HOAC closes as HS2 work officially begins

The much-loved outdoor activity centre on Harvil Road, HOAC, will officially close its doors on 1st October as HS2 formally begin their work. The Centre's Principle, Neil Maddock, says he hopes that by next spring, they will be able to re-open at a different location. Since being registered as a Youth Educational Charity in 1992 (The Colne Valley Youth and Community Association Charity No. 1012242), Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre (HOAC) has provided training and outdoor experiences for both Individuals and Groups at its Harvil Road base. Over the past 10 years, HOAC has been in a battle for survival as its land has been targeted for development for HS2. February marked the end of that fight as the Conservative Prime minister, Boris Johnson, formally gave the project the go-ahead. Responding on Twitter, Ruislip Manor Councillor Susan O'Brien commented ‘So disappointing many happy years of my daughter using HOAC’. Moving forward, Maddock said he can guarantee that HOAC will continue elsewhere: due to their ‘negotiations and persuasion the funding for moving HOAC is guaranteed and is written into the Hybrid Act, so HOAC will move and get funding to execute that move’. Once this is complete he hopes everyone can ‘again look positively towards the future and start to re-build the Centre and continue to offer the unique facilities that [users] have all continued to enjoy’.