Local community investment

We work closely with our community to ensure we’re a better neighbour, and that we engage on issues of concern in a constructive way. Our community investment activities have seen us partner with five local primary schools, delivering educational activities and providing support; fund a full-time team of Heathrow Community Rangers who landscape and litter pick in our local communities, and partner with the Heathrow Community Trust, to empower them to invest in local community groups. We are currently writing our new Community Investment strategy, and this will be available in Q4 2021.

Heathrow’s Responsible Schools Programme

We partner with the five most local primary schools to Heathrow. Throughout the year, Heathrow colleagues volunteer their time, to deliver enterprise workshops, careers days, and reading activities with the children. We make donations to the schools, when we have resources available to support them. Recently we partnered with the Heathrow Community Trust to donate 10,000 books to the schools. Through our Community Days, our colleagues and Heathrow Rangers team up to help the schools maintain their outdoor space.

Heathrow Community Rangers

We have a team of three full-time Rangers, and a part time supervisor, who are out-and-about in the communities around the airport, including Colnbrook, Poyle, Stanwell and Stanwell Moor, to improve the local environment through gardening/landscaping activities and litter picking. If you live in one of our local villages and have a request for the support of the Rangers, please do get in touch with the Community team here. Our team of Rangers wear bright purple uniform, if you see them in your community, please do say hi!

Heathrow’s Charity Partnership

In 2021, our charity partner is the Heathrow Community Trust (HCT). Focusing all our efforts on HCT gives us an exciting opportunity to make the greatest difference to our local communities. The HCT is an independent grant-making charity which exists to support improved quality of life for the people living and working in the local community around Heathrow Airport and the neighbouring boroughs. This year, HCT celebrates its 25th anniversary. Heathrow is proud to have enabled the charity to deliver for our local community for more than a quarter of a century. Over the last 18 months, HCT has distributed Covid-19 resilience grants, to help community groups respond to the impact of the pandemic. You can find out more about the work of HCT here.

HCT receives the majority of its funds from Heathrow. The fundraising efforts of colleagues and donations from passengers, coupled with Heathrow’s own contribution, allow the airport to directly support and give back to, our neighbours. Team Heathrow companies (other companies that operate at the airport) also play an important role in empowering the charity to deliver what it does. The trust receives funding via the following means:

• Direct donations from Heathrow Airport
• Heathrow and Team Heathrow colleague fundraising
  
• Direct donations from Team Heathrow Companies
  
• Noise fines levied on airlines
  
• Passenger donations via coin collection units in terminals
  
• External sources e.g. National Lottery