Hillingdon People - London Borough of Hillingdon

advertisements 

On the first day of Christmas my 

true love gave to me, entrance to the 

gym for free. 

Join Hillingdon Council’s 

leisure centres between 

the 1st and 12th of 

December and get 

January for free! 

(1st Direct debit payment due in February 2009) 

Hayes Pool 

Central Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 2BG 

020 8573 2785 

Highgrove Swimming Pool 

Eastcote Road, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 8DZ 

01895 622664 

Queensmead Sports Centre 

Victoria Road, South Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 0JE 

020 8845 6010 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk 

2 November/December 2008 

hillingdon people magazine

contents 

November/December 2008 

W elcome 

to the 

latest 

edition of 

Hillingdon 

People. 

Many of you 

I’m sure will have either had 

personal experience of investing in 

banks that the Government have 

now had to effectively nationalise 

or will know someone who has. 

Councils, police forces and 

charities have been in a similar 

position. This shows the serious 

and rapidly changing position that 

currently exists across the world. 

Let me reassure you that despite 

this unprecedented period in 

history, the financial management 

and strength of Hillingdon Council 

means we are well able to deal 

with these unforeseen events. 

As I have already announced, we 

are committed to a zero increase 

in council tax for the next two 

years. This will help some way 

towards supporting our residents 

through this difficult period. In 

addition, our first time buyers’ 

initiative will help some of our 

residents to get a foot onto the 

property ladder. 

As we move into a new year, 

many of our innovative projects will 

be delivered. These include our 

two new leisure centres, the launch 

of Hillingdon First – our privilege 

card for residents, and we will 

continue our library improvement 

programme and commence 

building three new youth centres 

for our young people. 

I will, over the coming months, 

be announcing a further 

programme of significant 

investment in the borough and 

service improvement as part of our 

civic pride initiative. 

2009 promises to be an exciting 

year for Hillingdon as we are able 

to achieve both significant facility 

and service improvement and 

freeze council tax. I am aware that 

it will also be a difficult time for 

some of our residents and we will 

be looking for ways of helping out 

where we can. In the meantime 

may I take this opportunity of 

wishing you a happy and safe 

Christmas and healthy New Year. 

Cllr Ray Puddifoot 

Leader of the Council 

Photo courtesy of istock.com 

Editorial and advertising enquiries 

Hannah Collins 01895 250828 

hillingdonpeople@hillingdon.gov.uk 

After reading, please 

recycle this magazine 

34 Front cover story 

Ice rink and Christmas market 

8 Readers’ survey results 

What do you think of Hillingdon 

People? 

10 Keeping Hillingdon clean 

How can you help to keep the 

borough clean? 

12 Make your money work 

for you 

Ways the council can help you make 

your money go further 

14 Summary of Accounts 

How did we spend your money this 

year? 

18 Join us online 

You can access council services 24 

hours a day by visiting our website 

22 Wildlife photo winners 

See the winning competition entries 

25 Opening hours 

Find out when the council offices will 

be closed over the Christmas period 

Regulars 

4 News 

33 Hillingdon contact numbers 

35 What’s on? 

Published by London Borough of Hillingdon 

© 2008 

Design Phil Burton 01895 250670 

Printed by The Print Factory 

Hillingdon People, 3E/07 Civic Centre, 

High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW. 

Products and 

services advertised 

in this magazine are 

not necessarily 

endorsed by the 

council. 

For a copy in large print or on tape, 

call 01895 250828 

hillingdon people magazine November/December 2008 

3

Penicillin 

discoverer 

honoured 

A commemorative 

plaque in honour of Sir 

Alexander Fleming has 

been unveiled at 

Harefield Hospital as 

part of a scheme to 

celebrate and remember 

people of national or 

local importance who 

have lived in Hillingdon. 

Sir Alexander Fleming 

(1881 – 1955) was a 

leading biologist, 

pharmacologist and 

Nobel Prize winner for 

the discovery of penicillin. 

He was appointed 

regional pathologist at 

Harefield Hospital during 

the Second World War 

and devoted most of his 

time at Harefield’s 

pathology department 

studying the effects of his 

discovery on a wide 

variety of infections 

including tuberculosis. 

During his time at 

Harefield Hospital, 

Fleming contributed 

much to the study and 

development of 

penicillin, which 

modernised the face of 

modern medicine when 

it became readily 

available in 1945. 

inbrief 

Former 

councillor 

sentenced 

Following a court 

hearing on 14 October, 

Ian Oakley is no longer 

a councillor for 

Northwood ward. 

Youth 

Council 

elections 

Young people have had 

the chance to nominate 

themselves for the new 

look Youth Council at this 

year’s Youth Conference. 

The conference was 

held at the Civic Centre 

and young people 

attending had the 

opportunity to put 

themselves forward as 

candidates for the 

Youth Council. 

Young people from a 

variety of schools and 

organisations across the 

borough came together 

to share their ideas 

about how they feel 

about youth activities 

and how the borough 

could be improved. 

This year is the first 

time young people have 

had to have manifestoes 

and will be elected 

through email and 

phone votes to be part 

of the council. 

Gas pipeline update 

If you have been out and 

about in the borough in 

the last few months, you 

might have noticed that 

there is some construction 

work going on to build a 

gas pipeline. 

The work, which is 

being carried out by 

Murphy Pipelines Ltd for 

National Grid, will see a 

new 18.5km pipeline laid 

between Harefield and 

Southall. This represents 

a major investment in the 

gas network by National 

Grid and is vital to meet 

the increase in demand 

in west London. 

The project is well 

underway, with some 

sections of the pipeline 

BIGfest BIGger than ever! 

The BIGgest BIGfest ever took place last month, with 

hundreds of people turning up to the parade through 

Uxbridge and the BIGfest village at Barra Hall Park 

in Hayes. 

There are lots more photos of the day at 

www.flickr.com/hillingdon, or through the council 

website at www.hillingdon.gov.uk. 

being constructed in 

underground tunnels to 

allow it to cross major 

roads and railway lines 

without significant impact 

on day-to day activities. 

This includes the A40 at 

Swakeleys roundabout. 

Several sections of 

pipeline have also been 

laid in specially prepared 

trenches and the ground 

reinstated between 

Harvil Road and 

Uxbridge Park. 

However, the majority of 

the pipelaying will start 

this year. 

The council is 

working with National 

Grid to minimise any 

disruption the work 

may cause which is 

scheduled to take place 

during the week and on 

Saturday mornings. 

Work on a Sunday 

might be necessary on 

occasion, but this will 

be kept to a minimum. 

Construction teams are 

working to ensure that 

there is as little disruption 

and inconvenience as 

possible to local 

communities and the 

environment, with wheelwashing 

facilities, on-site 

speed limits, dust removal 

and road-sweeping 

vehicles all in operation. 

If you would like any 

further information, 

please call National Grid’s 

community relations team 

0800 731 1231. 



New gym 

opens to 

help 

residents 

stay 

healthy 

A new gym with the 

latest facilities has been 

opened in Hayes. 

The active lifestyle gym 

has opened in Springfield 

Road, Hayes, and also has 

social facilities and free 

car parking. Everyone 

who joins will receive a 

lifestyle assessment and 

fully qualified instructors 

will help them achieve 

their goals. One-to-one 

training is also available 

and customers can be 

given special 

programmes to reach a 

variety of targets. 

Cllr Henry Higgins, 

Cabinet Member for 

Culture, Sport and 

Leisure, said: “I’m really 

pleased we have provided 

this marvellous new gym 

to help our local residents 

enjoy their leisure and 

become fitter and 

healthier as a result. The 

gym is not just for sporty 

people and our 

management partners 

Mytime have a great track 

record of getting more 

people more active more 

often, and I am delighted 

that they are bringing 

their active lifestyle 

programmes to benefit 

Hillingdon and 

compliment the extensive 

investment the council is 

making into providing 

21st century leisure 

facilities for our residents.” 

Residents wishing to 

preview the gym should 

contact Andrew Crossley, 

gym manager, or a 

member of his team on 

020 8573 2956, or visit 

the leisure section on the 

council website at 


New contact number for 

social services 

From 3 December there 

will be a change to the 

contact number for adult 

social services enquiries. 

Hillingdon Social Care 

Direct is a single number 

for adult social services, 

meaning you will not 

have to keep giving your 

details out to various 

people. Trained staff in 

the contact centre will be 

answering the calls and 

will be able to deal with 

a variety of enquiries, for 

example, requests for 

care assessment for you 

or someone you know. 

You can also phone up 

and ask about things like 

handrails for the home, 

or requests repairs to 

equipment you already 

have. You can also get 

information on social 

care costs and contact 

details for organisations 

such as Age Concern. 

This will help us 

improve the service we 

offer to you and mean 

your enquiry is dealt 

with more effectively 

and efficiently. 

From this date, the 

number to call is 01895 

556633 if you have any 

adult social care queries. 

The line will be open 

from 8am to 6pm. 

inbrief 

Blue badge 

spot checks 

From December 

random spot checks 

will be carried out on 

motorists using Blue 

Badges, Brown Badges 

or parking permits. 

Civil Enforcement 

Officers (the new name 

for parking 

enforcement officers) 

will be ensuring that 

the people using the 

badges are the badge 

holders themselves. 

Checks will be 

starting on 1 December. 

Top for benefits 

information and 

customer service 

The council’s benefits 

information and 

customer service has 

been voted the best by 

other London 

boroughs. 

A mystery shopping 

exercise, 

commissioned by the 

Customer Services for 

London Group (CSLG), 

took place in June and 

involved 13 London 

councils. Each borough 

made eight phone calls 

to each of the 

participating councils 

and rated them on 

technical knowledge, 

how the call was 

handled and overall 

satisfaction. Hillingdon 

came top overall. 

Hillingdon to 

pilot celebratory 

youth events 

The Youth Council in 

the borough has been 

selected to be one of 

the pilot areas to 

organise celebratory 

youth events. 

The Department of 

Children, Schools and 

Families have given 

hillingdon news 

the Youth Council 

£15,000 to organise 

two events focusing on 

unity in the youth 

community. Both of the 

events will provide an 

opportunity for young 

people from different 

parts of the borough 

and from different 

cultural and ethnic 

groups to come 

together to celebrate 

their achievements. 

Hillingdon has been 

chosen to pilot the 

scheme because of 

the strength of the 

Youth Council and 

previous success in 

similar schemes. 

The events will take 

place in February 2009. 

Parking survey 

shows residents 

feel safe and 

secure 

Results of a recent 

parking survey show 

almost 63 per cent of 

car park users feel 

safe and secure in 

Hillingdon’s car parks. 

All car park users 

were given the chance 

to express their views 

and what they thought 

about the parking 

facilities on street and 

in council owned car 

parks across the 

borough. The results 

showed a high level of 

satisfaction with the 

service in general and 

94 per cent of people 

said convenience was 

the main reason for 

choosing that particular 

car parking facility. 

Many of the points 

highlighted in the 

survey have started to 

be addressed including 

improvements to 

stairwells at the Cedars 

car park in Uxbridge. 


5


New 

councillor 

elected 

John Riley has been 

elected as a Conservative 

ward councillor for West 

Ruislip. He was elected 

with 52.4 per cent of the 

vote, a total of 1,351 votes. 

inbrief 

Benefits fraudster 

sent to prison 

A woman from Hayes 

was sent to prison 

for fraudulently 

claiming £26,000 of 

housing benefit. 

