Fundraising Campaign Kicks Off For Hogarth Youth Centre

Hopes for support from local businesses to keep the Centre open

The lights were on later than usual last Thursday night when the Board of Trustees of the Hogarth Charitable Trust hosted its first fund-raising evening at the Hogarth Community Centre, Duke Road.

Representatives from various small businesses, the CEO of the Hounslow Chamber of Commerce (Steven Fry) and the President of the Brentford Chamber of Commerce (Adam Shailes) met the Trustees, Friends of the Hogarth, the members of the Centre's Youth Services team and various volunteers.

John Todd ( left) with Stephen Fry

Guests were also given a guided tour of premises. Opposition Councillor John Todd alerted the guests to the risk of the centre's closure and the negative social consequences following controversial planned council cuts to youth centre-based funding in the Borough later this year.

The Centre has been running for over 40 years and currently provides activities and school holiday programmes for over 600 young people aged 8-19. Trustees are committed to keep the centre running by building long term partnerships with local businesses to sustain and expand the array of youth activities which the centre currently provides. A much larger fund raising event is planned in May / June 2018.

The threat of closure is still looming over Hogarth Youth Centre due to cutbacks in Hounslow Council's youth budget. Hounslow Council plans to make £650,000 worth of savings to youth services. The cutbacks will lead to the destaffing and closure of the Hogarth Centre in Duke Road as well as youth centres in Hounslow and Hanworth.

March 21, 2018