Grants awarded to help Hertsmere communities celebrate Jubilee

Grants to neighbourhood and charity organisations in Hertsmere, including Potters Bar, have been awarded as part of a special Queen’s Jubilee Grants programme.

Hertsmere Borough Council has given grants of up to £500 to 35 groups to help them celebrate the Jubilee, including during the extended bank holiday from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5.

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Stevenage Borough Council Jubilee Plans

Beacon Lighting - Thursday 2 June 2022

The Jubilee Beacons is one of the official events of the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. On Thursday 2 June 2022, we will be participating in the Community Beacon Event where thousands of beacons will be lit by communities, charities and different groups throughout the regions of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories. The Beacon will be lit at 9:45pm in the Town Centre.

Big Jubilee Lunch - Sunday 5 June 2022

In line with National Events taking place on Sunday 5 June, we are planning to hold a Picnic in the Park event at Fairlands Valley Park. We hope of this event will encourage the Stevenage Community to celebrate their connections and come together in a spirit of fun and friendship. Jubilee celebrations will be the central focal point to this event.

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The Letchworth Festival is back for 2022!

The Letchworth Festival will take place throughout the town in June 2022, kicking off with activities for the late May school half term, and events and activities to tie in with the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen.  Events being planned so far include a wider range of the creative arts than ever before – ranging from art, theatre and literature through to gaming and the spoken word.

The Festival team is working with the Letchworth Culture Committee to ensure that feedback from their current survey on the cultural strategy is included, and that the festival represents the Cultural Letchworth that our audiences, practitioners and residents want to see.  To that end, the Festival Team is looking to bring new faces to the organisation committee.  There are a range of roles, from event management and marketing, through to cultural leads on the different activity threads, and work on fundraising and finance. 

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee to be marked by St Albans Street Party 

A free street party is to be held in St Albans City Centre to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee during the June bank holiday.  More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the St Albans Platinum Party to mark Her Majesty’s 70 years of service as the Monarch.

Among the attractions will be live music and dozens of market stalls selling takeaway food and drink with plenty of outdoor seating for people to get together. St Albans City and District Council is organising the community event scheduled for Thursday 2 June when the whole country is being encouraged to join together for the milestone celebrations. The Platinum Party will be centred on St Peter’s Street, which will be closed to traffic, and run from 3pm to 10pm.

Click Here to read more

Are you planning to host a street party or event to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations?  Why not organise one for your family, friends or neighbours for the Platinum Jubilee?

We want to help all our communities celebrate so have put together some guidance:

• If you are organising a street party (i.e. it will take place on a road/highway), you need to tell the Hertfordshire County Council about your plans
• If it is a small, private party on land we own, you will need permission from our Estates team. Please also note the advice about the use of bouncy castles and other activities.
• If it is a small, private party on private land (e.g. a get-together for neighbours in a front garden or on other privately-owned land) we do not need to be informed.
• If it is a larger event (up to 500 people) and/or you will be selling alcohol or food and/or providing entertainment, you will need to apply for a Temporary Events Notice. If it's on our land, you will also need to contact our Estates team. Note that there may be a cost.

Follow the Hemel Hempstead Jubilee Town Centre Trail

We've teamed up with Hemel Hempstead Business Improvement District and High Street Safari to launch the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacon Trail - a magical augmented-reality story trail. This is a free trail which will be in and around Hemel Hempstead town centre until Sunday 12 June 2022. Simply visit the website to view the trail map, then find each of the seven different characters located around the town centre. Each one will have a unique QR code, which, when scanned with your smartphone, will reveal a story about a decade in the Queen’s historic 70-year reign. You can also take a selfie with the character in augmented reality. 

Click Here to find out more

#HertsJubilee: Historic Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS) are inviting residents to share their photographs of jubilee street parties or royal visits for an exhibition chronicling Her Majesty’s impact on the county and its residents.

As part of Hertfordshire County Council’s continued Jubilee celebrations, a drop-in event entitled ‘A Day to Remember’ is being held on Friday 20 May from 2-4pm at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (Register Office Block, County Hall, Hertford).

Click Here to read more 

Safe Planning For Village Hall Events

Many communities are planning exciting events for the Spring and Summer, whether it’s the traditional Village Fete, celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June or a music or beer festival. ACRE Network members can help by providing information or by signposting to the relevant organisation.

Risk assessment is key to keeping everyone safe . There are many pro-forma models available which will include managing crowds safely, fire safety, electrical equipment, waste management and first aid.

To help community groups including village halls think about the insurance aspects of holding events, Tom Ingram of Norris & Fisher (Insurance Brokers) Limited has prepared an article which can be downloaded from the ACRE websiter. Tom tells us “It is very important that Hall Committees notify their Insurers or Broker at the planning stage”

Village hall Management Committees should also be aware that ACRE’s Information Sheet 9, Entertainment in Village Halls, details the licences that are likely to be needed.  This information can be obtained from CDA Herts free to our Members, please contact Village Halls Adviser tim.hayward-smith@cdaherts.org.uk 

So plan ahead and enjoy your events this Summer!

Click Here for the ACRE website for more information

Click Here for a Video from Zurich Insurers in partnership with ACRE focussing on Risk Assessment for Village Events

The Sustainable Hertfordshire virtual map is a single place for you to find any sustainable events happening across the county, as well as projects or schemes that tackle climate change.

