Parents who take their children to the Nestles Avenue Early Years Centre (pictured) have been shocked to learn that it is to close down from Saturday 31 December. The news came after Hillingdon Council had used little-known procedures for pushing the decision through during the summer break when there are no Cabinet meetings. The reason quoted was to give the maximum amount of notice to parents.

Besides Nestles Avenue there are similar Centres in South Ruislip and Uxbridge and they have a total of 102 childcare places with 88 currently being used. Priority is given to vulnerable and disadvantaged children.The Council says that the three Centres cost £532,000 a year to run and that they have tried various ways of reducing this sum but without success. They reckon that there is sufficient privately-provided capacity in Hillingdon to meet needs. The full explanation for the decision can be seen from this report.

The Hayes provision is part of the Nestles Avenue Children's Centre which the Council has already decided should be relocated to the site of the former Asha Day Centre at the Hayes Campus of the Uxbridge College. No date has been given for that but once it goes ahead the land will be sold for redevelopment.

An online petition has been launched against the closures and it already has over 1000 signatures. You can see it by clicking on this link.  

Network Rail have given a positive response to the concerns about the blind spot at the end of the Station Road subway following the construction of the new stairs at the side of the station (pictured). Residents and staff working at The Old Vinyl Factory in Blyth Road alerted Councillor Janet Gardner and me to the issue as long ago as last August and we have been trying to get something done ever since. Janet won the support of the Police Design Out Crime Officer to the idea of placing a mirror or mirrors on the corner and last week Network Rail's Senior Sponsor for the station project agreed. that it is "an eminently sensible suggestion". He is arranging for the project team to meet on site with the Design Out Crime Officer to agree the positioning and installation of a mirror or mirrors. We are almost there ............

Youth Social Action are inviting young people between the ages of 14-19 in Hillingdon and Ealing to join their #bethechange2022 project. The aim is to help make a positive difference in the local area and equip young people with vital skills to help them in life. The project will be run by the young people and give them a space to use their voice.

Sessions will be held between 11am and 3pm on:

• Tuesday 16 August Charville Young People's Centre Kingshill Avenue UB4 8DB
• Wednesday 17 and Tuesday 23 August Hillingdon Autisitc Care & Support Service Dudley Place Pinkwell Lane UB3 1PB

Click on this link to find out more.

After 2 years out, the Beck Theatre's Summer Youth Project is back in full force! The rehearsal room is bustling with local young people getting ready to perform 'High School Musical' for you from Thursday 18 to Saturday 20 August. (picture courtesy of Kieran Dhanjal)

Directed and Co-Choreographed by Tarik Frimpong (The Wiz, Mary Poppin's Returns, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical), the young people of Hillingdon have been learning the singing, acting, dancing and design to 'High School Musical' in this fun, inclusive and educational masterclass! So what are you waiting for? Getcha Head In The Game and buy your tickets from here or call 0343 310 0044  #WereAllInHayesTogether

The previous Fara charity shop in Station Road (pictured) is opening up as a new Fone & Vape store and they have also applied for a licence to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises. The operating hours they are seeking are 8am to 11pm seven days a week. The application is going to the Licensing Sub-Committee on Friday 26 August and you can see the agenda and report by using this link.

The deadline for making objections has already passed. Three people have objected as set out in the report. Having a lot of off-licences or fears of possible antisocial behaviour are not grounds on which the Council can refuse an application. They can limit the hours provided that they have good reasons.

Although rain is forecast in the coming week it is not known how much will fall and everything is so dry that there might still be a threat of fire. The picture shows what people in Feltham saw at the bottom of their gardens last week.

The London Fire Brigade advice is:

• When using a BBQ it is very important to have a bucket of water and/or sand nearby - water can help with first aid incidents too
• Please don't BBQ inside, on a balcony or on wooden decking
• Make sure that you place BBQ's on non-flammable surfaces
• If using a BBQ at home, place it well away from fences, trees, overhanging foliage, sheds, outbuildings etc.
• Don't leave your BBQ unattended - a fire can spread extremely quickly
• Ensure cigarettes are put out completely – extinguish and discard them properly
• Do not throw cigarettes out of your car window onto grass verges or vegetation
• Do not leave glass bottles lying on the ground - the sun's rays can be focused through the glass and can start a fire
• There have been reports of people letting off fireworks on our Borough in the last few days – put simply, don’t use fireworks in periods of dry weather, even if it's your birthday 

The Metropolitan Police add that if you keep accessible windows open during hot weather then do remember to close them at night. Burglaries through accessible windows left open have occurred on our Borough by opportunists looking for a simple way in. Please don’t make it easy for them.

Older readers will remember people whose legs had been paralysed by polio. It is a serious disease which had almost been eradicated by vaccines - the last confirmed case of paralysis in the UK was in 1984. Now concerns are beginning to rise because evidence of the virus has been found in poo in an east London sewage works. This could become a problem because levels of vaccination in London are not high enough. The risk of getting the virus remains low and there is nothing to be alarmed about at this stage but to be on the safe side the NHS is mounting a campaign to improve take-up for children aged between 1 and 9 years of age and to offer a booster for those who have already been vaccinated.

Priority will be given to those Boroughs where tests have shown traces of the virus and that does not include Hillingdon. Parents and carers do not need to take any action at this stage but should act swiftly if contacted by their GP 

To read the full NHS guidance click here. 

Families in Hayes are already feeling the pressure because of  the continuing rise in food prices and the prospect of enormous increases in energy bills is making matters worse. The Council has updated its website to bring together information and advice on what help is available for those in need. To find out more use this link.

Another month has flown by and the latest London Sport newsletter has landed in my in box. As usual it has some really useful information about grants. One big one to watch is the £17 million Sports Collaboration Fund which is aimed at "under-served young Londoners in areas of low participation in sport". Some readers may think that could well include Hayes. In the meantime it might be worth applying for one of the £500 sums available from Magic Little Grants or try the People's Postcode Lottery plus others.