Firdous Jalil, of 

Woolacombe Way, 

Hayes, was caught 

committing benefit 

fraud through the data 

matching National 

Fraud Initiative, which 

revealed she had failed 

to declare she was 

living with her partner 

while claiming housing 

and council tax benefit. 

The fraud led to her 

receiving overpayment of 

benefits over four years. 

If you have any 

information about benefit 

fraud, please contact 

the council’s hotline on 

0800 389 8313. 

Libraries upgrades 

As part of the 

modernisation 

programme across the 

borough, Harefield 

and West Drayton 

libraries are closed for 

refurbishment. 

Alternative 

arrangements have 

been made, please visit 


for more information. 

Hillingdon is blooming marvellous 

The borough has won a 

Silver Gilt award in the 

large city category in the 

London in Bloom 

Awards ceremony. 

Organised by the Royal 

Horticultural Society, 

London in Bloom is one 

of eighteen regions across 

England, Scotland, Wales 

and Northern Ireland that 

make up Britain in Bloom. 

The contest is aimed at 

promoting both 

floriculture and 

horticulture for the benefit 

of the public as well as 

to encourage displays of 

flowers, shrubs, trees and 

landscapes in places 

visible to the public. 

Have your 

say on west 

London 

waste 

A meeting into the future 

of waste services is being 

held at the Civic Centre 

on Monday 1 December. 

Six west London 

boroughs, including 

Hillingdon, have joined 

together to plan how to 

change the way we 

manage waste in the 

future. The West London 

Waste Plan will identify 

sites to manage all of the 

area’s waste until 2025. 

It will prioritise waste 

reduction and recycling. 

The meeting will start at 

6.30pm with refreshments 

available. Registration 

will start from 6pm. For 

more information visit 

www.wlwp.net and to 

register your interest in the 

consultation please email 

info@wlwp.net, telephone 

01895 558341, or write to 

West London Waste Plan, 

Policy and Environmental 

Planning, London 

Borough of Hillingdon, 

Civic Centre, High Street, 

Uxbridge UB8 1UW. 

Blooming winners announced 

The best gardens in the 

borough have been 

recognised in the 

borough’s annual 

horticulture contest, 

Hillingdon in Bloom. 

The competition gives 

recognition to local people 

putting forward their 

gardening achievements 

through the imaginative 

use of flowers, trees, 

shrubs and landscaping. 

There were 55 entries 

this year’s contest and 

the winners included: 

• Woodbridge House 

• Thelma White 

Following a consultation 

earlier this year, 

improvements are being 

made to the town 

centre in Northwood. 

This work follows the 

successful completion 

of work in Harefield 

and Ruislip. More 

than £500,000 is 

being spent, with 

£413,000 from the 

council and the 

remainder from 

Transport for 

London. 

We would like to 

thank all residents 

who took part in the 

consultation and told us 

their likes and dislikes 

about the Green Lane 

area of Northwood. 

Many of these 

suggestions are included 

in the works that began 

in October. Other 

suggestions that take 

longer to arrange are still 

being looked into, such as 

a farmers’ market, safer 

pedestrian crossings and a 

20 mph zone. 

Cllr Keith Burrows, 


• The Brookhouse, Hayes 

• Sanctuary Close, 

Harefield 

• Pamela Percy 

• William Constable and 

• 8 Sanctuary Close, 

Harefield 

To see more of the 

winners visit the news 

section of the council 

website at 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk. If 

you are interested in 

becoming a judge or in 

entering the competition 

please contact Kerry 

Fellows on 01895 250655 

by 30 April 2009. 

Northwood town centre 

improvements underway 

Planning and 

Transportation, said: 

“These works will make a 

big difference to the lives 

of the residents and the 

suggestions were made 

by them. I would like to 

thank them for their 

input, and also thank the 

ward councillors for their 

hard work on this 

programme.” 

If you would like more 

information, please 

contact Jonathan Westell 

on 01895 250035 or email 

jwestell@hillingdon.gov.uk 



Disabled playground 

opened by rugby legend 

Former England Rugby 

Union captain, Lawrence 

Dallaglio, has opened 

what is believed to be the 

first playground dedicated 

to disabled children. 

The playground has 

been funded by the 

council’s Chrysalis fund, 

rugby charity Wooden 

Spoon and the Peter 

Harrison Foundation. 

Rocket Park in Windsor 

Avenue, Hillingdon will 

be used by Karers 4 

Kidz, a local charity, 

specialist schools in the 

borough and all children 

with disabilities and 

their families. 

New home 

for people 

with mental 

illnesses 

Purpose built 

accommodation for people 

with mental illnesses has 

been opened as part of the 

council’s modernisation 

programme. 

Hamlet Lodge is being 

leased and run by Look 

Ahead Housing and 

Care. Residents living 

there will be supported by 

24-hour staff to continue 

developing independent 

living skills within the 

local community. 

Play equipment 

includes a yo yo swing, 

cable runway, 

roundabout, multiplay 

unit, picnic tables and 

specially designed roads 

so that wheelchairs users 

can practice their 

wheelchair skills. 

Lawrence said: “It is 

a great pleasure to be 

here at this wonderful 

facility. There has been a 

huge amount of hard 

work to make sure it gets 

to fruition.” 

For more information 

on Chrysalis please visit 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/ 

chrysalis. 

Cllr Philip 

Corthorne, Cabinet 

Member for Director 

of Adult Social Care, 

Health and Housing, 

said: “Hamlet Lodge is a 

fantastic building which 

will really benefit the 

residents who can now 

call it their home. 

“The flats themselves 

are large and modern 

and the support on hand 

will be second to none. 

Additions to the borough 

like Hamlet Lodge 

ensure Hillingdon 

continues to be a 

prosperous borough with 

improving housing and 

social care.” 

inbrief 

Congratulations 

to students 

Students at the 

borough’s secondary 

schools have got the 

best GCSE results ever 

in their summer exams, 

thanks to hard work by 

them and by teachers 

and school staff. 

Cllr David Simmonds, 


Education and 

Children’s Services, 

said: “We wish all 

students who took their 

GCSEs this year luck in 

their future, either in 

continuing their studies 

or starting work. They 

have done themselves 

and us proud.” 

Uxbridge College 

is outstanding 

OFSTED inspectors have 

rated Uxbridge College 

as outstanding following 

an inspection earlier 

this year. The college 

got the top rating in five 

out of six categories 

and was rated as 

‘good’ in the sixth. 

Budding builders 

to train at new 

construction 

centre 

A new construction 

centre has been 

opened by Hillingdon 

Training Ltd at 

Abbotsfield School. 

A range of courses 

are being offered, 

including carpentry, 

brickwork and painting 

and decorating. The 

centre provides 

learners new skills in 

various trades and 

gives them a steppingstone 

into 

construction. The 

courses result in 

nationally recognised 

qualifications. 


Have your say 

about rights 

of way 

The council is 

consulting with 

residents about how 

the rights of way in the 

borough meet the 

needs and demands of 

a range of different 

users. This is part of 

our work putting 

together a Rights of 

Way Improvement 

Plan, which will be 

used to guide the 

future management of 

public rights of way. 

Residents are being 

asked to comment on 

the use they make of 

public rights of way and 

future improvements 

to the network. To get 

a copy of the survey, 

please contact 01895 

556000 or visit 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk. 

The closing date for 

forms to be returned is 

Monday 8 December. 

Shopkeeper 

sentenced 

A Hayes shopkeeper 

has been fined £8,000, 

given 150 hours of 

community service and 

an eight month prison 

sentence for 

possession of 

unclassified 

pornographic DVDs. 

The council’s Trading 

Standards Department 

found more than 540 

unclassified DVDs at 

Manubhai Patel’s 

storage facility in 

Isleworth. In October 

2005, Mr Patel was 

given a warning after 

voluntarily forfeiting 

similar DVDs. 

If you are aware of 

such activities, please 

call Trading Standards 

on 01895 250164. 


7

your hillingdon 

We had almost 200 replies 

to our readership survey, 

which asked for your 

thoughts on Hillingdon People. 

Thank you to everyone who took 

part for your ideas and suggestions. 

We have now analysed all the 

responses and have chosen a 

winner of £25 Chimes vouchers. 

Congratulations to Carolyn 

Appleby of Hayes, who will be 

receiving her prize soon. 

Your comments tell us that the 

most popular sections of the 

magazine are the council news, 

environmental information and the 

‘What’s On’ page. The contacts 

page is also popular, as is Safer 

Hillingdon. A huge 95 per cent of 

you like the redesign we had in July. 

Around 20 per cent of you are 

reading the magazine on the 

What you think of 

internet. We are looking at ways 

we can improve this version of the 

magazine so those of you who are 

reading online can enjoy an 

enhanced service. 

There are a few places you 

would like to see Hillingdon People 

getting out to, as well as it being 

delivered to your home. These 

include libraries, which do receive 

copies of the magazine, and also 

supermarkets and doctor’s surgeries. 

contacts 

If you have any comments on 

the magazine, please email 

hillingdonpeople@hillingdon.gov 

.uk or write to Hillingdon 

People, Corporate 

Communications, 3E/07 Civic 

Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, 

UB8 1UW. 

Hillingdon First 

Your questions answered 

As we announced in the last 

edition of Hillingdon 

People, next year we are 

launching Hillingdon First - a 

privilege card for residents. 

A Hillingdon First card will be 

sent out to all residents over 18 

years old. As we may not have the 

details of all residents, we will be 

publishing details nearer to the 

time of how to get a card if you do 

not automatically receive one. 

The response from residents so 

far has been overwhelmingly 

positive, with many of you already 

asking questions about how to get 

a card, what you will be able to use 

it for and more general questions 

about things like cost. 

Here Hillingdon People answers 

some of your questions: 

Why are we introducing 

a residents’ card? 

The council wants to make sure 

Hillingdon residents get the benefits 

of paying council tax in the 

borough. Hillingdon First will offer 

privileges and discounted access to 

services for all of our residents. 

We have consulted with residents 

about introducing a residents’ card 

and what it might be used for. The 

response has been very positive 

and residents were even involved in 

choosing the name and design of 

the card. 

What benefits will it offer 

residents? 

As well as cheaper parking it will 

offer discounts at a range of local 

shops and services. It will also give 

you access to all of our libraries 

and waste sites, such as New Year’s 

Green Lane. 

At what shops will I be able 

to use Hillingdon First? 

We are still working with shops 

and services to build up a directory 

of local businesses that will offer 

discounts to residents. We will publish 

a directory of those shops and 

businesses at which you can use your 

card nearer the time of the launch. 

What happens if I lose 

my card? 

You can either report it on-line or 

by phone and it will immediately be 

stopped. This means no one else 

will be able to use it. Even if 

someone does try to use it, it will not 

have any of your personal details 

and as it is not like a credit or debit 

card, you will not lose any money. 

Will residents have to 

pay for their card? 

No, it will be free to all residents. 

contacts 

For more information visit 


hillingdonfirst. 



hillingdon older people 

WWW.THIRD-AVENUE.CO.UK 

Every year Hillingdon residents are 

cheated out of hundreds of thousands of 

pounds by doorstep conmen. This type 

of rip-off usually targets elderly 

or vulnerable residents. 

The typical scam starts when 

workmen call at someone’s 

house uninvited and 

persuade them to have work done, 

such as roofing, guttering or bushes 

and trees trimmed. 

Often these men say they just 

happen to be in the area and can 

offer you a ‘special deal’, they then 

quote a low price, enticing you to 

allow them to do the work. 

