18 June at the Sutton Farmers’ and Artisan Market on Sutton High Street.

Cllr Colin Stears, Head of the Adult Social Services & Health Committee, said:

“Last year’s People’s Kitchen events proved an overwhelming success with nearly 600 residents taking part in cooking demos over eight roadshow events. I’m really proud to see that the People’s Kitchen is back for 2016. I hope we can beat last year’s impressive figures and reach even more Sutton residents with our message that eating healthily needn’t be a chore and it needn’t be expensive – we can all look at ways to cook healthy meals on a reasonable budget.”

The full line-up of People’s Kitchen pop-up events during summer 2016 and information about the great work the Sutton Community Farm does is on the Sutton People’s Kitchen website.

Veryan Wilkie-Jones, Project Manager of Sutton People’s Kitchen at Sutton Community Farm, said:

“The People’s Kitchen project is one of our highlights of our year here at Sutton Community Farm. It’s a great chance to get out and about and spread our healthy-eating message far and wide across the borough. Last year was fantastic and this year is set to be even better. We look forward to meeting lots of Sutton residents at our pop-up stalls.”

Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council, has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Local Government and London in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Cllr Dombey, who has been Leader since 2012 and a Sutton councillor since 2002, said:

“This is a great honour – I’m really pleased. It’s a recognition for everyone in Sutton who is working so hard to provide vital council services.

“Our borough is a wonderful place to live, work and bring up a family – I’m honoured to be part of it.”

Niall Bolger, Chief Executive of Sutton Council, said:

“We are delighted that Ruth has been recognised for her hard work for the council, for the borough and for London. Her OBE is richly deserved.”

Cllr Dombey studied politics and economics at university, then travelled and lived in Italy for 19 years working in the financial sector. On returning to the UK she moved to Sutton and in 1999 began to work part-time as caseworker for MP Paul Burstow.

In 2002 Ruth was elected a councillor for Sutton North and by 2010 was Deputy Leader of the Council. She became Leader in 2012, succeeding Sean Brennan.

Cllr Dombey chairs Sutton Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee, its Health and Wellbeing Board and the Safer Sutton Partnership Board. She is a Board Member of the London Cancer Hub Partnership Board and is leading the Area Review of Post-16 Education and Training colleges.

In 2014-15 Cllr Dombey earned a place in the 100 most influential people in local government as compiled by the Local Government Chronicle and judged by leading thinkers in the sector.

In recent years Cllr Dombey has played a number of leading roles regionally and nationally in the sector. She is currently Vice-Chair of London Councils, the body representing the 32 local authorities in the capital and is Vice-Chair of the South London Partnership.

Cllr Dombey has been a member of the Mayor for London’s Health board, a board member of the New Local Government Network and a member of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.

Under Cllr Dombey’s leadership Sutton has adopted a distinctive approach to economic development focused on local skills programmes, proactively engaging business and enterprise to encourage development, building the council’s role in housing development and asset management, and developing innovative projects such as a decentralised energy network and district regeneration.

Cllr Dombey has also championed the Council’s vision for the London Cancer Hub – working in partnership with the internationally renowned Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute for Cancer Research – to establish an international centre of life science expertise, research and treatment whilst bringing in thousands of new jobs to the area, skills development, and infrastructure investment to benefit local people.

Sutton Council worked with the Environment Agency, Thames Water and the emergency services to clear the centre of Wallington following the flash flood there on the afternoon of Tuesday 7 June.

An intense thunderstorm at 2pm saw almost one month’s rain (3.5cm or 1.4 inches) fall across the borough in an hour. An average of 4.9cm (1.9 inches) of rain normally falls during the whole of June.

Around 2m (6ft 5 inches) of floodwater quickly filled up the low-lying area near the railway bridge at Manor Road in Wallington town centre and the drivers of three cars needed to be rescued.

Sutton Council’s highways contractor was quickly on site and began to pump and lower the amount of floodwater on Manor Road. The Metropolitan Police closed part of the A237 and a Local Authority Liaison Officer co-ordinated with the emergency services to remove the vehicles and clear up after the flooding.

