FORUMHARPENDEN TOWN COUNCIL’S AWARD WINNING QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2010 - ISSUE 135

C L O S E R T O T H E C O M M U N I T Y

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL 4 HARPENDEN SKY 8 CAST YOUR VOTE –CHRISTMAS WINDOW 9

On the 30 September 2010 all of the Harpenden in Bloom Garden Competition Winners were presentedwith their awards by the Town Mayor Councillor Daniel Chichester-Miles and the Harpenden in BloomChairman Councillor John Chambers.Chairman Councillor John Chambers said “the standard of entries were excellent, I am delighted that so manyresidents have participated in the Harpenden in Bloom competition and want to make Harpenden a better place to live”The judges found the task of judging extremely difficult, the standard of entries being extremely high.However, after deliberation the following winners were announced:

DISTRICT IN BLOOMAt the District in BloomAwards ceremony held atAylett’s Nurseries in St Albanson the 6 October Harpendenwon joint first prize withRedbourn in the Best Parish inBloom category. The District in Bloominitiative has been reinstatedthis year and it has beenconfirmed that it will continuefor at least another year.There were a total of 6categories in this year’s initiativeand other Harpenden winnersincluded Mrs Hopkins whowas awarded 3rd place in theBest Senior Citizen Garden andThe Harpenden Directorycame 2nd in the Best RetailFrontage.

HARPENDEN ISBLOOMING IN 2010

Best Young Person Project Under 12 years Roundwood Primary SchoolBest Young Persons Project 12-18 years St George’s SchoolBest Front Garden Mr & Mrs JenkinsBest Back Garden Phil ThompsonBest Allotment Plot South Harpenden Allotmentsand Gardening Society Mr UptonBest Floral Allotment Plot South Harpenden Allotments and Gardening Society Mr DackBest Allotment Plot East Harpenden Gardening Club John HopeBest Communal Garden Park Lodge Best Commercial Sector Floral Display Spire HospitalBest Public House (Category A) The EngineerBest Public House (Category B) The Carpenters ArmsTallest Sunflower Robert King

Seasons Greetings and Best Wishes for 2011 to allresidents and the business community of Harpenden.

2

This year we had a busy year,taking part in events like thesummer and ChristmasCarnival’s to raise funds for ourcharity of the year, Kicoshep,who work in slums in Kenya.We raised £300 by selling hotchocolate at the ChristmasCarnival and running a bouncycastle at the summer carnival.In 2011 we are raising funds forHertfordshire Young HomelessGroup, who works to preventhomelessness amongst youngpeople (aged 16 to 25) andwhere they do become homelesssupport them to accessaccommodation and supportappropriate to their needs.

At our AGM, Dan Mawhinneywas elected Chair, supported byTash Warren as Vice Chair, JonHarrison as Treasurer, KieranStanbridge responsible for ourwebsite www.hytc.co.uk, RemiBridgeman as Media Officer andKyle Riley as Events Manager.Afterwards, we had a fantasticpresentation event withcertificates of achievement beingawarded by the Town Mayor,Councillor Daniel Chichester

Miles to all Youth Councillors.Councillor Chichester Milessaid, “Their commitment is bothimpressive and evidence of amaturity that belies their age”.

We’re busy working on ourproject to install a youth shelteradjacent to the skate park inRothamsted Park. We arecurrently looking for designs foryouth shelters and funding topurchase and install the shelter.

We have some great designsaround the theme, “What doesHarpenden Mean to You?” andthese are being worked into amural to be painted onto thepedestrian tunnel in StationRoad.

Several Youth Councillors arelooking at how politicaleducation is taught in schoolsand working to deliverinformative and imaginativelessons to pupils of all ages.

If you’d like further informationon any of these projects, pleasecontact Emma Payne onTel: 01582 768278 or emailhytc@harpenden.gov.uk.

HARPENDEN YOUTHTOWN COUNCIL –ANOTHER GREAT YEAR!

Town Mayor Daniel Chichester Miles with Georgie Thomas of HarpendenYTC and Daniel Olive of St Albans YTC.

On Wednesday 8 December at 7.30pm in Park Hall,Leyton Road, SmartWater are giving a special presentationto the Harpenden, Redbourn and WheathampsteadNeighbourhood Watch members.

What is SmartWater? SmartWater is an invisible liquid that when dabbed on anarea of your valuables fluoresces green under ultra-violet(UV) light and contains a unique forensic fingerprint.With over two billion combinations, SmartWater linksproperty to its owner and criminals to a crime scene.Anyone can buy SmartWater, however if purchased by ourmembers it is dramatically cheaper and there is nomonthly charge.

If you would like to join your local Neighbourhood Watchwhich is free to join visit their website: www.owl.co.uk orcontact Andrew Upton on Tel: 01582 766180.

