Local News and Events

Stay safe and warm this winter

Stay safe and warm this winter with free of charge electric blanket and portable heater testing run by Trading Standards and Fire & Rescue Services. If you have an electric blanket (or heater) that you are going to use this winter due to concerns about rising energy bills, you’ll want to be sure that it is safe. Bring yours along to free testing events for peace of mind. Testing will take place on the dates below at the following locations:  
Monday 17 October 2022 10:00am – 5:00pm Bishops Stortford Library, The Causeway, CM23 2EJ  
Tuesday 18 October 2022 9:30am – 4:30pm County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford SG13 8DE                                                  Wednesday 19 October 2022 9:30am – 4:30pm Watford Central Library, Hempstead Rd WD17 3EU  
Thursday 20 October 2022 9:30am – 4:30pm Welwyn Garden City Library, Campus West AL8 6AJ           
To book a slot for testing, please call: 01707 292429. You can also attend without an appointment on a first come, first served basis. Please share details with friends, family and neighbours.  

Make your health your priority

A Community Wellbeing Fair is coming to Borehamwood next week to provide residents with information about wellbeing support available locally. Anyone wanting practical advice and support to improve their wellbeing can attend the Community Wellbeing Fair, organised by us, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees of Allum Manor, on Friday 21 October from 1pm – 5pm at Allum Manor on Allum Lane, Borehamwood. The event will feature a market place with over 20 stalls offering wellbeing information services and advice from various local groups, such as Carers in Herts, NHS Wellbeing Service, Herts Mind Network, Sebby’s Corner and many more. There will also be mini health checks and COVID-19 vaccinations taking place. Booking not needed, just drop in. Everyone is welcome. Working with you, for you, improving our communities, our places. Contact us www.hertsmere.gov.uk customer.services@hertsmere.gov.uk 020 8207 2277 Civic Offices, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, WD6 1WA

Temporary Closing of Harper Lane, Shenley

NOTICE is given that owing to the likelihood of danger to the public whilst bridge repair works are being undertaken, all traffic is temporarily prohibited from using that length of Harper Lane, Shenley from its junction with A5183 Watling Street north eastwards for a distance of approximately 140 metres.

If you have any queries about the bridge repair works or the temporary road closure, please contact Anthony Beard tel.0191 691 5162 at Hatton TM or David Parkinson tel.0300 123 4047 at Hertfordshire County Council.

The work is expected to take 21 days to complete when started on the 29 September 2022. An alternative signed route will be provided for traffic whilst the road closure is in place.

The prohibition imposed by this notice can remain in force for up to 21 days.

Don’t miss out on your free tree!

We are giving away 5,000 trees as part of the ‘Your Tree Our Future’ campaign – and time is running out to reserve your FREE tree or hedgerow pack.

In just two weeks half of the trees allocated to Hertsmere have been reserved, so register today.

Residents can choose one or more trees from eight different species – carb apple, field maple, hawthorn, hazel, hornbeam, rowan, silver birch, wild cherry – or a hedgerow pack, which contains 30 trees specially selected for creating an optimal hedge structure.

By giving residents the opportunity to plant trees, the council hopes to meet some of its sustainability aims, as tree planting has a positive impact on air quality, helps reduce the carbon in our atmosphere, supports biodiversity and can help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. In addition, access to natural features has been linked with benefits to physical and mental health.

Councillor Seamus Quilty, Portfolio Holder for Environment, said: “I am delighted we have given away half of our trees, but would encourage our residents to reserve a tree now or potentially miss out. The more trees planted across the borough the greener Hertsmere will become.

“Trees are so important to improving air quality, increasing natural habitats for our wildlife and helping to combat environmental issues, which is why we have committed to this initiative. Each tree sapling planted locally will help in the fight against climate change and will benefit local biodiversity, as well as air quality, for years to come.

“The process is really simply. Simply go to www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/yourtree and reserve one or more of the eight trees species available or a hedgerow pack. You will be contacted later in the year with details on where and when to collect your trees. It’s that easy!”

Hertfordshire residents can visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/yourtree where they will be able to choose from a selection of eight different native species, or a hedgerow pack, which will be provided on a first come first served basis. Residents who have successfully requested a free tree will receive an email from the county council with details of how to collect them from a local pick-up point in December 2022. 

The ‘Your Tree Our Future’ scheme was created as part of Hertfordshire County Council’s Tree and Woodland Strategy, which sets out how the council will increase tree cover in the county. The project will be delivered in partnership with all ten district and borough councils.

To download a copy of the logo, please click on the image below.

