Local communities

Our objective
BAA’s approach to community relations is to seek the best possible understanding of local concerns through sustained dialogue and to frame our own activities in response.

Our strategy 2005/06
Our community relations programme focuses on the issues of importance to our local communities.

We support environmental, educational or economic regeneration projects in the seven boroughs closest to the airport. Assistance comes through charitable donations, sponsorship, staff volunteering and collection of foreign currencies donated by passengers.

This year our focus has been on the introduction of voluntary assistance schemes, outlined in the aviation White Paper, The Future of Air Transport. These schemes were the outcome of extensive consultation with the local community and were supported by a communications programme including public exhibitions

Two schemes address potential blight rising from the Government’s proposals for Runway expansion at Heathrow.

The Property Market Support Bond provides assistance to home owners who live in the area which has been safeguarded for a potential third runway. 

The Home Owner Support Scheme provides assistance to home-owners who would be newly subject to medium-high noise levels should a third runway be constructed.

We also have two new noise assistance schemes to assist home-owners and community buildings who are worst affected by current aircraft noise (see section on noise)

Our performance

Education
In the past year, to complement our current school visits programme we have hosted a series of Industry Days in the local community where Heathrow staff can demonstrate their knowledge to school pupils and show the range of roles on offer at the airport. Areas covered under the Industry Days scheme include ICT and Customer Services. Our Engineering Challenge events see teams from various different schools in one local area competing together – for example, in February 2006 around 120 pupils from Richmond schools participated in an competition to design an airbridge.

Another project for schools is the Design a Terminal Enterprise Day (see case study ). This scheme also sees pupils competing together in teams to explore the different roles necessary in running a terminal.

We also continued to helps nearby schools wishing to attain specialist status. Both Guru Nanak Sikh Secondary School in Hillingdon and Slough and Eton College have received funding towards their bids.

Encouraging staff volunteering
Over 180 members of staff took part in employee volunteering in 2005/06, including our Volunteer Reading Scheme – where Heathrow employees help students with their learning development .

Over £20K was awarded to Heathrow employees from BAA’s I Volunteer Awards for support with their charities, which range from a weekend Polish school in Slough to lifeboats on the River Thames.

In addition, the T5 Charity continued to support local projects in the immediate vicinity of the Terminal 5 site, including a donation to organisations of importance to T5 staff – such as £10,000 to the London Air Ambulance.

Groundwork Thames Valley
BAA Heathrow has been committed to providing highly valued, effective core funding for long term partnership projects with Groundwork Thames Valley (GTV) for over 11 years. This has helped to provide social and environmental improvements to some of the most deprived communities in the Heathrow area. In 2005/06. BAA Heathrow provided core funding to the value of £20,000 for their priority boroughs in addition to specific project sponsorship.

The BAA Heathrow Environment Awards
This high profile scheme, which has been running for the last nine years, is highly regarded by the communities surrounding Heathrow. It enables community groups and schools across the surrounding eight boroughs to apply for grants up to £1,000 to help fund initiatives for sustainable environmental projects.

Applications are judged on Local Agenda 21 criteria by a panel of judges from BAA Heathrow, GTV, local authorities and local press from each borough.

We received a record number of applications this year – around 150 - with 38 applications receiving funding for their projects. Total funding provided by the airport was £32,500.

A special innovation award of £1,500 was awarded to Snakey Lane Allotment Association in Hounslow for their innovative compost toilet.

Charities
Foreign Coin Collections
Around £40,000 was raised for eight local charities through foreign coin collections in the terminals, and £3,300 was given in response to sponsorship requests.

Runway Run
In March we organised a 10km run along Heathrow’s northern runway at midnight accompanied by a 27 piece barss band.  119 runners – watched by more than 70 sectators – took part in the run which raised a huge £35,000 for the Anthony Nolan Trust.

BAA Communities Trust
This year the Trust sponsored a team of 30 young people from local secondary schools to take part in the Fulcrum Challenge, which supports personal development for 16-18 year olds. It also funded an exchange scheme with Voluntary Service Overseas.

Going forward
We will continue to focus on supporting the intiatives to make a difference to the local communities arround our airport.