Category Archives: Charity

The Bishop of St Albans Open Garden

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The Bishop of St Albans Garden will be open over the last two weekends in August (23 and 24 August, and 30 and 31 August) between 2pm and 4pm for people to come and look at the beautiful gardens and the summer display. 

Those who saw the snowdrops earlier in the year will have seen the potential that the garden had for the summer and will be delighted at the change a different season brings. The garden will be open regardless of the weather.

The two acres of garden is an oasis in central St Albans and visitors frequently comment on the fact that they did not know the garden was here or how extensive it is.

Entrance is £5 per person (children free) and dogs on leads are welcome.

All money raised is donated to the Beds and Herts Historic Churches Trust.

The Bishop of St Albans Garden
Abbey Gate House, Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans AL3 4HD

Coffee and Coping: FREE COMMUNITY EVENT!

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Looking for something fun, meaningful and free to do with the whole family this summer? Mark your calendars for Saturday July 26 because Coffee & Coping Hertfordshire is hosting a FREE COMMUNITY EVENT at The Maltings, Stanstead Abbotts, Herts SG12 8HG – and you’re invited!

Running from 10am to 4pm, this vibrant family funday promises a little something for everyone. Whether you’re a parent looking for engaging activities for your kids, a wellness enthusiast interested in yoga, or simply someone who loves a good cuppa with friendly conversation, this event has you covered.

What to expect:

  • Games & Drawing for Kids – Creative fun for little ones of all ages
  • Stalls – Browse and buy delicious cakes, sweets, handmade jewellery, coffee and ice cream
  • Food – Tuck into tasty local treats from independent vendors
  • Talks & Demonstrations – Take part in wellbeing-focused sessions, including yoga and tai chi
  • Tombola & Community Activities – Classic fun for all ages

Organised by Coffee & Coping, a Hertfordshire-based group focused on promoting mental health awareness and community wellbeing, the event is all about bringing people together in a positive, relaxed and supportive space.

📍Location:
The Maltings, Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire SG12 8HG
🗓️ Date: Saturday, July 26
🕙 Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

And best of all? It’s completely FREE to attend! So bring your friends, bring your family and come connect with your community in the beautiful setting of Stanstead Abbotts.

For more information, visit coffeeandcoping.org.

The next Equine Bootsale and Dog Show!

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The next Equine Bootsale and Dog Show on Sunday 6th July will be held on Widford Playing Fields (SG12 8SL), 11am to 1pm.

Pitches £10
Horse boxes/trailer £15
PITCHES ON THE DAY £15
(bring your own table/blanket)

Entry for buyers only £1!

Dog Show Entry £2 per show per dog per class

CASH AND CARD ARE NOW ACCEPTED

Dog Show sponsored by Oaks Funeral Directors – Cuffley.
Toilet hire sponsored by Jimmy Riddles Toilet Hire.

All monies raised will go to HEART (Heart Animal Rescue Team), which was founded by Hannah Bolton after finding there was a need for support within Harlow, Essex and neighbouring areas for local wildlife. Hannah has been rehabbing and rescuing animals for 3 years. HEART is full of a network of some wonderful people who go above and beyond to make sure animals are safe and cared for. To find out more about this charity, visit their website: https://www.heartrescue.co.uk/.

Message Gail on 07747300095 to book your pitches!

Madrigals at Amwell Pool

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Madrigals at Amwell Pool, the wonderful annual music event is just around the corner!

WHEN: Friday 20th June, 9–10.30pm
WHERE: Amwell Pool, Lower Road, Great Amwell

The Haileybury Chamber Choir and Choral Society will sing at this long-established event, by the banks of the river in the beautiful village of Great Amwell. The music and stunning setting makes the evening truly magical. This will be the 85th Madrigals Concert!

All welcome. No tickets required.

As usual, there will be a collection in aid of Isabel Hospice.

Summer Event at St James’ Church

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Celebrate the summer at St James’ Church!

WHEN: Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June, , 2–5pm
WHERE: St James’ Church, Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts

Cream Teas and Churchyard Tours
On Saturday and Sunday, come and enjoy a delicious cream tea in the beautiful setting of this ancient church. Free churchyard tours offer a fascinating exploration into the rich history of the church and those who are laid to rest there. Please do bring along cash as the card machine may be temperamental!

‘Songs for a Summer Afternoon’ Concert
At 4pm on Saturday 14th, join us for a special concert by the Priory Choir. It will be a wonderful festival of delightful summer songs! The performance will take place in the church. Tickets for the performance will cost £10 per person with all profits going towards the upkeep of St James’. To book your tickets for ‘Songs for a Summer Afternoon’, please got to EventBrite. Although there are some tickets available on the door, we would recommend you book in advance!

