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19 June 2020
A message from the leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Steve Curran
I’ve mentioned previously that we’re working to improve engagement with our communities. We’re one of the most diverse boroughs in London, a great source of pride and inspiration for me, and as your council we need ensure we’re truly representative and that everyone has a voice.
This will be especially important in the tough months ahead as the economic impact of coronavirus really begins to bite. We need to hear from as many people as possible to find out about your concerns and the help you may need, or about how you, your organisation or your business can support others.
As part of this we’ve launched a survey to help us better understand how coronavirus and lockdown has affected residents, and to get views on the Council’s response and what we could be doing better. Please take a few minutes to fill it out. Your views are really important in helping us understand the issues and will inform what we do. You can access it here.
This week we finally saw some of our non-essential businesses re-open and high streets begin to come back to life. This a great step, and we should all shop local to support them. Our teams have been working hard advising local businesses, guiding them through the regulations and helping them with social distancing measures for employees and the public.
If you’re planning to head out this weekend for some shopping, please remember to keep following the guidance, be sensible around social distancing and considerate of others. We’ll definitely have to live up to that British stereotype of being good at queuing!
Monday, 22 June, is national Windrush Day which recognises and celebrates the enormous contribution of the Caribbean migrants who travelled from Commonwealth countries to support Britain after the Second World War. We’re using it as an opportunity to launch a new ‘History of Hounslow’s communities’ project which will capture the stories and experiences of our diverse communities.
More on that next week, but in the meantime, it would be great if you could share your own thoughts and memories of Windrush using social media. Tweet @LBofHounslow using #windrushday or #windrushgeneration.
Finally, I wrote to all households in Hounslow this week updating them on the Council’s response to coronavirus and our plans to support the borough over the coming months, and highlighting the wide range of support and advice available. You can see a copy of it here.
Have a great weekend, and stay safe.
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Shop local and stay safe
High street retailers and department stores, including book shops, electronics retailers, tailors, auction houses, photography studios, indoor markets, and shops selling clothes, shoes and toys, have reopened this week. We’ve been working with local businesses to ensure the safety of shoppers and retail staff.
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Please continue to follow current social distancing guidance when travelling to or visiting our local shops. To control the risk of infection and to shop safely, residents should follow this advice:
- Follow the signage and guidance in the high streets, shopping centres and shops
- Keep a safe distance from one another
- Shops are operating on a ‘one-in-one-out’ system - please follow the rules
- You are advised to wear a face covering inside the shop, if you can't keep a safe distance from other people
- Don't touch items that you don't intend to buy
- Use contactless payments where possible
- Don't visit shops if you have symptoms - please stay home
- Wash your hands the moment you get home or arrive at work
- Travel by bike or car and avoid public transport where possible
- If using public transport, you must wear a face covering
Additional signage has been installed in shopping areas to remind people to maintain safe distances.
Read the latest guidance for people who work in, or run shops here, further guidance on how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic can be found here.
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Survey on coronavirus impact and the Council's response
The Council has launched a survey to learn about the impacts of coronavirus on the borough. We would like to know how you and the people you live with have been affected, hear your thoughts about the future and the type of support you may need, and opinions on how the Council has responded and what we could do better.
This survey is completely anonymous and you don’t have to answer every question. Your views are really important in helping us understand the issues and will inform and influence what we do.
Complete the survey here.
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Telling the history of the Windrush Generation in Hounslow
Monday is national Windrush Day - do you have a story to tell?
We invite members of the local British Caribbean communities to tell your stories of migrating into the borough. What were your first experiences, jobs and homes? What were the stories of your ancestors and decedents? Your stories will form part of the History of Hounslow’s Communities. This new archive hosted by Hounslow Library will be launched on Windrush Day and used to educate, and to celebrate the contributions of our diverse communities.
Please visit our website for more information from Monday.
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Four ways to celebrate Windrush Day
Join a live poetry reading via Black Cultural Archives- 7pm - 8pm on Black Cultural Archives's Instagram Live
Stream the adaptation of Andrea Levy's Small Island via National Theatre's YouTube-7pm on 25 June. Watch via the NT YouTube, free to watch but you can donate to support the National Theatre here.
