We are very happy to announce that Issue 1 of The Three Villages Magazine has published and is now available at various locations across the villages, including:
St John the Baptist, Great Amwell St Mary the Virgin, St Margarets St Andrew’s, Stanstead Abbots The Village Pharmacy The Red Lion The Maltings Coffee House Stanstead Abbotts & St Margarets Village Club The Jolly Fisherman
Thank you to everyone for their hard work in getting the magazine off the ground. It has not been without its difficulties, but we are pleased to be able to share the publication with you now.
A digital version of the print magazine will be available to view on the Magazine Archive in the coming weeks.
Once again, travelling theatre group This is my Theatre are visiting St James’s Church to perform The Snow Queen.
When her friend is stolen by the cold-hearted Snow Queen, Gerda must find the strength and courage to travel across the lands to save him. An array of characters along the way will guide and aid her journey but can Gerda bring the warmth of summer back to her friend?
With live music, song and characters all ages will love, this beautiful adaptation will warm hearts this Christmas!
Anyone who saw the theatre group performing The Tempest or Jane Eyre this summer will know how imaginative and exciting their productions are, and this one is not to be missed.
We don’t expect snow on the night, but would suggest you wear warm clothes and sensible shoes!
Venue: St James Church, Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts SG12 8JZ
Make a start to the Christmas season by attending this service, held in St James’s Church – the old village church between Stanstead Abbotts and Roydon.
The atmosphere of this beautiful church, lit simply by candles, helps to remind you of the wonder of the Advent season and the coming of the celebration of the birth of Christ. We sing Advent Carols, such as “Oh come, oh come Emmanuel” rather then Christmas Carols, which makes it even more special. We are happy that the Priory Choir from Royston will be with us to help with the singing, and everyone is welcome to stay for tea and mince pies afterwards.
There are no lights around the church, so wear warm clothing, sensible shoes – and bring a torch!
Last weekend was the St Margarets Fireworks night.
It was absolutely fantastic, I attended with my family and I am glad that I did.
There was a huge queue out the front but it moved quickly and was well managed. It was £6 for an adult to enter.
I honestly don’t think that I have ever seen so many people in St Margarets, it was great to see such a fantastic turn out after such a difficult couple of years.
The Fireworks display was brilliant, very advanced for a village display.
Congratulations to the organisers, I look forward to attending next year and seeing many more displays.
Scroll down to see some of the pictures that we got….
At French & Jupps we strive to support our community through the sponsorship of innovative ideas, partnering with community lead initiatives that make our local and surrounding area so vibrant.
In acknowledgement of the hard work of all those involved with our latest sponsorship it brings us great delight to announce the unveiling of the refurbishment of St Margarets train station in Stanstead Abbotts.
The refurbishment of St Margarets station and signal box was a concept driven by The New River Line Community Rail Partnership. The Community Rail Partnership (CRP) was formally established in January 2020 by local authorities, community groups and organisations working in partnership with Greater Anglia and other rail networks to enhance station platforms up and down the country.
At the centre of this initiative for our local area is Katie Goldthorpe, CRP Officer for the New River Line which covers all stations from Hertford East to Broxbourne. Katie not only works for the organisation but also lives in Stanstead Abbotts and had long thought that the signal box could be transformed at St Margarets. It was when she joined the CRP in 2020, she seized the opportunity to do something with it.
To commence the process, Katie contacted French & Jupps to propose sponsoring the redesign of the station platform with art, which was enthusiastically received by director Paul King. From there the campaign was launched on the Stanstead Abbotts community Facebook page in addition to posters being pinned up on village noticeboards requesting submissions from people within the area to submit original artworks the redesign.
The response was fantastic, with local residents and two local primary schools St John the Baptist and St Andrew’s Primary School getting involved. The result is stunning with the twelve art pieces in a variety of mediums being chosen and printed by local company Universal Signs.
Katie’s work doesn’t end there. She had also been working with Rosemary & Robin to bring new life to the station through a planting scheme introducing foliage onto the station platform. The tireless work of all involved culminated in the annual station adoption award being granted at the unveiling by Alan Neville, Community Engagement Manager, Greater Anglia.
Overall, the day was a great success, enhanced further by the generous offering of cakes and refreshments provided by local businesses Libby’s Coffee Shop and The Galley Hall pub in a true reflection of community spirit.
We believe the results are spectacular and that the return to travel from our local station is made all the brighter as a result of their hard work.
To get involved and support this local cause on some of their upcoming projects, you can contact The New River Line Community Rail Partnership on: newriverline@hertfordshire.gov.uk
You can also follow The New River Line Community Rail Partnership on Facebook and Twitter
The Three Villages 