Are you looking for new ways to grow your business in 2022?
 Our Innovate and Grow business support programme is supporting Hounslow businesses to adapt, survive, and thrive against the ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic and changes in consumer behaviours.
Join us next week, Tuesday 25 January, 6pm to 7.30pm, for our free online networking event, hosted by Hounslow Council and CPG Executive Consulting.
The event will offer the chance to make new connections and expand your circle of contacts and even meet new potential clients. The event will also discuss ways you can expand your reach and sell more.
To sign up visit our Eventbrite page.
The Innovate and Grow programme is also offering Small and Medium-sized Enterprise’s the chance to apply for grants of up to £5k to grow their business.
The grant, managed by Smarter Society will help you kickstart your business in 2022 and includes expert mentoring and training courses.
Submissions must be made before Monday 24 January at 5pm.
We’re on the hunt for the best places to brunch and lunch in Hounslow
 We’re on the search for the top brunch and lunch spots in Hounslow in 2022. If you’re a food and drink lover with a favourite café in mind where you like to spend casual weekend afternoons, or you know the ideal spot for a business meeting, we want to hear from you.
Share your favourite local brunch and lunch spots for a chance to win a free lunch at the Clayton Hotel, Chiswick (Terms and Conditions apply).
The deadline for your submissions is Sunday 6 February. The winner will be picked at random from all the entries provided.
Check out the new inHounslow blog post for some hidden gem inspiration.
Join the Hounslow Central Area Forum next week
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The virtual area forum for Hounslow Central, which starts at 7.00pm on Thursday 27 January, will discuss important community matters in the local area.
Chaired by ward Councillor Amjer Grewal, the forum will discuss Hounslow's upcoming Summer of Culture programme, the Emerging Hounslow Character and Design Codes and an update on grant-funding programmes. There will also be an opportunity for questions.
The meeting will take place via Microsoft Teams and the link will be accessible via our website.
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Politics in Art: ‘The Arc is Long’
To celebrate LGBT+ History month this February, the Council is hosting a special event with local partners. Politics in Art: ‘The Arc is Long’ will look at LGBTQ+ history, heritage and art.
As part of this special event, Margaret Joojo from Hounslow Adult and Community Education will also launch a new arts competition. Contestants will have the chance to submit their work to our adult education art tutors, who will choose the best ones for display at an exhibition in June 2022.
Join us on Thursday 8 February from 5.45pm. Guest speakers include Museum Curator Amy Dobson and artist Rowan Frewin. Tickets are free and the event will be held online. To book your space click the button below.
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Live job, apprenticeship and training opportunities
Our annual New Year New Start event will be hosted virtually on 25 - 26 January from 5.30-6.45pm.
NYNSConnexions is a virtual platform for young people not in education employment or training (aged 16-24) to connect with employers, training providers and career advisers to discover local opportunities and explore support offered through Hounslow Connexions and Work Hounslow.
How to join?
To register, scan the QR code or click the button below to be taken to our Eventbrite link.
Select as many sessions as you like which will follow with an emailed link to access the event via Youtube – A reminder will be sent to attendees before the session start time.
The chat function will be supported by our Connexions Career Advisers who will be available to answer any questions.
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Free six-week digital media training at SKY TV Campus
Calling all young creatives aged 18-25 years living in the boroughs of Hounslow and Kensington and Chelsea ONLY.
MAMA Youth Project is recruiting for a FREE six-week full time digital media training. Trainees will gain six weeks of intensive training in digital content creation with an opportunity for two weeks' paid work placement with one of our industry partners (such as Sky, Banijay, Netflix, Channel 4, Warner Bros Entertainment, Lime Pictures, Fremantle Media, Sister, Gravity Media and many more). The training takes place at the state of the art Sky Campus in Osterley, west London.
Application Deadline: Monday, 21 February 2022,11.59pm.
Interviews will take place from 7-10 March 2022 via Zoom.
Training Dates:
- Trainee Production Manager and Trainee Production Coordinator start on Wednesday 23 March 2022.
- Trainee Digital Media Producers start on Friday 25 March 2022.
- All trainees finish on Friday 6 May 2022, with an opportunity to begin a paid placement shortly after the course has been completed.