As a Lead Local Flood Authority, Sutton Council is responsible for managing flood risk from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. The Environment Agency is responsible for flood protection from canals and rivers, and Thames Water is responsible for the drains and sewerage system.

Sutton Council employees have been at Manor Road since Tuesday and all the organisations are continuing to monitor the situation. Plans are in place to identify any ongoing flood risk.

Councillor Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“We experienced almost one month of rainfall in Sutton in less than an hour on Tuesday. In low-lying areas water can temporarily overwhelm the drainage systems, as occurred in this case. The sheer volume of water overwhelmed the drainage infrastructure and road closures became necessary, as our neighbouring boroughs also experienced. In Wallington we have improved drainage by installing new soakaways that are 8m (26.25 ft) deep to help excess water run away. They have been very effective in preventing flooding over recent years despite heavy rainfall. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to mitigate for the rare occurrence of Tuesday’s deluge due to the sheer volume of water in a very short space of time. We clean the gullies under the bridge every three months. Manor Road was last cleaned less than two months ago on 14 April. The debris found in the gullies had mainly been washed down in the flash flooding. It is very difficult to mitigate for the rare occurrence of yesterday’s deluge due to the sheer volume of water in a very short space of time. We are continuing to monitor the situation as additional rainfall is expected in the coming days. Should that occur and lead to additional flooding in the Wallington area, arrangements are in place to activate emergency services to support our communities.”

Sutton Council uses a gully tanker to suck all the silt and debris out of the gully pot, clear debris from the grill and then flush the system. The gully pot is checked to ensure it is clean and working efficiently. If a blockage is detected, a water jet is used to try to remove the obstruction and get the gully and connecting drain linking it to the Thames Water main sewer running again.

If unable to get the system working, this is noted on the report sheet. Defects are then reported to the Highways Service so its contractor can be instructed to investigate further and make a repair.

This is part of the three-step maintenance process Sutton Council follows.

Step 1 – Regular cleaning of the gully grill by the Street Cleaner team to ensure water can enter the gully pot.

Step 2 – Regular cleaning of gully pots and connecting drains, either quarterly or once every two years, to ensure the system is free from silt and debris and is functioning.

Step 3 – Repair by the Highways contractor where defects are found.

Soakaways are maintained by the Highways Service.

Sutton residents concerned about flood risk should visit the Environment Agency website for updates, sign up for flood warning updates  or call Agency’s floodline on 0845 988 11880845 988 1188.

Street flooding caused by overflowing drains should be reported to Sutton Council using the Report it feature on the council website or by telephone on 020 8770 5000020 8770 5000.

At the start of National Volunteer Week (1-12 June) Sutton Council is thanking the thousands of volunteers who give of their time freely to work for the hundreds of organisations including schools and charities in the borough.

These include volunteers for Sutton Council’s Friends of Parks and the borough’s ALPS (Advice Link in Partnership with Sutton) service – both of which need more volunteers. The council also supports its staff to volunteer by offering two days of volunteering work a year in the borough.

Cllr Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council, said:

“National Volunteer Week is a great opportunity to thank the 50,000 people who volunteer in Sutton at least once each year and who have contributed to our community in a voluntary capacity during the past 12 months.

“We are proud to live in a borough where so many people of all ages are community-minded. Volunteers help the council to continue to provide necessary services and contribute a tremendous amount to local charities and the wider community by offering their time and talents for the greater good.”

Sutton Council part-funds Volunteer Centre Sutton (VCS), which gives advice, training and support, and places volunteers with charities across the borough.

Chris Parker, Chief Executive Officer of VCS, said:

“I’m inspired by the 50,000 people who volunteer in Sutton each year. They are a shining example of how we can all make a big difference to our community every day from improving the environment we live in, spending time with those who may otherwise be lonely and contributing to a range of other essential services and support.

“Thank you to each and every person who give so generously of their time and talents. We believe volunteering is the answer to many of our society’s biggest challenges, so here at Volunteer Centre Sutton we’ve invested in a new website and ‘Volunteer Connect’ system, designed to Inspire Community and make it even easier for local people to connect to local volunteering opportunities.”

