On Saturday 11th September 2021 we held our 5th Big Local Community Volunteer Awards ceremony celebrating our volunteers who supported our Covid-19 foodbank programme last year during the pandemic. Together they picked, packed and delivered over 2,500 meals serving our local community. Big thanks to all our incredible volunteers and community partners and also Mayor of Hounslow Bishnu Gurung for attending and giving out the awards. 

​We congratulated Nafeesa Nisar on winning our Mayor of Heston Award for her work on the Redwood Allotment and Foodbank, Sharanjit Kaur and Jane Coker on receiving our Brian Clark Community Leadership Awards for their terrific and outstanding voluntary contribution during the pandemic. Lois Oflaherty won our Big Local Newcomer Award and our Chair Alan Fraser received the Long Service Recognition Award. Tarek Mrad won the Big Local Community Project Award for the development of the Podcast Show, Serena Lola and Anjali Parmar was recognised for their contribution in creating the Maria Pedro documentary and David Thurman, Jit Likka and Harry Parmer were thanked for their excellent support in serving our Big Local board over the years. 

​We would like to give a massive thanks to all our supporters, volunteers and community partners for their brilliant effort and support during the pandemic including Cranford Community College, Heston Royal British Legion and Keep Britain Tidy. Thanks also to Hayes Trophy & Engraving Centre​ for supplying the awards, Bantu Arts for the live music performance, Rhys Jones for the photography and Blaise Singh and Arfhan Razak for filming. 

If you would like to get involved and volunteer please do get in touch or visit https://www.hestonwest.org/volunteer 

We look forward to inviting you all to our next Big Local Community Awards at the launch of our Big Local Community Garden and Café next summer so watch this space!

Are you between 10-19yrs? Do you have ideas on what the future needs to look like for young people? Need some help to make your ideas come to life? Heston West Big Local has teamed up with Ealing and Hounslow CVS, Spark! Charity, EACH Counselling and Hillingdon Autistic Care Support to deliver the GLA: My London Enabling Youth Social Action across Hillingdon and Ealing. 
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Visit http://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/youthsocialactionproject and have the opportunity to win a £100 gift voucher - so act quickly! Deadline for responses: Sunday 1st August 2021.

Cranford Community College have partnered up with Heston West Big Local to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food Programme this summer funded by the London Borough of Hounslow. This holiday provision is for children who receive benefits-related free school meals. England and Manchester United striker and food poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford is fronting the campaign to encourage parents to sign up their child or children this summer. ​

​The Youth Social Action project (aimed for 13 to 15 years old across Hounslow) will run from Monday 26th July to Thursday 19th August 2021 from 11 to 3pm at Cranford Community College. To register your interest in the project, please click here. 

We would like to announce that one of our Big Local short films 'JAG & JILL' (2019) has been specially selected to be screened at the upcoming WSFF Wonderous Stories Film Festival on Sunday 25th July 2021 in London. 'JAG & JILL' is a short anti-knife crime awareness film aimed to educate and inform children about the dangers of knife crime and the devastating consequences it can have on young lives, families, and communities. Made in collaboration with Make A Difference Entertainment, Zero Culture, Metropolitan Police and Mayor of London. Find out more at https://www.wonderousstoriesff.com/​

We are excited to have joined forces with Cranford Community College and Hustle Hiit to deliver free fitness sessions for adults living, working, studying or volunteering in our Big Local community. The pilot sessions will run from Saturday 10th July to 5th August from 11 to 12pm at the school. To sign up please click here. We look forward to welcoming you soon. 

In partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, Heathrow Airport and Cranford Community College – Heston West Big Local installed a new globe sized planter at the school. The project is ​part of the Heathrow Better Neighbour Programme, an initiative to improve local green spaces whilst re-engaging the community. We will be continuing our work on the planter over the next few weeks and look forward to welcoming the community to unveil the project in July 2021.  

​Big thanks to Keep Britain Tidy Project Manager Alec Hammond and Alan Fraser, Deputy Head at Cranford Community College and Chair for the Big Local and our brilliant volunteers including Callum, Rajveer, Nafessa, Nimesh, Leon and Debbie with Big Local Project Manager Taz.
​Watch out for this space!

The Big Local has partnered up Cultivate London to deliver free fun allotment gardening sessions on the Redwood Estate. The sessions run weekly every Saturday from 11 to 12.30pm. All equipment is provided. We are currently growing garlic, onions, potatoes, various herbs and also strawberries. Session is open to all in our community, for more information please contact Taz Virdee on 07840047771.

​The Big Local were invited to the Mayor of London's official opening of the London Blossom Garden at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in May 2021. The living memorial garden was developed to honour the 19,000 Londoners who sadly passed away in the pandemic, we were also joined by key workers and faith leaders across the 33 London boroughs. The Mayor Sadiq Khan met with our Big Local Community Podcast host Tarek Mrad. After the ceremony, the Mayor unveiled the 33 new blossom trees, one for each borough and also announced a new Covid-19 bereavement support programme for families.

For more information about the London Blossom Memorial Garden please visit: https://www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/…/blossom-garden  

Big thanks to the Mayor's office and National Trust for the invitation to fly the flag for Heston West Big Local and the London Borough of Hounslow. For more information about the Big Local Community Podcast please click here.

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.