WE'RE BACK! Get involved with our FREE Youth Filmmaking Project. Sessions run weekly every Sunday at Cranford Community College from 11 to 4pm.
Our filmmaking project designed for young people living and studying in and around our Big Local area. The project is in collaboration with experienced filmmaker Blaise Singh and Heston West Big Local. During the sessions young people learn the art of filmmaking and community work. In the last 5 years our young people have been involved with making documentaries, short films, music videos and community related content. 

The sessions are a​n opportunity for young people to learn leadership, communication and creative skills in a safe, friendly and fun environment. The youth film club is often the first step for our young people to get involved with our community volunteering programme. 

To learn more / sign up by contacting Taz Virdee at t.virdee@berkeleyacademy.org.uk or by clicking here.  

In 2018, I initially joined Heston West Big Local thinking volunteering would help my CV, however as time went by, I started to thoroughly enjoy volunteering and built a passion for helping my community grow and prosper! Since then, I have been part of numerous amazing projects, such as clean-up days, fundraisers, debate clubs and many more! These projects have helped me grow as a person and learn more about our community.

​One of the first community events I was involved with was the Big Local Community Clean Up Day. We could gather in the morning and then as a group we would venture onto the Redwood estate to help make sure the area was clean by picking up any unwanted litter. I particularly felt that clean up days were one of the most useful ways to help the community. The more people saw us, the more they realised how important it is to keep the estate clean. Events like these made me learn that it important to keep the world around us clean, not just for ourselves, but for the people around us and future generations. 

In the summer of 2019, I volunteered for the Big Local and Creative Spaces London Summer School. I worked with children aged 6-11 years to help coordinate different creative activities.
​The Summer School not only taught me a lot about myself, but also about children. I got into the habit of building a routine and structuring my day efficiently. It was amazing to watch the children grow and learn each day. I enjoyed working with the group leaders and observing them during the project. This helped me develop my interpersonal and leadership skills even more.

​During Summer 2020, I got offered to teach dance over Zoom during lockdown. With my GCSE’s cancelled and being stuck home all day, this opportunity was so beneficial! It helped me escape from my monotonous days of being on my phone 24/7 and do something more productive. Whilst taking on this role, I looked back at summer school and my previous workshops to see what transferable skills would help me. I was extremely nervous at first, but I am so grateful that I always had someone I could ask whenever I had any queries. These sessions not only helped me gain planning skills, but I became even more confident within myself and my teaching.

​Currently I am studying for my A levels and I am still teaching dance. With all the stress of school, these sessions provide me with an escape to forget about the stress around me and focus on what I love doing! I am so thankful to Heston West Big Local for providing these amazing opportunities to me and will forever be grateful that I get to do something I love alongside my education!

In this special Community Podcast episode, host Tarek Mrad is joined by Shirin Ahmad and Sacha Rathore from Public Health Hounslow. Shirin and Sacha discuss their role within Public Health and how to become a Community Champion. In addition, they talk about the Make Every Contact Count (MECC) training for local residents, misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccination and also the work they've been doing to educate our community and local groups. 

For more information about becoming a Covid Community Champion please visit click here.

Some great news for our community, we have teamed up with The Aim Group to offer several FREE online Level 2 Courses (including mental health and wellbeing) available to support you during our upcoming One Stop Shop project. The Aim Group currently have over 35 qualifications over a whole range of topics. Whether you're looking to gain employment or trying to understand topics such as mental health, we have got enough provisions to help support you throughout this project.

On average the courses take between 15-35 hours to complete within a 6-week window and are completed on a laptop or computer at the learner's home. There are no exams, it's all continuous assessment - purely Question and answer based.

The only criteria the learner must meet to be eligible is the following:
  

• Aged 19 or over on or before 31st August 2020     
• Have lived in the UK/EU for 3+ years     
• Not already on a government-funded course (Apprenticeship for example)

If interested please get in touch with Taz on 07840047771 / t.virdee@berkeleyacademy.org.uk
OR please see sign up link below and The Aim Group will be in touch shortly with you:

In order to progress, please register your interest by clicking on this link.

Approximately 1 in 3 people with Covid - 19 have no symptoms and could be spreading the virus without realising. It’s important to get tested twice a week if you don’t have Covid-19 symptoms. It’s free, quick and easy to do on your way out, or on your way to and from work.

Drop-in at one of our Community Mass Testing sites where our staff are on hand to guide you through the process and to answer any questions you may have:

Heston Library – New Heston Road, Hounslow TW5 0LW – Open 6.30am-7.30pm Mon-Fri,
​or 8.00am-4.00pm Sat/Sun
Hounslow House – 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 3EB – Open 8.00am-4.00pm, Mon-Sun
Isleworth Library – Twickenham Road, Isleworth TW7 7EU – Open 8.00am-4.00pm, Mon-Sun
Staines Rugby Club – Snakey Lane, Feltham TW13 7NB – Open 8.00am-4.00pm, Mon-Sun

To book online visit: www.hounslow.gov.uk/rapidtest or call to make an appointment:
0207 084 9697

We are delighted to announce the return of our Intergenerational Walking Football sessions. Our sessions run Wednesdays 6 to 7pm at Cranford Community College.
Our Walking Football sessions are fully inclusive and open to all including children, families and older residents. If you would like to get involved or like more information, please get in touch with Taz on 07840047771

Heston West Big Local has been selected by the GLA to partner on the My London: Enabling Youth Social Action programme. This programme has been developed in response to the growing concern around young people’s mental health due to the impacts of COVID-19.
​This programme, delivered by Team London and match funded by the #iwill Fund, puts frontline youth sector organisations at the heart of developing models of youth engagement for young people in their communities.

​Partnerships of five community organisations will be resourced to take part in a six month Design Lab where they will use their local knowledge and frontline expertise to co-design a model that will increase participation opportunities for vulnerable young people and amplify youth voice in their boroughs. Our partnership will then be able to apply for ringfenced funding of £200,000 to deliver our co designed model in Ealing and Hillingdon. 

​The overall purpose of this programme is to improve mental health outcomes for young people. But along the way we want to support youth organisations to collaborate in order to provide more sustainable opportunities for youth social action at a local level. 

Ealing and Hillingdon
Ealing and Hounslow CVS
Hillingdon Autistic Care and Support
Spark! Charity
Each Counselling
Heston West Big Local

For more information about My London: Enabling Youth Social Action please click here. 

London's Councils were asked by BBC Radio London to nominate a Make a Difference Hero. We were delighted to hear London Borough of Hounslow nominated Tarek Mrad from Heston West Big Local for his work on our Big Local Live Community Podcast, supported by volunteers from the Big Local.

BBC Interview recorded on Saturday 3rd April 2021.

Hounslow Council are pleased to announce the Push Doctor project has almost completed the roll out of a partnership with 46 GP Practices in Hounslow, to provide additional GP video consultations to over 300,000 patients in the Hounslow community. This not only offers greater access for patients, but Hounslow GPs can use the capacity to address local challenges. For example, enabling local GPs to focus on their patients with complex needs or relieving workforce pressures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a heart-breaking impact on our community and it is important that patients don’t delay seeking help for medical concerns. Push Doctor enables patients to see an NHS GP for free through a video consultation in a place that they feel comfortable, using a smart phone, tablet, or computer.

Push Doctor and Hounslow Consortium will be joining the Community Champions meeting on Wednesday 10th March 2021 at 5:30pm to explain more about the service and answer your questions.

Please feel free to join, even if it is your first time. You are welcome to keep your cameras off and stay muted. Please email publichealth@hounslow.gov.uk to gain access to the meeting.