Alerted by a Hayes Town News reader to the reopening of the B-Town Cafe at The Old Vinyl Factory I called in last week to meet the new manager. I was greeted by two women behind the counter and I made the basic error of assuming that the older one must be the person in charge. In fact, the manager is Amarleen Kaur (shown on the left in the picture) - and she is only 18 years of age.

The cafe is just off Blyth Road opposite the junction with Trevor Road and faces the Global Academy. Amarleen was a student there and she told me that after leaving she had applied without success for around 20 different apprenticeships. Like many other young people she found that there were just too many applicants for the positions available. Not to be deterred, she decided to set up her own business.

Backed by her Mum, Manjit Sahota (also shown in the picture), she is aiming to provide something for everyone with a brand new menu which includes traditional fare and authentic Indian food. She is also planning to rename the business as B-Town Bites to reflect the changes and to organise local community activities,.

You can find them on social media including TikTok

On Thursday 18 June the Government moved forward with its plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. It published a draft planning framework for future decisions and this is open for public consultation until 11 59 pm on Tuesday 1 September. To find out more about the consultation use this link.

Local Member of Parliament John McDonnell immediately issued a statement reiterating his total opposition to the proposal and pledging to call local public meetings to gather feedback from residents.

According to a report in The Guardian newspaper on Friday 18 June an analysis for the Department of Transport by Aecom consultants said that the construction of a third runway is likely to have significant adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of up to 3 million people living nearby. The report states:

"Construction and operation of the third runway will worsen not just noise and air quality, but could also harm access to housing, education, healthcare, open space and transport. It will affect water quality, weaken community identity and cohesion, worsen landscapes and townscapes and affect climate change mitigation and adaptation"

The report goes on to say that the consultants conclude that expansion would "probably be beneficial for jobs, income, education, skills and training".

Anybody walking through Hayes Town last week might have wondered if there had been an invasion after seeing the French tricolour hanging outside The Old Crown pub in Station Road (pictured). Then they would have remembered that we are in the middle of the football World Cup.

The Botwell Inn in Coldharbour Lane is also showing the matches but the Old Crown is a bit different because new landlord Richard Smith is not displaying paper or plastic flags of the competing nations. He has acquired real flags for almost all the 48 teams involved and he is putting the relevant one on the pub railings as each of the leading teams competes. They also cover the ceiling and the walls inside.

Former Councillor Janet Gardner, the first Hillingdon Council Advocate for Victims of Domestic Abuse, has asked me to highlight how the World Cup.always seems to result in an increase in cases.

A study by the National Centre for Domestic Abuse has shown that incidents rise by around 11% following national team matches - and when England lose a match, they rise by 38%.

Many of these incidents are not reported and Crimestoppers UK has launched a national campaign called "Let's call time on abuse",

Always call 999 when domestic violence is taking place and someone is being injured. If you are a victim or witness of ongoing domestic abuse and do not want to give your name you can make a report by contacting Crimestoppers which guarantees confidentiality. Their number is 0800 555111 or you can send an email

To get local information and advice on domestic abuse go to the relevant section of the Council's web site by clicking here. Janet can still be contacted for advice by sending her an email

Hayes Cricket Club goes from strength to strength with its latest project the launch of its brand new practice nets. The event will take place on Saturday 4 July at 10am and the newly-elected Mayor, Councillor Reeta Chamdal and local MP John McDonnell will both be present.

The Club is always keen to recruit new members and details of membership are here. The ground is located at The Green which is near the junction of Grange Road and Wood End Green Road

This initiative follows shortly after the opening of its joint project with the Navnat Centre to lay a new pitch within their grounds in Printing House Lane.

Local health services are now being provided by NHS West and North London. This is the latest move in the seemingly endless reorganisation of the National Health Service They will serve a population of 4.5 million residents across 13 boroughs including Hillingdon.. Now, they are drawing up plans for health services and they are keen to ensure that the NHS is working well for local people. They want to make it easier for residents to share their feedback and ideas about the NHS so that they can make improvements that will help people get fairer care and have better experiences.