VCS statistics show that more young people aged 18 to 25 are becoming volunteers in the Sutton borough and make up around one-third of new volunteers. The charity estimates that volunteers in Sutton give the equivalent of £7m in time each year.

Friends of Parks

The Friends of Parks groups are always looking to recruit more volunteers. Hundreds of people already regularly help with the care and upkeep of the borough’s 80 parks, which cover 438 hectares – about 8.5 per cent of the borough.  There are all sorts of small tasks that volunteers can do to help keep the parks in great condition.

In Sutton there are more than a dozen Friends of the Parks groups of varying sizes of between five and 100 people. Some Friends of Parks volunteers are very active, whether organising litter picking, cleaning up the river, painting signs and doing all kinds of practical things to help care for their local park.

When people volunteer they are recommended to join an existing Friends of Parks group. We also welcome volunteers setting up firneds groups ofr parks without established groups.  Volunteers can get together with neighbours and friends and perhaps their ward councillors.  The Parks Service will be happy to provide advice and a draft constitution for groups.

To volunteer and join one of the Friends of Parks groups or to start a new group, contact Mark Dalzell, Head of Parks, Biodiversity and Street Cleansing at Sutton Council, on 020 8770 5070020 8770 5070 or email mark.dalzell@sutton.gov.uk.

ALPS service

The ALPS (Advice Link in Partnership with Sutton) service is seeking more volunteers to assist with its Information and Advice services. Roles available include adviser, gateway assessor, information assistant, driver, befriender and admin assistant. In-house training is provided for all roles.

Steve Triner, SBCABx Chief Executive said:

“Between Sutton CAB, Age UK Sutton, Sutton Carers Centre and the borough’s Library service we have around 100 volunteers. But we are looking for more people to assist us with this ground-breaking borough service.

“We would welcome more volunteers from all sections of our community to assist us with the running of this exciting venture.”

The service is funded by Sutton Council and the Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund. It is led by Sutton Citizens Advice Bureaux (SBCABx) and supported by organisations from the Sutton Together consortium including Age UK Sutton and Sutton Carers Centre, with the borough’s Library Service a key partner.

Thirty-six borough athletes aged 11 to 17 represented Sutton at the Virgin Money Giving Mini-London Marathon last month.

On Sunday 24 April the Sutton runners competed against runners from all other 32 London boroughs and ran the last five km (three miles) of the famous London Marathon course from Blackfriars then along the Thames to the Marathon’s finish line in Pall Mall.

The runners, all of whom either live in Sutton and/or attend a Sutton school, were selected via trials in February organised by the London Borough of Sutton in partnership with Roundshaw Downs Park Run.

About half of the Sutton runners train regularly with Sutton & District Athletics Club at the David Weir Centre in Carshalton. For some of the athletes, this was their first year and first opportunity to run in a big high-profile race, whereas others had taken part in the London Mini-Marathon for several years in succession.

Sutton had some fantastic individual and team results. Maisie Collis came fourth in the Under-13 Girls London Boroughs Challenge (all 33 London Boroughs) and 12th in the overall race (which includes UK Regional teams) out of nearly 250 runners.

Ricky Lutakome came second in the boroughs’ Under-17 Boys challenge race, and 35th overall out of more than 200 runners.

The top team for Sutton was the Under-15 Girls. The team – Olivia Stillman, Elsa Palmer, Dominque Corradi and Alice Banfield – put in a very strong and tightly-placed team performance, coming in fourth, seventh, 12th and 48th individually and in fourth team place out of the 33 London boroughs.

Carshalton Central’s Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment & Neighbourhood Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“We want to congratulate all of the runners for doing so well and doing Sutton proud by representing the borough in front of crowds of thousands of people. We hope the occasion continues to inspire them and that as many as can will take part again next year.”

The runners attend the following 11 Sutton schools:

• Sutton Grammar
• Wallington Grammar
• Stanley Park High
• John Fisher
• Wilson’s
• Glenthorne High
• Cheam High
• St Philomena’s
• Westbourne Primary
• Nonsuch High School
• Wallington High School for Girls

The six age categories were:

• Under-13 Girls
• Under-15 Girls
• Under-17 Girls
• Under-13 Boys
• Under-15 Boys
• Under-17 Boys