It’s said that the older you get the quicker the time seems to go. We’re almost at the end of another year, a strange year for many. It’s been a year of lows and highs that’s for sure. Many in our community have suffered from the ravages of Covid-19, which is still out there and shows no signs of going anywhere yet. Let’s take a moment to remember those that won’t get to see the year out.

However, let’s also reflect on the highs of 2021. CAG has achieved much this year and there’s so much more to continue to do, and new projects on the horizon.

Working with our local authority, the London Borough of Hounslow has born some fruit. CAG has reached out to TfL and Highways England as well. The inevitable bureaucracy can make things seem almost impossible at times, and those wheels often turn oh so slowly, but perseverance often pays off in the end.

We’ve had new bins installed in all the lorry lay-bys on the A312, which will help reduce the horrendous amounts of garbage that’s been collected from these sites. Some prodding has gotten Highways England to remove rubbish from parts of the M4 area, but there’s more work to do there.

Umme has organised many clean-up events during the year and this has helped make a real difference in our community, but it’s taken an effort from members too, who’ve been out there braving the elements with rubbish sacks and litter pickers.

LBH has issued more enforcement notices this year, and this can help discourage more fly-tipping. We have been involved with the Cranebank project and made our views known there. CAG was overjoyed to receive news of funding for the cleaning and greening of our section of the River Crane, which is badly in need of some TLC. There’s a whole bunch of dates for the ‘Reclaiming The River’ project during 2022.

There’s a lot more to come in 2022. Even if you can’t join in with our cleaning events, you can help by reporting problems to the council and to CAG. Keep reading here to find out what’s going on during the forthcoming year.

Last but not least, a big thanks to all those that have helped CAG with the cleaning and greening of Cranford, and perhaps once more we can make it the prettiest village in the whole of Middlesex. Have a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year in 2022.