Category Archives: Resources

Can you support the Rural Activities Garden Centre?

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PLEASE CAN YOU HELP!

For over 40 years people with learning disabilities and autism from all over

Hillingdon have attended the award-winning Rural Activities Garden Centre

(R.A.G.C.) in Yiewsley where they have benefited from horticultural therapy

and social support. In a hastily arranged meeting on Friday, 30th May 2025,

those with learning disabilities and autism who use the R.A.G.C. and their

families were told by the London Borough of Hillingdon that it had decided to

close the R.A.G.C.

Hillingdon Council’s press release provided immediately after the meeting

stated that it wanted to close the R.A.G.C.’s retail operations and re-locate

the R.A.G.C.’s horticultural therapy to the Civic Centre grounds. On Thursday,

26th June 2025 it was decided at the Council’s Cabinet meeting to close the

R.A.G.C.’s retail operation.

In order to protect the R.A.G.C. in June 2025 the Friends of R.A.G.C.

submitted two nominations to Hillingdon Council to register the R.A.G.C. and

its adjacent land as an Asset of Community Value (A.C.V.). However, the

Council failed to meet its statutory obligations under the Localism Act 2011 to

process the Friends of R.A.G.C.’s nominations within the eight-week legal

deadline.

Visit the Rural Activity Activity Centre Action Group Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/652974616588336/ to find out more.

Christmas Tree Collections

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Details here . Between Monday 5 and Friday 16 January, you can recycle real Christmas trees for free through the Council, providing all decorations and pots are removed. Trees taller than 6 foot need to be cut in half. Collections from houses: If you live in a house, place your tree at the edge of your property boundary (and visible to collectors) by 6am on your collection day. (It seems that 13th January is central Ickenham’s collection day) The Council’s information page (linked at the start of this post) makes no mention of whether this requires membership of the garden waste collection scheme. Given that the trees are placed separately to the tagged bags, maybe this is a free-of-obligation service.

Christmas and New Year Refuse Collections

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Bank holiday rubbish and recycling collection days Collection days for households and businesses during the bank holiday periods.
To minimise disruption to waste and recycling collections during the Christmas and New Year period, our crews will be working on Saturdays 20 and 27 December and Saturday 3 January.

Christmas collection days
Normal collection day > Revised collection day
Monday 22 December > Saturday 20 December
Tuesday 23 December > Monday 22 December
Wednesday 24 December > Tuesday 23 December
Thursday 25 December > Wednesday 24 December
Friday 26 December > Saturday 27 December

New Year holiday collection days
Normal collection day > Revised collection day
Monday 29 December > No change
Tuesday 30 December > No change
Wednesday 31 December No change
Thursday 1 January > Friday 2 January
Friday 2 January > Saturday 3 January

Please leave your rubbish out for collection by 6am, near your front gate, but not on the pavement. Separate arrangements are in place for flats and business premises.

Asylum accommodation and protests

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Metropolitan Police Service Statement – Hillingdon
We understand the concerns raised by our communities in Hillingdon regarding asylum accommodation and related protest activity. We want to reassure residents that these issues are being taken seriously and that significant policing resources are committed to keeping people safe and maintaining public order.  
Our priorities are clear:
Protect life and prevent harm Investigate crime and bring offenders to justice Support lawful protest while preventing disorder  
What we are doing: Preventing offences and tackling criminal behaviour
Our focus remains on preventing harm and addressing criminality—not on commenting on every post or video circulating online. Multiple individuals have already been arrested following recent disorder, and further investigations are ongoing. We record and investigate all reports of crime, and while we cannot comment publicly on the specifics of ongoing investigations, every case is assessed and progressed in line with our established processes. Suggestions that we favour one group over another are incorrect. Our approach is based on evidence and the law, regardless of who is involved.   Supporting lawful protest, preventing disorder
We respect the right to peaceful protest. However, violent or unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated. We have committed significant resources to supporting lawful protest over the last two months and, when faced with criminality, have acted decisively.   Visible reassurance and partnership working
Officers are carrying out regular patrols at hotel sites and in affected areas such as West Drayton and Hayes. We are working closely with Hillingdon Council, Clearsprings, and community leaders to address tensions and investigate offences. We continue to commit additional resources to this challenge.   The ask: Intelligence and information are key Please report offences to us online, via 101 or 999 as appropriate. If you have useful information, please share this with us through the same channels. We collate, analyse, and use all this information to inform policing activity—even if we don’t provide updates on every report. Crimestoppers can always be used if you’re concerned about anonymity.

