community news autumn 2013
DESCRIPTION
The residents' publication from St Albans City & District Council.TRANSCRIPT
CommunityAUTUMN 2013
INCORPORATING Recycling News
For this autumn’s events, including the fabulous St Albans
Food & Drink Festival, Giant Monopoly and the great Christmas
Lights’ Switch-On, see pages 2 and 3.
New guide for older residents
The Council has produced a new
guide for older residents.
It’s a helpful A to Z
guide of information
and services for older
people. You can
pick up a copy at
the usual Council
information outlets,
download it at
www.stalbans.gov.
uk/olderpeople, or
call 01727 819518.
What can I recycle?
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Plus, see details of a new, magical, German-style
Christmas Market coming to the grounds of
St Albans Cathedral and the Vintry Gardens (page 2).
GIANTST ALBANS
Sunday 15 September 11am 5
What’s on this Autumn?
For the latest recycling information, see pages 7 and 8.
By the end of September all streets will have moved over to
the new recycling scheme. You can recycle lots more plastic and
there is a new caddy to help you recycle food waste more easily.
Also see changes to cardboard recycling.
Community News is
published by St Albans
City & District Council
www.stalbans.gov.uk
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2 Autumn 2013 St Albans City & District Council Community News
GIANTST ALBANS
Sunday 15 September, 11am-5pm
The fun starts with the CAMRA
Beer Festival and ends with
the grand Food and Drink Festival
Market in the City centre, with
loads of great events in between.
St Albans Food and Drink
Festival celebrates the warmth and
hospitality of our fantastic local
restaurants, hostelries, markets,
eateries and food producers. Many
local outlets have special offers and
there are some splendid events laid
on including cooking demonstrations,
wine tasting and masterclasses.
See www.enjoystalbans.com/
foodanddrink for details, pick up a
brochure at the Tourist Information
Centre or call 01727 819311.
Christmas market magic comes to St Albans
A new magical German-style
Christmas Market, set in the
grounds of St Albans Cathedral
and the Vintry Gardens, is coming
to the City this November.
The market, similar in style
to well-known Christmas markets
in other English Cathedral cities,
is being organised jointly by the
Cathedral and the Council.
The Market will open on
Thursday 28 November and run
through to Saturday 21 December.
There will be up to 55 chalet style
stalls, twinkling lights, music,
merriment and olde worlde magic
around the Cathedral and the Vintry
Gardens. Full details are available at
www.stalbanschristmasmarket.
co.uk, or on 01727 819469.
St Albans Food and Drink FestivalWednesday 25 September - Sunday 6 October
Come on down to St Albans
City centre for a fabulous
game of life-size monopoly.
Choose from two routes
through the City. Start Point 1 is in
the City centre outside the Town
Hall in Market Place. Start Point 2 is
in Verulamium Park near the beach
volley ball courts. Experience the
unique Monopoly Sculpture Trail,
listen to live music and meet Mr
Monopoly! There is free car parking
in St Albans on Sundays at many
Council City centre car parks.
Details of the event are available at
www.stalbans.gov.uk/monopoly
and www.enjoystalbans.com/
whats-on, or call 01727 819531.
Come on down to St Peter’s
Street, St Albans on Sunday
17 November for the St Albans
Christmas lights’ switch-on.
The annual switch-on is
a big family affair with music,
entertainment, food stalls, and lots
of fun! For the latest information
see www.enjoystalbans.com
from early November, or call
01727 819369. Towns and villages
across the District also have
special Christmas lights events,
so watch out for those too.
Christmas lights’ switch-on
1.
www.stalbans.gov.uk 3 3
At the Museum of St Albans,
we have our Family Welcome
Wardrobe, with lots of activities
for young visitors. We also have
traditional games available to
play in our display of a historical
inn. Sunday Stories for children
under 7 is on the last Sunday of the
month. On Wonder Wednesdays,
special family activities are on offer
at both the Museum of St Albans
and Verulamium Museum.
What’s on at the
museums SeptemberHeritage Open Days –
Thu 12 – Sat 14. Tours of museum collections
held in storage at Sandridge Gate, St Albans
Social History Collection
Thu 12, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
Archaeology Collection
Fri 13, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
Social History Collection
Sat 14, 11am, 1pm, 3pm.
Archaeology Collection
Sat 14, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm
Talk with Kitty Moxon, Holocaust
Survivor
Sun 29, 2:30pm. Verulamium Museum. £8.
OctoberThursday Night Lecture - Who was
Caratacus?
Thu 3, 7:30pm. Verulamium Museum. £8. With
Anthony Nixon, Letchworth historian.
