Independent businesses in Hounslow are being encouraged to sign up to a new voucher scheme to support the borough’s high streets and encourage residents to shop locally.

Funded by the Government’s COVID-19 Additional Restrictions Grant, the ShopLocal voucher will also be an opportunity for businesses to raise their profile with residents and encourage them to spend more money locally in the future.

Should enough businesses sign up to make the scheme viable, it is hoped it will launch in August.

The scheme, part of the Council’s wider ShopLocal campaign, could also provide an opportunity for independent businesses to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business by offering an incentivised or exclusive deal when the voucher is redeemed.

Hounslow-based businesses wanting to benefit from the ShopLocal voucher scheme, or find out more information, should register at retailers.evouchers.com

Hounslow Council has stepped up in a new UK Cities Climate Investment Commission. London Councils and the UK’s 11 Core Cities, along with innovation body Connected Places Catapult, launched the Commission on 1st July, during London Climate Action Week.

Councillor Katherine Dunne, Hounslow Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Climate Emergency said, "This is an important agenda in Hounslow and a critical part of the recovery plan we shaped and agreed with a great many of our partners across the Borough. We are committed to economic recovery in the post-COVID world, and we have already seen our climate change commitments taking shape in practice. It is fitting and encouraging to see Hounslow not only represented in this work but leading it and leading by example."

Initial analysis by the Commission of UK city climate plans suggests that meeting Net Zero in London and the UK’s Core Cities could bring up to £330bn of investment into the UK.  The initial findings were presented at the launch by Hounslow Council's Chief Executive Niall Bolger, who said,

"This is the first step on what can be an important journey to deliver both environmental and economic benefits at significant scale. In Hounslow we are committed to important Green Recovery work, but we recognise the critical role London and the core cities have in the international work that needs to be done if we are to meet Net Zero. I am looking forward to bringing what we hope will be an exciting final proposition to COP26 in Glasgow later in the year."

Residents of Hounslow's Convent Way have provided an overwhelming endorsement of Council proposals for regeneration of the estate. 

With an overall ballot turnout of 85 per cent, 80 per cent of eligible residents have voted in favour of the Council’s regeneration plans. 

The plans provide new, modern, energy-efficient homes, with new shops and a community centre, new parks and a revitalisation of the existing sports and open spaces which will significantly improve the environment for everyone.

The ballot at Convent Way follows 18 months of intense engagement and consultation with over 400 residents on the estate. 

The proposals endorsed by the ballot aim to improve housing quality, with an improved estate management approach.

Did you know that many people don’t secure their shed or garage in the same way they secure their homes?

Here are some tips on how you can reduce the chance of your shed being broken into:

Check it:

• Firstly it is handy to ensure your insurance covers the contents of your shed or outbuildings from theft;
• Make sure hinges are not easily removable;
• Double check the strength of the windows – these could be vulnerable unless they are secured with wire mesh or grills.

Hide / mark it:

• Hide what you can inside secure lockers
• Mark bicycles and secure to a lockable stand within a locked shed.
• Drape old sheets over items to keep them covered from view.

Lock it:

• Use a padlock with no exposed screws

Alarm it:

• Consider a battery – operated shed alarm. They respond to movement or door contact.

Report it:

• If you have been a victim of a break-in / burglary please report to the police on 101 or in an emergency call 999.

Learn Hounslow has announced an Open-Day event on Wednesday 21 July from 12.00pm to 8.00pm. Their brand-new building, located at their Meadowbank Centre in Cranford, will be used for the first time to exhibit an exciting number of new features and amazing courses that our residents can take advantage of.

Cllr Tom Bruce Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Youth Services said: “Learn Hounslow’s new centre at Meadowbank is a great place to learn, gain skills and build knowledge and confidence. The open-day is a great opportunity to find out about and experience local educational opportunities and facilities for adults.”

Learn Hounslow will be showcasing:

• An outdoor market which will sell the work of participants who recently took part in the Designed and Made in Hounslow programme.
• How you can attain qualifications with Learn Hounslow, to advance your career prospects and reskill/upskill to land a role in your chosen industry.
• A range of new entitlements being offered for free for all residents regardless of financial circumstances, such as: Functional Skills and GCSE Qualifications in English and Maths, Essential Digital Skills Qualifications at Entry 3 and Level 1, Qualifications which support the SEND Workforce (Special educational needs and disability) and Level 3 courses which are part of the National Skills Fund offer.
• An exhibition providing a chance to see the work being done by the learners across the different courses Learn Hounslow provides.
• Learn Hounslow will also be running courses for anyone wanting to pick up a new hobby.

To find out more call 020 8583 6000 or visit the Learn Hounslow website.

The West London Creative Producers are back for a second round of peer mentoring for creative freelancers and media producers in Hounslow looking to grow their business to create new revenue streams.

The workshop will bring together creative producers to form trusting relationships that will help them to develop resilience, learn skills, and share insights about how to grow their own business.

As we battled to control the spread of the virus, the economy and businesses were hit with the costs of COVID-19. The workshop will address issues such as rebuilding business relationships after lockdown, gaining traction with online audiences, building on COVID-19 technological advances and managing increased uncertainty.

The group will meet initially on Friday afternoons from 3.00pm to 5.00pm in Brentford (starting 10 September 2021), with the option to switch to Zoom if COVID-19 restrictions make this necessary. 

Group members will be encouraged to listen to and understand challenges that members face while growing their businesses, building relationships, and co-creating those relationships.

The first eight sessions will be facilitated by Carl Schoenfeld, an award-winning TV and film producer and BAFTA voting member who leads on Oxford University’s Creative Collaboration with Berlin University of the Arts. Carl has supported creative entrepreneurs through the University of West London’s Westmont Enterprise Hub and Oxford University Innovation, and is working with leading start-ups like Largo.ai.

The programme is free for participants. To apply, please fill in our short application form and our equal opportunities form and submit them by midnight on Friday 30 July 2021.

The Musical Museum in Brentford is hosting a free Community Open Day on Sunday 4 July, from 10:30am to 4:30pm. 

Visitors can explore the collection of working instruments, displays and inventions which tell the story of how music has been recorded and reproduced over the last 400 years. Find out how mechanical musical instruments work and sound through mini-guided tours of the collection and enjoy live performances of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Street instruments will be played outside and guests can enjoy food and drinks from the River View Café.

Also on display is an array of historic phonograph and gramophones hosted by The City Of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society, a Brentford FC Griffin Park photography exhibition by BrentfordThruMyLens and interactive musical activities for our younger visitors.

Gunnersbury Park Museum will reopen on Saturday 3 July. The museum will be open 12.00pm to 4.30pm Thursday to Sunday, with extended opening until 8pm every Friday.

To mark the reopening there are lots of activities and events taking place including special exhibitions, a celebrity chef cook-along, mind gong baths and drag queen story time.

The Chiswick Flower Market returns on Sunday 4 July at the Old Market Place, Chiswick High Road, W4 2DR, from 09.00am to 3.30pm, giving residents the perfect chance to ShopLocal this weekend.

This month, the market is hosting a number of Grow Your Own and Urban Farming specialists, providing an opportunity for those who want to learn how to start producing their own food, or for experienced allotmenteers and balcony growers to find something new.

The market observes COVID-19 safety measures, visitors must wear a mask, unless exempt and keep a safe distance from others. The site has a one-way system in place. Single use plastic bags are banned from the market so don't forget to bring your own from home.

The Brentford Art Trail (BAT) is an artist-led celebration of Brentford’s creativity and hidden spaces taking place 3 to 5 September 2021.

At just under a mile long, running from the Water and Steam Museum down to Johnson's Island, it takes in cultural sites like the Musical Museum and Watermans, as well as artist studios and temporary exhibition spaces around the Duke of London and at Watermans Park.

If you’re an artist living, working, or studying in the borough of Hounslow, whether you have a studio on the Trail or are looking for exhibition space, Watermans want to hear from you. Apply here.

The main sites on the Trail (Google Maps).