Mount Vernon urgent care closing Sept 26

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  Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Service
The Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Service at Mount Vernon Hospital will be reconfigured into the Urgent Treatment Centre at Hillingdon Hospital. 
The last patients will be seen at the Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Service on Friday 26 September 2025. Patients should not attend after 4pm.     
This will help us to strengthen our service at the Urgent Treatment Centre at Hillingdon Hospital and ensure that our local communities continue to receive the best care possible.
All other services at Mount Vernon Hospital remain open as usual.
The closest alternative services are: Watford General Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre, Vicarage Road WD18 0HB. This is open from 8am until 2pm every day. (5 miles); Northwick Park Urgent Treatment Centre, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ. This is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (7 miles).
Hillingdon Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre, Pield Heath Road, UB8 3NN. This is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (7.5 miles)

LBH recycling advice

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FROM LBH:
News Release
23 September 2025 Rescue your recycling this Recycle Week To mark Recycle Week 2025 (22 to 28 September), Hillingdon Council is encouraging residents to carefully check what they’re putting out for collection and discover how to reduce household waste at a recycling-themed event.
  
This year’s Recycle Week theme, ‘Rescue Me! Recycle!’ encourages people to recycle all they can by highlighting items regularly thrown away in general waste that can be recycled.  
 
While most households in Hillingdon sort their recycle well, items that the council can’t recycle can sometimes still be found in clear, dry, mixed recycling sacks by collection crews. To help residents eliminate those, the council’s ‘Top of the Contaminants’ campaign highlights how items, like food and clothing, can be recycled through other services it offers. 
 
To make it easier for residents to recycle household items, the council offers weekly rubbish and recycling collections, garden and food waste recycling, small electrical bins in libraries and doorstep textiles collections in partnership with the textiles charity, Traid. Harefield Civic Amenity Site also has dedicated bins for vapes and coffee pods. 
 
By taking two seconds to carefully check what’s going into their clear sacks, residents can play their part and help ensure that what goes to the processing plant is of high quality. 
 
Hands-on guidance for repairing clothes and small electrical items will be available to visitors to the council’s free Repair and Reuse Day at Botwell Green Leisure Centre in Hayes, on Saturday 27 September, from 11am to 2pm.  
 
The council’s recycling team is hosting a Recycling Roadshow at the event where you can get useful hints, tips and advice for household recycling and sign up for services, including automatic bag deliveries and food waste collections.    
 
By taking small steps to rescue recyclables and remove contaminants residents can make a big contribution to improving recycling in Hillingdon. 
 
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, said: “It’s great that so many households in Hillingdon already do their best to sort and separate what they can. While for some items, like sanitary products, going in the waste bin is the only option, for most other items from small electricals to coffee pods and batteries, the council offers a recycling solution. 
 
“Recycle Week’s campaign encourages not throwing away recyclable items. By also removing ‘top contaminants’ and properly disposing of non-recyclables, we can ensure we are collecting high quality recycling and reducing waste, which is better for the planet.” 
 
Find out what you can and can’t recycle in Hillingdon at www.hillingdon.gov.uk/rubbishandrecycling.

Yes please Dry mixed recycling

In Hillingdon, you can recycle paper, cardboard, glass and plastics every week for free – and it all goes in the same clear (dry mixed) recycling bag.
Watch our ‘That’s not my recycling’ video, which encourages children to ask grown-ups to check they’re only putting items we can recycle in to their clear bags. It can also be used by schools and families to talk about recycling at school and home.
We’ve also created a ‘Top of the Pops’ style chart countdown, exposing the top 5 contaminating items most commonly found in residents’ dry mixed recycling bags. What can I recycle in my dry mixed recycling bags?

Important: Please ensure all items/containers are clean, dry and empty.
Aerosol cans (do not pierce or squash)
Aluminium foil (clean)
Books
Butter and margarine tubs
Cardboard Cartons
Catalogues
Directories
Drinks cans
Envelopes
Food cans
Foil trays and containers
Glass bottles and jars (lids can be added to your recycling bag separately)
Junk mall
Magazines Newspapers
Paper
Plastic trays
Plastic bottles (including lids)
Shredded paper
Tetra packs (cartons with a waxed finish)
Wrapping paper (not the foil type)
Yellow Pages
Yoghurt pots

No thanks
Asthma pumps
Batteries
Bubble wrap
Clinical waste
Crisp packets
Disposable nappies
Disposable takeaway cups
Flower pots
Flowers and flower packaging
Food waste
Hard plastics
Hot food containers
Light bulbs
Packaging tape
Pet food packaging
Plastic toys
Polystyrene
Prescription bottles
Sanitary products
Shopping bags
Textiles
Wood