Heathrow Community Trust

24/08/2026

We awarded a two-year grant of £30,000 in July 2024 to The Middlesex Association of the Blind through the Communities Together Large programme.

The funding was to deliver services to support elderly people with visual impairment, at every stage of their sight loss journey, helping them to retain their connections and to also integrate into a community of people who are visually impaired as well as providing digital training to reduce their digital isolation.

Referrals are received from local council Sensory and Rehabilitation Teams, from other organisations, as self-referrals or from concerned family members/friends. Once assessed, people are given a choice of services. Their Rapid Response Counselling gives ongoing talk-therapy to people who are in a crisis about sight loss. The Home Visiting Service supports people who are experiencing high levels of loneliness and are visited every week by a Support Worker or a volunteer. The nature of the visit depends on the needs of the Service User - it can range from simple befriending, to reading mail, making appointments with the GP or the hospital, doing ad hoc shopping or getting out of the house to get exercise.

These services feed into their monthly VIP groups, where people meet up with others who are also experiencing sight loss to share their challenges, their successes, and most importantly, to form new friendships A new addition to their work is IT training which started last year. Digital isolation is extreme for people with visual impairment. By supporting people to master assistive technology, people can go online.

Testimonial from one of the beneficiaries:
Nancy: “I've recently started receiving support from MAB. My support worker has been extremely helpful and has always been available for a chat and reassurance. She has put me in touch with a volunteer who has taken me out for a walk. As I'm unable to walk without assistance this has been invaluable for me and has had a very positive psychological effect on me as I feel no longer trapped in my house. I cannot praise MAB highly enough. They have given me lots of advice and have been a great support for me. They've also put me in contact with another visually impaired person on my street which again has made me feel less isolated and given me someone to talk to. And our VIP club is so much fun! My life has changed so much for better thanks to this amazing organisation and their kind and caring people! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”

The project supported 156 people from Hillingdon & Hounslow, with 36 volunteers providing 5,616 volunteer hours.

17/08/2026

We awarded a grant of £5,000 to Hayes Cricket Club in May 2025 through the Communities Together Small programme.

The funding was to enhance sport facilities for the local community, by developing 8 grass pitches on currently disused land, increasing sporting opportunities for local cricketers, schools, and the broader community activity programs.

The project transformed an underutilised green space into a valuable community resource by developing a functional cricket-focused sporting facility that also now serves as a versatile outdoor space for the wider community, such as local primary schools.

10 new teams have been created including junior and female teams, increasing sporting participation, encouraging social integration and promoting active, healthy lifestyles. The development of Junior B teams has broadened the demographic reach, particularly engaging individuals who may not have previously participated in cricket. Training sessions have increased from once a week to 2-3 times.

The space will also serve as a hub for external groups, such as the Navnat Vanik Association, providing opportunities for alternative activities, and for local schools to run extracurricular programs.

The project has strengthened community engagement and inclusivity by creating a welcoming and accessible environment for diverse user groups. Over 80 people now have a greater feeling of involvement, and 12 volunteers delivered 400 hours of volunteer time.

13/08/2026

Our second funding rounds for 2026 are currently open for the Communities Together (Small), Environment & Sustainability and Projects for Young People programmes and our HAPi and Matched grants for Heathrow colleagues.

Please note the submission deadline dates:

- Communities Together (Small) closes next Thursday 20th August at 10am
- Environment & Sustainability closes 10am 3rd September
- Projects for Young People closes 10am on 10th September

Late submissions will not be accepted.

All the information you need, including a webinar and our grant making guidelines, can be found on our website. If you have any questions or need any extra support with the application process, please get in touch with our helpful grant administration team.
https://www.heathrowcommunitytrust.org/apply-for-a-grant

To mark our 30th anniversary year, our board of trustees have committed an additional £150,000 towards our anniversary mental health fund, with an additional theme added to each grant programme. You can find out more on our website:
https://www.heathrowcommunitytrust.org/mental-health-fund

Apply for a community grant from Heathrow Community Trust. Funding local projects across Communities Together, Young People, and Environment and Sustainability in 2026.

13/08/2026

Our Communities Together Small programme closes for submissions next Thursday 20th August at 10am.

Organisations can apply for up to £5,000 for projects costing no more than £20,000 for a one year project.

We have a new Anniversary Mental Health funding theme for round 2 to celebrate 30 years of Heathrow Community Trust, so there are 5 programme themes in total to choose from and your project must demonstrate a clear fit with one theme.

