 We hope you have a great Christmas and new year. We also want you to know about all the ways the Council is helping you to keep warm and well over this period and for the rest of the winter.
From warm spaces to winter vaccinations, extra GP appointments for your children and activities to improve your balance, check out the best ways to enjoy the colder months in good health.
Cllr Lily Bath, Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Transformation, explains more in this video.
You can also head to the Council’s dedicated webpage form further information.
 It can be hard to know where to head for help over the festive period. Thankfully, CarePlace has a helpful list of services that are open between Christmas and New Year.
It has got everything from medical services to social care, domestic abuse and mental health support.
 Christmas can be a difficult time for people who feel isolated. Local charity BEfriend offers support for people who live alone and struggle to see other people.
A new video shows volunteers and the people they support talking about their relationship and why the charity's work is so important.
Could you give up a few hours a week to help someone in the new year? Click the button to find out more about volunteering with BEfriend.
Helping households stay organised this Christmas
 Feeling organised at home can make a real difference to wellbeing, particularly during the busy Christmas and New Year period. Rubbish and recycling collections will operate on revised days between 20 December until 12 January, when normal collections resume.
Knowing when your bin day is helps avoid missed collections and prevent overflow. One less thing to think about during an already busy time. Please ensure your bins are out by 7am on the revised collection day.
 Cocoon Care After Care will be hosting a Christmas Day event for 50 care-experienced 18-25 year olds from Hounslow.
Without this event, they would be spending the day alone. Young people who have grown up in care (foster care, children’s homes, supported lodgings) can be very isolated and this is magnified at Christmas.
The guest list is full, and there are 25 volunteers hosting the day. Now they need to make sure they have enough gifts to fill their sacks and funds to pay for all the essentials.
You can help by making a cash donation or contributing to the Amazon wish list.
Businesses who want to make a charitable donation can also email Cocoon After Care to make the arrangements.
Less stress this Christmas
 To help make the run-up to Christmas a little easier, parking charges will be suspended in Council-controlled paid parking spaces, both on-street and in car parks, on 23 and 24 December. Free parking means one less thing to worry about. No rushing back to the car, no extra costs to think about and more time to shop, stroll or meet loved ones.
 The Hounslow Safe Space helpline is open every day across the Christmas holidays. So if you are finding things hard, give them a call. It’s there for anyone aged 18 or over who is struggling or feeling overwhelmed.
Call 020 3475 5185 between 11am and 11pm every day.
 A new podcast called Breaking the Stigma sees people with lived experience discussing addiction.
It focuses on drug and alcohol addiction, along with the stigma and shame that people can feel. This is particularly pertinent at this time of year when addiction triggers and long nights can bring extra pressure.
The aim is to encourage more people to talk about addiction, challenge their own beliefs and the beliefs of others, and ultimately get more people to seek help.
 Are you planning to eat out or get takeaway around Christmas but still want to keep it relatively healthy? The Council's Healthier Catering Commitment (HCC) scheme means you can peruse a selection of Hounslow restaurants that serve delicious and healthy food.
Mediterranean restaurant O Calhau (410 Staines Road) and Hounslow Kebab (2 Bell Road) are the latest to sign up to HCC.
The programme helps businesses to make small changes to the way they cook and serve food, improving their customers' health.
If you run a food business, find out how to sign up for the HCC by clicking the link below.
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