However, when these conman start 

the work, they discover further 

repairs are needed and more 

money is needed, usually several 

thousand pounds. If they actually 

complete any work, it turns out to 

be of very poor quality and is often 

found to have been unnecessary. 

It is common for this type of 

conman to ask for cash ‘up front’ 

and Trading Standards officers 

know of cases where money has 

been paid over to workmen for 

them never to be seen again. 

They are also difficult to trace if 

they complete work and there are 

problems with it. This is also the 

case even if they give you a ten or 

15-year guarantee. They use 

mobile phones, give either no 

names or false names, and use 

false addresses. 

Two trends have emerged 

recently. The first involves 

workmen driving up to elderly 

people in the street, telling them 

they have worked on their property 

before and they need to carry out 

a further inspection of this work. 

The unsuspecting victim then 

guides the workmen to their home 

and the con beings. One Ruislip 

resident recently lost £6,000 after 

this type of incident and no work 

was carried out. The conman even 

drove the victim to the back to 

collect the cash. 

The second con involves men 

calling at the door of people who 

have already been the victim of a 

con. He tells the homeowner he is 

from Customs and Excise and 

demands that VAT is paid on 

previous building work. In the 

cases reported to the Trading 

Standards team, the conman has 

usually forged Custom and Excise 

letterheads, but is unable to 

produce any identification. 

Top tips 

• Never employ an uninvited 

workman who calls at your 

door. 

• Never pay cash up front. 

• Don’t allow yourself to be 

driven to the bank. 

• Make sure you thoroughly 

check the identification of 

anyone who calls at your door. 

• If you should agree for work 

to go ahead, the workman is 

legally required to give the 

resident a written notice 

explaining the resident’s right 

to a seven day cooling-off 

period. 

contacts 

If you do suspect that doorstep 

conmen may be working in your 

area or you are having 

difficulties with someone 

currently working on your 

house contact your Police Safer 

Neighbourhood Team or 

Consumer Direct on 08454 

040506. 


9

hillingdon environment 

We all want to live 

in a cleaner, 

greener borough 

but we need your 

help to keep it 

that way. 

Be cleaner 

go greener 

The council spends hundreds 

of thousands of pounds 

every year on cleaning the 

roads, parks, collecting litter and 

removing graffiti, fly-posting and 

fly-tipping, all of which degrades 

the environment. 

Fly-tipping, litter dropping, 

graffiti and fly-posting are all 

classed as enviro crimes and cost 

you, Hillingdon’s taxpayers. If you 

are caught committing an enviro 

crime, the council does have the 

powers to fine or prosecute. 

Cllr Sandra Jenkins, 


Environment, said: “The 

council takes enviro crime 

extremely seriously. We need 

residents’ help to stop illegal flytippers, 

those throwing rubbish 

and anyone spraying graffiti in the 

borough by reporting them to the 

council. All of these acts are 

illegal and people can be 

prosecuted for them.” 

The council is planning to 

consult with residents about your 

thoughts on whether we should 

take stronger action against people 

who commit enviro crimes such as 

littering or fly tipping. If you would 

like to have your say about this, 

please see www.hillingdon.gov.uk 

contacts 

If you see or have information 

about enviro crime, please call 

the council’s customer contact 

centre on 01895 556000, email 

eet@hillingdon.gov.uk or visit 


Top tips for using your composter 

With thousands of free 

compost bins being 

delivered around the 

borough, are you making the best 

use of yours? Autumn is a great 

time to start as you gather up 

leaves, empty plant pots and 

generally tidy up the garden. These 

top tips should ensure you get the 

optimum results out of your bin. 

1. Place your composter in a 

sunny spot on well-drained soil. 

If you need to put it on a solid 

surface, make sure there is a 

layer of soil underneath; 

2. You can compost vegetable and 

fruit peelings, tea leaves, coffee 

grounds and crushed egg shells, 

weeds, grass cuttings, hair, 

paper, spent hops and even 

vacuum dust; 

3. Items such as evergreen 

clippings, prunings, leaves, straw 

and hay can be composted in 

small amounts; 

4. Things such as grass, nettles and 

pond weed will help speed up 

the composting process; 

5. eep the lid on your composter to 

keep the heat and moisture in. If 

you can put it in direct sunlight 

so the plastic absorbs the UV 

rays that will heat the compost 

up. In winter, you can use old 

carpet or bubble wrap to help 

insulate the composter; 

6. Turn the compost occasionally 

to increase air flow and speed 

up decomposition; 

7. Dig the compost into the soil in 

early spring or late autumn when 

it is ready to improve the soil 

structure and act as a fertiliser. 




Happy recycling 

Enjoy a green Christmas 

Think of all the wrapping paper and cards 

that are sent over Christmas. What happens 

to them when the holidays are over? 

While we are celebrating 

Christmas, we also produce 

twice as much rubbish than 

usual, with extra empty cans, glass 

bottles and piles of Christmas cards 

and wrapping paper adding to the 

usual amount of waste. All of 

these things can be recycled after 

the holidays through your weekly 

collections by the council (see below 

for Christmas collection dates). 

While you can leave most of 

your recycling out for collection, 

there are certain things you can 

recycle yourself. 

• If you receive unwanted gifts, 

you could take them to a 

charity shop where someone 

else might want what you do 

not. You could combine this 

with a clear out ahead of the 

New Year and donate some of 

your older, unwanted items. 

• When you take down your 

Christmas cards, put them in 

your clear recycling bag or take 

them to one of the local shops 

Refuse and recycling 

Christmas and New Year 2008/2009 

Over the bank holidays the revised 

collection days are as follows: 

• Please leave your rubbish for collection between 6 am 

and 6 pm on the revised collection days. 

• Where two revised days are given, please put your 

rubbish out on the first day. If it is not collected on the 

first day it will be collected on the following day. 

• Please leave your rubbish near your front gate but not 

on the pavement. 

• If you have any queries, or would like to report a 

missed collection, call the council’s contact 

centre on 01895 556000 or visit: 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/recycling 

that offer a recycling service. 

Or, recycle them yourself and 

use them as gift tags for 2009. 

• You can also recycle some of the 

packaging your Christmas dinner 

ingredients will have been in. 

The Civic Amenity sites in the 

borough also take a wide variety of 

recycling items, including electrical 

appliances, car batteries, clothes, 

and the site at New Years Green 

Lane in Harefield has a ‘swap 

shop’ where you could take 

unwanted items and see if there is 

anything you want to swap them 

with. Lots of the things that get 

taken to the tips after Christmas 

could be recycled, so think before 

you throw them away. 

Cllr Sandra Jenkins, Cabinet 

Member for Environment, 

said: “Christmas means we 

generate a lot more rubbish than 

usual, so please don’t forget to 

recycle. Our figures for this year 

show we are doing well, please 

keep up the good work.” 

What’s missing from 

your recycling bag? 

A new campaign to highlight the 

items missing from residents’ 

recycling bags and commonly put in 

rubbish bags is starting in November. 

As part of this, there will be piles 

of rubbish in the borough’s main 

high streets to raise awareness of 

how much waste a typical 

household produces a year. 

contacts 


information about recycling in 

Hillingdon, please visit 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/recycling 

call 01895 556000 or email 

recycling@hillingdon.gov.uk 

Normal collection day Revised collection day 

Monday 22nd Dec 08 Monday 22nd Dec 08 

Tuesday 23rd Dec 08 Tuesday 23rd Dec 08 

Wednesday 24th Dec 08 Wednesday 24th Dec 08 

Thursday 25th Dec 08 Tuesday 30th Dec 08 

Friday 26th Dec 08 Friday 2nd Jan 09 

Monday 29th Dec 08 Monday 29th Dec 08 

Tuesday 30th Dec 08 Tuesday 6th Jan 09 

Wednesday 31st Dec 08 Wednesday 31st Dec 08 

Thursday 1st Jan 09 Thursday 8th Jan 09 

Friday 2nd Jan 09 Friday 2nd Jan 09 

Monday 5th Jan 09 Monday 5th Jan 09 

Tuesday 6th Jan 09 Tuesday 6th Jan 09 

Wednesday 7th Jan09 Wednesday 7th Jan 09 

Thursday 8th Jan 09 Thursday 8th Jan 09 

Friday 9th Jan 09 Friday 9th Jan 09 


11

hillingdon finance special 

Making your mo 

We are all aware of the current financial climate, but what 

help is on hand give you support to manage your money? And 

what are we spending your money on in the borough? 

There are several ways that you can get help with managing your money, from mortgage 

advice to ensuring you get the benefits you are entitled to. Here we give you some ideas 

on how you can you make your money go further. 

Help 

with your 

mortgage 

If your monthly mortgage 

payments are getting difficult to 

pay help and support is 

available from the council. 

As soon as you are experiencing 

problems with your monthly 

repayments, you need to ask for 

help. The council can help by 

giving you advice immediately 

Case studies 

Mrs P’s husband had not paid 

the mortgage for four months 

though he had agreed in court 

that he would do so. When Mrs 

P came to see the council she 

said that he had not been able 

to make the payments agreed in 

court because he was not 

working at the moment. Mrs P 

was still working but did not 

earn enough to pay the 

mortgage and the bills and 

housekeeping. She was 

referred to the solicitors and 

arrangements have been 

agreed with the mortgage 

lender for them to clear the 

arrears and keep their home. 

Mr B was 64 and was facing 

repossession. He came to the 

council for advice and was 

over the phone or in person at 

our offices, recommending a firm 

of solicitors, referring you on to 

independent debt advisors, or 

providing tenants for property you 

want to rent out. 

If you are struggling to keep up 

with payments on your own home 

or as a landlord, you can call the 

Housing Options and Advice 

Team on 01895 250147 for 

immediate advice and to talk 

through your options. 

referred to solicitors, the 

possession warrant has been 

suspended and he continues to 

make regular affordable 

payments on his mortgage. 

Mrs D works part-time and is 

the joint owner of a house with 

her husband, who left the family 

home earlier in the year when 

they separated. Mr D stopped 

paying the mortgage when he 

moved out, and she was soon in 

arrears of around £2,000. After 

assessing her case our advisors 

referred Mrs D to solicitors for 

legal advice on her rights and 

how to get help from her 

estranged husband to 

contribute to the mortgage. Mrs 

D and the children have been 

able to stay in the family home 

and arrangements have been 

made to clear the arrears. 

Fight rising 

fuel bills 

With fuel bills rising to 

record levels as the colder 

weather hits, hundreds of 

residents across the borough could 

be missing out on grants and 

discounts to improve the energy 

efficiency of their homes. 

The council is working in 

partnership with London Warm 

Zone (LWZ) to offer help with 

the cost of loft and cavity wall 

insulation, as well as heating 

improvements. If you own your 

home or are a tenant of a private 

landlord, you could be entitled to 

have work carried out by LWZ 

approved contactors. 

LWZ will assess your home to 

find out what help you will need to 

improve its energy efficiency. If 

you are over 70, or in receipt of an 

income or disability benefit, you 

may be eligible to have loft and 

cavity wall insulation installed free 

of charge. Regardless of your 

income, you could receive up to 75 

per cent off the cost of insulation 

work. The scheme also offers up to 

100 per cent grants for help with 

heating repairs and replacements. 

contacts 

To find out more and book a 

home energy assessment, call 

London Warm Zone on 

freephone 0800 587 2251 or visit 

the website at 

www.londonwarmzones.co.uk 




ey work for you 

On pages 14 to 17 you can read the council’s most recent 

statement of accounts, which provides you with information on 

the council’s budget and where it is being spent in the borough. 

