British Airways aims to be a good neighbour. Investing in the communities in which we operate is given high priority.
Our partner communities around Heathrow include: Hillingdon,
Hounslow, Slough, Windsor, Spelthorne, Ealing and Southall.
As an airline we have access to surplus onboard blankets, china, washbags and children's activity packs. With these items we are able to support local homeless charities and hospices, local children's clubs and charities and local animal shelters. We donated thousands of blankets to support the humantarian relief effort following the 2004 Tsunami and the 2005 South Asia earthquake. We have also donated thousands of blankets to orphanages and humanitarian projects in need that are based in the UK and overseas.
We have also supported local and global charities with funding. A total of £200,000 has been raised at 11 fundraising events organised by Community Relations over the past 2 years. Eleven charities have benefited from these events. Examples of funding beneficiaries include Wexham Park Hospital near Heathrow, which has been able to create an activity room for teenager cancer patients, and Get Kids Going!, a national charity that promotes sports for young people with disabilities, which was able to buy 8 new specially adapted sports wheelchairs with the funds raised.
The British Airways Community Learning Centre has welcomed almost 40,000 visitors since its opening in 1999.
The team at the Learning Centre work with local primary, secondary and special schools on a range of curriculum activities as well as providing young people and adult learners with opportunities to develop skills that are relevant to the workplace.
If you are from a school in the Heathrow area and would like to find out more about these programmes please
email the community learning centre manager.
Programmes include:
French and German language sessions are offered to primary and secondary schools from the local community. Sessions aim to improve students' confidence in communicating in a foreign language. A mock aircraft in the Community Learning Centre helps to create an authentic training environment.
Language Taster weeks are run twice a year combining language learning, music, art and dance. Languages covered include French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese and Russian.
The British Airways Flag Award programme is a vocational language programme which is offered to any school in the UK. This programme complements GSCE coursework.
ICT is an important part of the school curriculum and is embedded in many of the sessions run at the Community Learning Centre. "Explore the World of British Airways" is a British Airways developed ICT interactive package. Students can discover the airline’s heritage or plan a trip around the world. Working with the e-skills council we have sessions linked with CC4G (Computer Club for Girls).
We offer customer service programmes to primary and secondary schools in the area surrounding Heathrow airport. Students have the opportunity to enhance their communication skills and to gain a greater understanding of the importance of good customer service.
A range of environmental education programmes are offered to a broad target audience including primary, secondary and special educational needs schools around Heathrow. Our environmental education programmes explore various habitats including meadows, rivers and woodlands within the 240 acres of Harmondsworth Moor Parkland. All programmes are cross-curricular and develop key educational skills. We deliver holiday programmes that focus on flight and the environment for local community groups.
The Community Learning Centre hosts Global Education weeks which explore the culture of the many countries we fly to. The children learn through practical activities and many of the sessions have visiting guest speakers to support the programme. The sessions are underpinned by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Ready Steady Start 1 and 2 are both ten week development programmes run at the Community Learning Centre. The courses are offered free of charge to people in the local community who need support in returning to work.
RSS Level 1 focuses on confidence and assertiveness training, customer service and communication skills.
RSS Level 2 is for people actively looking for work who need support. The course includes how to write a cv, covering letter, interview techniques and preparing for job interviews.
Over 50 percent of students who complete the course have gained employment in the Heathrow community.
The Community Learning Centre offers holiday programmes to children in the local community. These range from practical sessions in our 240 acre parkland to interactive IT sessions and global awareness programmes.