The Life Skills programme was designed to equip young people in the Big Local area with skills that will enable them to feel confident in the following areas: 

• Budgeting
• Event Planning
• Negotiation
• Communication skills
• Teamwork
• Film and Media skills
• Working to deadlines

​To read more about our young people's Life Skills journey, please click here.

So come along and support our young people by bringing along your children to our Big Local Cranford Fun Day Event! For more information about this event and our summer activities please contact Taz on 07702532710 or taz.virdee@groundwork.org.uk 

​Children were given the opportunity to explore their artistic creativity thanks to the support and guidance from 7 fantastic students (Abbie, Anjali, Amrita, Harpreet, Juhi, Megha and Simran) from Cranford Community College. The aim of the Art Club (funded by our Community Chest grant) was to give the college students the opportunity to work with young children and help them hone their creativity in a safe and friendly environment. 

​During the three workshops the children explored: mask making, badge making, card making, canvas painting and drawing. The sessions were highly interactive and imaginative; children thoroughly enjoyed the classes and were eager to re-start again in September.
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One child said: “I found the class really fun and exciting. It was good to see my friends come along.” 

Students Megha and Juhi enjoyed the responsibility of leading the art workshops with their friends and were proud of their group’s achievement and commitment.

Megha, 15, said: “It was brilliant to have led the art workshops; we had a wonderful time and feel very proud of what we accomplished.”

Juhi, 14, added: “I believe the art project was a great opportunity for kids to showcase their talents and express their creative side. It was also generally a fun experience in which we all got to get involved and produce a piece of imaginative work we were all proud of.”

​Amrita and Anjali felt the project gave them an opportunity to connect with their friends after school whilst learning valuable project management skills such as: organising, budgeting and planning sessions.
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Amrita, 15, said: "The art club was a way of getting our childish sides out, giving us an opportunity to be creative and extraordinary! It was really nice having that time to socialise and hang out with the children as well as our friends. Hope to have more opportunities like this again!"

Anjali Kumar, 15, added: "Working with children was fun and exciting experience as we got to develop friendship with them and were able to join in with the arts and crafts. We learned how to organise a youth club and how to handle different situations."

​     We do hope to re-start this amazing project in September – so watch this space!

On behalf of Heston West Big Local we would like to say a BIG thank you to the group of students. Throughout the project they were enthusiastic, energetic and inspiring.  We would also like to thank Berkeley Primary School for their support and all the children involved.
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Are you a student at Cranford Community College? Do you have a few spare hours a month to help make a positive difference in our community? If yes, then we would love to hear from you.

​Please get in touch with Taz on 077022532710 or taz.virdee@groundwork.org.uk or speak with Mr Fraser at Cranford Community College for more information.

Back of the NET! Heston West Big Local is proud to announce that we will be delivering a 4 week taster in Walking Football. The sessions are open to all genders, abilities and for those age 16yrs and over. The Community Chest funded sessions will be led by students from Cranford Community College and supported by the Middlesex Football Association.

This format of the beautiful game is very similar to the mainstream structure however there are a few modifications. It is non-contact and anyone that sprints, runs or jogs while the ball is in play will be penalised with a free-kick being awarded to the other team. If the ball goes out of play, the game will be restarted with a kick in.

So if you want to… have fun? Improve your health? Socialise with friends? Then come and join us for Walking Football at Cranford Community College 3G pitch starting Wednesday 10th August from 6 to 7pm. No previous experience required, just enthusiasm to enjoy an hour of fun!

Dates: 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st August 6-7pm.

Click here to download the flyer. 

For more information please contact Taz on 07702532710 or taz.virdee@groundwork.org.uk

The sessions open to girls (7-18yrs) are led by an experienced dance teacher and local resident Nafura Ka. Choreography will be taught each week and routines will slowly build with an opportunity to get involved with an exciting dance competition at the end. ​​

Nafura Ka, Wuk Up Academy, said: “I’d love to have enough girls to put them into a dance competition at the end of summer. It's not the biggest competition in the world but it's something great to work towards, giving the girls some real experience in the dance world.”

So what are you waiting for? Get involved by contacting Nafura Ka on 07859379227 / nafuraka@hotmail.co.uk 

​For more information about Wuk Up Academy please click here.
Please click here to download the flyer. 

Exciting, electric and entertaining! 'Ali in Wonderland' was a fitting finale to our first year Heston West Big Local project. Children dazzled the crowd at Berkeley Primary School with their creativity, talent and passion. 'Ali in Wonderland' (inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice) told a story of a young boy who meets a rabbit, saying she’s late, for a very important date. Ali follows the rabbit through the forest. All the sudden he falls through a mysterious rabbit hole into a magical realm of strange, eccentric and scary creatures.

Rachel Turner, who led the project with Michaela Croker at Bounce Theatre said: “We have had a fantastic time working with Big Local and the children of Berkley & Heston West this year. They have produced a superb performance and really grown as performers, artists and even stage managers! We are so proud to be part of this project and such a wonderful community and can't wait for the next project!” 

The play was performed outdoors and although it was raining, it didn’t disrupt the magical performance from every child. The play was an absolute delight, bringing to life this extraordinary tale. We would like to thank Rachel and Michaela at Bounce Theatre, Berkeley Primary School and all the children and their parents/family members for their massive support throughout the project. We are excited to announce that our youth drama and dance project with Bounce Theatre will resume in September 2016.

We are also thrilled to announce that our Big Holiday Summer Project will be starting this August for 3 WEEKS ONLY (1st Aug to 19th Aug) at Cranford Community College.
We have 100 FREE spaces up for grabs for children between 9 to 12yrs. To be eligible for this fantastic opportunity your child must be living in the Heston West area (click here to see area map) and/or attending Berkeley Primary School. Parents/Guardians will also be required to commit to at least one volunteering role throughout our second year (Aug 2016 to July 2017).

Bounce Theatre will lead the Big Holiday Summer Project.
 
Louise Pendry, Bounce Theatre said: “Bounce is delighted to be running the Big Holiday project. It's going to be an exciting opportunity for children to play, make art, participate in drama and have a holiday in a day as we go on a weekly trip to the city, the seaside or the country.”
 
Please note the Big Holiday Summer Project will run from 10 to 3pm each day and places are offered on first come basis and volunteering agreement.
 
To sign up for the summer project please click here.
 
Deadline for signing up is Friday 23rd July 2016 at 5pm.
 
For more information about the project please contact Taz on taz.virdee@groundwork.org.uk or 07702532710.

For the Ali in Wonderland pictures please click here.

Please click here to download the flyer.