Further details and the online form can be found on the HCT website: https://www.heathrowcommunitytrust.org/grants-for-communities-together-projects

Information on the new Anniversary Mental Health theme can be found here: https://www.heathrowcommunitytrust.org/grants-for-communities-together-projects

Apply for community project grants of up to £15,000 from Heathrow Community Trust. The Communities Together programme funds groups across nine London boroughs.

08/08/2026

Applications are welcomed for this year’s second round of Environment and Sustainability grants, which closes on 3rd September at 10am. If you have a planned project which fits, please consider putting in an application.

Grants of up to £15,000, for eligible voluntary and community sector projects costing up to £60,000, due to start between November 2026 and January 2027.

Recent grant awards have ranged from £3k towards a workbench area with tools and a bike stand for Maidenhead cycle repair hub to £14,780 for Gurseva’s ‘cleaner, greener spaces for all’ community tree planting, ground care and litter-picking events. We have previously considered applications for insulation improvements and energy efficient replacement lighting for community halls.

Do you have a small project in the pipeline that needs a funding boost, or are you working on a larger project with a phase that fits our criteria?

We fund both capital and revenue projects, so it could be supporting sustainable development through environmental improvements to your community building, Protecting and enhancing our natural environment through revitalising a green space, running a service such as a repair café or training scheme focused on reduce, reuse, recycle or an educational project to promote environmental awareness.

Could your project add a fourth R, by helping people repair, recover or repurpose?

• Do you have an innovative project with new ways of looking at reducing your environmental impact?
• Are you working in partnership with other charities and community groups to share training, space, equipment or transport to reduce your costs and carbon footprint at the same time?
• Does your project enable new groups of people to access locations, services, training or activities that improve their understanding of sustainability or interaction with the national environment, by providing:
o translation services from other languages, through signing interpretation for people with hearing impairment,
o sensory options and audio description for people with visual impairment,
o improvements to physical access or available support for people with mobility restrictions,
o adjustments in service delivery to support people with SEND, neurodivergence or trauma to overcome barriers they experience in joining mainstream activities.
• Are you putting measures in place to manage your energy consumption?
• Are you able to recover heat/energy or repurpose waste materials generated through other activities by your own or another organisation?
• Does your project cover multiple themes, encouraging children and young people to engage with nature through outdoor activities which also help address childhood obesity and improve mental health?
• Do you have a multi-generational project such as a community garden which improves community cohesion while promoting exercise and healthy eating?
• Do you need help with added project costs due to making sustainable choices in the materials you’re using?
• How will you demonstrate community need for your project and what positive impact will your project have for local people?

In our 30th anniversary year, we have added a mental health theme to each grant programme. For our Environment and Sustainability grants, we’re looking for projects that use the natural or built environment as a deliberate mechanism to improve mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Qualifying activity may include:
• Nature based mental wellbeing initiatives (e.g. gardening, green spaces, outdoor activity)
• Environmental or sustainability projects designed to reduce stress and improve wellbeing
• Community food growing or green volunteering with a wellbeing focus
Expected mental health outcomes:
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Improved mood, resilience and emotional wellbeing
• Increased connection to nature and place
https://www.heathrowcommunitytrust.org/mental-health-fund

Information about all our grant programmes can be found on our website, https://www.heathrowcommunitytrust.org/

If you’re not sure whether your project fits or have any other questions, please get in touch with our friendly grant admin team, who would be delighted to help you. Email [email protected] or call 01895 839916

03/08/2026

We awarded a grant of £7,115.62 to BBA Media CIC through our Projects for Young People programme. The project ran from January 2025 to March 2026 and was called 'Flying High 2', which was a follow up project for 10 local young people coming from challenging backgrounds to learn basic radio skills (30hrs course), and then be part of an innovative 5-week programme on Westside Radio highlighting the dangers of knife-crime and other youth issues.

The young people, from disadvantaged backgrounds and aged 18-24 were from Ealing, Hounslow or Hillingdon and re-engaged with training through BBA Media’s 30-hour radio course (delivered over 10-weeks by experienced radio professionals/trainers) within an existing community radio station broadcasting in West London (from Ealing borough) and licensed by OFCOM, the UK regulator.

During the sessions the group learned the basics of scriptwriting, presenting, interviewing and radio production, and they saw a clear increase in confidence, self-esteem and communication skills as the weeks progressed. This project gave young people a fantastic career opportunity in media.

One of the most positive outcomes from the project was that several of the participants expressed a strong interest in staying connected with Westside Radio beyond the end of the programme. A handful of the trainees asked about continuing in voluntary roles so they can keep learning and gaining more experience in radio production and presenting.

27/07/2026

Thanks for mentioning Heathrow Community Trust. Fabulous photos of a great project funded through the Projects for Young People programme.

24/07/2026

24/07/2026