September 2009 Archives

A PEDESTRIAN was taken to hospital after being hit by a car on last night (Monday).

The accident occurred at 11.05pm at the junction of Shakespeare Avenue and Yeading Gardens, Hayes.

HILLINGDON Centre for Independent Living (HCIL) is hosting an open day on Thursday, October 8.

The centre, based at the Wood End Centre, Judge Heath Lane, Hayes, provides free advice and support to those who experience difficulties with daily living due to illness, disability or old age.

A range of items aimed helping people cope with mobility issues will be available to try out, including kettle tippers, jar openers, bath lifts and reclining chairs.

The project is jointly funded by Hillingdon Adult Social Care Health & Housing and Hillingdon Community NHS / Hillingdon Hospital, in partnership with DASH (Disablement Association Hillingdon).

For further information, call 020 8848 8260.

AN ECO-friendly social housing development hailed as Hillingdon's greenest-ever community will be officially opened on Tuesday (29).

Birchway Eco-community, in Greenwood Close, off Birchway in Hayes, aims to encourage residents to lead more environmentally-focused lifestyles.

The development, a partnership between Hillingdon Council and Paradigm Housing Group, will be opened by the Mayor of Hillingdon, Councillor Shirley Harper-O'Neill.

Birchway Eco-community is made up of 24 apartments, which will be offered to tenants nominated from the council's housing list.

It has been short listed as development of the year in the 2009 Sustainable Housing Awards.

ANGRY residents and councillors have blamed a lack of communication after thousands of worshippers descended on a park, taking them by complete surprise, although the organisers are maintaining it was a success.

The Eid celebrations, part of a Muslim festival, took place on Sunday at Hayes End Community Park, in Kingsway, Hayes.

The festivities were held on Sunday, kicking off early in the morning, but residents, unaware the celebrations were even taking place, became furious that so many people came to the area with no warning.

Councillors had to come down to the park along with the police Safer Neighbourhood Teams to calm down residents who were unable to get out of their drives, and were awoken by the festival Tannoy.

A number of angry residents contacted the Gazette on Monday, feeling that they had been ignored, and not even consulted about the whole event.

The festival was organised by the Quba Islamic Centre, in Golden Crescent, Hayes.
Mohammed Adam, a volunteer, said: "From my perspective it went well for us, people from across Hillingdon were able to celebrate in one place.

"After what happened in Harrow we worked hard to avoid trouble, and there was none, there were more people than we expected, up to 4,000, but fortunately we had back up volunteers to help out and Sunday was a good day to have such an event.

Councillor Janet Gardner, who represents Botwell (Lab) said: "As one of the Botwell Councillors who attended the event in the Park, I can understand how angry the residents are about being kept in the dark about the whole event and the chaos it caused in surrounding streets.

"I myself would be furious if I was woken by a Tannoy system at 8am, or the sound of cars trying to park and I have to say I would have been the first to complain.

"I can only assume that there must have been a lack of communication between the organisers and the council regarding measures that should have been taken to limit the nuisance for the residents."

Councillor Mo Kursheed, who represents Botwell (Lab) said: "The venue was OK and these events need to be promoted, but the council did not do their job properly and these events need to be managed properly.

"Under the circumstances the Safer Neighbourhood Team did a marvellous job, they were not expecting it to be so big."

Philomena Bach, director of environment and consumer protection, said: "The council was assured that there would be under 1,000 people attending however, the actual number far exceeded this.

"Had the organiser made the council aware of the potential size of this event, we would have notified residents living in the local area.

"The council worked together with the police and the organisers to best manage the situation on the day and we are disappointed that the event caused disruption to some of our residents.

"The council will be meeting with the organisers to discuss how this can be avoided in the future."

CRICKET club members paraded up and down a catwalk in their swimwear in an X Factor meets Miss World style competition to raise money for their youth section.

On Saturday (19) 14 members of Hayes Cricket Club, in Wood End, Hayes, auditioned to be part of a calendar by posing in their swim shorts and also in fancy dress.

Participant Keith Wallis, who is also the club captain, said: "About four months ago someone suggested it might be an idea to do a cricket calendar for 2010.

"We're always looking at doing different things to get the club members involved so we set up a committee to organise it and on Saturday we held auditions.

"In the first part we had to walk up and down the catwalk to music in fancy dress or cricket kits - most people choose the cricket stuff - and then we had a break and some of the girls put on a cheerleader dance.

"The second half was down to swimwear. Some came out wearing snorkels, I went out in my swimming costume carrying a bucket and spade and another guy had a toy duck.

"There were three judges sat at the end of the catwalk. It was done loosely around the X Factor judging and a Miss World competition because it added a bit of fun.