Are you 

getting 

what you’re 

entitled to? 

Benefits are designed to help 

people who are on a low 

income for a variety of 

reasons, and there are several kinds 

that you can claim depending on 

your circumstances. 

Sometimes people are unaware 

of the benefits they could be 

claiming, meaning they are not 

making the most of what help they 

are entitled to. The council offers a 

free entitlement check to residents, 

in association with the Pension 

Service, to make sure everyone is 

benefiting as much as they can 

from financial support. 

Officers from the department 

can arrange for home visits if 

needs be, and could help you claim 

hundreds of pounds that you are 

entitled to but did not know about. 

Cllr Philip Corthorne, 

Cabinet Member for Adult 

Social Care, Health and 

Housing, said: “This service 

means that people can find out 

about benefits they are eligible for, 

which could help them when their 

finances are tight. I would 

encourage anyone who is uncertain 

about their benefit entitlement to 

take advantage of this service to 

see if it could help them.” 

contacts 

The Joint Team Advice Line on 

01895 216812 or 01895 216814 

between 9am and 4.30pm 

Monday to Friday. 

Case studies 

Mrs G is 81 and had been 

relying on her son for pocket 

money. She called at the 

Information Point for help and 

advice and had no knowledge 

of pension credit or other 

benefits. A benefits officer 

completed an application for 

pension credit with her and 

chased up the application, 

keeping her informed about 

what was happening. Mrs G 

has been awarded pension 

credit of £124.05 per week, 

with backdated arrears for 

£7,827.30. 

Mr and Mrs K were visited by an 

officer for a full benefit health 

check. They were already in 

receipt of state retirement 

pension, attendance allowance 

and pension credit. They 

discussed the carers allowance 

and a further form was 

completed for a review in their 

entitlement to pension credit. 

Mr and Mrs K have now been 

awarded the couple rate of 

severe disability premium and 

carers’ premium and their 

pension credit has increased to 

£74.35 a week. They can also 

get full council tax benefit. 

Following a phone call from the 

Domestic Violence Unit (DVU), 

an officer visited Mrs L at the 

DVU in Uxbridge to see what 

benefits she could claim. She 

was unable to take home visits 

as her husband was controlling 

and if he realised she was 

receiving pension credits he 

would take it from her. The 

officer spoke to her about what 

benefits she could claim and 

completed the application form 

fully so no further contact was 

needed. She is now getting her 

pension credit paid by giro to 

the c/o address of the DVU and 

is almost £82 a week better off. 

She also received almost £2,000 

in arrears. While visiting her, 

the officer also promoted the 

help available through the 

council to other women so they 

can also get advice in claiming 

what they are entitled to. 

contacts 

For more information on how 

the council can help you, visit 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk. 

Uxbridge Citizens Advice 

Bureau (CAB) has set up a new 

money advice service for people 

worried about the credit crunch. 

You can get in touch by emailing 

mas@hillingdoncab.org.uk or 

call in to one of our three 

bureaux. Opening times are on 

www.hillingdoncab.org.uk 

where you can also download a 

free debt self-help guide. 


13


How did we spend yo 

Earlier this year, 

we asked you how 

you would like to 

get information 

about the council’s 

budget and how 

we spent your 

money. Most of 

our residents told 

us they would 

prefer to read 

about the council’s 

finances in 

Hillingdon People. 

This summary 

tells you how we 

spent your money 

last year, what 

assets we 

currently have and 

how we are 

investing your 

money. 

14 November/December 2008 hillingdon people magazine


r money last year? 

All councils must publish their 

full accounts in a way 

prescribed by the 

Government. If you would like a 

full set of the council’s accounts 

please log onto the council’s web 

site www.hillingdon.gov.uk or 

contact the Corporate Accounting 

Team on 01895 556073. 

How council 

services are funded 

Councils are unique in that they 

deliver nearly 800 different 

services. Like all councils, 

Hillingdon gets the money to pay 

for these services by a mixture of: 

• Council tax 

• Grants from central 

government 

• Business rates and 

• Fees and charges for things 

like rents. 

The council tax that you pay in 

Hillingdon only covers 14.7 per 

cent of the total amount the 

council spends on services. The 

council is also required to collect 

council tax on behalf of the 

Mayor of London. £29.2m was 

collected from Hillingdon residents 

and paid to the Mayor in 2007/8. 

We also receive grants from 

government to help us deliver 

services. Many of the grants we are 

given have to be spent on things the 

government tell us. For example, we 

get £158.4m that we have to give 

to our schools for them to deliver 

education for our children. 

Our council houses and repairs 

are managed on our behalf by 

Hillingdon Homes, which is run as 

a separate business. 

Last year we collected £245m in 

rates from businesses in 

Hillingdon. This money is paid 

direct to the government, who 

then decide how much we get 

back. Last year, we were given 

£63.9m, which represents only 26 

per cent of the business rates we 

collected in the borough. 

Financial review 

Through strong financial 

management, and by making 

efficiencies in the way we run the 

council, the overall financial 

position of the council is now 

much stronger. 

Our general reserves, which is 

the money that we can call on for 

unplanned costs stands at £12.6m. 

This meets the recommendations 

of our independent auditors and 

means that we have hit our target 

of getting to £12m two years early. 

We have been lobbying the 

government for nearly two years 

for them to fully fund the costs of 

supporting unaccompanied asylum 

seeking children that come through 

Heathrow Airport. They have 

recently announced that we will be 

getting around £4m. However, we 

are still concerned about funding 

from the government for future 

years and will continue to press for 

a fair deal for Hillingdon. 

We will also continue to invest 

significant sums in facility and 

services. The council tax increase 

for Hillingdon services for 2007/8 

was 3.75 per cent and for 2008/9, 

three per cent. It is our intention 

to freeze council tax for in 

Hillingdon for the next two years, 

this will mean no increase in 

council tax for two years. 

The cost of council 

services in 

2007/2008 

Explanation of services 

Cultural, environmental and 

planning services – includes 

libraries, parks, waste collection and 

disposal and environmental health. 

Corporate and democratic 

services is the administrative cost 

of running the organisation 

including the democratic process. 

Central and other services 

include council tax administration 

and voluntary sector grants. 

Education and children’s 

services includes services for 

children, families and schools. 

The Housing Revenue account 

covers the financial position for the 

council’s housing stock. Hillingdon 

Homes Ltd manages the housing 

stock on an arms length basis. 

School budgets are managed by 

school governing bodies although 

they form part of the council’s 

overall finances. School reserves 

(the amount of money they can 

call on in unforeseen 

circumstances) reduced by £600k 

during 2007/8 to £13m. At this 

level they are around six per cent 

of school’s gross budgets. 


15


£000s 

Income 

Revenue Support Grant 13,231 

Business Rates 63,948 

Council Tax 103,411 

Interest & Investment Income 7,376 

Total 187,966 

Council Services 

Education 38,864 

Adult Social Care 64,831 

Housing Services 3,524 

Transportation & Roads 18,625 

Cultural Environmental and Planning Services 33,033 

Corporate & Democratic Core 8,300 

Central Services to the Public 4,409 

Other 81 

Unapportionable Central Overheads 1,536 

Interest Payable and Similar Charges 11,651 

Housing Revenue Account deficit for year 339 

Net cost of services 185,194 

Amount met from Government Grant and Council Tax 177,818 

General Fund Surplus for year 2,772 

An additional £8.2m was invested 

in Hillingdon’s schools in 2007/8. 

GCSE results and literacy and 

numeracy tests continue to show 

an improvement year-on-year. The 

level of permanently excluded 

pupils has fallen to very low levels 

over the past three years. Persistent 

absence is also being targeted with 

the aim of reducing the proportion 

of pupils with more than ten days’ 

absence a year. For secondary 

schools this figure is below five per 

cent and at 1.5 per cent for 

primary school children 

Additional money invested in care 

services has helped people to 

remain living in their own home. 

We have also introduced a first time 

buyers’ deposit scheme as part of 

our affordable housing programme. 

Waiting times for a social care 

assessment have also been reduced. 

More than £60,000 was spent 

on alley gating and other crime 

reduction schemes to help people 

feel safer in the borough. We also 

recovered around £1m of local 

taxpayers’ money from council tax, 

benefit fraud and overpayments 

through proactive investigations. 

We spent £2.94m improving 

roads and streets including 

£816,000 from Transport for 

London. This also included street 

lighting and drainage. 

The council’s 

balance sheet 

at 31 March 2008. 

The balance sheet reflects the 

overall financial position of the 

council at the end of the financial 

year. The council owns assets with 

a net value of £1,388m after 

taking account of loans of 

£128m. These are mostly involved 

in delivering services and we 

regularly review whether assets are 

still needed. Last year the council 

raised £29.8m from asset sales 

that was used to invest in our 

buildings, such as libraries and 

leisure centres. 

Through good management and 

maximising our investments, we 

also earned £7.3m interest for the 

council during 2007/8. 



Capital expenditure 

This is money we spend on buying 

new assets or improving our 

existing assets. In 2007/08, the 

council spent £68m doing this. 

These schemes included: 

£14.2m upgrading and extending 

Oak Farm Primary, Uxbridge High 

and Haydon secondary schools; 

More than £2m was given to home 

owners to provide disabled facilities; 

£24.1m was spent on refurbishing 

council houses to bring them up to 

a decent standard; 

£2m was spent on Manor Farm 

heritage site. The Grade II listed 

buildings have been fully restored 

and include an interpretation centre; 

£5.2m was spent on transport and 

road works. Many of these were 

focussed on safety, improving cycle 

ways and footpaths, bus priority 

and highways maintenance; 

Almost £1m was allocated to the 

Chrysalis programme, our 

programme of environmental and 

community safety improvement 

projects which aim to improve 

council land and facilities and works 

towards safer, cleaner, greener and 

more active communities. 

Almost £1m has been invested in 

Breakspear Crematorium following 

public consultation. 

£2.2m on Victoria Hall and Ruislip 

Manor Library. This was opened in 

October last year and incorporates 

a café, new personal computers and 

contemporary design; 

Over £5.2m was spent on sport 

and leisure facilities, including the 

prestigious Uxbridge Lido; 

Money saving 

Some of the examples of how the 

council is helping to save money 

include the Abandoned Vehicle 

Team reporting any suspicious 

vehicles that could have been 

stolen or involved in criminal 

activity. This has helped to 

promote a safer borough and has 

also resulted in cost savings 

through the reduction of 

administration needs. Around 20 

stolen vehicles were located in 

2007/08 as a result of the work. 

The Green Spaces team have 

been working to make sure graffiti 

is removed quickly and more 

efficiently. Following a review of 

the team last year, graffiti removal 

was outsourced to our 

maintenance contractor, 

Connaught, and the time it takes 

for graffiti to be removed has been 

reduced to two working days. This 

is saving around £30,000 a year. 

Councils’ deposits in Icelandic banks 

Leader of the Council, Cllr Ray 

Puddifoot, said: “More than 100 

councils, 30 police forces, Transport 

for London and a range of charities 

have all been affected by this 

particular aspect of the current 

global financial position and we are 

expecting the government to support 

councils and other organisations as 

they are doing for banks and other 

financial institutions. 

Hillingdon invested £5 million 

with an Icelandic bank and £15 

million in a bank, which is a UK 

subsidiary of an Icelandic bank. 

