A group of organisations in Ealing and Hillingdon

are working together to amplify youth voice and to increase volunteering opportunities for young people. As a start to their project they want to hear from anybody between 10 and 19 years of age. . Hillingdon Autistic Care & Support is one of the agencies involved but the survey is open to all and there is a £100 gift voucher for a lucky recipient chosen at random. Please get any young people you know to take part. This is a link to the survey and the closing date is Sunday 1 August at 11 59pm.

Public Health England is teaming up with Disney to help get kids active throughout the summer holidays by playing 10 Minute Shake Up games, inspired by some of their favourite characters from Disney Frozen, Disney and Pixar Toy Story and Marvel's The Avengers. The Chief Medical Officer recommends children take at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Even before the effects of the pandemic less than half of children were meeting this target and in the last 15 months the rates have fallen. To find out more please click here.

The latest Crossrail newsletter reveals that work on the long-awaited lifts at Hayes & Harlington Station are now under way. Cladding and glazing continue with a start also being made on the interior lighting. West Drayton Station is now almost complete and it is hoped that eventually Hayes will look like the picture. Click on this link to see the newsletter

The latest figures for coronavirus infections show a continuing increase in cases with a record high for those aged between 18 and 29 years of age. The Hillingdon numbers have gone up in line with those for London as a whole and it is now 13th highest out of the 32 Boroughs. Vaccinations are still not at the level needed to reduce the spread of the disease. Do you know anybody who has not yet had a jab? If so, try and urge them to have a look at the reasons it would be good for them, for their families and for the community as a whole. Click here to get the information and details of how to book an appointment.

The Council has received money form the Government to provide food vouchers worth £15 a week for eligible children over the school summer holidays. To be eligible you must be in receipt of benefit-related free school meals or have a child under 5 who would qualify for free school meals if they were of school age. The Council says that all eligible families have been notified but you can find out more about the scheme by clicking here if you know anybody who may have missed out.

The programme of free walking football sessions is now well under way at Botwell Green Sports and Leisure Centre. There is one for men over 35 years of age, another for women and girls over 10 plus one for families with children. To see the dates and times of all the sessions for the school summer holidays and the autumn half term click here. You must book in advance and you can do that by sending an email.

The Hayes ASDA store at the corner of North Hyde Road and Station Road is inviting bids from local groups to get support from its Green Token Giving Scheme. It is open to charities, sports clubs and community groups. To make an application contact Sam D'Souza, ASDA Community Champion by sending her an email. She is also looking for local dementia cafes, elderly groups and lunch clubs that might benefit from ASDA assistance.

The local 'Workplace Safespace' project aims to equip employers to recognise the signs of domestic abuse so that they can help employees get in touch with support services. This is really important for anybody going back to work after having suffered domestic abuse during the lockdown. Click on this link to find about the project and lots more news

The popular Hayes Canal Festival will be returning this year but at a later date than normal. It will be held on Saturday 6 November and it will have a winter theme including lots of lights relating to the closeness to Guy Fawkes Night and Diwali. There will also be free boat rides, kayaks and paddle boarding as usual plus music and much more.

The petition for a dedicated Hayes Town Safer Neighbourhood Team has continued to gather signatures and the Leader of the Council has already indicated that if the Police ask for help in getting a base in Hayes Town he will see what can be done to assist. We need one last push to get signatures in order to convince the Police of strong public support. If you have not done so already please download the paper version of the petition or sign the one online. All signed forms should be sent to me at Botwell Green Library by Saturday 31 July.

The July/August edition of the Hillingdon Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter has just been published and is packed full of useful information. This includes the fact that 16000 residents are now signed up for the regular messages sent out from the Online Watch Link. If you have not done so already it is well worth joining. Click on this link to see the newsletter.