"The crown voted and every vote they cast they had to pay 50p. We raised about £70 which went to our Colts section.

"About 100 people came and it went very well. Judging by all the laughing that was going on I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

"It was all videoed as well so I'm waiting for that to be leaked online."

The club will now get a professional photographer in to photographer the 12 winners for the calendar, which will be done in the style of the Calendar Girls but with a cricket theme.

All 14 of the participants will feature in the calendar in a group photo.

It is being launched at the club on on December 12 and will be available to buy. Go to www.hayescricketclub.co.uk for more information.

DEDICATED and enthusiastic students have returned home from a trip to South Africa where they spent 10 days building a much needed house.

In July three teachers and eight Post 16 students from Mellow Lane School, in Hewens Road, Hayes, travelled to South Africa with the charity Habitat for Humanity to build a house in a township called Mfuleni, which is about 30km from Cape Town.

Mfuleni is currently home to about 25,000 people and over 40 per cent of the community is unemployed with an average household income of less than £1,400 per year.

Whilst housing development is taking place in this township it is slow and the majority of families still live in shacks.

Mellow Lane School adopted the charity in 2008 and spent the entire year raising money to support the venture to South Africa.

Money was raised through raffles, tournaments and individual fundraising initiatives.

With help from the Youth Opportunities Fund and Hillingdon Education Business Partnership, £22,000 was raised.

The project involved working with the local community and building the external and internal walls of the house, construction of the roof and decoration.

The staff and students also worked with local families and children and they contributed writing and sports equipment to the local school.

The venture was the brain child of teacher Lisa Butler and the Post 16 psychology students, supported by teachers Rhian Taylor and Tom Crowe.

The eight students who went on the trip were Gary Miles, Steve Bell, Jack Moody, Oliver Lambert, Cherrell Hallet, Jacksha Chandarathas, James Taylor and Matt Jean-Pierre.

BUSINESSES could be forced to close if proposed plans to build flats on a main road are given the go-ahead.

Notting Hill Home Ownership have submitted a second application to build 47 flats on 505-509 Uxbridge Road and 89-91 Grange Road, Hayes.

Their first application, submitted last year, was for 70 flats and this got refused by Hillingdon Council. An appeal was lodged, but this is still pending.

In the past there have also been applications to build a care home and a supermarket on this site, which is in the Hayes Village Conservation Area.

Townfield councillor, Lynne Allen, has been at the forefront of the campaign against the developments of flats on this site.

She said: "Although I recognise the need for homes, I have to balance that with the need for people to have employment.

"I will be objecting to this application because there are four to six small businesses on that site and they're earning a living. The last thing I want to see is the unemployment list get higher.

"My argument has always been that land is for business and if you start taking away that land you are stripping away employment.

"If no one wanted to run businesses on the site then I could understand it, but it has been proven that there is a need for them there."

One of the reasons it was also refused by the planning committee last time is because it would have been detrimental to the character and appearance of the conservation area.

Residents of Grange Road and the surrounding roads also petitioned against the last application.
Ms Allen added: "At the top of Grange Road we have got bottleneck traffic and that's why the residents are opposed to it.

"I can imagine they will be opposed to this one because they have been opposed the whole way through because of the traffic problems in that area."

To comment on the plans go to www.hillingdon.gov.uk by September 30.

MELLOW Lane School came in the top 25 per cent in the country with 89 per cent of students achieving at least five GCSEs.

The school in Hewens Road, Hayes, is celebrating a number of superb performances by students in Years 11, 12 and 13.

Top GCSE students include Eesha Qureshi with three A*s, five As and two Bs, Rohinee Luther with one A* and eight As, Raman Sutdher with three A*s, seven As and one B and Priya Thandi with seven A grades and two Bs.

At A-level, Anik Ghai gained A grades in maths, physics, chemistry and biology, Simon Yu gained straight As in maths, economics and law with a further B in physics and Adnan Shah, Karanbir Sandhu and Subaib Osman also celebrated three A grades across their subjects.

TWO teenagers and a man in his 20s have been charged with possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Ammir Khan, 18, of Black Rod Close, Hayes, Barinderjit Singh Atwal, 22, of Mildred Avenue, Hayes, and Pavanjeed Singh Dahliwal, 19, of Bourne Avenue, Hayes, were all charged with the same offence at Pine Place, Hayes, on May 15.

They are due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on October 29.

ANSWERS are being sought as to why a car park was left in disrepair for 12 years, leaving residents with a pile up of traffic problems.

The matter came to light at a planning meeting last Tuesday, where it was proposed that a block of flats be built on the car park in Perth Avenue, Hayes.