About St James’ Church
St James’ is a redundant church in the care of the Churches Convervation Trust. The Friends of St James’ Church, a group of dedicated local volunteers, organises a wide range of events during the year, as well as helping to keep the church open to visitors during the summer months. You can learn more about us on our website.

Summer at St James’ Church 2025Download

The Big Step Out 2025 at Hatfield House

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Hertfordshire Health Walks with be joining charity Stepping Out with Carers on Wednesday 11th June at Hatfield House for The Big Step Out 2025. This event is dedicated to the nation’s 10 million unpaid carers and the people they care for. Several scenic, sociable and fabulous walks will be on offer, as well as music, lunch, stalls and more! 

To book your place, complete a contact form HERE or send an email to hallosteppingout@gmail.com and you will be connected with someone who can help.

Stepping Out with Carers offer walks throughout Hertfordshire including lunch at many of the county’s most beautiful venues. Designed as a boost to physical and mental wellbeing as well as a great way to meet new friends, these walks are free of charge. Their walks at every venue are graded to cater equally for those who use a wheelchair or have other mobility issues. Their offer includes transport for those who would not otherwise be able to attend. Carers may come on their own or bring the person they care for.

To find out more about Stepping Out with Carers, visit their website: carerssteppingout.co.uk.

Hertfordshire Health Walks

Explore Local Volunteering Opportunities at GoVolHerts Community Event in Hitchin

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Our community would not be what it is without the amazing volunteers who give their time freely to help others – and in the process often have a great time themselves! People don’t always realise the huge difference that volunteering makes in our community or that volunteering takes so many shapes and sizes, with hundreds of different organisations and roles that volunteers can be involved in. Our Volunteer Fair will celebrate volunteers in all their glory and, with more than 20 local organisations taking part it will be a wonderful opportunity to learn about the many different types of volunteering and how you could get involved too.   

Emily Butterworth, Volunteering Development Lead at GoVolHerts, shared:  ‘We’re really looking forward to welcoming everyone to this event in the heart of Hitchin. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet the incredible people behind our local charities and learn about the vital role volunteers play in their work. We’re delighted to have a wide range of amazing organisations taking part, all eager to share how the public can get involved and the fantastic impact that they can achieve through volunteering. We’re honoured to be joined also by local dignitaries and representatives from Hertfordshire County Council. Whether you’re looking to try something new, build confidence, or find a meaningful way to give back, this event is the perfect place to start. Huge thanks to Visit Hitchin for helping us bring it all together.’ 

Visitors will have the chance to connect with the following local charities: Music 24,  MCR Pathways, Age UK Hertfordshire, Willow Foundation, Health & Independent, Living Support, Garden House Hospice Care, NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service), Brainkind, Mind in Mid-Herts, Tilehouse Counselling, Schoolreaders, North Herts Marie Curie, Carers in Hertfordshire, Citizens Advice North Hertfordshire, Herts Mind Network, Buzzworks Association Hitchin, First Garden Cities Homes, Stand-by-Me Children’s Bereavement Services, Crossroads Caring for Life, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service, Home-Start Hertfordshire, GRIT. 

The Volunteer Fair in Hitchin is part of Hertfordshire’s celebration of Volunteers Week, a national event to celebrate and showcase the contribution of volunteers in our community. To find out more, visit www.govolherts.org.uk or contact the team at info@govolherts.org.uk. The fair will take place on the High Street in Hitchin. There is no need for the public to register – just come along at any time from 10am to 3pm. We look forward to seeing you there!  

GoVolHerts is a free volunteer-matching platform that makes it easy to discover the right opportunity. With hundreds of live roles from almost 500 non-profit organisations, the site connects people with causes that matter to them. GoVolHerts is delivered by North Herts and Stevenage CVS and proudly funded by Hertfordshire County Council.  

The next Equine Table Top Sale and Dog Show

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The next Equine Table Top Sale and Dog Show on Sunday 11th May will be held on Widford Playing Fields (SG12 8SL), 11am to 1pm.

Pitches £10
Horse boxes/trailer £15
PITCHES ON THE DAY £15
(bring your own table/blanket)

Entry for buyers only £1!
Dog Show Entry £2 per show per dog per class
CASH ONLY

Dog Show Sponsored by Tyrrell Plastering Ltd.
Jimmy Riddles Toilet Hire is kindly supplying us with a portaloo for the weekend.

