The Back Heathrow campaign received a warm welcome from West London’s Jain community at the Navnat Centre in Hayes on Friday 17th April. Jains live by three jewels that guide their life: Faith, Knowledge, and Conduct, and are known for their passion for the environment. Their events at the Navnat Centre in Hayes have a rich aviation tradition - was formerly the British Airports Authority sports and social club.
On this occasion, with 300 attendees, they were hosting Back Heathrow – the campaign group of over 100,000 residents who support the creation of a third runway at Heathrow. During the tour, presentation and discussion, the President of the Navnat Centre (Jaswantrai Doshi) highlighted the role local families have played in Heathrow’s success in its 80 years of existence.
Parmjit Dhanda, Executive Director of Back Heathrow, said:
“We are grateful to our friends at the Navnat Centre for such a warm welcome. It was a pleasure to spend time with them and hear so many personal stories about the generations of families who have held jobs at Heathrow. Today, the airport continues to create new opportunities for people from a wide range of backgrounds, and I am so proud to be with the hard working and devoted members of our local Jain community.”
“We are grateful to our friends at the Navnat Centre for such a warm welcome. It was a pleasure to spend time with them and hear so many personal stories about the generations of families who have held jobs at Heathrow. Today, the airport continues to create new opportunities for people from a wide range of backgrounds, and I am so proud to be with the hard working and devoted members of our local Jain community.”
Jaswantrai Doshi, President of the Navnat Centre, said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome Back Heathrow and to share a meal with our community. Many of our members have long-standing connections to Heathrow, which has played such an important role in providing stable employment and opportunities for families here in Hayes and beyond. It was a great opportunity for our community to have their voices heard about the upcoming expansion project – something that I truly welcome.”
Back Heathrow is a community campaign representing over 100,000 residents who back expansion at Heathrow airport.
Parmjit Dhanda added, “Over half of our supporter base lives within 5 miles of the airport and we are proud of the multi-cultural and multi-faith nature of our diverse membership.”
-END-
Notes to editors:
Pictures include –
- Picture 1 from left to right: Miles Bassett (Back Heathrow Communications Officer), Navnat Centre Vice President, Jaswantrai Doshi (Navnat Centre President), Parmjit Dhanda (Back Heathrow Executive Director), Guy Williams (Back Heathrow Head of Organising)
- Pictures 2 & 3: Members of the Navnat Centre’s attendees during Back Heathrow’s presentation