Read about the journeys, the struggles and the enormous impact of the Windrush Generation
Try your hand at Caribbean classics and learn about the influence of Caribbean cookery in the UK
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Read the answers to common coronavirus press conference questions
The recent topics include Test and Trace service, schools, social distancing guidelines, working safely during the coronavirus outbreak, using protective equipment in schools, giving blood, businesses that are not permitted to open and many more. You can find the full details of the most commonly asked questions and the answers on the Governments website.
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Mobile test centre available in Isleworth on Tuesday and Wednesday
The mobile coronavirus test centres form an essential part of the national testing programme and will be available again this Tuesday 23 June and Wednesday 24 June at Grasshoppers’ Rugby Club, Syon Lane, Osterley, Isleworth, TW7 5PN.
There is a mixture of walk-in and drive-through appointments at this test centre. You can visit our website for more information on how to register and book your test.
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Appointments are still available at sexual health clinics in the borough
Sexual Health Hounslow is open for booked appointments. They are a free and confidential service open Monday-Friday. There have three clinics based at Feltham Centre for Health, Heart of Hounslow & West Middlesex Hospital.
You can access the following services:
- Contraception
- Emergency contraception
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STI screening and treatment
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PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis)
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Doctor & Nurse appointments for people with symptoms of an infection
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HIV management
There are no walk-in services at these clinics due to the coronavirus social distancing guidance. To book an appointment please call the appointments service on 0208 321 5718.
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Have your say on the review of the licensing policy
We have launched a public consultation on a review of licensing policy in the borough and would like to hear from residents, licence holders, schools, stakeholders and other public authorities in Hounslow and neighbouring boroughs.
The Council is consulting not only because it is a legal requirement, but because the licensing policy potentially affects everyone who operates licensed premises, residents, other businesses and public authorities. Because of this we want to ensure that the widest number of people have been able to comment on it, so that changes can be made to the final document t to make it more robust, more locally responsive and easier to understand.
Take part in the consultation
The consultation closes on 27 July 2020
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Let’s talk loneliness
This week is Loneliness Awareness Week, when people and organisations join together to raise awareness of loneliness.
Loneliness is something that can affect any one of us at any point in our lives, but this issue has become more prominent during the coronavirus pandemic, making Loneliness Awareness Week more important than ever. Not being able to see family, friends and loved ones during this time has left many people feeling isolated.
If you are struggling with loneliness there is support available. You can find more advice and information on support services on the Let’s talk loneliness website.
Find out more about how to get involved in the Loneliness Awareness Week activities here.
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Resources for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
Hounslow Local Offer is a website that has information and services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The resources on the website are regularly kept up to date with coronavirus specific information. Some of the topics covered on the website include: health, education, activities, social care, children and early years and many more important useful resources for carers and parents.
There is also information on other services and organisations that can help support families through these difficult times.
You can visit the Hounslow Local Offer website for the latest SEND information and advice.
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Take your litter home when visiting green spaces
When outside, remember to social distance but also think about what you do with your litter.
If a bin is full, find another bin, or take it home, where it can be recycled or disposed of responsibly.
Litter ruins the environment and creates a genuine hazard for wild animals, who can become injured and entangled in dumped materials.
Our staff are doing their best to empty the bins but with parks often busier than usual, and staff shortages due to coronavirus, this means that this might not always be as frequently as we would like.
Please do your bit to help us keep the borough clean. If you see any fly-tipping, please report it.
For more information please visit our website.
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Self-employed new parents can claim support grant
This week the Government has announced that self-employed parents whose trading profits dipped in 2018/19 because they took time out to have children will be able to claim for a payment under the self-employed income support scheme (SEISS).
Parents who took time out of trading to care for their children within the first 12 months of birth or adoptive placement will now be able to use either their 2017-18 or both their 2016-17 and 2017-18 self-assessment returns as the basis for their eligibility for the SEISS.
Further details of the change for self-employed parents will be set out by the start of July in published guidance.
You find out more about this announcement on the Government’s website.
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Home-Start remote support for families
Home-Start is a local community network of trained volunteers who, together with their expert staff, support struggling families with children under the age of five through their challenging times. Families facing mental health challenges, post-natal depression, financial hardship, isolation, physical health problems and many other issues receive emotional and practical support from them, helping them to regain their confidence.
While they are currently unable to support families in their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic, they’ve adapted and shifted their service offering by continuing to support families remotely:
• Regular telephone support or weekly contact with families through phone / text / email
• Someone to talk to and for emotional support through these uncertain and isolating times
• Access to hardship funds available e.g. food banks and educational resources, signposting to local services for financial help and support
• Guidance and support around parenting
• Up to date information on local services
• Ideas and activities to keep children active at home
Watch a short message from their Director; giving an update on how they are continuing to support local families.
In order to reflect the new guidelines, they have adapted their support to reflect further changes. In the meantime, they’re still accepting new referrals for remote support – visit their website to make a referral.
You can find out more about their new fundraising appeal here.
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New funding to support our local voluntary and community sector
Local voluntary and community organisations can now apply for up to £10,000 from the Thriving Communities: Hounslow Response Fund.
We have launched this new fund to help alleviate the impact of coronavirus on local voluntary and community groups and the residents that depend on their services.
The Thriving Communities fund will help support charities and the voluntary sector to continue their vital work beyond the lockdown and support our most vulnerable residents during these challenging times and help to reduce social isolation in this crisis. Now more than ever this support will play a pivotal role in making sure no one is left behind.
Proposals can be made until 31 August 2020, with decisions expected within four weeks.
You can find out more about the Thriving Communities: Hounslow Response Fund on our website.
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Coronavirus in the workplace
If there is more than one case of coronavirus associated with a workplace, employers should contact their local health protection team to report the suspected outbreak.
The heath protection team will then undertake a risk assessment, provide public health advice and, where necessary, establish a multi-agency incident management team to manage the outbreak.
Supporting workers who need to self-isolate
Employers should support workers who need to self-isolate and must not ask them to attend the workplace.
Workers will be told to isolate because they:
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Have coronavirus symptoms and are awaiting a test result
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Have tested positive for coronavirus
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Are a member of the same household as someone who has symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus
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Have been in close recent contact with someone who has tested positive and received a notification to self-isolate from NHS test and trace
Employers should continue to communicate with workers in self-isolation and provide support. This includes allowing people to work from home if they remain well and if it is practicable to do so. This might include finding alternative work that can be completed at home during the period of self-isolation.
You can read the guidance for employers, employees and the self-employed on the Government’s website.
For more support and information available to businesses and employees in the borough visit our website.
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Free psychological first aid in emergencies training for frontline staff and volunteers
Staff and volunteers at the forefront of the national coronavirus response across England will be able to access a new Psychological First Aid training course.
The free online course enables responders to develop their skills and confidence in providing key psychological support to people affected by coronavirus, including on issues such as job worries, bereavement or isolation as they carry out their vital work as part of the ongoing coronavirus response.
It will also help to develop understanding of how emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic can affect us all, how to recognise people who may be at increased risk of distress, and how to offer practical and emotional support.
The new course has been developed by PHE with support from NHS England and Health Education England and is being made available to frontline workers across England by social learning platform, Future Learn.
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A message for all to hear - at home should not mean at risk
The Government has translated the message about domestic abuse support available for anyone at risk. The main message of staying at home shouldn’t mean putting yourself at risk, has been translated in numerous languages to make the advice more accessible.
It’s important to also look out for our neighbours during lockdown, and to keep an eye out for the signs of domestic abuse.
If you are concerned about anyone at risk of domestic abuse in the community, please let them know that our specialist domestic and sexual violence service for Hounslow is still open. They can be contacted on 07810 031780, Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm and we have developed new ways of working to support anyone experiencing domestic abuse during the coronavirus pandemic.
Download and/or share our safety card with friends, family members, neighbours and colleagues and for more support and advice please visit our website.
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Support for long term conditions and other health concerns
During the coronavirus pandemic NHS Long Term Condition clinics have altered how they operate to adhere to social distancing guidelines. NELFT have updated their clinic plans accordingly and advised patients and their GPs of these changes
If you have concerns and would like to know more about your clinics, general health concerns, pharmacy and more, please call your GP for further information or visit
For further information on long term health conditions and coronavirus is available at:
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National Writing Day - 24 June 2020
National Writing Day 2020 is coming on Wednesday 24 June 2020! This will be the fourth annual celebration of the power of writing creatively, inspiring people of all ages and abilities to try writing for fun and self-expression.
