Many people were shocked by a recent BBC programme that revealed that Mo Farah is not really Mo Farah at all and was trafficked here as an illegal immigrant to work as a domestic servant. Such practices are now called 'Modern slavery' and the Metropolitan Police say that it is much more common than we realise. 

Besides so-called domestic servitude there are numerous ways of exploiting innocent victims either as prostitutes, or in nail bars and beauty shops, at car washes, as beggars or as kitchen assistants in cafes and restaurants. Often it is women and children who are targeted but it affects men too. The Police have a Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Task Force and a recent presentation I attended was a complete eye-opener. To find out more about the subject and what to look at out for please use this link To report any suspicions to the Modern Slavery Helpline call 08000 121 700 or make an online report. You can also make a confidential call to Crimestoppers on  0800 555111.

Members of the Task Force are keen to brief local organisations and businesses and you can get in touch by sending an email.

COVID has not gone away and coronavirus infections continue to rise as new variants take hold and human behaviour becomes less cautious. The latest figures show that Hillingdon has the second highest infection levels out of the 32 London Boroughs. It is not too late to get a vaccination or a booster if you have not had one.

To encourage higher levels of vaccination locally the NHS has introduced a 'Family Offer' for all age groups to be done together. This will cover 5 to 11 year olds, 12 to 15, 16+ and 18+ and will be available at the Botwell Green Sports and Leisure Centre in East Avenue on Thursday 4 August between 10am and 6pm. Further dates are Thursdays 11, 18 and 25 August.

For individual jabs you can find the nearest walk-in centre by using this link.

Bikespiration' will take place on Friday 5 August at the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit in Springfield Road from 9 30am until 12 noon but you can drop in at any time. There will be a chance to test a range of bikes, learn how to plan a route and get basic repairs done. Click here to find out more detail and here for the location.

The Police Safer Neighbourhood Team covering the previous Botwell Ward area is launching Street Briefings to meet residents and listen to their concerns. The first one will be on Friday 5 August between 6pm and 7pm in 'Hayes Village' which is the name of the new development on the former Nestles factory site in Nestles Avenue.

There is a exciting range of free workshops planned for August in Cranford Park. The programme is:

• Thursday 11th - understanding buildings
• Wednesday 17th - wild drumming
• Wednesday 24th - animals of Cranford Park 
• Thursday 25th - drawing workshop

For further information click on this link and to book a place send an email.

Barra Hall Children's Centre is running a series of free briefing sessions for new Mums. It's called 'Your Bump & Beyond' and promises to be informative, interactive, and fun. The topics covered will be:

• Pregnancy 
• Birth, pain relief & labour
• Early days, real life, nappy changing, bathing & feeding
• Where to go to access support 
• Meet other expectant parents 

The sessions are run alongside a Midwife and Health Visitor and the great thing about attending a Children's Centres is that they continue to offer support after you have had your baby. Advice is available on breastfeeding, bonding (baby massage/Five to Thrive) and support is provided for parents and children until they are 5 years old. And it is all free. To find out more use this link and to register for a place click here

Are you an adult unpaid carer providing care for a family member or friend? If yes, please take the Carers Trust survey so that they can identify what support carers need from government to support them in their caring role, and how social care reform could support carers more effectively.

The survey will run until Sunday 21 August.  

The Government promised to pay £150 to every Council Tax payer as the first instalment of a package to help with increased energy bills. Those who pay Council Tax by direct debit got the money automatically and letters were sent to 29000 others asking them to supply their bank details through the Council's web site.

As some people do not have access to computers or are wary about IT security it was always likely that that there would be a lack of replies but it is still a bit of a shock to learn that 11000 households have yet to be paid. This is either because they have not responded or their bank details cannot be verified. Now the Council has decided to pay these residents by means of a voucher/letter they can take to the Post Office in order to receive a cash payment It is instead of a credit to their council tax account, as it means that they will get the money more quickly but they will still have to produce ID to get the payment. For more details of the new arrangements click on this link

A programme of support has been launched by the Government to help people to combat the rising cost of living. It includes a toolkit which contains resources for Councils and others to help explain:

• what the different payments are and when they will start being paid​
• who is eligible for the payments​
• how stakeholders can support their customers 

To view the toolkit use this link.

The first half of the cost of living payments have now been issued and there has also been a significant increase in scammers attempting to obtain personal information from customers by sending out texts suggesting that they are eligible for these payments. The Government wishes to emphasise that those eligible do not have to do anything to receive the payments and any such messages should be ignored.

Work is about to start on a new 10 storey housing development in Blyth Road at what is known as One Vinyl Square. It is next to the home of the sculpture of Nipper, the HMV dog and part of the Old Vinyl Factory project. It will provide 134 homes in a mix of studio apartments. one, two and three bedroom apartments and three bed maisonettes. There will also be commercial premises on the ground floor. 

The developers are Network Homes and the contractors are ARJ Construction Limited. The target completion date is September 2024 and the image gives an artist's impression of the finished job.

As usual Harrow College/Uxbridge College is offering a wide range of free campus-based and online training courses for job-seekers and those aged over 19 who are looking to progress their careers. Jobs are available in a number of shops at Heathrow Airport and interviews are guaranteed for those completing the course. 

Other courses are available for adult social care, business administration, customer service, IT, mental health and warehousing plus English and maths. Click on this link for the latest list.