The first stages of the redevelopment of the rather unloved Austin Road or 'Red Brick' Estate begin this week. The Higgins Partnership have been appointed by Hillingdon Council to carry out the work. They will start clearing the vacated flats at the Pump Lane end of the site (pictured) and erecting hoardings. Demolition will not take place until January next year.

The development will provide 80 new flats, mostly for those Council tenants who have moved out to enable the project to get under way. The whole estate will be demolished in stages with the present 260 homes eventually being replaced by 500 new flats. Work will be undertaken in five phases.

Similar preparatory work will start on the Avondale Estate which is just outside the Town Centre

The Council has launched the Zero Waste Challenge to encourage residents to reduce household waste and increase recycling. From Monday 23 September until Sunday 23 October people are being asked to record what they do with their waste and to let the Council know. In return they will receive recycling tips and a chance to win a £40 zero waste starter pack. This includes a stainless steel water bottle. reusable coffee cup, natural bristle wooden brush and bamboo cutlery. Click on this link to find out how to get involved.

"School refusal" is fast becoming one of the most challenging areas of education, health and care for children and young people. Parents are put under pressure to ensure their children attend school with the threat of fines and many professionals struggle to know what to do. On Monday 23 September a campaign group called Sunshine Support is launching School Avoidance Awareness Week to look at the bigger picture and find a way to achieve a better outcome for children, families and schools. Click here to see what they have to say,

On Monday 19 September more than 50 local residents took up the invitation to watch the Queen's funeral live on large screen televisions at St Anselm's Church in Station Road Hayes (pictured). People of different faiths and of none joined some of the regular worshipers and visitors remarked about the warm experience of sharing this historic day along with others.

Thanks are due to Father Matthew Cashmore for taking this initiative and for the volunteers who provided tea and biscuits.

As the waters from the floods begin to subside there is no let-up in the suffering of millions of people in Pakistan. Many are without food and shelter and diseases are beginning to take hold. Local volunteers in Hayes have already sent out two containers of donations (pictured). A third container is currently being filled and they are appealing for mosquito repellent, tents, gazebos, tarpaulin sheets, cooking oil, ghee, sugar, dry baby milk, tea bags, dates and bottled water. If you can help please take items to the Universal Air Express warehouse at the Britannia Trading Estate in Printing House Lane (postcode UB3 1AP) or call 07886867362.

Desi dances for those aged 65 and over will be re-starting at Botwell Green Sports and Leisure Centre on Friday 30 September. For those, like me, who not know about Desi dancing it is a fusion of Bhangra and Bollywood.

The sessions are free and will take place once a month. Click here to see the programme. They start at 11am and you must book in advance by using this link or calling 01895 556688.

Happy dancing!

Autism is a big problem for some local children and their families and it is good to hear that the Wood End Park Academy in Judge Heath Lane is proposing to open a new Special Educational Needs Unit. As well as taking children with autism it will also cater for those with moderate or severe learning difficulties. The Academy has published a consultation paper on its proposal which you can read here. The closing date for comments is Friday 7 October. Please send any responses to this email (with the heading 'SENd Unit Consultation 2023') or by post to the school. The postcode is UB3 2PD

Cranford Park's Apple Day will be on Sunday 9 October. It starts with a led walk to the Community Orchard at 11:30am where you are welcome to help with the harvesting (no experience necessary). This will be followed by a demonstration of traditional apple pressing and a chance to sample fresh apple juice The event finishes at 2pm.

Please use the Fuller Way entrance to the Park (next to the Crane Community Centre UB3 4LW) where there is limited parking. Bus E6 stops nearby. The main car park is closed so please don't use the Parkway entrance which is also closed. There are no toilet facilities due to ongoing construction work. Parts of the orchard can be uneven so sturdy footwear is recommended.

Due to unforeseen circumstances staff at The Hairdressers in Botwell Lane are going to have to postpone their Macmillan Coffee Morning fund-raising event that was due to take place on Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October. The revised dates are Friday 28 October and Saturday 29th.

The Holiday Activities and Food Programme seeks to provide children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals with free holiday provision, including healthy food and enriching activities. Research has shown that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families.

Some children from low-income households are known to be:: 

Potential providers are being invited to submit grant applications for the Hillingdon Christmas programme.  The funding can be used to support local organisations to develop their existing activities or create new ones.

This is the application form but before filling it in you might like to look at this information pack. Briefing sessions for potential applicants will be held in October on dates to be announced but one-to-one discussions can also be arranged by sending an email or calling 01895 277222.

To end on a rather different note, the Mayor of London's Talk London Team want to try and improve public toilets as part of the capital's plan for economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic. They are starting by doing a survey to see what Londoners think about the extent and quality of the present provision and you can take part by using this link. The toilets in East Avenue (pictured) certainly leave a lot to be desired in terms of decor and cleanliness but you can also comment on toilets that you have visited in other places. The deadline is Sunday 16 October.