Exhibition: St Albans Markets
From Fri 25. Museum of St Albans. FREE.
Sunday Stories
Sun 27, 3pm - 4pm. Museum of St Albans, £1.
Storytelling for children under 7.
Pumpkin Carving
Wed 30, 1pm - 5pm. The Clock Tower, St Albans.
Free (£3 if you wish to take your pumpkin home).
Join us for spooky pumpkin carving. The best will
be displayed at Halloween.
Halloween – Thu 31 October
Ghost Walk
See website for details.
Ghoulish Stories for Adults
8pm. Museum of St Albans. £8.
Carved Pumpkins Exhibition
6 – 11pm. The Clock Tower. £3.6 – 11pm. The Clock Tower. £3.
eum of
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k Tower, St Albans.
our pumpkin hom
rving. The bes
Many local attractions will be
open to residents and visitors
free of charge over the weekend.
The District also flings wide
open the doors of many buildings
normally closed to the public. This
is a great chance to discover our
architectural treasures and enjoy a
wide range of special tours, events
and activities on offer across the
District. More information at www.
enjoystalbans.com/heritagedays,
or via the Tourist Information Centre
on 01727 864511.
Heritage Open Days Thursday 12 – Sunday 15 September
We have submitted a further
bid to the Heritage Lottery
Fund to develop a new museum
and gallery in St Albans City centre
in the iconic Town Hall.
We are working with St Albans
Museums and Galleries Trust and
other partners to raise the necessary
funds. We are keen to encourage
and recognise local benefactors who
value and appreciate the importance
of our local heritage. For more
information, please contact: 01727
819558, [email protected].
New museum: update
lts
on
NovemberExhibition: St Albans Markets
Museum of St Albans
Until 12 January. FREE.
Thursday Night Lecture - The Inns
and Pubs of St Albans
Thu 7, 7:30pm. Verulamium Museum, £8.
Sunday Stories
Sun 24, 3 - 4pm. Museum of St Albans. £1.
Storytelling for children under 7.
Christmas tree decorating
Sat 30, 1 - 4pm. Museum of St Albans. FREE.
For information visit www.stalbansmuseums.
org.uk. Here, you can also find out about our
Holiday Clubs for children aged 8-13.
4 Autumn 2013 St Albans City & District Council Community News
Young people in Redbourn now
have a place to listen to music,
chat and make smoothies on Friday
evenings following the opening of a
new youth café.
The idea for a shake and
smoothie bar came from members of
Redbourn Youth Council. The café is
funded by St Albans District Strategic
Partnership with the close involvement
of local councillors.
The youth café is open every
Friday evening at Redbourn Recreation
Centre from 7.30pm to 10pm.
For more information on this
project and our wider youth work
contact Nicky Flynn at nickyflynn@
stalbans.gov.uk, 01727 814602.
Staying in touch by email is
one of the skills acquired by
local people thanks to a number of
community projects supported by
the Council over the last year.
Help for people to develop their
IT skills, for example, came in the
form of funding for community group,
Computer Friendly to provide basic
computer training for older people from
London Colney, Park Street and Colney
Heath. The training gives people the
skills to communicate by email with
their friends and family and to find
information on the internet.
Batford Community Action
Group’s IT project gives local people
the skills to shop online and use email.
Funding also went to
Wheathampstead Community Group
to help run an internet café in
the local library.
These are some of the 18
voluntary and community groups
that together received over £59,000
in funding from the Community
Grants Fund last year. More
information at www.stalbans.gov.uk/
communitygrants, 01727 819518.
Have fun and be safe
with your fireworks this
November. Use only BS 7114
Fireworks. Reputable dealers will
only sell fireworks to this standard
and if you are ever offered any
others leave them alone!
Keep fireworks in a closed box
and follow the instructions carefully.
Light all fireworks at arms length
and stand well back. Never go back
to a lit firework and never throw them
or put them in your pocket.
Remember, sparklers are not
for the under 5s. Always supervise
your children and teach them to hold
the sparkler at arms length, but not
near anyone else. Have a container of
water handy, big enough for the hot
spent sparklers. Always keep pets
indoors and please be respectful to
the needs of your neighbours.
Civic Centre – a hub for info and advice
At the Civic Centre in St Albans,
you’ll find a host of independent,
confidential and impartial advice,
information and guidance on offer
from the local organisations above.
Check it out for yourself.
See www.stalbans.gov.uk/
civiccentre for details of each
organisation’s opening times or call
01727 866100.
Fireworks - be safe
Computer Friendly to provide basic
computer training for older people from
New youth café in Redbourn
i C t
Computer skills for older people
www.stalbans.gov.uk 5
Preparing for the cost of care
Anyone with assets over
£23,250 is responsible for the
full cost of their social care. Many
people today face huge bills and
sell their homes to fund their care.
This may not always be necessary.
Hertfordshire County Council
is working with a not-for-profit
organisation, PayingForCare, to help
people access independent specialist
information and advice on all aspects
of long-term care.
You can call PayingForCare for
free on 0808 208 9994. There is also
a handy care cost calculator at
www.stalbans.gov.uk/
payingforcare.
New bowls and golf club houses for Batchwood
Brand new bowls and golf
pavilions have been installed
at Batchwood following the
devastating fire in August 2011.
Work continues on the new
Batchwood sports centre. When
it is completed in May 2014, it will
be an East of England regional
centre of excellence of a quality to
attract top athletes. There will be
six indoor tennis courts on site, up
from four in the original building, and
a special judo dojo facility. There
will also be multi-purpose facilities
suitable for a wide range of other
sports activities.
The Grade II listed war
memorial in St Peter’s Street
has been cleaned and stonework
re-pointed. The names of members
of the armed forces who died in
World War II were also re-engraved
on the stone panels around the base.
Some further work may be
needed to restore the names engraved
on the stone cross where they have
become weather worn. Such works
require listed building consent.
Restoration work will also
take place later this year on the war
memorials at 52 Holywell Hill, the
entrance to Ridgemont Plaza car park
in Ridgemont Road, 15 High Street
and 40 Verulam Road.
You can save yourself a
wait by making your Council
payments by direct debit, or online
at www.stalbans.gov.uk.
You can also pay via your bank,
at the post office or at any shop
showing the Pay Zone sign. There
is also an automated telephone
payment line – call 0161 7853880.
Easier ways to pay The annual election canvass
begins on 1 October and
the revised Register of Electors
will be published on 17 February
next year. You will receive a voter
registration form in early October.
If you have no changes to
make to any of the details on the
form, you can register through the
internet, by freephone or text. It is
quick and easy to do. If there are
changes to be made, make sure
you complete and return your form
straight away. An early response
from householders will help reduce
the number of reminders sent out
and help the Council to save money
to spend on other priorities. For
more information call 01727 819294.
Look out for your right to vote
War memorial restoration
HomeSwapper Open Dayen Day
An invitation for local Council and housing association tenants to find out about the HomeSwapper service, including website tips and advice.
Wed 16 October, 10am-3pm, Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans AL1 3JE.
For more information call 01727 819293.
6 Autumn 2013 St Albans City & District Council Community News
Verulamium Park: one of the best parks in the country
Verulamium Park has
received a Green Flag Award
for the first time. This top national
award recognises the park as one
of the country’s best.
Bricket Wood Common,
Clarence Park, Rothamsted Park and
Sopwell Nunnery Green Space have
also retained their Green Flag status.
Green Flag awards are handed
out by environmental charity Keep
Britain Tidy annually. The award
recognises and rewards the best
parks and green spaces across the
country. Winners must apply each
year to renew their Green Flag status.
A Green Flag flying overhead
is a sign to visitors that the space
boasts high standards, is beautifully
maintained and provides excellent
facilities.
We work in partnership with
our contractors John O’Conner to
maintain our award-winning parks
and green spaces.
Keep Britain Tidy runs the
Green Flag Award scheme in the
UK on behalf of the Department
for Communities and Local
Government.
GREEN ISSUES
Home energy efficiencyA new plan has been agreed
setting out practical measures
that the Council will take over
the next 15 years to help improve
energy efficiency.
Nearly half of St Albans’
greenhouse gas emissions come from
household energy use, so improving
home energy efficiency is a top priority.
Under the plan, the Council
will continue to provide advice
and information to residents about
reducing energy consumption and
installing renewable technology. We
will also direct people to information
about sources of funding such as
the Government’s Green Deal and
Feed-in Tariff.
We are already improving the
energy efficiency of council homes
by installing energy efficient boilers,
double glazing and insulation.
We are also working with charities
to ensure that vulnerable people
receive the support they need to keep
their homes warm in winter. Schemes
like ‘Keep Warm, Stay Well’ help people
in need to get this extra support.
There is lots of information on
the Council’s website to help everyone
do their bit to reduce emissions and
save energy www.stalbans.gov.
uk/greenerliving. You can contact
the Council’s Sustainability Officer
at: [email protected],
01727 819466.
www.stalbans.gov.uk 7
We are rolling out new recycling arrangements. By the
end of September they will be in place across the District.
Leaflets are being delivered to households about the scheme
as it comes to each street.
What will I be able to recycle?
Changes to your recycling collection
Put your cardboard in with paper recyclingPlease put your cardboard in your paper recycling box.
Flatten and tear all cardboard so it fits into your recycling box/
boxes with your paper. You can also put cardboard out neatly
weighed down under your recycling box. Please ensure sheets
are no larger than your recycling box to avoid clogging up the
collection vehicle crushing mechanism.
What’s in it for me?The more you recycle the less
waste has to go to landfill. Landfill is
environmentally unfriendly and costs
taxpayers money. If we save money on
landfill, there will be more to spend on
front-line services. Landfill also creates
methane gas which contributes to global
warming. We need your help to reduce
landfill waste. Thanks for doing your bit.
How are caddies funded?We have received a grant of £234,450
from Hertfordshire County Council to
fund the caddies
and other recycling
changes. This is
from a funding
programme to
increase recycling
in the county.
Why the change for
cardboard?National standards for compost have
become tighter to ensure that it is of
the highest quality. This means that
cardboard will no longer be accepted
with garden and food waste. So that
we can continue to recycle cardboard,
we want you to collect it with your
paper waste instead.
Put glass in its own box as usual(No broken glass please.)
Recycle more of your plasticsWe are now able to collect lots
more plastics. You can recycle
clean margarine and ice cream
tubs, yoghurt pots, plastic food trays
and fruit punnets. Please squash cans and plastics to
get as much in your box as possible and to avoid large
containers clogging up the collection vehicle machinery.
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Paper and folded or torn cardboard
Glass
Plastics, cans and foil. No plastic bags
Green waste, food waste and shredded paper
Please put food waste in your green bin.
Use caddy liners or wrap in newspaper
to keep your bin clean.
The more you recycle the less waste goes to landfill. Separate your recycling materials as shown below.
If you need more boxes, contact: wastemanagementservices @stalbans.gov.uk, 01727 819391
To find out more about the new scheme visit www.stalbans.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling
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8 Autumn 2013 St Albans City & District Council Community News
Now on Twitter @StAlbansCouncilMy Council Services App
Have your say... We welcome anything you want to say about our services.
Printe
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We hope you enjoy reading Community News.
If you can spare a moment, please email
[email protected] or call
01727 819572 and let us know your views
and what else you want us to include.
St Albans City & District Council
Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans,
Herts AL1 3JE
Website: www.stalbans.gov.uk
Email: [email protected]
Customer Service Centre opening hours:
Mon-Thurs 8.45am-5pm, Fri 8.45am-4.30pm
Housing Repairs: 01727 819256
Refuse & Recycling: 01727 819285
Council Tax: 01727 819204/819205
Benefits: 01727 819476
Cleaner District Hotline: 0845 125 8000
Textphone: 01727 819570
All Other Enquiries: 01727 866100
Harpenden Town Council Information Point
Town Hall, Leyton Road, Harpenden
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am-4pm
Telephone: 01582 768278
Alternative formats: If you want to receive
this newsletter in an alternative format, such
as Braille, or in another language, please call
01727 819572. See www.disabledgo.com for
information about access to local facilities.
Together, for a Cleaner District
Keeping the District Clean and Green
The Cleaner District Hotline: 0845 125 8000
Email: [email protected]
...please contact
If you spot a problem with...
Abandoned vehiclesIllegal
or litterDog fouling or stray dogsDumped rubbishIllegalOvergrown hedgerowsSpills from refuse collectionAccumulation of leavesPest controlDamaged street furnitureStreet cleaningDrugs paraphernaliaTrees (overgrown/obstructing highway)Empty/derelict property
Air pollution
Now on twitter: @StAlbansCouncil
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Over the last few weeks we have been delivering new
food caddies to homes in the District.
The aim is to make it easier for you to recycle food via your
green bin. Each caddy comes with a starter pack of compostable
paper liners. Full details are included with your caddy. Once the
paper liner is full, just roll over the top of the bag and put it out
with your green waste. Paper liners are available at most large
supermarkets and online.
New food caddy
Market datesSt Albans Market every Wednesday and Saturday
St Albans Farmers’ Market 2nd Sunday of the month
Harpenden Farmers’ Market 4th Sunday of the month
You can sign up for free flood
alerts and get lots of information
about the risk of flooding in your
local area at www.environment-
agency.gov.uk. Alternatively, call the
Environment Agency Flood Line on
0845 988 1188.
Water, electricity and gas
suppliers have special schemes
in place for low income households,
and for others including people with
disabilities or who are chronically ill.
Contact your provider for details of
their vulnerable customer schemes.
READY FOR
ANYTHING?
Flood alerts
Disruption to utility supplies