Harpenden,Redbourn andWheathampsteadNeighbourhoodWatch Group -Smart Waterpresentation

3

EAST HARPENDENGARDENING CLUBThe Club was formed about 45 years ago as atrading club. For the past 35 years, the Club hasadministered allotment sites in the Batford areain co-operation with Harpenden Town Council.The Club’s headquarters and store are atHolcroft Road (next to Batford Memorial Hall)and are well-stocked, with a wide variety ofhorticultural requisites at very competitiveprices. The store is open on Sundays between10.00am and 12 noon.For membership details, including fees, pleasecontact: Mrs Heather Rennoldson Tel: 01582764030 Email: heather@rennoldson.org.uk

ALLOTMENTS not only provide youwith fruit, vegetables and flowers at a veryreasonable cost, but allotment gardening is alsoa very healthy relaxing outdoor exercise.

HARPENDEN TOWNCOUNCIL provides allotments at 15 sitesthroughout Harpenden. Two allotmentsocieties administer the allotments on theTown Council’s behalf. All sites have a watersupply and most have an adjoining car park.If you would like more information, or wouldlike to rent an allotment, please contact one ofthe allotment societies below:

SOUTH HARPENDEN ALLOTMENTSAND GARDENS SOCIETY As the name suggests, the nine sitesmanaged by the society are mainly in thesouth of the Town. Plots vary in size butat an average cost of £10 per year and theuse of the society’s machinery is excellentvalue. Allotment holders are automaticallyentitled to use the society’s shop in DarkLane which stocks a comprehensive rangeof gardening items including seeds, seedpotatoes and bulbs in season. For a very modest fee and annual subscription,Associate Membership is also available for localresidents not wanting a plot but wanting toenjoy the benefits of bulk buying that the shopcan offer. The shop is open on Sundays10.00am–12 noon throughout the year.For further details please contact:Brian Cooper on Tel: 01582 620534or check out the website atwww.geocities.com/shallotments

FITNESS& CLASSSTUDIO

BODY WISETHERAPIES

STUDIOTU

CLASSCL&

FITNESSFITNESS

THERAPIESERWISEDYBODY

Independent Optometrists and Contact Lens Practitioners

tel: 01582 712845www.skyes.co.uk

1 Bowers Parade, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2SH

Designer frames & sunglasses Full contact lens service Glaucoma screening Retinal photography

Vision related dyslexia assessments

SkyeOptometrists

4

Harpenden High StreetMethodist Church will betransformed by thousands oflights as the Christmas TreeFestival takes over for the fivedays of 1 to 5 December.The event is being organised toraise money for Keech HospiceCare and the Building Fund atthe Church and will be opened ata special Gala evening onWednesday 1 December.Community groups inHarpenden have been invited todecorate a basic tree with lights tothe theme of “Sing Choirs ofAngels” and each will interpretthe theme in a completelydifferent way resulting in afantastic display which willenchant and delight visitors.The Festival was last held in2007 when it raised £12,000and organiser Arthur Tavernerhopes that this year’s event willattract similar support.Arthur told us “This is a lovelyevent to plan although getting70 trees into the building and insitu ready for decoration in ashort space of time is not as easyas it sounds! But we know thatall the hard work will be worthit and we shall be rewarded by awonderful sight once all thetrees have been decorated. And hopefully we will raise lotsof money for these two verygood causes too.”

In addition to the spectacle ofseeing so many trees in oneplace there will also be aprogramme of musical eventsduring the Festival and details ofthese can be found in theChurch nearer the time.Keech Hospice Care providesspecialist palliative care forchildren diagnosed with life-limiting conditions. Through itshospice and community nursingteam, Keech aims to help thechildren enjoy the best quality oflife possible, while providing vitalsupport for their family andfriends throughout the child’sillness and in their bereavement.All of the charity’s services areoffered free of charge, 24 hours aday, 365 days a year. The Church Building Fund is£80,000 short of its target andhas been raising money for anew Youth Centre andimprovements works in the Halland Sanctuary. The Christmas Tree Festival willbe open from 9.30 am to 17.30pm from 1 – 4 December and12.30 – 17.30 on the 5December. Wesley’s the Churchcafé will be open every day too.Entrance £3 children under16 free.For more information contactMaggie Grand on Tel: 07742 617735 or email:maggiegrand@btconnect.com

CHOIRS OFANGELS TWINKLEIN HARPENDEN

5

Formed in 2002, the St Albans District Credit Unionis fast approaching £1,000,000 of total loans granted.It has over 600 adult members, with saving deposits ofover £300,000, and normally has money available forquick loans (subject to status) at rates that are oftencheaper than credit cards, many banks and, of course,doorstop lenders.

In its fourth year, the Harpenden branch, run byvolunteers and situated behind the High StreetMethodist Church, is now open on Saturdaymornings only, from 10.00am to 12 noon. The mainoffice in Hatfield Road, St Albans still opens everyMonday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between10.00am and 1.00pm and the Credit Union’s website,www.stadcu.org is increasingly popular, fordownloading both membership and loan applicationforms or as a source of general information.

