WATCH: OUR TRIP TO PARLIAMENT: 80,000 say ‘YES’ to Heathrow expansion

My how we’ve grown! We are delighted to announce that 80,000 local people have now shown their support for the Back Heathrow campaign. On Monday we took a campaign bus to Central London to visit the offices of the Airports Commission and take our message to Parliament. You can watch a video of our day by clicking on the link above or read on below to find out how we got on.

Around 50 campaigners hopped on a coach at Hounslow, travelling to Westminster to hand in our official Back Heathrow response to the Airports Commission public consultation. ‘Voices For Our Airport’ draws together a sample of the thousands of positive views we have heard from residents and businesses. It makes for compelling reading.

We’d have liked to include a quote from each one of our supporters, but it might have been a little too heavy to have taken with us. Luckily, we know that our supporters have been sending in submissions in their thousands, so the Commission can be in no doubt about where they stand.

After delivering our response to the Airports Commission offices in Westminster, we then headed off to Parliament to demonstrate the local support for Heathrow. What better way to show off our big number, than to do it with a big number! (See video.)

Heading into Parliament, our supporters had the chance to walk the corridors of power, telling MPs and peers what we’ve all been saying for months: the people of west London and the Thames Valley want a bright and successful future for their local airport. The message was clear: stop listening solely to those who oppose Heathrow, and please start listening to the majority who support the significant benefits that a bigger, better and quieter Heathrow would create.

Over the past few days there has been a further outpouring of support for Heathrow expansion, and not just from local residents. Thirty Chambers of Commerce from Inverness to Plymouth, Britain’s manufacturers and two major unions have said ‘Yes’ to growth at Heathrow. Even Gatwick’s biggest customer easyJet has come down in favour of Heathrow.

This is all good news. However, with an Airports Commission recommendation and a new government just round the corner, there is much work still to be done. Meanwhile, this formidable campaigning coalition of 80,000 residents, local businesses and community groups looks set to keep on growing.

You can read Voices For Our Airport, the Back Heathrow response to the Airports Commission public consultation by clicking here.