Pride in where we live and in our identity are cornerstones of this council’s efforts to make the borough a better place.
And a large part of that is, of course, about people.
Chloe Kelly was invited to accept Freedom of the Borough after her goal won England the Euros in 2022. And, in late July, she scored the winning penalty against Spain to help England keep hold of their Euros trophy. She grew up and went to school in the borough and has become an incredible role model and inspiration for local children wanting to follow in her footballing footsteps or simply follow their dreams. We are all very proud of what she’s achieved.
A sense of community
The Around Ealing team conducted a reader survey this summer. One thing that stood out for me was that around a quarter of people said they had been prompted by an Around Ealing story to get involved with a community group or council service.
This reflects the results in the council’s residents’ survey we published earlier this year, when 28% of respondents said they had volunteered, or given unpaid help, in the last 12 months.
Such community spirit is a huge cause for pride. And shows how, given an opportunity, the people of the borough will get involved in community life.
That is one of the reasons we published a Community Charter over the summer, to enshrine current good practice around making it as easy as possible for you to take part in local decision-making.
Together, we are stronger. And that is clear.
Pride in the borough
And, as many of you begin the new school year or think about your child’s place for primary or high school, it makes me proud to think that our excellent schools will play an important role in shaping our citizens of the future.
However, pride is not just about people, it’s also about ‘place’: the physical environment where we live.
Recent progress on our plans for a boroughwide regional park, and to protect and enhance Warren Farm, shows our commitment to making the most of our prized open spaces. They are vital for our own wellbeing, and our local cultural and sporting life (and, perhaps, for the next Chloe Kelly), as much as they are for sustaining wildlife.
The ongoing Seasons of Ealing photo competitions run by Around Ealing continues to provide further evidence of the borough’s beauty. And this time was no different.
And finally…
It’s a shame to end on a sour note. But it’s important for you to know we are doing something about the blight of fly-tipping, which selfishly spits in the face of both our people and our ‘place’. As our campaign says: ‘this is our home, not a tip.’
The campaign began in the spring and was stepped up in the summer, with a new ‘name and shame’ webpage with CCTV footage of offenders. We need your help to identify these dumpers. Their anti-social behaviour does not just affect the area where they shamelessly chuck their waste but also hits our ability to pay for important council services because we are having to pay to clear up their mess. It is not acceptable. .
