At 3pm on Sunday 7 July local residents gathered at Cherry Lane Cemetery to mark the 80th anniversary of the exact moment a German V-1 flying bomb fell on what was then known as the Gramophone Company factory in Blyth Road, killing 37 people It was the worst loss of life in Hayes during the Second World War.

Later to become EMI, the Company's premises had been turned over to war production and evidence revealed after the victory by the Allies in 1945 that the Germans had aerial photographs of this location ready to assist the precision of their bombing raids. On the afternoon of 7 July 1944 a warning was issued of an approaching bomb and a number of workers retired to the surface air raid shelter at the back of the factory. Tragically for them, the bomb fell very close to the entrance, instantly killing those inside plus others still in the open.

At yesterday's event the Mayor of Hillingdon, Councillor Colleen Sullivan read an account of what happened on that fateful day and Reverend Canon Andy Thompson gave bible readings and a prayer. A wreath was laid by the Mayoress, Anne Robinson at the EMI memorial shown in the picture. Two minutes of silence were observed in memory of those who had died and a lone piper, Pipe Sergeant Gerald Griffin of The London Irish Rifles, played "Abide with me". It was a very moving experience for all those present.

The members of the public in attendance included people whose families had been affected at the time. Local MP John McDonnell and a number of Hayes Town and Pinkwell Ward Councillors were also present.

The EMI Archive Trust which has previously restored the memorial to its present condition was unable to send any representatives but had arranged for a poppy wreath to be delivered. They have also included on their web site an article from the EMI in-house magazine published as soon as war-time secrecy controls allowed plus photographs of the devastation taken the day after the incident . You can see the article and the pictures here.

The General Election on Thursday 4 July produced some extraordinary results up and down the country. There were no surprises in Hayes & Harlington when the Labour candidate and longstanding Member of Parliament John McDonnell was re-elected. He had a majority of 12031 over his Conservative rival Dylan Thomas. This was greater than the 9261 he achieved in the 2019 General Election.

The full results of the election were:

• John McDonnell, Labour - 20405
• Dylan Thomas, Conservative - 8374
• Francoise Thompson, Reform - 4114
• Christine West, Green - 2131
• Rizwana Karim, Workers Party - 1975
• Alexander Cunliffe, Liberal Democrat - 1316

There was a turnout of 53% compared to the national average of 60%.

The summer programme of events in Cranford Park continues on Thursday 11 July with an event with a difference. Billed as a session of "Mindful Movement" it will be a chance to step away from the demands of the day and to reconnect with your senses. It will take place between 10am and 11am and all you need to bring is yourself and a yoga mat. To find out more and to book a place click here.

Other events coming up in Cranford Park over the next few weeks are:

Sunday 14 July (10:30am-2:30pm). Stables & Secret Garden Open Day, Volunteering* & Bike Service. Visit the Secret Garden and the historic 18th century stable (with sound effects). Bring your bike along for a free check. Guided walks at 12 noon and 1pm. No need to book.

Saturday 20 July (10am-4pm). Making a Willow Pony. Using willow, Gina Martin demonstrates techniques to create your own sculpture. This is a hands-on course for those at intermediate level. Cost £5. Booking is essential by sending an email or calling 01895 250615.

Tuesday 23 July (10:30am-1pm). Green Skills Volunteering. Do you want to learn more about nature and get some gardening practice? No previous experience is required. To register or find out more send an email:

Sunday 28 July (10am-4pm). Cranford Park Family Day. After a gap of several years, the Family Day is back with a medieval theme! Come and enjoy the sights and sounds of a medieval tournament. Games, re-enactments and stalls. Secret Garden & Stables open. Admission is free.

St Edmund of Canterbury Church in Edmunds Close invite you to their Summer Fair on Saturday 13 July between 2pm and 5pm. There is going to be a BBQ, a climbing wall, face-painting, children's crafts, music, entertainment and a raffle. There is also going to be a "slime factory" - which will sound very intriguing for anybody who has not experienced one previously..

For those who have not been before, the Church is in Yeading Lane not far from the junction with Willow Tree Lane. The postcode is UB4 0HA

Hillingdon Council is part of the Barclays Free Park Tennis scheme and is looking for volunteers to open up the courts at Rosedale Park and Harmondsworth Recreation Ground on one day each weekend.. No extensive knowledge of tennis is required, just a warm, encouraging and welcoming nature. There is online training to help give you ideas on how to get play under way with adults, children and families. To find out more about what is involved and to sign up as a volunteer click on this link.

The Council can support you to do First Aid training and reimburse you for the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check that comes with the training. If you already have an Enhanced DBS that can be used. If you have any queries please contact Mekaya Gittens by sending her an email.