We are however, financially sound 

and with an annual cashflow of 

more than £1 billion and the 

investment in question will not 

affect our ability to continue to 

deliver high quality services to 

our residents. 

Some residents will ask why we 

invest money in banks at all. All 

councils invest money to help 

reduce the level of council tax and 

to maximise the amount of money 

we have to deliver services. We 

follow very strict government 

guidelines and all of the banks we 

invest in have the highest credit 

rating. However, in these highly 

unusual times, these ratings are 

changing on a daily basis. 

The financial management and 

strength of Hillingdon Council 

means we are well able to deal with 

this type of unforeseen event.” 


17

hillingdon online 

Join us 

Hillingdon’s online community is growing. There are now 

many different ways to contact us, help yourself to services 

or have your say online - and it’s easy to get involved! 



hillingdon online 

online 

Did you know that you can 

order recycling bags at 6am 

on collection day? Pay your 

council tax late at night not long 

before it’s due? Or report that 

annoying graffiti when you get 

home from work at 7pm? Well you 

can if you do it online through 

Hillingdon Council’s website. 

Do it online 

We have developed a range of 

online services to make it easier for 

you to get those inconvenient things 

done quickly and at a time 

convenient for you. Information and 

contact details about all of the 

council’s services can be found on 

the council website. In addition there 

are a range of forms, transactions 

and clever tools available to save you 

a phone call or a journey to the 

council’s offices. Applications, 

bookings, payments, reports, requests 

and searches may all be done online. 

Different ways 

to find us online 

If you don’t have an internet 

connection at home you will find 

free access to computers and the 

internet at your local library, and 

staff who are happy to help. You 

can also get council information 

and contact us through your TV if 

you subscribe to a cable or satellite 

service: just press the interactive 

button on your remote control. 

And you can use your phone too! 

To access council information using 

a mobile phone with internet access: 

go to www.hillingdon.gov.uk/mobile 

or use the Looking Local link 

available on some services. Or text 

us: send a message to 07950 080321 

to report an issue as you see it. Be 

sure to include your name, door 

number, postcode, the nature of the 

report (e.g. street light, street 

cleaning or recycling bags), and the 

location if appropriate. 

New and the future 

In addition to the forms, payments 

and service information, there are 

lots of other ways to get involved. 

You can now take part in online 

surveys, watch videos from the 

local community on YouTube, 

browse photos of Hillingdon on 

Flickr, read council news on 

Twitter, or sign up to Hillingdon’s 

Facebook page. You may also have 

your say on health and social care 

issues through Hillingdon’s Local 

Involvement Network. 

Over the coming months we will 

be improving the Hillingdon 

website with quicker access to 

forms and services online, 

enhanced interactive maps with 

local links, and more podcasts and 

video clips. We also want to make 

it easier for you to engage with the 

council so expect to see more 

opportunities to have your say. 

It’s easy to connect with the 

council and your community when 

you do it online! 

Join us online: 

Hillingdon’s growing 

online community 

• Sign up to Hillingdon’s 

Facebook page 

• Read council news on Twitter 

• Watch council and community 

videos on YouTube 

• Browse Hillingdon photos on 

Flickr 

• Discuss health and care 

issues on the Local 

Involvement Network 

Visit 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/joinus 

Do it online: tips on 

how to save time 

with online services 

• Apply for planning permission 

or look up applications 

• Report graffiti, missed 

collections, flytipping, 

abandoned vehicles, and 

much more 

• Request recycling bags 

• Calculate benefits you may be 

entitled to 

• Reserve a school place 

• Pay council tax, rent, parking 

fines and more 

• Contact your councillor 

• Sign up to receive council 

news by email or by SMS text 

on your mobile 

Visit 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/doitonline 

Safety online 

Hillingdon Council 

encourages the 

community to get 

safe online. The 

national ‘Get Safe 

Online’ campaign promotes 

internet security awareness and the 

campaign website offers a range of 

helpful guidance, including a ‘10- 

minute guide for 

beginners’. Go to 

www.getsafeonline.org 


19

safer hillingdon 

Keep your 

home safe 

and sound for 

Christmas 

Now the clocks have gone back and the 

evenings are darker, make sure you are 

taking precautions to keep your home 

safe and secure during the upcoming 

holiday period. 

Compared to nearby boroughs, 

crime levels in Hillingdon are 

low and there is no need to 

be unduly worried about being a 

victim of a crime. In the 12 months 

up to the end of August 2008, 

Hillingdon recorded fewer crimes 

per 1,000 population than 

neighbouring Hounslow, Ealing, 

Slough, South Bucks and Watford. 

To help keep it that way, here are 

a few simple measures that can 

deter and prevent crime and help 

you keep the season jolly: 

At home 

• Leave a light on to make your 

home look occupied when you 

are out to deter burglars; 

• Install external lights to deter 

vandals; 

• Don’t leave presents under the 

Christmas tree in view of the 

window. Hide them somewhere 

safe until you need them (which 

makes it more of a surprise too!) 

• Mark expensive presents, such 

as electronic equipment with 

contacts 

For more advice on security 

devices, please contact your 

local crime prevention officer on 

020 8246 1778. 

your postcode by engraving or 

using a UV pen; 

• Dispose of packing carefully as 

empty boxes left outside can 

advertise that you have new 

goods inside. 

If you are away 

over the holidays 

• Remember to tell your 

neighbours that you will be 

away and ask them to keep an 

eye on the house. Cancel milk 

and papers; 

• Buy some timers for your lights, 

radio and TV so it looks as if 

you are at home. These can be 

picked up cheaply from any 

DIY store; 

• Remember to securely lock all 

doors and windows. 

On a night out? 

• Don’t leave bags over the back 

of your chair and keep wallets 

and purses close to your body; 

• Make prior arrangements as to 

how you will get home. Make 

sure someone knows where you 

are going and what time you 

will be back; 

• Don’t use unlicensed taxis. 

Just 

another 

normal 

Boxing Day? 

An incident of domestic violence 

takes place every six to 20 seconds 

in the UK and the police get a call 

every minute relating to domestic 

violence. Many local families will 

endure extreme pain and suffering 

over the holiday season and 

victims of domestic violence are 

being urged to seek help and 

support this Christmas. 

The stresses of Christmas and 

the fact that more alcohol is 

around can often lead to tempers 

boiling over. Christmas for most is 

a time of fun and family, 

however, for some the 

emotional strain of 

the season can 

contribute to a 

rise in domestic 

violence. 

contacts 

If you are suffering from 

domestic violence and would 

like help and support, please 

contact: 

Community Safety Unit (Police): 

020 8246 1766. 

Independent Domestic Violence 

Advocacy Service: 020 8246 

1745. 

Domestic Violence Floating 

Support: 01895 457421. 



hillingdon sport 

Extra cash for 

future Olympians 

A ‘Gold’ bursary which will support the borough’s best 

athletes has been announced as London took over the 

Olympic flag in preparation for the 2012 Games. 

SUPERSTARS 

Cllr Henry Higgins, 


Culture, Sport and 

Leisure (far left) 

with Leader of the 

Council, Cllr Ray 

Puddifoot (far right) 

Rion Pierre and 

budding cycling 

stars Slipstreams 

Junior Cycling Club 

The bursary is unique to 

Hillingdon and will provide 

financial support of up to 

£10,000 for selected borough 

residents who are already, or are 

expected to, represent Great 

Britain or England at an 

international level. 

Leader of the Council, Cllr 

Ray Puddifoot, said: “Ablebodied 

and disabled sports people 

who have outstanding talent will be 

able to apply for a ‘Gold bursary’ 

from the council to provide them 

with up to £10,000 to help them 

reach their full potential. 

“This is something that could 

really make a difference to our 

elite athletes whilst the new top 

class sports facilities in Uxbridge 

and Hayes will be a great 

community asset for everyone. 

This is part of our continued 

commitment to becoming a more 

active, healthy and successful 

sporting borough and providing a 

legacy for the future generations of 

Hillingdon residents.” 

Fifteen-year-old swimmer 

Francesca Marr is one budding star 

that could be in line to benefit from 

this support. She swims with 

Hillingdon Borough and is coached 

by David Hemmings. Francesca is 

tipped for the top after being rated 

among the top three in the country 

for her age group. 

Francesca said: “I do the 100 

and 200m breast stroke. I’ve been 

to the European Juniors this year, 

national competitions, the national 

Olympic trials for Beijing, which is 

the British Championships. 

“I’m looking forward to 2012, it’s 

quite exciting because it’s going to 

be on your doorstep.” 

Francesca is among a group of 

potential athletes who could benefit 

from the bursary, which is one of 

several schemes available to help 

budding sports stars. Another grant 

scheme is Hillingdon Sports Council 

grants which are funded by the 

council and have been revitalised to 

enable the community to develop its 

sporting involvement and capacity 

and to support emerging sporting 

talent. The four grant strands are: 

Club Up to £3,000 on enhancing 

sessions, increasing participation 

and performance and equipment; 

Coaching For coaching, 

umpiring and officiating at level 1, 

2 and 3; 

Individual Supporting local and 

regional standard athletes with 

additional coaching, transport, 

equipment and accommodation costs; 

Clubmark Rewarding clubs for 

gaining Clubmark accreditation, 

which shows they are child safe 

clubs with welfare and first aid 

trained members and have coaches 

at Level 2 standard or above. 

contacts 

For more information contact 

Lorna Radford on 01895 277766 

or email 

lradford@hillingdon.gov.uk 


21


Wild winners 

of competition 

The winners of the 

wildlife photograph 

competition, run by the 

council in conjunction 

with A Rocha, have 

been selected. 

The winners of the wildlife 

photograph competition, run 

by the council in conjunction 

with A Rocha, have been selected. 

Thank you to everyone who took 

part, all the entries were of a very 

high standard and the judges had a 

difficult decision to choose the 

winners in both categories. 

Seven-year-old Morgan Liu, of 

Uxbridge, won the under-16 section 

of the competition for his photo of 

a shield bug on a leaf. His photo 

was chosen because it was an 

excellent achievement for someone 

of his age and it had been taken 

very carefully. 

Bob Barton, of Hayes, won the 

adult section with his photo of a 

garden snail on a water lily. 

Dave Coleman, of A Rocha 

and the wildlife artist who is 

providing the prizes, said: “It’s a 

composition that is very expressive. 

If you are heading off to see 

family or friends during the 

holidays, make sure you stay safe 

on your journeys, whether you are in 

your car or travelling as a pedestrian. 

Now the clocks have gone back, 

the evenings are darker and you 

need to be careful walking home 

from work, or picking the children 

up from school. 

With lots of parties and social 

events over the holidays, it is 

important to remember that 

drinking and driving is an offence. 

A conviction for drink driving has 

the potential to ruin your life with 

penalties including a 12 month 

OVER 16 

Bob Barton’s 

photo, taken 

in his garden, 

which won the 

over-16 

category 

UNDER 16 

The photo 

taken by 

Morgan Liu 

to win the 

under-16 

category 

The relationship between the 

negative outline at the top and the 

flower is nicely balanced. I loved the 

sweep of the snail through it as well.” 

The winners will be receiving 

paintings by Dave as their prizes 

early next year. 

driving ban, a criminal record, a 

hefty fine and lifestyle changes, for 

example, potential loss of job, 

relationships or car. 

The effect of alcohol on your 

driving can include: 

• Slower reactions 

• Reduced field of vision 

• Poorer judgement of speed 

and distance 

• Overconfidence and increased 

risk taking, increasing the 

danger to all road users 

including yourself. 

