Honoured to Be an Active Patron of Two Local Charities

Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick

Andy Slaughter MP

April 3, 2026

I am delighted to have recently been appointed as the first patron of the Hogarth Trust. It is a brilliant local charity, and I look forward to supporting their work. My aim is to help the charity navigate government policy and assist in signposting for further funding opportunities.

The Hogarth Trust has a wine tasting event on 25th of June to raise money for the charity. You can find more details on their website, but it is recommended to book in advance as there are only a limited number of tickets.

I am also a Patron of The Upper Room – a charity supporting homeless people - and plan to attend its event ‘An Evening with Hugh Pym’. Hugh is the BBC’s long-standing health editor, which will make for a fascinating evening hearing about his experience of reporting on some of the most extraordinary stories over his career.

Last Friday I attended the Licensing Panel at Hounslow House to hear residents’ petition on Gunnersbury Park festivals. Lots of constituents write to me about the level of noise from the festivals and I understand the strong feeling in the local community about the excessive use of the park for this type of activity. We await the decision on future festivals at Gunnersbury Park which should be with us in the coming days.

On the 1 st of April, the government’s plans to help ease cost-of-living pressures came into effect. The National Living Wage will rise to £12.71 for 2.4 million people, with a rise to £10.85 for young people. Energy bills will be cut by £117 a year on average due to the removal of levies and this will remain in place until June. Prescription charges are frozen so that they remain under £10, and vulnerable households exposed to the sharp rise in heating oil prices are being given a package of support worth £53 million.

And there are more measures coming next week with a rise in State Pension, new rights at work such as Statutory Sick Pay from the first day of illness, and the scrapping of the two-child limit to lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. There is still work to do to help those struggling with the cost of living, but I hope that constituents in Hammersmith and Chiswick will begin to feel some of the pressures ease.

I hope you all have a lovely Easter and a happy Passover to those celebrating this weekend.

Best wishes,

Andy

andy@andyslaughter.com