All money we raise goes to Friends of the Wild Rescue and Rehab, a volunteer run and self-funded wildlife rescue based in Bishops Stortford, covering the Bishops Stortford area plus surrounding villages. They help all small wildlife, ranging from orphan birds and mammals through to animals with injuries such as broken legs/wings and cat attack injuries. Find out more about this amazing charity on their website: https://friendsofthewild.co.uk/.

Message on 07747300095 to book your pitches!

Update at Rye Meads: Pylons and Parking

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National Grid are undertaking works on the pylon in the car park at Rye Meads. This work includes replacing the conductors (lines themselves) as well as the insulators, and maintenance on the pylon structure itself: so major works. You can find out more about the North London Reinforcement (NLR) project  HERE. The same works are also being undertaken on pylons either side of our car park including on the HMWT meadow.

The main effect to the site will be parking at the visitor centre with a large area of the car park closed off as it falls in the work area leaving us approx. 6 parking spaces and no access to the Lapwing Hide. As such, the car park will be closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the Visitor Centre and trails will be open as usual.  On other days there will be a system in place to stack staff and volunteer parking in the coach bays, leaving the 6 spaces free on a first-come, first-served basis.

There will be no coach parking or designated disabled parking available during this time, but there will be a drop off point close to the visitor centre.

Works on the pylon in the meadow have a slightly different timeline and requires a track to be laid across the meadow for access. The track will start being laid on 7 April, so there is likely to be minor disruption to access the reserve during this phase. The aim is for work to begin on the meadow pylon on 18 April and completed with track removed by 24 May, so again expect minor disruption for track removal.

The first stage of 2025 work is the delivery of scaffolding on 7 and 8 April followed by construction of scaffolding gantry over the road on 14–16 April.

Allowing for preparation of works, the maximum timeframe is 28 April–13 June 2025.

This means there will be very limited parking at Rye Meads 28 April–13 June 2025.

Be sure to check the Rye Meads Blog for regular updates: https://community.rspb.org.uk/placestovisit/ryemeads/b/ryemeads-blog

Jim’s Big Walk for Coffee and Coping

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Have you heard about CEO of Coffee and Coping Hertfordshire’s Big Walk on 20th April? Jim is walking the 20 miles from Bath to Wells to raise money for this important charity. Coffee and Coping Hertfordshire’s mission is to combat loneliness, and all that goes with it, through community. They have a number of groups that meet around Hertfordshire and they have achieved an incredible amount in a short space of time, but fundraising is vital to help them continue in their work.

Jim’s story…
Why walk from Bath to Wells? Well, I’ll tell you! These two places played a major part in my childhood, but also are places where community values were instilled in me! My charity is trying to reconnect community values back into everyday life.

Growing up in Somerset I lived a life filled with people I knew, trusted and relied upon! We were in and out of each other’s houses without knocking. We were able to trust the people who lived in the houses around us and we never got lost because someone around us knew where we should be going.

In this life now all that is lost! I’m not saying to blindly trust everyone or listen to the words of strangers without forethought. I am saying, however, it costs us nothing to listen, talk and support our neighbours!

Help me get where I’m going both mentally physically and emotionally!

If you can support Jim in his incredible fundraising effort, all donations are gratefully received. You can find his Just Giving page HERE.

GROUPS

Coffee and Coping Stanstead Abbotts Drop-in: Midday to 1:30pm, Wednesdays and Fridays at The Ashlea Room, Parish Hall, Stanstead Abbotts, Herts SG12 8EZ. A chance to get together, meet new people and build community. Everyone is welcome!

Hope in Action: 5 to 6.30pm, every Wednesday at St Mary’s Church, 33a Hoddesdon Road, St Margarets, Herts SG12 8EG. An addicts, heavy substance and alcohol users’ safe space to talk, get help and break their cycles of addiction.

Coffee and Coping Hertford Heath Drop-in: 2 to 3pm, every Tuesday at The Silver Fox pub, 16-18 London Road, Hertford Heath, Herts SG14 7RH. This group is for anyone who wants to connect with people, talk about life, as well as get real help for any problems that may arise.

 Men’s Communication Collective: 6.30 to 8pm, 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month, at the Pioneer Club, Heathlands Drive, St Albans, Herts. AL3 5AY. The chance for all adult men to find a safe space to talk about their issues and also look at the way they communicate with their families, friends and colleagues.

These groups are free to attend. No need to book, just go along!

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