Cllr Keith Burrows, Cabinet 

Member for Planning and 

Transportation, said: “Christmas 

contacts 

For more information on Green 

Spaces in the borough, visit 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk and for 

more on A Rocha, visit 

www.arocha.org 

Keep safe on the roads this Christmas 

is a time where people spend a lot 

of time travelling to visit family 

and friends and we would like to 

remind everyone to make sure they 

are safe while they are doing this. 

Hillingdon has a good road safety 

record but we want to make sure it 

stays that way.” 

There will be events happening 

around the borough throughout 

National Road Safety week (10-16 

November) to encourage everyone 

to be careful on the road. 

contacts 

Visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/ 

roadsafety for more information 

on road safety. 


Work is progressing on new youth 

facilities across the borough, with young 

people getting involved in the design of 

the centres. 

Plans are underway for new 

youth facilities in 

Northwood, Charville and 

South Ruislip. Development work 

in the Northwood and Charville 

locations is now fully underway, 

with young people working with 

the council, local partners and 

architects on the design and 

features they would like to see 

included at the new facilities. 

The three new facilities are part 

of continued investment in 

services for young people across 

the borough. 


Cabinet Member for Education 

and Children’s Services, said: 

“We are dedicated to improving 

facilities for young people in the 

borough and we are looking forward 

to working with them to provide 

facilities they want to see. We work 

hard as a council to give young 

people the best services possible, 

through the Deputy Leader’s 

Initiative among other projects. By 

working with young people we are 

ensuring that the centres we provide 

are the ones they want to use.” 

hillingdon young people 

We want 

your views 

on youth 

services 

We don’t want to hear 

young people say there is 

nothing to do! We know 

there is loads going on in 

Hillingdon but the question is...is it 

what you want, how you want it 

and when you want it? 

The council wants to hear what 

you like and what you don’t like so 

we can offer you a service that suits 

your needs. The survey is for all 

young people, whether you use 

council services or not, and is 

designed to help us improve what 

we have to offer you in the 

borough. The answers will help 

feed into any future plans for the 

youth service and help to design 

services and activities offered 

across the borough. 



Education and Children’s 

Services, said: “It is really 

important that we get feedback 

from young people so we know 

what they like and want to see 

more of, and what they don’t like 

and want to see changed. We will 

be using all the feedback in our 

planning for future activities for 

young people so it will be great to 

hear from as many as possible.” 

There are a number of prizes to 

be won for those that take part in 

the survey with a top prize of 

£150 of vouchers for someone 

who completes the survey. 

Some of you will receive 

questionnaires through schools, but 

if you do not get one, visit 

young.hillingdon.gov.uk and you 

can answer easily online. 

14 young people have been 

trained to carry out research with 

their peers as part of a peer research 

group as another way of speaking to 

young people in the borough. 

contacts 

Visit young.hillingdon.gov.uk to 

make your voice heard before 

the end of January. 


23

safer hillingdon 

Top tips for a trouble free feast 

As Christmas approaches and thoughts turn to preparing 

the traditional feast for family and friends, there are 

several tips to help make sure festive food is safe to eat. 

• Before stocking up, defrost your 

fridge and freezer and give 

them a good clean using an 

anti-bacterial cleaner. 

• Make sure you have adequate 

space in your fridge and freezer 

to keep the food at the proper 

temperature (between 0ºC and 

5ºC for the fridge). 

• Keep cooked and raw foods on 

separate shelves in the fridge, never 

store cooked food below raw. 

• Don’t leave food that should be 

refrigerated at room 

temperature. Refrigerate 

cooked food as soon as it is cool 

and use leftovers up within 48 

hours. Only reheat leftovers 

once and serve piping hot. 

• Make sure meat and poultry is 

fully thawed before cooking. 

• Use separate chopping boards 

and utensils for raw meat and 

any cooked or ready to eat 

foods or alternatively wash 

thoroughly in hot soapy water 

to avoid cross contamination. 

• Always serve food piping hot 

and as soon as it is ready. If 

there is a delay between 

heating and eating, keep the 

food covered. 

• Always wash your hands before 

handling food and after 

handling raw meat and poultry. 

Dry them on clean towels. 

• Wash work surfaces, dishes and 

utensils in clean hot water and 

detergent between and after 

preparing different types of 

food. Keep cloths clean and use 

a kitchen sanitiser. 

• To make sure your turkey is 

cooked properly, check it’s 

piping hot all the way through, 

cut into the thickest part to 

check that none of the meat is 

pink, if juices run out they 

should be clear. 

contacts 


information about food safety 

please contact 01895 250190. 


Start Dancing 

all the dances in ‘Strictly’ 

Ballroom-Latin-Salsa 

on Thursday 29 th January 

2009, 7.30pm 

Classes for adults of all ages 

To book call Pam on 

01895 634207 

Venue: All Saints Hall, 

Long Lane Hillingdon, 

UB10 0EG 

To advertise in this 

magazine telephone 

Hannah Collins on 

01895 250828 

Please mention 

Hillingdon People 

when responding 

to adverts 

Solo 

(Singles Opportunities for Lodgings 

run by Paradigm Housing Group) 

Accommodation wanted 

Do you have a spare room in your house? 

We need lodgings NOW for our list of clients 

We offer personal advice, care and support - FREE! 

• 

Would you like to earn up to £81.73 per week, tax free? 

All clients are interviewed and matched to your 

requirements. 

For further information contact Teresa Simmonds 

on 01895 678026 


your hillingdon 

Hillingdon Council 

Christmas and New Year 

arrangements 2008/2009 

Hillingdon Council will have a reduced service between 24 December 2008 and 1 

January 2009. 25 and 26 December and 1 January are public holidays. 

The arrangements for essential services are listed below. If you plan to visit the Civic 

Centre in Uxbridge, or other council offices between these dates, it is advisable to check whether the 

office is open. 

Details of council services can be accessed 24 hours a day at www.hillingdon.gov.uk. Please see page 

18 for information about what services you can do online. 

Adult Social Care, Health and Housing 

Meals service: 

There will be a weekend service from 25 December to 

28 December and on 1 January with normal service 

on 24, 29, 30 and 31 December. 

Day centres: 

Asha Day Centre 

Opening and closing at normal time, 9am to 4.30pm 

during Christmas and New Year period. The centre 

will be closed on 25, 26 December and 1 January. 

Eastbury Road 

The centre will be closed on 25, 26 December and 1 

January but open as usual for the rest of the holidays. 

Grassy Meadow 

The centre will be open over the Christmas and New 

Year period as usual. It will be closed on 25, 26 

December and 1 January. 

Poplar Farm 

The centre will be closed on 25 and 26 December and 

1 January and open as usual through the rest of the 

holiday period. 

Poplar Farm DC Saturday Service 

The Saturday service is due to be closed on 

27 December. 

Noise service 

The service will be closed on 25, 26 December and 1 

January. Open from 9pm to 3am on 27 December, 

7pm to 1am on 28 December and from 9am to 5pm 

on 29, 30 and 31 December. 

Hillingdon Council’s Contact Centre 

Closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 January. 

Normal opening hours (8am to 6pm) for all other days. 

See page 33 for all the numbers and opening times. 

Rubbish collection 

For rubbish collection dates over Christmas, please see 

page 11, or visit our website at 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/recycling. 

Leisure centres 

Highgrove Pool will be open from 8am to 2pm on 24 

and 31 December, with the pool closing at 1.30pm, 

closed on 25 and 26 December. It will be open as 

normal on 27, 28, 29 and 30 December. It will be 

closed on 1 January and open normal from 2 January. 

Hayes Pool will be closed on 24, 25, 26 December and 

1 January and open from 8am to 2pm on 31 

December with the pool closing at 1.30pm. 

Hayes Stadium Sports Centre is closed from 24 December 

to 1 January and will re-open as normal on 2 January. 

Queensmead Sports Centre will be closed on 24, 25 

and 26 December, open from 10am to 4pm on 27 and 

28 December, open as normal on 29 and 30 

December, closed on 31 December and 1 January and 

open as normal on 2 January. 

Libraries 

All libraries are closing at 1pm on 24 December and 

will be closed on 25 and 26 December. They will be 

open usual hours from 27 December until 30 

December. On 31 December the libraries will close at 

5.30pm and will remain closed until 2 January when 

usual hours will resume. 

Hayes One Stop Shop 

The One Stop Shop will be closed on Christmas Day, 

Boxing Day and New Years Day and open as usual all 

other days. 

Health services 

There will be no evening contraceptive clinics on 

Wednesday 24 or 31 December. 

There will be a clinic at Uxbridge Health Centre on 

27, 29 and 30 December. 

The Hesa Centre in Station Road, Hayes, will be 

holding a clinic at 1.30pm on 24 and 31 December. 

Yiewsley Health Centre will be open from 9.30am to 

11.30am and Warren Medical Centre, Hayes, is open 

on 30 December from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. 

There will be an emergency service at Hillingdon 

Hospital Accident and Emergency department. 


25

Cleaner, Greener 


Abandoned vehicles success 

An abandoned vehicle is taken 

off the street in Bolingbroke Way, 

Hayes 

Hillingdon is best in London for the removal of abandoned 

vehicles on our streets. 

The number of abandoned vehicles in the borough has 

dropped for the last five years and the latest figures show we 

have the least in London and are fifth best in the country. 

In 2002/03 there were 3,741 vehicles, in the years 04/05 

there were 310 and in the years 2006/07 only 214. The 

reduction is being put down to a combination of tougher 

enforcement, new rules deterring car dumpers and high 

scrap metal prices. 

To count as an abandoned vehicle a number of 

inspections must be carried out, including road tax 

status, condition of vehicle, age, damage and nature of 

area where left. If you wish to report a vehicle you will 

need to provide as much information about the vehicle 

as possible such as its location, car model, colour and 

registration. All requests should be sent to the council’s 

Customer Contact Centre on 01895 556000. 

National Tree Week 

The end of November marks National Tree Week, a week celebrating 

trees and woods and signalling the start of the tree planting season. 

The council will be planting trees as part of the week. The first 

survey of trees in the borough has just been completed and more 

than 700 trees that are dead or dying have been identified. These 

are now being removed. 

The survey means new trees will be planted at the sites where 

these trees are being removed. It also means tree pruning can be 

programmed rather than being pruned reactively when we get 

complaints or enquiries. 

Cllr Sandra Jenkins, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “As 

one of the greenest boroughs in London, trees have a unique 

role in ensuring the borough is a pleasant and attractive place 

to live and work. It is important we preserve the trees we have 

and plant more to benefit future generations.” 

Tree lined path in 

Cranford Park 


News in brief 

Noisy neighbour fined 

A man who left his stereo 

blaring while he went out has 

been fined £250 and £500 costs 

and a £15 victim surcharge 

after pleading guilty at Uxbridge 

Magistrates Court. 

Tuna Ozel of Uxbridge, was 

visited by the council’s Noise 

Team after a complaint was 

received by one of his 

neighbours. When they visited 

his home, the front door and 

entire house was shaking due 

to the loud music. 

The Noise Team and Police 

forced entry to the house and 

seized noise equipment 

including 200 watt speakers. 

Older people can have 

allotments rotovated 

Green fingered older residents 

are set to benefit from ready 

rotovated allotments to help 

them stay more healthy, active 

and encourage more of them to 

take up plots. 

