DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR AEROSPACE SMES

Aldershot’s Community Grub Hub and the Greater Rushmoor Nepali Community have benefited from Farnborough Aerospace Consortium’s move to new offices. With lots off office and catering equipment surplus to requirements following their move to Farnborough Council offices, FAC donated it all to the two good causes. The Grub Hub received square tables, shredder, coat rack, countertop fridge, lots of food and a large amount of catering items. The Nepalis received a shredder, desk screens, water cups and many other office items. And FAC – with networking in its DNA – inadvertently led to the two groups meeting and forming a close relationship. Grub Hub spokesman Steve Baxendale said: “The grub hub opened three years ago as a food bank. We’re open every Tuesday and get about 260 visitors, about half of whom have families and so we help around 500 people each week. We are also a community hub and have a seating area where people can keep warm in winter and have a hot drink. We provide free wi-fi, computers and phone charging stations to help people with other aspects of their life. There is also a room where are visitors can go to receive advice and health care. “We invite representatives from organisations including Citizens Advice, mental health charities and health care professionals so they can assist those who pop in. When we went to pick the items donated by FAC we met the Greater Rushmoor Nepali Community group. Before this meeting we only had one Nepali visit us, and now we have around 100. Many don’t speak English or even read in their own language, so younger members of the community come along to assist with the language barriers. We are situated close to the railway station which is where most of the Nepalis live. We are very grateful to FAC for the donations, and we have lots of other support from businesses – but we could always do with more.” Kim Yeomans from FAC said: “As an organisation we have been working in these communities for many decades and understand the great work these good causes do. When we moved to the council offices, we became aware that many of our possessions were no longer needed, or we didn’t have the storage for them. So, we asked the Community Grub Hub and the Greater Rushmoor Nepali Community if they would like what we had.” Community Grub Hub www.communitygrubhub.org

Farnborough Aerospace Consortium (FAC) has given a cautious welcome to the Chancellor’s announcement to permit a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The trade association, based at the centre of the county’s most important aerospace and aviation region, represents hundreds of businesses in the industry. Its CEO Alan Fisher, a sector veteran, said that a third runway could help boost the economy and provide much needed optimism for his members. He said that growth provided by the airport expansion could lead to further investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuels, hydrogen power and cleaner aircraft. And he welcomed news of a £63m investment for the Advanced Fuels Fund. Chancellor Rachel Reeves today said that the decision about whether to build a new runway at the country’s only hub airport ‘cannot be ducked any longer’. She argued that the runway could create 100,000 jobs and that the CBI, Federation of Small Businesses, Chambers of Commerce and the Unite and GMB unions said the runway was ‘badly needed’. She said: “I have always been clear that a third runway at Heathrow would unlock further growth, boost investment, increase exports and make the UK more connected.” She said that proposals would be invited by the summer and an assessment would be made through the Airport National Policy Statement. The Chancellor insisted that the project would be value for money and it would be delivered ‘in line with our legal, environmental and climate objectives.’ She added: “Heathrow are clear that their proposal for expansion will meet strict rules on noise, air quality and carbon emissions.” Alan Fisher said: “The Chancellor is correct when she said we haven’t had a new runway built for 80 years. “With a third runway Heathrow would have increased capacity and with upgrades to other airports it does send a positive message to the aerospace and aviation industries. The sector has been at the forefront of innovation in making flight cleaner and greener, and has taken onboard the drive towards net-zero flight. “Every generation of aircraft and every new fuel is far better for the environment than the previous one, so boosting the aerospace and aviation sectors will help power research and development into more new technologies. The announcement of investment in the Advanced Fuels Fund is welcome as we have members directly involved in creating new fuels. We all know that the Heathrow expansion debate has been raging for decades, with passionate advocates on both sides of the argument. So we well have to wait and see what emerges from the proposals for the expansion when they are put forward, and we will be closely watching updates through the Airport National Policy Statement. “The UK is a world leader in aerospace – and always has been – and to keep it that way we need a government to support the sector in every way it can. So announcements of investment in our airports is to be welcomed, but as always the devil will be in the details. The Chancellor’s speech does now provide our members with some certainty and that is always welcome. London is the economic driver of the country so when London prospers it does have a positive impact in other regions.”