In order to better understand how partners, residents and patients want to be involved in decisions about health and care in the West & North London area, they have launched their "Let's talk" campaign which you can find out about here.

There will be an online residents' forum, on Thursday 9 July at 6pm and it is vital that there are some voices from Hayes, Book a place by using this link 

Good news from the Hayes Town Safer Neighbourhood Team. On Monday 15 June Hillingdon Police received reports of three males attempting to break into a house in Hayes. Officers quickly responded, and two suspects were found hiding nearby. Both have been arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Whatever number of burglars the local police manage to catch there are always others will take their place and it makes sense for residents to take action to keep their homes safe. Click here for Met Police advice on how to reduce the chances of becoming a victim

Senior Hayes Town Police Community Support Officer, Antony Gray, says that

when he is asked for advice from victims about how to avoid further intrusions he always recommends the installation of a burglar alarm. "I can’t remember the last time I went to a victim's house where they had an alarm" he adds. 

There is clear evidence that many Muslim women are not getting involved in regular physical activity. Researchers from the University of Leeds want to find out why. Are there cultural, religious or social factors that are holding people back and, if so, what can be done about it?

They want to hear from as many Muslim women as possible and especially the issues they face during and after pregnancy.

Their survey requires about 10 minutes to complete and taking part offers a chance of winning a £20 online shopping voucher. Use this link to find out more.

Figures released by Transport for London on Wednesday 10 June show increases in the number of fare dodgers being caught by their inspectors:

• 69001 penalty fares were issued - an increase of 9% on the previous year.
• 6.9 million contactless payment cards were checked - 50% more than last year.
• 14,406 people were convicted - 955 up

The TfL media release is available here

I get involved in all sorts of issues as Chair of Hayes Town Partnership - from consultations on multi-million pounds development schemes to the faded markings in the Lidl car park. Two Hayes Town News readers contacted me about the latter problem and since March I have been trying to get some action.

When the Lidl's supermarket was built they decided to adopt the Council's practice of reserving some parking spaces for older residents in addition to those for people with disabilities. The "brown badge scheme" allows holders to park for free in the specially marked spaces but to get a badge you must be a resident of the Borough and aged 65 or over.

Unfortunately, the markings in the Lidl car park have become so faded that they can hardly be seen. The picture shows what is left of the word "HOLDERS". The result is that drivers of all kinds fill the spaces because they are nearer the entrance to the store and there is less distance to walk. On each occasion I have looked every space has been filled by a vehicle without a brown badge.

Earlier in the year I tried to engage the manager in a discussion on the subject but got nowhere. I have now written around half a dozen emails to Lidl. One of their replies said that action would be taken but no specifics were given and no action has happened on the ground so far. I will keep readers informed.

To find out how to apply for a brown badge click here.

With more very hot weather forecast for this week and further dry periods expected, the water companies are beginning to worry about future supplies. There are no problems at the moment but they are urging the public to take the following measures as a precaution:

• Swap the garden hose for a watering can
• Run dishwashers and washing machines only when you have a full load.
• Keep a jug or bottle of water in the fridge- - running the tap to get cold water can waste up to 10 litres a day.

For more tips on saving water click here.

Between Monday 27 July and Thursday 20 August there will be a Kids Summer Club at the Hayes Muslim Centre in Pump Lane. It will take place on Monday to Thursday for four weeks and there will be a charge of £95 with a 15% reduction for siblings.

Activities will include arts and crafts, Islamic studies, indoor games, cooking activities and quizzes. For more information click here. Use this link to book for the sessions for boys and girls aged between 5 and 10 and this link for girls only aged between 11 and 15. Places are limited and you need to act quickly.

On Sunday 21 June members of the Sikh community in Hayes handed out over 1400 free cold drinks to the public who were passing by the Pink City restaurant in Coldharbour Lane. It was just what was needed on a hot day but there was more to it than that. The people handing out the drinks were marking the Martyrdom Day on 18 June of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the much revered 5th Sikh Guru. For Sikhs it is a day of prayers, reflection and community service.