News from November 2009

Wednesday, 25 Nov 2009

Switch on of Hayes Town Centre Christmas Lights

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Our local Councillors Lynne Allen and Janet Gardner switched on our Christmas lights in Hayes Town Centre on Friday. Minet Junior School choir sang carols and lots of local people turned up to sing along. On Saturday 12th December we are relaunching the Hayes Christmas festival in the town centre with Hayes FM, local school choirs, community stalls, a panto matinee and, of course, Father Christmas. On the Friday evening before there will be a Christmas concert at St Anselm’s church. Come along.

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25th Anniversary Celebrated at Charville Community Centre

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Last weekend we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Charville Community Centre in Bury Avenue, Hayes. The celebrations included an exhibition on the centre’s history on Saturday, a dance in the evening and a children’s panto and disco on Sunday. The whole event was a really enjoyable success for the whole community, thanks to the hard work of the centre’s volunteers. 25 years ago I was the GLC councillor for Hayes and Harlington and as the Chair of the GLC’s Finance Committee I awarded a grant to help build the centre. I am so pleased at the contribution the centre has made to our local community over the years. I interviewed Janet Nuth, who was one of the original campaigners for setting up the centre and on its first committee. She has also been a stalwart in organising and supporting activities at the centre.

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Thursday, 19 Nov 2009

Campaign to Restore the Golden Bridge, Hayes

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The Golden Bridge in Charville Lane along the Yeading Brook in Hayes is famous for being the site of a demonstration in 1929 involving local people, including the actor Bernard Miles, demanding a right of way in the face of opposition from local landowners. This was part of what became a large scale national protest movement to open up our countryside to the people. There has been a bridge across the brook in this area dating back to at least the sixteenth century. In 1986 a new bridge was erected and the area became part of the local rambling network, the Hillingdon Trail. The bridge and the surrounding waterside embankment area have become a bit rundown and unkempt. Recently I convened a meeting of local residents on the site and we agreed to set up a new project to tidy up the area and reinstate the bridge to its former glory. To do this I aim to establish a Friends of the Golden Bridge. This Saturday (November 21st) I will be at the Charville Community Centre at the corner of Bury Avenue and Charville Lane to join in the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the opening of the community centre. When I was the GLC councillor for Hayes twenty five years ago I awarded a grant to the community centre to enable it to open. On Saturday from 10 am to 12 noon I will be mounting a small exhibition about the Golden Bridge and recruiting local residents to join the Friends of the Golden Bridge. Please come along and if you can spare a little bit of time please join our Friends group to assist us in restoring the bridge and its environment to its former glory.

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Monday, 16 Nov 2009

Opening of Parent Zone at Brookside School in Yeading

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On Friday I attended the opening of the Parent Zone at Brookside School in Yeading. The school has erected a small building in the school grounds on Perth Avenue, called the Parent Zone. This is a fantastic initiative to involve members of the local community in the life of the school and also to provide a community facility in the school for use by local residents. The Parent Zone provides parents and members of the local community a place to meet and access to a wide range of activities from coffeee mornings to education and training opportunities. There is now even talk of a club for older members of the community. I interviewed Carol Parsons, the co-ordinator of the project.

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Monday, 09 Nov 2009

Greening Hayes Conference “Insulating our Homes”

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On Saturday I convened a community seminar on the local environment called Greening Hayes. The seminar attended by local residents discussed the way in which we can all contribute to tackling climate change. The seminar was opened by Sally Harrison from Eaga, the group responsible for delivering locally the government’s “Warm Front” policy. The aim of “Warm Front” is to provide assistance to residents in insulating their homes and renewing heating systems so that we can keep people warm, overcome fuel poverty and reduce the emisions that cause climate change. The “Warm Front” scheme has been successful in our area in helping hundreds of people insulate their lofts, draught proof their windows and install new boilers. If you want to know more about “Warm Front” you can contact Eaga by telephone on 0800 316 6011 and on the website www.warmfront.co.uk You can watch my interview of Eaga’s Sally Harrison.

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