Whilst activity at the Harpenden office continues tobe patchy, we still believe that residents should havelocal access to the Credit Union, particularly in theseuncertain economic times. There are many exampleswhere the Credit Union’s services have provedinvaluable to members and we welcome any enquiriesor offers of help, either in person or by telephone(07972 370857 or 01727 859135). Use it or lose it.

YOURLOCALCREDITUNION

Harpenden Village RotaryClub has elected CedricKennedy as its 23rd president.He takes over from LynnBlackwell.

Cedric has lived in Harpendenfor more than 30 years. His twochildren were born and broughtup in the town and now liveaway from the family home.He works in London as afinance director, a second careerafter 30 years with the majoraccounting firm, KPMG.

His theme for his presidential yearis to continue to develop the club.He said: ‘New members are alwayswelcome because they allow us totake on more hands-on activitylocally – and there is no shortageof demand for that. They alsostrengthen our charitable fund-raising capacity which, given the

growing financial constraints, willbecome all the more crucial.

‘New members soon find that,through the club’s regularmeetings, they benefit from thefellowship for which Rotary isrenowned. They can also takepride in what Rotary is achievinginternationally, such as ridding theworld of polio.

‘As president I can choose one ofthe charities the club supports,’Cedric added. ‘Having seen thegood work it does in two recentcases I have chosen Grove HouseHospice in St Albans.’

New Presidentfor HarpendenVillage RotaryClub

“My first memory of baking is helping my mum bake sticky toffeepudding. I think that’s where it all stems from – the family loveof baking”.Jonathan Shepherd, a successful contestant on BBC 2’s “The GreatBritish Bake Off”, has recently set up a new company“The Pudding Stop”. Baking is in the blood of Jonathan’s family: his great-grandfather,Wilfred Johns, ran a successful bakery in Somerset, which hisgrandfather continued into the 1990s. But like many independenttraders they struggled to compete with supermarkets and therecame a time when the family was forced to make the heartbreakingdecision to end Wilfred’s legacy.Jonathan has inherited the same passion for baking as hisgrandfather. He carries on his grandfather’s legacy by maintainingthe standard that every pudding is handmade using localingredients. Today, Jonathan can be found baking puddings at theRedbournbury Watermill to sell at Harpenden and other localfarmer’s markets. Jonathan’s philosophy for the ‘The Pudding Stop’ is that he haspicked family favourites that bring back “great memories”. Somepuddings, like Lemon Tart, Treacle Tart, Sticky Toffee Pudding,and Chocolate Fudge Cake are weekly features at The PuddingStop. There are also seasonal specialties – don’t miss this winter’sedible Christmas tree decorations, jars of sticky honey buns, mincepies, chocolate roulade. Most importantly, each pudding can beaccompanied with a sticky toffee sauce or “proper” homemadetraditional or chocolate custard!Jonathan was successful on the recent BBC show “The Great BritishBake Off”, where he was crowned ‘King of the Scones’. “My aim fordoing the show was that it might open doors for me. It certainlyconfirmed the decision to turn my passion into my profession”.To find out more about Jonathan, his puddings, his next marketand home delivery, visit: www.thepuddingstop.com

FOCUS ON A STALL HOLDER THE PUDDING STOP

66

WALKER’S WEBSITEGETS BETTER – ANDGOES NATIONAL!Walking in Hertswww.walkinginherts.co.uk isa website packed with usefulinformation for walkers. With more than 150 walksto download and print offfor free, and details ofaround 100 guided walksevery month, it also hasbooks of walks, contactdetails for all the walkinggroups in the county andmuch more. Whether youwant to walk on your ownor with a group all theinformation is there in oneplace.Now, after three years ofhard work local man JohnHarris has taken the conceptcountrywide. Walking inEnglandwww.walkinginengland.co.ukhas thousands of walks todownload and print – andall free of charge! John said “There is so muchwalking information on theweb but it is difficult tofind. Walking in Englandhas brought it together inone place so whether you are

walking from home or awayon holiday you will be ableto find a walk suitable foryou”.With walks from half a mileto twelve miles long, and anote of suitability forpushchairs and wheelchairs,everyone can find a walk toenjoy.Did you know that walkingfor just 30 minutes a daycan help you to:• Feel good (you will feelfitter, your body will bemore toned, and youwill feel better aboutyourself ).

• Have more energy.• Sleep better.• Reduce stress (have youever noticed how it’sdifficult to walk andworry at the sametime?).

• Reduce your bloodpressure.

• Manage your weight. So home or away, check outthe website and get walking!