Write a poem or short story. Take a photo of your writing or take a photo of yourself with your writing. Share your work via Hounslow Council’s Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using #247challenge or email to: communications@hounslow.gov.uk for your chance to feature in our newsletter.
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Culture and entertainment to enjoy at home
Watermans Bell Square Programme
Bell Square's programme is a melting pot of cultures from all over the world. In normal times, their wonderful, diverse audience welcomes amazing international artists and companies to Hounslow every other weekend. Right now, they can't be with you for live events because of the coronavirus restrictions. They know that the current situation is hitting many of the communities hard. And many are also deeply affected by the recent death of George Floyd and the issues that raises. At Bell Square, communities come together and that is what makes them tick. But today, in solidarity with the Black community, Bell Square supports Black Lives Matter.
In the spirit of Bell Square, they believe that the arts has the power to tell the stories that affect us all, and they are going to share some short videos from great Black circus companies from Europe and Africa. These guys are all amazing. So even in lockdown, let's celebrate the traditions and cultures of us all.
We hope you enjoy them all!
You can find out more about the line up here.
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Grow your own and discover gardening this weekend
Feltham in Bloom Facebook community have been working hard on a great new initiative called #GrowAtHome to encourage more people in the community to get creative with growing their own herbs, vegetables and plants without needing access to a garden.
Anyone that doesn’t have access to garden or even thought about keeping plants in their homes because they live in flats or only have balcony areas can now benefit from a range of free plants, seeds and materials to help you get started to #GrowAtHome.
The Feltham in Bloom Facebook community is offering anyone in the borough a range of free materials to help you grow herbs, salads, vegetables or flowers in your garden, on a balcony or even a windowsill and a range of free baby plants and seeds are on offer for anyone interested in some gardening fun during lockdown.
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Calling all children and young people in Hounslow - take part in the Virtual London Youth Games!
The LYG Virtual Games is open to all children and young people from Hounslow, who can compete in twelve challenges to earn points for Hounslow. A leaderboard with the latest Borough standings is updated every week.
The LYG Virtual Games started this month and is running for four weeks, giving children and young people the chance to represent Hounslow in a series of sport related challenges that can be done at home, school, or while out for daily exercise.
The first week featured a Netball Challenge set by sisters Izzy and Elly from Ealing, a fitness test set by Cross Country runners Dominique and Ricky from Sutton, and a Badminton Challenge set by Aaron from Lewisham. A total of 5,605 entries were recorded across the three challenges in the first week with representation from all 33 London Boroughs.
All the challenges relate to different sports and have been set by young Londoners, for young Londoners. Individual prizes are also up for grabs. Young people are encouraged to share videos of their challenge attempts on social media using #ThisIsLYG to be in with a chance of winning the weekly MVP (Most Valuable Player) award.
For the latest information and to join the Hounslow LYG team visit the LGY website.
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Online resources for health, education and wellbeing
New for adults, young people, children and families;
Hear Me Hounslow brings you creative activities during lockdown, to brighten up your local area. Over the next few weeks there will be a series of creative activities that you can get involved in, and the first one is titled: My Quarantine.
NHS Fitness Studio has some great new workout routines that you can do anytime, anywhere including, aerobics, belly dancing, pilates and yoga.
Step Change Studios offers online dance classes for people with visual impairments. The classes are every Saturday at 11am. Anyone interested in taking part should email contact@stepchangestudios.com.
Virtual Inclusive Fitness Classes Disability Sports Coach are delivering 45-minute virtual inclusive fitness classes on Wednesdays at 3pm. Join them for an inclusive physical activity session with others from around the world.
Skipz Productions is organising weekly online classes for children over 6 years old providing classes in drama, dance, singing and a detective class and are being delivered after school.
Hounslow Cycling sessions in conjunction with Bikeworks, is for anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough. Free ‘Dr Bike’ bike servicing also available, click here for the schedule.
LYG Virtual Games is open to all children and young people from Hounslow. A leaderboard with the latest Borough standings will be updated every week. #ThisIsLYG.
Football Development sessions BFCCST are running live sessions every Tuesday and Thursday, for age groups 3 to 6 and 7 to 11yrs.
Puregym is offering free classes, just download the app.
Concert Roulette is a new way of discovering classical music, there are hundreds of videos from around the world.
Visit oneyouhounslow.org for more support and information.
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