For further information on how to apply and eligibility, please click the button below
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Hounslow's Public Space Protection Order 2022 consultation
 Hounslow is a low crime borough, and you can help us to keep the borough safe for everyone.
In 2017, Hounslow Council implemented a borough-wide Public Space Protection Order allowing the police to enforce against people found drinking alcohol and causing anti-social behaviour. This Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) expired in 2021.
As part of the Council's Safer Communities Strategy 2021-2024, we are proposing that another three-year Public Space Protection Order be introduced to impose the same restrictions. The PSPO will impose restrictions on the consumption of alcohol in public spaces where anti-social behaviour is involved – the exact same restrictions as the previous PSPO.
These measures will help the Council and local Police tackle and reduce anti-social behaviour - ensuring everyone can use and enjoy our public spaces safely.
To ensure the new order has a positive impact across the borough, we need your views, suggestions and feedback. This will help shape the measures in place to tackle anti-social behaviour linked to alcohol consumption.
The consultation is open to anyone living, working, visiting and studying in Hounslow. Feedback can be submitted via the online questionnaire, emailed to Community.safety@hounslow.gov.uk or sent by post to: C/o Community Safety Team, Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow TW3 4EB.
Valentine’s charity raffle from the Mayor of Hounslow
The Mayor of Hounslow, Councillor Bishnu Gurung, is hosting a Valentine’s charity raffle to raise funds for the Mayor’s charity - SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association). Prizes include an afternoon tea with champagne for two at The Domes - London Secret Garden, Kensington; a meal for two at Siracusa Italian restaurant, Brentford; a chocoholic hamper; £25 John Lewis voucher and Boxed bottle of Polroger Champagne.
How to take part
Tickets are just £5 for 5 entries into the draw and can be purchased through a BACS payment or over the phone via a secure payment.
To purchase tickets over the phone please call the Mayor’s office between 9am – 5pm on: 0208 583 6155 or 0208 583 2243
If you’d like to buy tickets via a BACS transfer, please use the following account details:
- Account name: LB Hounslow Mayor’s Account A (LBH Business Account)
- Account number: 27513920
- Sort code: 60-11-18
- Reference: please insert your telephone number followed by your name.
The raffle closes at 4pm on Wednesday 9 February 2022. The draw will take place Thursday 10 February 2022. Winners will be contacted by the Mayor’s Office via telephone. Good luck!
All proceeds from the raffle will be go to SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Families Association), the Armed Forces charity (Registered Charity Number 210760).
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Hounslow Council’s tree giveaway finale leaves lasting legacy
 What started out as an idea to raise awareness about climate change has turned into Hounslow’s own virtual forest of 500 trees.
Back in October, to herald the United Nation’s COP 26 global summit on climate change, Hounslow Council pledged to give away the trees for residents to plant in their gardens or other green spaces.
The move to plant more carbon-capturing trees in the borough supported the aims of the council’s climate emergency declaration which will see the authority become net-zero for carbon by 2030. The move would also help to make Hounslow a greener borough.
Working with partners at Lampton Greenspace 360, the council was able to offer a vast array of young trees from Beech, Hazel and Hawthorn through to fruit-bearing varieties such as Pear and Fig.
All residents had to do was register an interest through the council’s environmental web portal, Hounslow GreenTalk and then turn up to one of three special collection events held in the borough’s parks and open spaces.
The final collection event took place at Hounslow Heath on Sunday, 16 January and it didn’t disappoint.
More than 160 residents braved the winter cold to collect their saplings.
Electric buses and changes to some bus routes
 TfL have introduced changes to bus routes in the borough, and announced that electric buses are coming to a key route through Brentford later in the year.
Changes to route 235
As part of a continuous review of services, Transport for London (TfL) have made some changes to bus routes at certain times. There is now increased capacity on route 235, which runs between Sunbury Village and Brentford North Quarter; in the weekday morning peak there will now be up to 10 buses per hour towards Brentford due to increased demand. New electric buses will be introduced on the route later this year, giving customers a smoother and greener journey, whilst reducing pollution and increasing air quality.
Changes to route 533 The changes also include an adjusted frequency on route 533, which runs from Hammersmith bus station to Castelnau on the south side of Hammersmith Bridge. From Monday 17 January, route 533 will run every 15 minutes at all times instead of every 10 minutes in the peak hours and every 12 minutes in the daytime on weekdays. The route will continue to run non-stop between Mortlake Cemetery and Hammersmith Bridge Road in both directions and route 190 will continue to serve all bus stops between Hammersmith and Mortlake Cemetery. The frequencies will better match capacity to demand, which has fallen on the route since Hammersmith Bridge reopened to pedestrians and cyclists.
Find out more about TfL bus services
There is more information on all TfL bus services, including how to plan your journey on TfL’s website. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions about TfL’s bus service you can contact them from Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm on Facebook or Twitter, telephone number 0343 222 1234, textphone 0800 112 3456, write to TfL Customer Services, 4th Floor, 14 Pier Walk, London SE10 0ES.
You can also fill in an enquiry form by clicking the button below.
Feel healthy and join our 12-week programme
Dry January 2022 – reset your relationship with alcohol
 Dry January, brought to you by Alcohol Change UK, is the UK’s one-month alcohol-free challenge. It helps support people to change their relationship with alcohol by encouraging an alcohol-free January using Alcohol Change UK's tools and resources. Every year, millions of people across the UK go alcohol-free for 31 days.
Kick start to healthier year-round drinking
A month off is a perfect way to reset your relationship with alcohol. It only takes three weeks to break a habit, so this could be your route to healthier drinking long-term.
To find out more click the button below.
Develop new skills in 2022
Learn Hounslow are accepting enrolments for their new courses starting in 2022.
Learn new skills on one of our courses, choose from a variety of subject courses across different curriculum areas: Community Learning, Digital Skills, English & Maths, Vocational, Creative Qualifications, ESOL and more!
If you are looking to learn or develop a new skill or gain a qualification to help with your career, visit the website to browse through the full list of courses on offer or visit the Meadowbank Adult Education Centre in Cranford to pick up a prospectus and speak to a member of the team.
Also, as part of our community learning offer, we run family learning courses for parents and children to complete together.
Some courses require an initial assessment, contact the team today to book your initial assessment as soon as possible.
Call 02085836000 to enrol onto a course or visit www.hace.ac.uk to browse through the courses on offer.
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New community grant launches for Hounslow’s Summer of Culture 2022
 In June 2022, Hounslow will host a Summer of Culture over three months, incorporating the Women’s Euros matches at Brentford Community Stadium in July.
We want all our residents and communities to have access to, and to participate in a spectacular summer programme of events from theatre and storytelling to sports and films, recognising the richness of culture our communities bring right across the borough.
A new Summer of Culture Community Grant will launch in January 2022 to support residents and community groups, to organise and run their own events. Applications are encouraged from anyone with exciting ideas to showcase and celebrate their culture or community: this could be in the form of sport, play, cooking, dancing, expressions of language, and more!
The Community Grant will have two funding streams available: A Small Grant ranging from £100 - £2,000, and a Larger Grant ranging from £2,000 - £5,000. Applications can be made online or you can collect a form from your local library. As well as support from Hounslow’s culture team, there will also be an online workshop coordinated by Ealing and Hounslow Community and Voluntary Services on Monday, 7 February 2022 (see below for details).
For more information on the community grant, please do attend one of the sessions below, or email SummerofCulture@hounslow.gov.uk
Book now for a space at our final community grant briefing session on 7 February
Free COVID-19 rapid tests available
 If you don’t have Covid-19 symptoms, get your FREE rapid test by
REMEMBER: If you do tests at home, you’ll need to report your results online here: Report your test result online or by calling 119.
You can also walk-in to one of our testing sites, to find out more visit our pages here.
REMEMBER: If you HAVE got Covid-19 symptoms, make sure you get a PCR test – even if your rapid test shows a negative result. To book a PCR test and for more information on testing, visit: www.hounslow.gov.uk/coronavirus.
COVID-19 vaccinations available this weekend
 For all types of vaccinations (first dose, second dose, third dose for immunosuppressed, booster), there are several types of locations where you can get your vaccination appointment in Hounslow:
- At a drop-in vaccination clinic.
- At a pharmacy.
- At a GP-led clinic by invitation.
- At school (for healthy 12-15 year olds) or via the National Booking System.
At every location staff will be properly trained to give you your dose of the vaccine. If you are not sure what type of vaccine you require, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.
Or book an appointment via www.nhs.uk or call 119.
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