7

Girlguiding UK is the largest voluntary organisation for girls andyoung women in the country. Despite having 800 members locally westill have a considerable waiting-to-join list. We could easily have 1000members if we could offer every girl a place. Would you be willing to spare a few hours to volunteer and helpGirlguiding Harpenden & Redbourn put girls in the lead?We are very fortunate in Harpenden and the surrounding villages tohave a thriving network of Rainbow (age 5 – 7), Brownie (Age 7 – 10),Guide (Age 10 – 14) and Senior Section (Age 14 – 25) units. Throughan exciting and modern programme we enable girls to learn anddevelop, grow in confidence and make new friends.Leaders benefit from it too – it is something different from everydaywork; you meet new and interesting people and learn new skills. MariaMoyses, leader of 10th Harpenden Guides, sums it up: “It’s brilliantseeing the girls enjoy themselves and feel proud of their achievements.Everyone should try it!”With the high demand for Guiding locally we would like to openmore Units – most urgently we need to re-open 2 Brownies Unitswhich have recently closed. Leaders are females aged 18 – 65 althoughGuiding thrives when supported by teams of males or females, youngand old, working together. If you can’t commit to helping on a weeklybasis why not consider helping out as a treasurer or providingadministrative support? To find out more visit us at www.guidingharpenden.org.uk and look atour volunteering section or send an e-mail torecruitment@girlguidingharpenden.org.uk

GirlguidingHarpendenneeds you!

The average Hertfordshirehousehold uses 21 domesticbatteries a year, all of whichcould be recycled. The UK iscurrently one of Europe’spoorest countries at recyclingits unwanted batteries,achieving only 2.8% ofrecycling in 2008. Around600 million UK domesticbatteries (22,000 tonnes) theequivalent weight of 110jump jets is sent to land fillunnecessarily every year.Why recycle your batteries?• Putting batteries into yourrubbish bin means theyare likely to be sent to alandfill site and thevaluable resources thebatteries contain couldbe lost.

• Once in landfill, theharmful heavy metalssuch as lead, cadmium ormercury could then leakout, potentially damagingthe environment.

• Each battery placed in therecycling box is, oncecollected for reprocessing,sorted by chemistry,shredded and many ofthe important elementsrecovered to make newbatteries or a range ofother metal items.

There is a Recycling Box foryou to recycle yourunwanted batteries at theInformation Point at theTown Hall, Leyton Road.Most types of householdbatteries including all AAAand AA cells, sizes C and D,button batteries (e.g. watchor hearing aid batteries),mobile phone batteries,laptop batteries and powertool batteries can be recycled.In addition to the recyclingpoint at the Town Hall,batteries can also be recycledat the Harpenden HouseholdWaste Recycling Centre,Dark Lane.

BE POSITIVE –RECYCLE YOURBATTERIES!

8

Members of Harpenden’sRound Table are estimated tohave raised £10,000 on arecent sponsored bike rideacross the First World Warbattlefields of Flanders.Seventeen cyclists (ably assistedby two support crew) covered120 miles in just two days.On route, stops were made topay respect at Tyne CotCemetery and the Menin GateMemorial in Ypres. At a reststop on day two, one of thecyclists even stumbled acrosswhat looked like anunexploded trench mortar!With all travel andaccommodation costs paid forby the cyclists themselves,every penny raised wentdirectly to charitable causes.The majority of the money,which was raised online, willbe donated to Help for Heroesin support of soldiers injuredin Iraq and Afghanistan.A further donation is beingmade to the SecondHarpenden Scouts re-launchappeal. Anybody interested inmaking a donation should visitwww.bmycharity.com/hrt. Trip organiser and HarpendenRound Table head offundraising, Jamie Simpson,commented “We weredelighted to raise such a largeamount of money for suchworthwhile causes. Given that

we were raising money forHelp for Heroes, the routethrough the WW1 battlefieldsand cemeteries of Flanders wasparticular poignant. Apartfrom various punctures andone of our cyclists gettingtrapped in some tram tracks,I was very pleased that all ourcyclists completed the ride.” Harpenden Round Table is anorganisation for men agedbetween 18 and 45 principallyto have fun with a group oflocal friends while helping thelocal community. They meetlocally (normally over a pint)at 7.30pm on the 1st & 3rdWednesdays of the month,with a varied programme ofactivities and social eventsthrough the year. In addition,to a bi-annual sponsored bikeride, they also run the town’sSanta collection and theHarpenden Carnival each year.With more than 30 localmembers from all backgroundsthey are one of the largestTables in the country. Newmembers are always welcometo come along and get moreinvolved in the Harpendencommunity. To find out moreabout Harpenden RoundTable visit the website:www.harpendenroundtable.orgor contact Simon Cromptonvia email: membership@harpendenroundtable.org.

Money for charity and sometime in the trenches- allcourtesy of Harpenden RoundTable’s WW1 Cycle Challenge

Harpenden’sSky

In a recent Issue Response surveyabout aircraft noise over Harpendenmore than 200 Harpenden residentsresponded. 34% of those respondingsaid they were affected by aeroplanesand helicopters flying overhead, 46%were occasionally affected and only20% were not affected. The National Air Traffic Services(NATS) were due to carry out aconsultation which included theflight paths leaving Luton Airportbut it has now been announced ithas been postponed. Some residents are so concernedabout flight paths over Harpendenthey have set up a campaign calledHarpendenSky whose aim was toensure the views of Harpendenresidents were heard during theNATS consultation but are nowlobbying for the consultation to bere-instated - details of their

campaign can be found atwww.harpendensky.com LUTON SHORT-CUTS OVERHARPENDEN RESIDENTS In addition HarpendenSkycampaigners are protesting to theCivil Aviation Authority [CAA]about departing Luton aircraftsseemingly taking a “short cut” overHarpenden apparently below thegovernment’s advisory 7,000 feetheight minimum. This appears tocontradict the authorised flightcorridor which is 3km wide andlargely avoids the townsite. It isunderstood from HarpendenSkythat Peter Lilley MP has kindlyagreed to intercede in the matter sowatch this space.To report disturbances by aircraftnoise ring 01582 395 382 or emailnoise@ltn.aero

The Town Council has received an overwhelming response tothe Voice your Choice campaign. Harpenden residents suggestedover 115 different initiatives they would like to see funded withthe £26,000 LABGI (Local Authority Business Growth IncentiveScheme) grant.The list of feasible projects is currently being finalised andresidents will be invited to vote for their favoured projects. Watch out for information on the Town’s Notice boards and theTown Council’s website www.harpenden.gov.uk to see how youcan vote.

Voice yourChoiceupdate

9

Each year the Town Council challengesshopkeepers to transform their window intospectacular Christmas themed displays andenter the Christmas window competition.This year the annual window competition haschanged. We are asking residents to pick yourfavourite window and vote. Everyone whovotes has a chance to win a £50 gift voucher.The gift voucher is kindly sponsored by theHarpenden Directory.co.uk Details of the shops taking part can be foundat www.harpenden.gov.uk,www.harpendendirectory.co.uk or from theTown Hall, Library, Harpenden DirectoryOffice (65 High Street), Sainsbury, Waitroseand the Co-operative Food Stores at Batfordand Southdown from 22 November. Choose wisely as it is limited to one voteper person! Voting closes on the 20 December and the Christmas WindowCompetition winner and prize draw winnerwill be revealed on the 21 December.

A new book ‘Bowling AlleyBoyhood’ is an autobiographicalrecollection of childhood in the oldcommunity, written by JohnSeabrook who was born in 1932and lived as a boy in the newhousing at Longfield Road, builtquickly and cheaply on the edge ofthe Bowling Alley during the GreatDepression of the 1930s.

The district of South Harpenden,shadowed by the enormous ‘SkewBridge’, used to be known as the‘Bowling Alley’. It was supposedlynamed because a certain EdwardBardolph, of the nearby manor ofRothamsted was fined in 1581 for‘using an unlawful game, to witbowling’. Nobody has everdiscovered the mysterious bowlingalley itself, but the community thereexpanded after the Midland Railwayarrived and built the bridge in the1860s. More recently, the BowlingAlley developed in the 20thCentury as new houses were builtbetween the two World Wars tocreate a thriving mainly working-class community around its ownpubs, shops, school and churches.

The book is full of the memories ofthe children who freely roamed thelanes and fields, climbing trees andpaddling in streams. They playedtheir games in traffic-free streets,claimed Harpenden Common astheir own and insisted on possession

of the ‘Brick'll Dells’. The boys hadtheir own rules for ‘bad hands’ andapple cores. They had a fierceloyalty for their Scout Troop -‘The Third’.

In war-time they inspected bombcraters across the Common andsearched crash sites for souvenirs ofshot-down aeroplanes, watchingtheir friends and older brothers asthey went off to war.

John Seabrook was one of thechildren who attended St John’sSchool in the Bowling Alley beforethe Second World War and went onto St Nicholas School in the Village.He travelled by 321 bus toSt Albans School, balancing hisstudies there with Scouting in the3rd Harpenden Troop, who claimedthe Bowling Alley as their ‘realm’.He became a King’s Scout and wasone of the original cast in theHarpenden ‘Gang Show’.

During the 1950s he was ChiefReporter of the Harpenden FreePress and later became briefly amember of Harpenden UrbanDistrict Council before movingaway from Harpenden in the 1960s.

Bowling Alley Boyhood, publishedprivately, is obtainable direct fromthe author:john.seabrook@talktalk.net orphone 01202 709872, price £6.99including postage.

THE BOWLING ALLEY BOYSWHO CLAIMED HARPENDENCOMMON AS THEIR OWN

Boys from the Bowling Alley with their 3rd Harpenden Scoutmaster, Noel Collisson,digging potatoes in 1943 on the war-time ‘Dig for Victory’ potato patch in RothamstedPark. The boys are Eric Payne, John Pinney, Jack Smith, Denis Pearce, Don Watlerand Peter Smith.

Vote for yourfavourite ChristmasWindow...

10

Conductor: Stephen Jones. Soloists: Elizabeth Cragg (Soprano) Frances Bourn

(Soprano) Anthony Gregory (Tenor) andEdward Grint (Bass) and Ellie Fagg (Violin)The Hertfordshire Classical OrchestraLeader Dian Terry

Tickets: Reserved £25, £20 and £15. Unreserved £5.Under 16s (accompanied) £3. Hardynge Choir Box Office on Tel: 0845 0583912

Programme: Hayden Te Deum (for Marie Therese).Mozart Violin Concerto No 5 in A MajorSoloist Ellie Fagg.Mozart Mass in C Minor.

The Aeolian Singers and The Hardynge Choir arecombining for the first time to put on a major concert inSt Albans Cathedral and Abbey Church on the 12February 2011 under the musical directorship of StephenJones (Aeolian Singers). The programme also includesthe Mozart Violin Concerto No 5 in A Major Soloistplayed by Ellie Fagg a Hertfordshire based soloist who isincreasingly gaining national prominence. Both Choirsare busy working on these two demanding choral worksunder Stephen Jones and Mark Jordan the interimmusical director of the Hardynge Choir and haverecently held a very successful joint rehearsal / workshopat Roundwood School Harpenden with Stephen Jonesleading the two choirs. Accompanied by MathewWoodward piano.

Aeolian Singers &The Hardynge ChoirSaturday 12th February 2011 at St AlbansCathedral and Abbey Church at 7.30pm

Many people enjoy visiting and feeding the ducks at SouthdownPonds, taking their children and grand children with a bag of stalebread. Do you realise that this could be doing them more harmthan good?When ducks and other waterfowl such as geese and swans are fedhuman food such as bread their health could seriously suffer. Breadis very low in protein and contains added ingredients that the duckscannot digest properly. Ducks that are fed a high bread diet havebeen found to be suffering from poor nutrition which in turnmakes the ducks lethargic and have difficulty escaping predatorssuch as foxes.Uneaten bread thrown into the ponds rots in the water and createsperfect conditions for algae to grow, which pollutes the water andexcessive amounts can make the water smell unpleasant.

Many people have fond memories of visiting the ponds to feed theducks and instead of asking people to not feed the ducks at all wewould like to encourage people to feed a more natural diet of grainwhich is available from the duck feed machine at the ponds or bagsare available from the Town Hall Information Point for a small fee.

Birds which have a more natural, healthier diet can expect to live alonger happier life.

The truth about

feeding ducks

PLANS FOR THE FUTUREDid you know that HarpendenTown Council considers allHarpenden planning applications?Did you know that interestedparties can speak at these meetings?

Harpenden Town Council holdfortnightly meetings to consider alldevelopment proposals submittedfor Harpenden and make arecommendation to St AlbansDistrict Council, which is thestatutory planning authority forthe area, within the consultationperiod. Meetings are held in theCouncil Chamber at the TownHall at 7.30pm.

Agendas and Minutes of all TownCouncil planning meetings areavailable at the Town Hall or fromour website ww.harpenden.gov.uk.

It is important that any member ofthe public wishing to comment ona planning application shouldmake their representation inwriting to the Head of Planningand Building Control, St AlbansDistrict Council, St Peters Street,St Albans, AL1 3JE with a copyforwarded to Harpenden TownCouncil, Town Hall, Leyton Road,Harpenden, AL5 2LX for theCommittees information.At all meetings of the Committeeone member of the public mayspeak on behalf of objectors andone person in support of eachplanning application. If you wish tofind out a date of a meeting, wish tospeak about an application or justwant further information aboutPlanning in Harpenden, pleasetelephone Tel: 01582 768278.

11

COMMUNITY ACTIONRecycling at Dark Lane Waste Centre – Do you know wh

at

items you can recycle at the Harpenden Household Waste

Recycling Centre, Dark Lane, off Grove Road? The number of

items that you can recycle is vast and includes the following:

Aluminium foil, domestic and car batteries, cans - aerosol,

aluminium and steel, cardboard, carrier bags (plastic),CD’s,

electrical appliances (WEEE), fluorescent lighting tubes, food

and drink cartons, fridges and freezers, glass, green garden waste,

low energy light bulbs, metals, mobile phones, oil (cooking and

engine), ovens and hobs, paper, plasterboard, plastic - rigid,

bottles, shoes, soil improver, textiles, toner cartridges, TV’s and

monitors, tyres, any other white goods, wood and yellow pages.

The site is open 10.00am – 6.00pm. Recycling points are also

sited at the car parks in Amenbury Lane and Bowers Way.

Tetra paks (drinks cartons) can now also be recycled at

Amenbury Lane. For more information contact St Albans

District Council, Tel: 01727 819285 or WasteAware Helpline,

Tel: 08457 425000.

Harpenden and District Local History Society – Mounts

quarterly exhibitions in Park Hall on the first Saturday’s of

March, June, September and December between 2.30pm and

4.30pm. For further information or membership enquiries

contact Miss Parrott on Tel: 01582 764359 or Mr Casey

Tel: 01582 712998.

Citizens Advice Bureau – Harpenden office: First Floor,

Harpenden Town Hall, Leyton Road, Harpenden,

Tel: 01582 769387, is open for advice Monday to Friday

10.00am – 1.00pm.

Harpenden Information Point - Harpenden Information

Point at the Town Hall, Leyton Road, is open between

10.00am – 4.00pm Monday to Friday, except Bank Holidays.

Tel: 01582 768278.

Whilst every effort was made to ensure the information in this

newsletter was correct at the time of going to print, the Town Council

cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors, omissions, nor can they

accept responsibility for advert content, or of the standing of advertisers

or by the editorial contributions.

ROTARY CLUBQUIZ OF QUIZZES Harpenden Village Rotary Club’s ever-popular

Harpenden Quiz of Quizzes will be held on

Friday, 11 March, 2011 at St George’s School.

The cost will be £13 a head, which includes

supper. Club president Cedric Kennedy said:

“As ever, all proceeds from the Quiz of Quizzes

will go to charities and other good causes

supported by Rotary. Since 1996, when we

staged the first quiz, the event has raised

more than £50,000. Last year’s quiz was a

sell-out so teams wishing to secure a place for

March should contact Rotarian John Hopkins

without delay at email john.hopkins@hvrc.net

or Tel: 01582 760381.

AVAILABLE FOR HIRE FOR

WEDDING RECEPTIONS, PARTIES, SLIDE

SHOWS, DINNERS/DANCES, MEETINGS,

EXHIBITIONS, SALES, TRADE FAIRS, ETC.

Facilities include fully equipped kitchen, hearing

loop, portable stage, microphone and car park.

www.harpenden.gov.uk

For further details please contact Harpenden Town Council on 01582 768115

PARK HALL, LEYTON ROAD

Find local shops, business and community information and special offers at www.harpendendirectory.co.uk

Don’t forget to use your Loyalty Card to takeadvantage of these great offers.tanadvvan

t tgeorrget f for’’t fDoners affand special o, busineFind local shops

.ersffferseat of these gr reat oage oto td t to tarrd talty C Caryyalty Coour Lo use y your Lt t

oryect.harpendendirt wwwers afommunity ins and cs, busine

eakkeo t.uko.coryy.ction ormaf

For an informal chat call 01582 712251 www.splattdesign.co.uk

LOG

O

DESIGN • STATIONERY • DIRECT MAIL • CORPORATE BROCHURES • FACTSHE

ETS

PAC

KA

GIN

G

•ADVERTISING • NEWSLETTERS • SIGNAGE • LABELLING • POSTERS • POINT O

F S

ALE

Harpenden’s very own SPLATT DESIGN: creative, clever design for print, at prices to suit all budgets

Designed by Splatt Design, Harpenden. 01582 712251. www.splattdesign.co.uk

TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS -are held in the Town Hall or Park Hall in Leyton Road at7.30pm. Members of the public are very welcome to attend allCouncil meetings.FULL COUNCIL MEETINGS -Monday 31 January 2011 at the Town HallMonday 11 April 2011 at Park HallMonday 16 May 2011 at the Town HallFor a full list of Council meetings please see the notice boardsin the Town, visit the website: www.harpenden.gov.uk orcontact Harpenden Town Council on Tel: 01582 768278. If you would like to raise a question at any Council meeting,please contact the Town Clerk.TOWN COUNCIL - If you wish to raise any matters concerning the Harpenden areathis can be done by contacting the Town Hall at the address below.The Town Council Office and the Information Point inLeyton Road are open between 10.00am–4.00pm Monday toFriday. Tel: 01582 768278 email: harpenden.town.council@harpenden.gov.ukInterviews with the Town Clerk at other times by appointment.Forum Editor: John Bagshaw, Town Clerk.

HARPENDEN TOWNCOUNCILLORS 2010/2011Town Mayor: Councillor DanielChichester - MilesDeputy Town Mayor: CouncillorMrs Pat KentNORTH WARD

STD Code: 01582John Chambers 715550cllr.j.chambers@stalbans.gov.ukJohn Holley 715860john.holley@harpenden.gov.ukAlbert Pawle 620617cllr.a.pawle@stalbans.gov.ukMichael Weaver 713128michaelcweaver@hotmail.comSOUTH WARD

STD Code: 01582Richard Perry 713341richard.perry@ukibc.comPat Kent 764161pat.kent@harpenden.gov.ukMichael Wakely 764688mike_wakely@hotmail.comMatthew Redwood 07841 751129matthew.redwood@hotmail.co.ukEAST WARD

STD Code: 01582Michael Ellis 462630michael.ellis@btinternet.comRosemary Farmer 712076ra.farmer@btinternet.comSteve Green 620997Caroline Vincent 624846caroline.vincent@harpenden.gov.ukWEST WARD

STD Code: 01582Lee Jackson 713133Tony McFarland 768801tony@65highstreet.co.ukNicola Linacre 766245nicolalinacre@aol.comDaniel Chichester-Miles

c/o 768278

DISTRICT COUNCILREPRESENTATIVESHARPENDEN NORTH

STD Code: 01582John Chambers 715550Geoffrey Turner 769882Albert Pawle 620617cllr.a.pawle@stalbans.gov.uk