Hertfordshire County Council is committed to being a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 and we are working to inspire businesses and residents to take action and enable the whole county to reduce their emission and tackle the impacts of climate change. This map tells the story of how the county is coming together to tackle climate change, protect our natural environment and adapt our county to better deal with the impacts of climate change.

A retired Herefordshire GP’s call for the establishment of Health Hubs in rural village halls, to promote the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities, is close to realisation.

Dr Malcolm Rigler helped establish an alternative way to providing healthcare and medical advice at No. 65 High Street Nailsea, which provides a space that engages the community and supports local GP practices to help inform patients about their conditions and connect with others facing similar difficulties or health problems.

‘To be really effective, a health on the high street initiative has to be plugged into local community action, the third sector and statutory agencies. Making a success of this type of venture needs people with a range of skills, which can come from a diverse range of backgrounds. But above all, it needs people who can see the big picture and can translate it into day-to-day actions, reinforcing values and building trusted relationships,’ Dr Rigler writes on the Royal Society for Public Health website.

Click Here to read more about 65 High St Nailsea

Make a splash this summer in North Herts!

The weather’s starting to get better (fingers crossed!) so get ready to get wet at one of four splash parks in North Herts – all will reopen on Saturday, 30 April.

North Herts splash parks are located at:

• Baldock’s Avenue Park
• Hitchin’s Bancroft Recreation Ground
• Royston’s Priory Memorial Gardens
• Letchworth’s Howard Park – also has a paddling pool.

All splash parks will be open every day, from 10am to 6pm, until Sunday 11 September. 

Reassessing Community Engagement by Wind Developers

How should Onshore Wind developers engage with the community hosting the wind farm? What benefits should affected communities get?

A Research Report released in December aims to underpin new guidance for the Onshore Wind sector in England. The guidance, led by CSE, addresses good practice in community engagement and the process for agreeing a suitable community benefits package.

Click Here to read more and download the Report

Rural Fuel Poverty - What is fuel poverty?

In general, it relates to households that have to spend a high proportion of their household income to keep their home at a reasonable temperature.

A Review, commissioned in 2011, highlighted three key ways in which fuel poverty is a serious national problem:

• From a poverty perspective: households with high energy costs living in poverty or on its margins face extra costs to keep warm above those for typical households with much higher incomes.
• From a health perspective: living at low temperatures as a result of fuel poverty is a significant contributor to both excess winter deaths and a number of incidents of ill-health, placing additional demands on the health and social care systems.
• From a carbon reduction perspective: the energy inefficiency of homes affects the ability to reduce carbon emissions, with fuel poverty providing a further barrier in terms of the implementation of policies to mitigate climate change since those on low incomes are often least able to afford any increases in prices that may result from them.

The National Farmers Union reports that rural communities in England are set to benefit from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), following industry pressure

The UKSPF, which was designed to replace the loss of EU structural funds after Brexit, will aim to provide additional funds to DEFRA specifically for rural communities, and will also encourage local partnership groups to have rural representation.

These groups will include people and businesses with local expertise and will advise on where and how funding should be invested, but the devolved nations have warned the funding is not enough to make up the loss of EU cash.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has a new online event on fighting climate change, taking place on 25 May 2022

37% of Local (Parish and Town) Councils have declared a climate emergency, with a further 8% declaring a biodiversity emergency. Local councils recognise the importance of climate change, but many feel disempowered to act. In October 2021, NALC published its Climate Change Survey Report. The results indicated that 25% of local councils believed they were too small to make a difference, and a further 20% stated they lacked the resources and power to act. 

However, a recent report from New Local highlights the importance of local action in the face of national and international inaction, emphasising the need to conceive of climate change as a series of local problems rather than one single global issue. By taking on small actions, communities that work together can bring about significant change overall. You will learn more about the actions that councils can take locally to fight climate change and discover how councils are already doing this successfully.

The expert panel features Chris Bagshaw, Kendal Climate Change Jury representative, Dr Amy Burnett, founder of Development in Transition and Mike Childs, head of science, policy & research at Friends of the Earth.

The Wholesome Weigh – Hitchin’s Zero Waste Shop, Plastic Free Shopping in Hitchin.
Simply bring your own containers (e.g resuse your plastic tubs/bottles, jars, etc. any clean empties will do!) and choose from hundreds of Plastic Free and environmentally friendly products.
We stock a wide range of healthy whole foods, loose culinary and medicinal herbs/teas, coffees, Artisan vegan chocolates & cheeses.
We also stock Eco-conscious personal care products, compostable homewares, Bathroom and Kitchen cleaning liquids, plus way more!

Click Here to visit Wolesome Weigh in Hitchin

Aldbury Nowers (c) Josh Kubale

Explore Wild Places by visiting Hertfordshire's Nature Reserves

There are almost 40 Nature Reserves in Herts managed by the HMWT. Visit Aldbury Nowers Tring, Alpine Meadow Berkhamstead, Amwell Gravel Pit Ware, Ashwell Quarry Baldock, Balls Wood and Beane Marsh Hertford, Blagrove Common Sandon, Cassiobury Park Watford and many more stunning wildlife havens.

Click Here to read more at the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust