Hayes Community Network 2026

The Hayes Community Network event, hosted by H4All, took place on Tuesday 20th October at the Hayes and Harlington Community Centre.

The event began with an introduction about the team from Naomi Lloyd-Barling (Community Development Manager), who spoke about the range of services and projects delivered by H4All.

This was followed by David Brough, who gave a brief history of Hayes and its technological advancements. David promoted the Hayes Town Partnership weekly newsletter that has over 1000 subscribers. David also thanked everyone for attending, highlighting their significance and relevance at today's event. He expressed his appreciation to H4All for organising the event.

Judi George introduced Harlington Hospice and talked about her engagement across the borough to build trusting relationships around the community. She is part of the Community Engagement Service alongside her colleague, Carol Weston. Key services delivered by the hospice can be found by visiting https://www.harlingtonhospice.org/.

Judi mentioned that the hospice has seven retail shops in the borough where supporters can buy and donate specific items needed for patient care and comfort.

Julie Clifford from the Hayes Federation of Community Associations (HFCA) shared - There are eighteen community centres across the borough, with many centres based in Hayes. HFCA and H4All are involved in the community resilience work led by the London Borough of Hillingdon (LBH) and help to build awareness of community resilience within the community.

Julie discussed the importance of using the local community centres, where residents feel a sense of trust. She raised the question: How do we bring this back down to the community?

Key areas for improvement include communication with emergency planners. Julie also expressed a desire to involve community groups in supporting community centres so they can open during a crisis.

Sana Khaliq from Citizens Advice Hillingdon (CAH) delivered a presentation about how the organisation is managing its referrals despite recent funding cuts. She also spoke positively about the appointment of the new CEO Aiman Elal. She highlighted the continuing impact of their work and discussed several key initiatives. For more information, please visit https://www.hillingdoncab.org.uk/.  

Sana recognised the invaluable contribution of the volunteers who help support the organisation and expressed her appreciation.

Vanessa Bonner from DASH then spoke about The DASH Hub activity provision in Hayes, including boxing, Zumba, dance and Boccia which serve over 400 service users. Vanessa outlined a range of benefits and services they support people with including assistance with Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applications, Taxi Card, Freedom Pass and Blue Badge applications. For further information, please visit  https://www.dash.org.uk/.

Vanessa highlighted the success of the Hillingdon Advice Partnership (HAP), the partnership is formed of four local charities – Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent, Nucleus legal Advice, Bell Farm and DASH. They support people with general information and advice services including - claiming disability related benefits, completing application forms, attending assessments, submitting Mandatory Reconsiderations and support at the First-tier Tribunal.

Alex from Refugees in Effective and Active Partnership (REAP) discussed the organisation's valuable work in supporting the community, particularly its English Gateway Groups, Interpreter Training and a guide on how to navigate British systems. He also spoke about their community lunch, which includes guest speakers and workshops that attract significant interest from attendees keen to learn new skills.

Mark Robbins, CEO of the Freshwater Foundation, highlighted funding opportunities available to community groups. He also outlined the Foundation’s support for organisations looking to strengthen their legal structure by becoming a registered CIO. The Freshwater Foundation’s approach is built on partnership, sustainability, capacity building and practical support, helping small and emerging groups to grow, strengthen governance and achieve long-term community impact.

Vanessa Bennett (Funding Officer) from the National Lottery Community Fund presented on the Awards for All and Community Fund opportunities. She encouraged grassroot groups to get in touch to discuss their ideas and is happy to meet organisations on a 1-1 basis.

Fraser McIntosh from Suntory Beverage & Food (GB&I) shared insights into the company's principle of “Giving Back to Society” through match-funding and crowdfunding opportunities for organisations that meet the eligibility criteria. He also talked about the Together for Good: SBF GB&I Community Fund. The fund supports a diverse mix of projects and is currently supporting Home-Start Hillingdon with their target of £17,000 to fund a Family Support Worker to help support local families.

The event gave participants time to network, exchange ideas and strengthen links between organisations working across health, wellbeing, community development and local support services. A special thank you goes to the volunteers who were H4All Community Champions, supporting the event and kindly serving refreshments. The event was well received and feedback has been very positive. Thank you to everyone who attended.