Playday Celebrated in Brentford

Yesterday I took part in the local Playday, which was held in St Paul's Recreation Ground, on Lateward Road, Brentford. Locally coordinated by Alix Reeves of Westplay, the event saw a wide range of fun and engaging activities for children of all ages. Amongst other things, youngsters enjoyed participating in face-painting, t-shirt decorating, hat-making, steel drum playing, bubble blowing and real-life table football. Catering was organised by the Cafe of St Paul's Church in Brentford.

I met a team from Chiswick and Brentford Your Extended Services (YES), who were on hand to give information on Hounslow Council's Extended Services scheme (past events have included yoga for exam-age children, paediatric first aid courses and a Healthy Cooking Club). I also enjoyed lunch from the St Paul's Church Cafe, where I hold regular surgeries.

Playday is the annual celebration of children's right to play, coordinated by Play England. It is an annual campaign where, each year, thousands of children and young people get out and play at locally organised events, encouraging the development of community feeling in the process.

I think this is a wonderful initiative. Play is an essential part of every child's life and is vital to their development. When I was a child, we were able to play freely in the streets and in the parks, and enjoy the great outdoors. Many children now do not get that opportunity.

The event was a chance for children to have a wonderful time together in a safe environment, and gives the community an occasion to come together. I look forward to seeing similar events locally in the future. Well done to the Playday team and the local volunteers!

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust..doing great work!

Last week, I attended an event at the new Audi centre in Brentford to celebrate the achievements of the Brentford Football Club Community Sports Trust over the last two years.

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust started out as a football-based charity and they now offer some 27 different sports and other educational activities to more than 27,800 children in the area. They have achieved so much over the past two years with 179 projects currently across health, social inclusion, education and sports participation.

I recently saw some of this work, when I visited Brentford FC with Jeremy Hunt MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. We were shown several examples of work that is done in the community, including local schoolchildren enjoying their kayaking lesson at the Kew Boating Arch. Might be tempted to join them next time!

The work that the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust is an inspiration to others. They have shown real leadership and commitment to working within the local community and making a difference to young people by giving them opportunities to develop and learn.

P.S. I was at Griffin Park on Saturday afternoon and was thrilled to watch The Bees take a point from the mighty Leeds United. Well done to the team.

Hounslow Community Reception with Baroness Warsi

Last night Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was the guest of honour at our Hounslow Community Reception, kindly hosted by the Urban Spice restaurant.

Saira Khan, an entrepreneur and former contestant in ‘The Apprentice’ introduced Sayeeda to the guests. Saira talked about her experiences of being brought up in Britain and the values of hard work, focus and determination, which have helped her get to where she is now.

In her speech, Sayeeda mentioned how important it was to work across religious and ethnic groups and bring them together in the community. She did not feel that giving government funding to just one ethnic or religious organisation helped in creating community cohesion.

In my view, government funding should be given to local councils to distribute as a Community Cohesion grant. They can decide which organisations work best locally across all religious and ethnic groups, in building a stronger society, where people of all backgrounds live, study and work closely together within their local community.

Photo 1: Mary with Saira Khan and Sayeeda Warsi

Photo 2: Mr Pankaj Makol, Mr & Mrs Neeraj Makol and Mr Jaz Walia with Mary Macleod and Sayeeda Warsi at the Urban Spice restaurant, 159 Hanworth Road, Hounslow

Visit to the local Mosque

I had a lovely visit recently to the Hounslow Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre on Wellington Road South.

Tony Arbour AM, Cllr Mark Bowen, Cllr Barbara Reid, Christine Quick and Fauad Hafeez from Hounslow Central and Ranjiv Godfrey from Hounslow Heath also joined me there.

We were given a tour of the Centre and met the teachers and children of the school that is within the Centre. It was really interesting to get an insight into a Community Mosque and hear about the work that they do.

My thanks to all those who invited us there and made us feel so welcome.

Photo: Mary (centre) with Cllr Barbara Reid, Cllr Mark Bowen, Tony Arbour AM, Dr Mobhin, Mr A Majid, Mr Riaz Butt, Mr Saleem and Mr Karamat Malik.

Boxing day comes early for youngsters at the Brentford Towers

Brentford Towers Residents Association began their festive celebrations in style last week by taking young people off the street and into a makeshift gym at one of the tower blocks on Green Dragon Lane. The Mixed Martial Arts and Boxing class, involved bringing two external instructors from St Mary’s University to give Brentford’s young people a lesson in self defence and fitness.

It is encouraging to see that local people are finding new, great ideas of how to improve their own community and taking responsibility for making it happen. This was an excellent initiative and really benefited the young people who took part. We should try and do more of them elsewhere in the Borough.

Well done to Jane Griffith, chairman of the Residents Association at the Brentford Towers. A great example to others.

Community sports in Redlees Park, Isleworth

Last Saturday I went to the Urban Games at Redlees Park in Isleworth.

What a great event! About 300 youngsters, age 8-15 years old, had signed up to this free multi-sports event...where they got the chance to try out and get coached in a range of sports. This is an annual event organised by Hounslow's Sports Development Team.

The aim of this event was to give taster sessions in thirteen different sports ranging from football and rugby to canoeing and BMX racing. All sessions were linked to a local club, who were on hand to coach the sessions and provide information on how young people can join these clubs and thus promote lifelong participation. The aim was to provide young people with improved motivation and general fitness and an increased willingness to take part in sporting activities outside of school hours. It also aims to encourage young people to mix with people from other estates, thus improving the social cohesion within the local community. Unforunately I was not allowed to join in the different sports!

To motivate them, Jenny Copnall was there and spoke to them all. She is the British Cross Country Mountain Biking Champion.

This is a brilliant example of community action and creating opportunities for young people to get more interested in sport and health. We need more events like this.

Well done to everyone involved!


Photo: Mary with Cllr Pam Fisher, Cllr Lin Davies and Jenny Copnall (British Cross Country Mountain Biking Champion)

David Willetts in Isleworth

It was great to see David Willetts MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, University and Skills, when he visited the constituency this week.

He met with Thalia Marriott, the Principal at West Thames College in Isleworth, then went on to visit the Skills Centre and the Borough Youth Service in Feltham with Cllr Mark Bowen, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Feltham & Heston.

Further education and training is critically important for the future generation. West Thames College is an outstanding example of giving opportunities to many young people to develop their skills and their experience. It has also made a huge contribution to equality and diversity. We met some great students who are really good role models, in having taken the initiative and challenge to create a better future for themselves. We need more young people like them.

Photo -
Front row: David Willetts MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, University & Skills), Thalia Marriott (West Thames College Principal), Mary Macleod (Conservative Parliamentary Candidate)
Back row: Cllr Lin Davies, Cllr Barbara Reid, Billy Elliot (West Thames College Assistant Principal)