Leader of the Council and Older 

People’s Champion, Cllr Ray 

Puddifoot, made the 

announcement to mark 

National Allotments Week. The 

council is also looking at ways 

to improve access to allotments 

and introducing toilets. 

There are a number of available 

plots in the borough, please call 

01895 277765 or email 

nporter@hillingdon.gov.uk. 

Dangerous fireworks 

shop prosecuted 

A shopkeeper has been fined 

£350 and ordered to pay £400 

costs after pleading guilty at 

Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court for 

failing to store fireworks safely. 

Karim Mawji, of Young’s in Field 

End Road, Eastcote, was found to 

be storing fireworks incorrectly 

after an underage fireworks test 

purchasing exercise by Trading 

Standards Officers. They were 

not stored safely or securely or 

away from combustible material 

in the shop. The container 

outside the rear of the shop was 

also open and accessible by 

members of the public. 

Hillingdon cycle training 

one of best in London 

Trainee cyclists practice 

their skills at Breakspear 

Junior School, Ruislip 

Children enjoy the water feature at 

Ruislip Lido 

Hillingdon Council has been 

praised for the quality of its 

free cycle training for young 

people in a recent study 

commissioned by Transport 

for London (TfL). 

The study stated: “Hillingdon 

has a very highly skilled 

professional team delivering 

very high quality training. The 

team is diverse and will be an 

excellent resource for local 

development and innovation. 

Much of the training could be 

used as a blueprint for good 

practice for other borough 

training schemes.” 

The council’s Road Safety team 

currently trains 1,500 

youngsters aged between nine 

and 11 years, one of the highest 

number in London. The 

Bikeability scheme helps ensure 

that people using bikes are 

trained to a national standard 

and have the skills and 

confidence to ride their bikes 

safely on the borough’s roads. 

New water feature makes a splash 

Children have enjoyed 

splashing in a new 

water play feature at 

Ruislip Lido. 

The 300sq m interactive 

feature has been built 

on the beach outside 

the beach café. The 

council funded the 

£155,000 installation, 

which opened in 

September. 

The feature will be 

closed over the winter 

but will re-open again 

next Easter. It is made 

up of a number of 

different elements, 

including jet sprays 

and is designed to be 

suitable for young 

children of a variety 

of ages. 

Cllr Sandra Jenkins, 


Environment, said: “This is the first 

water feature of this size in Hillingdon and I hope children have 

enjoyed it and are looking forward to playing in it again next year. I 

am sure it has been a big hit with children and their parents and will 

provide lots of enjoyment for those who visit.” 


27

advertisement 

Be Healthy & Warm 

• Do you own your own home but do 

not have central heating? 

• Do you have an old in-efficient boiler that 

costs you the earth to run? 

• Or has your boiler packed in or is it about to? 

If you receive income or disability related benefits and have 

no heating system or if your boiler is in need of 

replacement, you may be entitled to a grant. 

[Subject to available funding. Grants 

do not cover boiler repairs or servicing.] 

Having a warm home that you can afford to heat is essential for 

your health and well-being. 

With energy costs continually rising, having an efficient gas central heating system can save you 

£££’s off your heating bills! 

To be considered, please complete the reply form below. OWNER OCCUPIERS ONLY! 

Name: _________________________________________________________________________ 

Address: ________________________________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________ Post code: __________________ 

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Are you over 60? Yes No Are you disabled? Yes No 

Do you have children under 16? Yes No 

Please indicate which benefits you receive: 

Pension Credit Income Support Disability Living Allowance 

Attendance Allowance Incapacity Benefit Council Tax Benefit 

Other (Please state) ____________________________________________________________ 

Tenure: 

I own my own home 

I rent my home privately 

I rent my home through a 

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My gas central heating has broken down 

My gas boiler is working but is old and in need of 

replacement 

I do not have a gas central heating system 

Please return your completed reply form to: 

Grants & Energy Team, London Borough of Hillingdon 

Private Sector Housing, 2E/07 Civic Centre 

High Street, Uxbridge 

Middlesex, UB8 1UW 




Entertain yourself in the 

run-up to Christmas 

Whether you want to find out about life as a superhero, keep the children occupied 

with a pantomime, or treat them to a ride with Santa himself, there are plenty of 

events to keep the winter days flying by. 

Super – A musical comedy about the superhuman condition 

Peter Pan 

Featuring Leslie Grantham, Toby Hull and Emu from CiTV, and 

Mark Jones who makes a return by popular demand as Smee. 

This is the enchanting tale of the boy who never grew up brought to 

life through magical sets and costumes. It is being staged by Qdos 

Pantomimes, the same team that presented last year’s record-breaking 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan promises to have 

the Beck’s hallmark 

of quality and value for money. 

Cost: £16.50 and £20 

When: Friday 12 December to Sunday 4 January, various times 

Where: The Beck Theatre, Grange Road, Hayes 

Contact: Visit www.becktheatre.org.uk 

or telephone 020 8561 8371. 

The world premier of this newly-written work, performed by the Purple 

Theatre Company. An original show, written by a Hillingdon resident, 

Phil Burton, along with Bas Dickson Leach and Toby Vennard. 

What’s it like to be a superhero? To go day to day, fighting crime 

and righting wrongs, all in the name of justice, while all the time 

wearing a colourful costume that some may point out as silly? This is 

the hilarious tale of what it means to live up to the title of superhero, 

whilst living in the world they have to protect. And what’s more, 

doing it to music! Come along and see the Purple Theatre Company 

do what they do best - saving the world one laugh at a time. 

Cost: £11, all tickets on opening night are £9. Concessions are 

available on Thursday only at £9 

When: Wednesday 26th to Saturday 29th November, 7.30pm 

Where: Compass Theatre, Glebe Avenue, Ickenham 

Information: Visit www.meanwhiledotdotdot.com or to book tickets 

call the Compass Theatre box office on 01895 673200. 

Have a train 

ride with Santa 

Santa has confirmed that he will be visiting the Ruislip Lido 

Railway again to meet good boys and girls from across the 

borough. 

The man himself will be appearing at the railway on three 

Saturdays in the run up to Christmas. The railway will also be 

running at the usual times from 26 December until 3 January. 

When: 7, 14 and 21 December 

Where: Ruislip Lido Railway, Reservoir Road, Ruislip 

Contact: To book your ride with Santa, you can book in 

advance in October and November on 0845 643 0182, or you 

can turn up on the day. Visit www.ruisliplidorailway.org for 

more information on times. 


29



Gift wrapping 

help needed 

Could you help 

the homeless? 

If you enjoy gift 

wrapping and have a 

couple of hours to spare 

to help raise money for 

charity, you could help 

Michael Sobell House. 

The charity is having 

two days of wrapping in 

the Chimes and Mall 

Pavilions shopping 

centres in December. 

For more information 

please contact Ophelia 

Chambers-Henry on 

01923 844829 or email 

ochambers@michaelso 

bellhouse.co.uk 

Hillingdon Council will 

soon be opening its 

winter shelter for 

homeless men for the 

third year running – 

the result of close 

collaboration and joint 

working with some of 

our key external 

partners and local 

church groups. 

The shelter will run 

from 12 January – 8 

March and will once 

again be based at St. 

Andrew’s Church hall 

in Uxbridge. 

It will provide bed 

spaces for up to eight 

rough sleepers each 

night during the coldest 

weeks of the year. 

The winter night 

shelter will be staffed 

by an experienced 

manager working 

alongside a bank of 

volunteers who will 

help by either supplying 

an evening meal, assist 

with cleaning and 

preparing packed 

lunches for the next 

day or provide sleeping 

night cover to support 

the manager. 

If you would like to 

volunteer for any of 

these roles or think 

you can make a 

donation, please 

contact Gillian 

Donnelly on 01895 

556935 or email 

gdonnelly@hillingdon.g 

ov.uk for more 

information from 

Monday to Friday. 

time on your hands? 

Could you 

be a friend? 

The Community Cancer 

Support and Drop-in 

Service is looking for 

volunteers to support 

cancer patients and 

their carers. If you are a 

caring person and are 

willing to be a listening 

ear, and can be 

dedicated to the role, 

this could be the perfect 

opportunity for you. 

Training will be 

provided for anyone 

interested in skills of 

self management, 

befriending, fatigue 

management, 

symptom/pain cycle, 

mental/physical 

exercise, 

communication and 

assertiveness. 

Volunteers can be 

male or female and of 

any age, as long as you 

have a basic 

understanding of 

cancer and the needs 

of cancer patients. 

The role will be based 

within the borough. 

Help blind people 

stay independent 

Could you offer blind 

and partially sighted 

people the chance to 

live more independent 

lives? 

Hillingdon Association 

for the Blind is looking 

for volunteers for the 

Home Visiting Service, 

which supports blind, 

partially sighted and 

deafblind clients to 

lead independent lives 

in their own homes, 

the MidSight help and 

information desks at 

Hillingdon and Mount 

Vernon Hospitals and 

also to help provide IT 

training. 

If you are able to 

space a couple of 

hours a week or a 

fortnight, you could 

help provide a valuable 

service to the visually 

impaired. Full training 

will be given. 

Mini bus 

drivers needed 

The Wren Club in 

Ruislip needs a driver 

to help transporting 

adults with learning 

difficulties or physically 

disabled people to a 

leisure activities club 

twice a week. 

The group is affiliated 

to the Royal Mencap 

Society and aims to 

provide help and 

support for adults with 

learning disabilities 

along with their parents 

and carers. Volunteers 

would be driving a 

Mencap minibus and 

a minibus licence is 

not necessary. 

Any drivers would 

also be welcome to 

help in the club itself. 

Information and 

advice volunteer 

A friendly and helpful 

volunteer who is able 

to empathise and offer 

support and assistance 

in solving problems is 

needed to help at the 

Age Concern advice 

shop in Uxbridge. 

The role would be on 

a Thursday or Friday 

morning and would be 

based in Uxbridge. 

Can you 

help DASH? 

The Disablement 

Association Hillingdon 

(DASH) is run by and 

with disabled people, 

their carers and 

professionals with an 

interest in disabilities. 

Volunteer minibus 

drivers are needed for 

the Activities 4 All 

project, which takes 

disabled people to a 

variety of activities, 

including theatres or 

safari parks. 

You will need to be 

over 21 and have held 

a full European driving 

licence for more than 

two years. Midas 

training will be provided. 

For more information on 

these appeals call the 

Volunteer Centre Hillingdon 

on 01895 442730 


31


Do you have good quality, unwanted 

furniture or electricals? 

For free and friendly collection, please contact us 

on: 01895 256655 or 020 8797 9505 

email: shop@trinityhomelessprojects.org 

We are a social enterprise that recycles quality 

unwanted furniture and electricals, providing 

paid employment and training to disadvantaged 

people and bargain prices to the public. 

