Anti-3rd runway campaigners hold their own alternative “celebration” of Heathrow’s 70th birthday
To “celebrate” Heathrow’s 70th Birthday, on 31st May, anti-3rd runway campaigners and local village residents gathered in Harmondsworth – to express their opposition to the airport’s plans for expansion. With festivities centred around the historic “Five Bells” pub, there were 70 “No 3rd Runway” balloons, tours of the historic buildings including the historic, Grade 1 listed, tithe barn, enthusiastic chants of “No ifs, no buts, no 3rd runway, and a walk of part of the course of the proposed runway. To represent each of the houses earmarked for demolition for the runway, 783 small black planes were planted on the green. The cake was cut by representatives of some of the protest groups, including Hacan, Stop Heathrow Expansion, CHATR, TAG, RAAN, and Grow Heathrow. People had thought up entertaining presents for Heathrow, including the cheque from ratepayers – a big fat zero for infrastructure, a Mr Noisy book, a toy demolition truck, a Thomas the Tank Engine, a D-lock, a Pinocchio, and an alarm clock with its hands stuck on 4.30am. The day was a fun event, with a very serious purpose. With 783 homes to be demolished for a runway, and many more made uninhabitable by the proximity to an expanded Heathrow, many hundreds face the total loss of their homes and their community.
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Photos below
The cheque – Heathrow is not prepared to pay for necessary infrastructure, so the taxpayer would have to pick up the bill.
Group with “No 3rd Runway” balloons.
Group outside the Five Bells pub.
Group with the 783 small black “No 3rd Runway” planes – one to symbolise each of the homes that would be compulsorily purchased and demolished, for a 3rd runway.
The cake “Celebrating 70 years of unrelenting aircraft noise for local communities”.
Representatives of some of the community groups, cutting the cake.
One of the presents – “Mr Noisy”, from the Mr Men series.
Our model shows the new kit that could be supplied to schoolchildren in the area to deal with the added air pollution from a 3rd runway. (Tongue in cheek and wittily presented by Neil Keveren) — with John Stewart.
The presents will probably be delivered to Heathrow’s headquarters on its birthday.
Courtesy of TAG ( Teddington Action Group)