Transport for London (TfL) have engaged AECOM to carry out a survey of cyclists on its behalf. By taking part, you can help provide an accurate picture of cycling in London to enable TfL to understand cyclists' travel behaviour and prioritise improvements and changes to infrastructure. 

You must be 16 or over to participate. Registration is open until Friday 19 July. 

Participation in the survey will include: 

• Registration and providing some basic details about yourself
• Cycling in the Greater London area at least once in the next four weeks
• Tracking journeys you make by bike using an app over the next four weeks (you will be able to opt out at any point)
• Allowing collection of your activity data on the app
• Answering short follow up questions about the journey you made

Use this link to take part.

A book entitled Starlet Rivals by local Hayes author Puneet Bhandal has been selected to be on the official list for this year's Summer Reading Challenge. 

Each year, the scheme run by The Reading Agency - a UK charity with a mission to empower people of all ages to read - encourages children to visit libraries over the summer holidays and read.

This year's theme is Marvellous Makers and aims to inspire children's creativity and storytelling abilities through reading. Taking place in libraries and online, the Challenge will provide opportunities for children to explore their imagination and creativity in a supportive environment through activities like junk modelling, arts & crafts, music and more. 

The Summer Reading Challenge has been running since 1999 and helps to prevent the summer reading ‘dip’ that many young people experience during their summer holidays while schools are closed. With delivery through public libraries, the Summer Reading Challenge is accessible to all and provides a fun, free activity for children. In 2023, the Summer Reading Challenge reached 685,821 children and families across the UK, with 635,115 children taking part through their local library service. The Challenge also drove 133,697 new children’s library memberships which is 42% higher than the 2019 pre-pandemic total.  

To get involved in the Summer Reading Challenge at Botwell Green Library or any other of the Hillingdon libraries click here. There is a prize draw for those taking part.

Last week saw the 59th Annual Festival of Flowers at St Mary's Church in Church Road. It ran from Thursday 4 July to Sunday 7 July and, as usual, the displays were of a very high standard as shown in the picture.

Each year there is a different theme and this year it was "God's Garden" inspired by lines from a poem by Robert Frost "And when the sun shines brightly, tend flowers that God has given. And keep the pathway open that leads you on to heaven". This is about the Christian religion but could apply equally to other religions followed by people in Hayes. Here's hoping for some bright sun to light up the summer and help the flowers grow.

Hillingdon Council has begun a two-week trial of a new vehicle fitted with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to help clamp down on unauthorised parking. During the trial anyone parked in the Council’s parking management schemes without the correct permits or exemptions will face enhanced enforcement. 

Currently, Civil Enforcement Officers (CEO) carry out inspections across the Borough on foot and individually check parked vehicles using handheld devices. However, the new vehicle’s technology allows CEOs to carry out more checks across a wider area in less time. The ANPR cameras, linked to the Council’s parking permit database, will highlight potential parking contraventions to the CEOs, who will follow up with a manual verification and check for valid parking approvals such as visitor permits and blue badges. Not all alerts will result in a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).  

The results of the trial will be analysed before the council makes a final decision on further use of the vehicle across the Borough. For more information about parking in Hillingdon click here.

The Confederation of 42 GP practices in Hillingdon work together on major projects to help improve local health and wellbeing. Their goal is to have a preventative approach to ensure that patients receive the right care at the right time. To make this work it is vital that local people know what services are available. They have prepared a short survey to assess residents' current knowledge of wellbeing services and how they typically find information about these services.

This is a really important issue for the diverse communities of Hayes. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by clicking on the QR code in the picture or by using this link so that local GPs have a clearer picture of the actions needed to increase knowledge and awareness.

Home Start Hillingdon have a limited number of discounted spaces for a sponsored 5k or 10k run in Regents Park on Sunday 13 October. This fun run will bring together Home Start supporters from all over London. Registration is now open and places get snapped up quickly. Please send an email to let them know that you want to make a difference and do yourself proud. You can become a part of changing the lives of vulnerable children across Hillingdon.  

Round 2 of of the Heathrow Community Trust Communities Together Small Grants Programme is now open for applications. There are the following themes:

• S1 Protecting and enhancing our local environment
• S2 Bringing communities together and increasing community cohesion
• S3 Improving quality of life through increasing social inclusion
• S4 Improving community facilities for all 

Further information including the online application form can be found here.

Before making an application the Trust requires applicants to read through its Grant Making Policy and Tips Document. If you have any questions send them an email.

Hillingdon Council has given public notice that Austin Road will be closed from 8am on Monday 22 July until 5pm on Thursday 25 July The closure is from the junction with Pump Lane and is to enable the replacement of a gas main by Cadent Gas.

Due to the layout of the local road network it is not possible to provide an alternative route.