Trimfleet House, Arundel Road, Uxbridge, UB8 2SD 

Reg. Charity No. 1118222, Company No. 03683014 

www.trinityhomelessprojects.org 



Golden 

numbers 


Environment and 

Street Scene 

01895 556000 

Mon – Fri, 8am – 6pm 

Anti-Social Behaviour 

0800 694 0240 


Council Tax 

01895 250000 


Housing/Council Tax 

Benefits,Noise and 

Housing Needs 

01895 556666 


Older Peoples’ Services 

01895 556633 


Racial Harassment 

0800 694 0240 

Mon - Fri, 9am – 5pm 

School Admissions 

and Benefits 

01895 556644 


Council Main 

Switchboard 

01895 250111 

Mon – Fri, 

8.30am – 5.30pm 

Trees & Landscapes 

01895 250230 


Fraud Hotline 

0800 389 8313 

24 hours 

Out of Hours Service 

01895 250111 

Advice and 

support 

To report housing 

benefit fraud and other 

fraudulent claims 

including the 

unauthorised 

occupation of council 

housing 

0800 389 8313 

Families’ Information 

Service 

0800 073 4800 

Citizens’ advice 

0870 126 4021 

Hayes One Stop Shop 

01895 556004 

hayesonestop@ 

hillingdon.gov.uk 


Independent Domestic 

Violence Advocacy 

Service 

020 8246 174 

Care services 

To request social 

services for people 

aged over 65 years or 

for younger people 

who have physical or 

sensory disabilities 

01895 556633 

Careline 

01895 250380 

Adoption and fostering 

01895 277850 

Drugs or sexual health 

for young people up to 

21 years 

01895 257285 

Community 

information 

Hillingdon Age 

Concern 

01895 431331 

Hillingdon Racial 

Equality Council 

020 8848 1380 

London Fire Brigade 

(Hillingdon team) 

020 7587 4402 

NoTRAG 

020 8759 1677 

Samaritans 

01895 253355 

Social Security 

(Benefits Agency) 

020 8426 3000 

Three Valley Water 

0800 376 5325 

Environment 

and street 

scene 

To report abandoned 

cars, flytipping, 

graffiti, flooding, grass 

cutting, parks and 

open spaces, potholes 

and pavements, 

recycling, refuse 

collection, trees, street 

lighting, parking 

appeals and request 

special collections 

01895 556000 

Current and proposed 

roadworks in Hillingdon 


roadworks 

Learning 

Library information 

desk 

01895 250600 

Advice and guidance 

(young people) 

01895 257855 

Enquiries about school 

transport 

01895 250008 

Enquiries about school 

admission 

01895 556644 

Truancy hotline 

01895 250858 

Leisure 

General leisure 

enquiries 

01895 250453 

sportsdev@hillingdon. 

gov.uk 

Hayes Pool 

020 8573 2785 

Hayes Stadium 

020 8573 0093 

Highgrove Pool, 

Ruislip 

01895 630753 

Queensmead Sports 

Centre, South Ruislip 

020 8845 6010 

Local 

democracy 

Councillors’ names, 

addresses and advice 

surgeries 

01895 250600 

Council meeting dates 

and agendas 

01895 250636 

Conservative group 

office 

01895 250316/250728 

Electoral registration 

01895 250251 

electoralservices@ 

hillingdon.gov.uk 

Labour group office 

01895 250780/250271 

Liberal Democrats 

group office 

01895 277821 

Mayor’s Office 

01895 250763 

Planning 

applications 

Building control 

enquiries, inspection 

requests and 

dangerous structures 

01895 250804 

/05/06/07/08 

Dangerous structures 

(out of hours) 

01895 250111 

Land charges 

enquiries 

01895 250689 

Hospitals 

Harefield Hospital 

01895 823737 

Hillingdon Hospital 

01895 238282 

Mount Vernon Hospital 

01923 826111 

Northwick Park 

Hospital 

020 8864 3232 

Watford General 

Hospital 

01923 244366 

NHS Direct advice line 

0845 4647 

Police 

Hayes 

020 8569 1212 

Ruislip 

01895 251212 

Uxbridge 

01895 251212 

West Drayton 

01895 437212 

hillingdon.enquiries@ 

met.police.uk 

Hillingdon Police 

Community Advice 

Line (for non urgent 

matters) 

020 8246 1860 

Mon – Sat, 

10am – 5pm 

Community Safety Unit 

(to report race crime) 

020 8246 1766 


33

For more information visit 

www.hillingdon.gov.uk

Music 

Sine Nomine Singers’ 

Golden Jubilee Concert 

Saturday 15 November, 7pm 

The Sine Nomine Singers 

will be celebrating their 50th 

anniversary with a performance 

of Haydn’s Creation. 

Cost: £10 

Contact: 020 8933 9708, 

mail@sinenomine.org.uk, 

www.sinenomine.org.uk 

All Saints’ Church 

An evening with 

Andy Abraham 

Wednesday 19 November, 

7.30pm 

Andy Abraham won the 

hearts of millions of 

television viewers as he 

competed to win X Factor, 

and this event will showcase 

songs from his three albums. 

Contact: 020 8561 8371 

Beck Theatre 

A Celebration of 

Flanders and Swann 

Friday 12 December, 7.30pm 

Starring Gordon Peters, star 

of BBC1’s Gordon Peters 

Show and Dad’s Army, 

presented by Ruislip Lions 

Club in aid of local charities. 

Cost: Adults £12 and 

children £8 

Contact: 07806 766993 

Winston Churchill Hall 

Ruislip Lions 

Christmas Concert 

Saturday 13 December, 7.30pm 

Starring music, theatre and 

dance. In aid of local charities. 

Cost: Adults £12, children £8 

Contact: 07806 766993 


Leisure 

Girls Football 

Every Tuesday, 6.30pm 

and Saturday, 10.45am 

Girls football training for 

school years 4-9 with 

Ruislip Rangers Youth FC. 

Open to experienced 

players and beginners 

alike. Goalkeepers 

particularly welcome. 

Contact: Dave Holden on 

07956 304966 or email 

d_l_holden@yahoo.co.uk. 

Tuesday - Goals South 

Ruislip; Saturday - Kings 

College Playing Fields. 

Taekwondo Classes 

Wednesday and Friday 

evenings, Saturday morning 

All levels of ability are 

welcome in this friendly 

and thriving club, from five 

years old. Please enquire 

about our adults only class. 

Contact: Brian 020 8423 6088, 

or visit 

www.ruisliptaekwondo.com 

South Ruislip Community 

Centre 

Kids’ Karate 

Wednesdays, 

5.45pm – 6.45pm 

Suitable for children aged 

seven and over. 

Contact: 01895 440486. 

St Giles’ Church Hall 

Postnatal Yoga for 

Mums and Babies 

Thursdays 9.45 – 11.15am, 

A great way to help with back 

pain, stiffness and other 

aches, to firm up tummy 

muscles, fight exhaustion 

and bond with the baby 

through gentle exercises. 

Contact: Katja 07951 763851 

or email 

katjapatel@yahoo.co.uk 

Ickenham First Girl Guide hut 

Christmas Gift Fayre 

Saturday 15 November, 

10.30am – 2.30pm 

Come and buy lovely new gifts 

from various gift stalls all in 

aid of Michael Sobell House. 

Cost: Entry £2, refreshments 

will be available 

Michael Sobell House 

Saturday Special – Minet 

Wild Adventure! 

Saturday 15 November, 

2pm – 4pm 

Suitable for children aged 

five to 11. Come along to our 

wild adventure and explore 

the deepest depths of Minet 

Country Park. Please bring 

suitable clothes, footwear 

and your imagination but 

parents not required. 

Contact: Sarah Leedham 

020 8573 0761 

Minet Country Park 

Ruislip Manor Chamber 

of Commerce Christmas 

lights 

Saturday 15 November 

The Christmas lights in Ruislip 

Manor will be switched on 

with a mini fun day for 

families, with sideshows, a 

barbecue and music. 

The lights will be officially 

switched on by Deputy Mayor 

of Hillingdon, Cllr Shirley 

Harper-O’Neill at 5pm. 

Victoria Road 

Light up a life 

Sunday 30 November, 4pm 

You can remember a loved 

one, a friend, or celebrate a 

new life at our service this 

year. Dedication forms are 

available from the main 

noticeboard or the 

fundraising office. Part of 

the event will be taking 

place outside so please 

dress accordingly. 


Glitzy glamour evening 

at Elstree Studios 

Thursday 4 December, 

7.30pm for 8pm start 

A pre-Christmas party 

complete with catwalk 

fashion and work by fashion 

students, some of which 

will be available to buy after 

the show. Hot and cold 

canapés will be served and 

there will be a licensed bar. 

Cost: £20 

Contact: 01923 844829 or 

email ochambers@ 

michaelsobellhouse.co.uk 

Elstree Film Studio 

Christmas door hangings 

Thursday 18 December, 

2pm – 4pm 

A special event as part of 

Caring, actually, for the over 

60s. Includes refreshments. 

Cost: £5 per person 

Contact: Booking is 

essential, please contact 

01895 270730 

Iver Nature Study Centre 

Model Christmas tree 

making 

Monday 22 December, 

10.30am – 12.30pm 

Part of the I’m Bored 

programme, suitable for 

children five to nine years 

old. You can make a model 

Christmas tree and 

decorate it with sweets. 

Cost: £8 per child 

Contact: Booking is 

essential, please contact 

01895 270730 


Theatre 

Harefield Amateur 

Dramatic Society 

present Rumours 

Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 

November, 8pm 

A comedy by Neil Simon. 

Cost: £7.50, concessions £5 

on Thursday only 

Contact: 01895 823633 or 

O’Donoghues in High 

Street, Harefield 

St Mary’s Church Hall 

venues 

All Saint’s Church 

Long Lane, Hillingdon 

Beck Theatre 

Grange Road, Hayes 

Compass Theatre 

Glebe Avenue, Ickenham 

Elstree Film Studio 

Shenley Road, 

Borehamwood, Herts 

Ickenham First 

Girl Guide hut 

Community Close, Ickenham 

Ickenham Library 

Community Close, Long 

Lane, Ickenham 


Slough Road, Iver Heath, Bucks 

Kings College Playing Fields 

Kings College Road, Ruislip 

The Ghost Train 

Wednesday 19 to Saturday 

22 November, 7.45pm 

Ruislip Dramatic Society 

presents a classic thriller, 

written by Arnold Ridley, and 

filled with suspense, mystery 

and a dramatic storyline that 

will leave you guessing until 

its conclusion. 

Cost: Tickets cost £10, £9 for 

concessions on Wednesday 

and Thursday only. 

Contact: Visit 

www.ruislipdramatic.org or 

telephone RDS on 01895 

637422 or the Compass 

Theatre on 01895 673200. 

Compass Theatre 

Hurricane Productions 

present Dick Whittington 

Sunday 23rd November, 

2pm – 3.30pm 

Capture the children’s 

imagination with our classic 

take of Dick Whittington and 

his cat! This show is ideally 

suited to children aged 3-11 

years old. 

Cost: Adults £6, children 

and senior citizens £4 each. 

Contact: 020 8845 1714 for 

more information and 

ticket sales. 

Yeading Community Centre 

The Purple Theatre 

Company presents 

Super - A musical 

comedy about the 

superhuman condition 

Wednesday 26 to Saturday 

29 November, 7.30pm 

See page 29 for details. 


Mount Vernon Hospital 

(see below) 

Minet Country Park 

Springfield Road, Hayes 

Mount Vernon Hospital, 

via gate 3, off White Hill, 

Northwood. 

St Edmund’s Hall 

Pinner Road, Northwood Hills 

St Giles’ Church Hall 

Swakeleys Road, Ickenham 

St Mary’s Church Hall 

High Street, Harefield 

South Ruislip 

Community Centre 

Long Drive, South Ruislip 

Yeading Community Centre 

Ditchfield Road, Yeading 


Pinn Way, Ruislip 

If you wish to publicise an event, please email details to 

hillingdonpeople@hillingdon.gov.uk or send to Hillingdon 

People, 3E/07 Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW. 

Events are selected at the editor’s discretion. 


35

Hillingdon People - London Borough of Hillingdon

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