HARPENDEN SOUTH STD Code: 01582

Brian Ellis 767621cllr.b.ellis@stalbans.gov.ukTeresa Heritage 761014cllr.t.heritage@stalbans.gov.uk Stuart Roberts 469775

HARPENDEN EASTSTD Code: 01582

Julie Bell 624714Dean Russell 460936cllr.d.russell@stalbans.gov.uk Michael Wakely 764688mike_wakely@hotmail.com

HARPENDEN WESTSTD Code: 01582

Julian Daly 715645cllr.j.daly@stalbans.gov.ukAllen Chamberlain 765294Daniel Chichester-Miles

c/o 01727 819281 St Albans District Council01727 866100

COUNTY COUNCILREPRESENTATIVES

STD Code: 01582NORTH EASTBernard Lloyd 761292bernard.lloyd@hertscc.gov.ukSOUTH WEST Teresa Heritage 761014teresa.heritage@hertscc.gov.uk

Thursday 1 to Sunday 5 DecemberChristmas Tree Festival - High Street Methodist Church. The event isin aid of Keech Hospice Care and the Building Fund at the Church witha programme of musical events during the Festival and details of these canbe found in the Church nearer the time. From 9.30am to 5.30pm from1 – 4 December and 12.30pm – 5.30pm on 5 December. Wesley’s theChurch café will be open every day too. Entrance £3. Children under 16free. Contact Maggie Grand on Tel: 07742 617735 or email:maggiegrand@btconnect.comSaturday 4 DecemberConcert by ‘Singing for Pleasure’ - in aid of Save the Children atthe Public Hall, Southdown Road (sponsored by John Curtis EstateAgents), 7.00pm for 7.30pm. For more details Tel: 01582 620921.Tuesday 7 DecemberHarpenden Horticultural Society – Talk entitled Chinese Slippers.At the Conference Hall, Roundwood Park School at 8.00pmTuesday 7 DecemberHarpenden Floral Decoration Club – Demonstration by ShirleyPerkins entitled “Season’s Greetings”, on the 1 February “In the Garden”by Jackie Watson, and on the 1 March Nick Grounds presents “Flotsamand Jetsam”. All at the Harpenden Public Halls at 2.00pm. Visitors verywelcome. Details Tel: 01582 621757Saturday 11 December“Follow that Star”- Harpenden Music Makers’ Charity ChristmasConcert. 7.30pm at High Street Methodist Church. In aid of the HertsAir Ambulance. Hot mince pies after the concert. Tickets contact BrianWoods on Tel: 01582 761528. Tuesday 14 DecemberHaunted Harpenden – Another chance to discover hauntedHarpenden, run by St Albans and District Tour Guides. Walk to some ofthe more spookier parts and their other-worldly occupants. Not suitable forvery young children. Tickets £3.00 from the guide. Meet at the WarMemorial, Church Green at 8.00pm.Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 JanuaryHarpenden & Wheathampstead Gang Show - Harpenden PublicHalls, Southdown Road. Ticket prices: Tuesday £8, Wednesday - Friday£10, Saturday matinee and evening £15. Box Office: 07787 606076.Box Office is open 6.00pm-10.00pm Monday - Friday, 10.00am –6.00pm Saturday and Sunday.Saturday 22 JanuaryTown Mayor’s Ghost Walk - in aid of the Town Mayor’s charities –Harpenden Mencap and Samaritans (local branch). Led by anexperienced guide. Adults £5 and Children £3. For further infoTel: 01582 463662.

Wednesday 26 to Saturday 29 JanuaryThe Hurst Children’s Theatre Group presents Cinderella at theHarpenden Public Halls, Southdown Road. Don’t let the winter blues getyou down, have something to look forward to at the end of January! Tickets are available by ringing Tel: 01582 840245. Adults £8 andConcessions £6. For more info: www.hurstchildrenstheatregroup.co.ukSaturday 5 FebruaryEnglish Miscellany Barn Dance - Harpenden Public Halls. ClimaxCeilidh Band with caller Andrew Swaine. Tickets £9 50 from Jenny Laneon Tel: 01582 764084

Friday 11 MarchHarpenden Quiz of Quizzes - Harpenden Village Rotary Club’sannual quiz in aid of charity at St George’s School, 7.30pm. Teams of sixat £13 a head, including supper. Further details atjohn.hopkins@hvrc.net or Tel: 01582 760381.If you would like to contribute to the Community Action or What’s Onfeatures in Forum, please write to Heather Scott at the Town Hall or E-mail: heather.scott@harpenden.gov.uk by 17 January 2011.

WHAT’S ON

12

Harpenden Town Council Information Service, Town Hall, Leyton Road, Harpenden, Herts. AL5 2LX.Tel: 01582 768278 • Fax: 01582 760026 • E-mail: harpenden.town.council@harpenden.gov.uk • Website: www.harpenden.gov.uk

Extra free copies of Forum are available from the Library or the Town Hall.