62066-Trees-Herts

Healthy Hub – October

  Healthy Hub Logo
Hertsmere’s Healthy Hubs Our Healthy Hubs provide FREE lifestyle support for individuals and their families covering mental health, physical activity, weight management, smoking cessation, health MOTs and nutritional advice, and sexual health testing kits. Contact Lee or Nicola to make a face-to-face appointment or phone in: Lee Bruce – Lee.Bruce@inspireall.com or 07741 248852 Nicola O’Neill – healthyhub@communities1st.org.uk or 020 8207 5115 Find out more at the Healthy Hub website. Alternatively, visit our Healthy Hub Self Service page, where you can access all of the services you need online. If you would like to access free health advice, fill out our enquiry form and we’ll get back to you. New Healthy Hub pop ups are coming in October. See the below graphic to see where we will be and when. Drop in for a free confidential chat with our staff! The Justice Bus is coming to Borehamwood on Thursday 20 October 10am-12:30pm. The Law Clinic will offer FREE advice to members of the public on a range of legal issues including family, employment, housing and consumer. If you would like to book an appointment to guarantee you are seen at the satellite clinic please contact the Law Clinic on 01707 284115 or by email. HH Pop up graphic WMSM Logo We Move, She Moves new sessions! We have two new sessions, book on now! Zumba – Every Monday 8-9pm at Maxwell Park Community Centre, Borehamwood for just £6 a session Squashercise – Every Tuesday 6:30-7:30pm at Hertswood Academy, Borehamwood for just £5 a session Please visit our website and Facebook page @WeMoveSheMoves for session updates and to find out what’s on near you and how to book. WMSM COVID-19 and flu – get protected and get on with life this autumn Everyone aged 50 and over, people working in frontline health and social care, and those who are at high risk, will be offered a COVID-19 booster jab and a free flu jab this autumn. More than 60 local pharmacies, most GP practices, ‘pop up’ vaccination centres and outreach clinics will be taking vaccinations into the heart of communities across Hertfordshire.  People who are at most risk of serious illness, such as those aged 65 and over, pregnant women, those who are immunosuppressed and frontline health and care staff, can book their autumn COVID-19 booster now. Adults aged between 50-65 will be invited to book their vaccinations in the next few weeks, if not already. Children who were aged 2 or 3 years old on the 31 August 2022, all primary school-aged children and eligible 11-16 year olds will also be offered the flu vaccine.   If you are eligible and have never had a COVID or flu vaccination before, it’s not too late to have your first. Make an appointment online, speak to a pharmacist, visit one of our local walk-in clinics or ring 119 for more information.  Covid and Flu jabs Borehamwood Community Wellbeing Fair 2022 Come along to the Borehamwood Community Wellbeing Fair and make your health a priority. This event is taking place at the Allum Manor, 2 Allum Lane, Borehamwood, WD6 3PJ on Friday 21 October 1-5pm. The event will feature a market place with stalls offering wellbeing information services and advice from organisations supporting the Borehamwood community. No need to book just drop in! For further information please email community.services@hertsmere.gov.uk. Borehamwood Fair Smokers encouraged to join Stoptober Stoptober is back, calling on smokers in England to join more than 2.5 million others who have made a quit attempt with the campaign since it launched over a decade ago in 2012. Nearly 6 million adults in England still smoke, and it remains the single biggest behavioural cause of preventable death, with 64,000 deaths a year. This year’s Stoptober mass quit attempt is as important as ever, with quitting being one of the best things a smoker can do for their health. That’s why this year’s Stoptober campaign is encouraging smokers to join the thousands of others who are giving quitting a go for the month of October, making it to 28 days smoke free means you’re five times as likely to quit for good. Quitting will allow you to start moving better, breathe more easily and give you more money to spend. Stoptober offers a range of free quitting tools including: the NHS Quit Smoking app, Facebook messenger bot, Stoptober Facebook online communities, daily emails and SMS, and an online Personal Quit Plan tool. For more information visit the NHS Better Health website. Stoptober Health checksFree NHS Health Checks  Everyone is at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and some forms of dementia. The good news is that these conditions can often be prevented – even if someone has a history of them in their family. If you’re aged 40-74, Healthy Hubs in Hertsmere are offering you the opportunity to have a free health check. You’ll be assessed on your personal heart health, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and risk of diabetes. Your personal advisor can also help with information on diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, and risk reduction. Places must be booked in advance so please contact us for more information. To be eligible you must: be 40-74 years of age not have had an NHS Health Check in the last five years not have had a stroke or heart disease not been diagnosed with high blood pressure or atrial fibrillation (fast irregular heartbeat) not be taking cholesterol lowering medication not already been diagnosed with a risk of 20% or more of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years To register your interest please complete the online registration here. Or for more information you can contact Hertfordshire Health Improvement Service here. SRMD Yoga and Meditation sessions SRMD are excited to share that they will be continuing their weekly morning Yoga and meditation classes in October and November! Kickstart your weekend with a one hour asana class followed by a LIVE meditation! Every Saturday in October and November 8:15-9:15am (Yoga) & 9:30-10:00am (Meditation) Venue: SRMD London Spiritual Centre, Falconer Road, Bushey, WD23 3AD For more information and to book your tickets, visit the London SRMD website here. yoga

Climate change focus of new planning guidance

A girl holding a leaf in front of her face.Have your say on new guidance aimed at helping Hertsmere to lower its carbon emissions and achieve net zero by 2050 from today.

We’ve published three draft Supplementary Planning Documents, which provide detailed advice or guidance on our current planning policies. They include how we intend to: promote sustainable transport and parking through changes to off-street parking requirements for new developments, including new requirements for electric car charging points, and the provision of electric car clubs and bike hire schemes in some developments; set up a carbon offsetting fund, which will collect payments for carbon emissions, where they can’t be avoided, and use the payments for carbon reduction projects; ensure biodiversity net gain by requiring developments over a certain size to result in an increase in biodiversity. In 2019, we declared a climate emergency and committed to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The guidance is one of many ways we’re exploring to help us meet this pledge.

Find out more www.hertsmere.gov.uk/planningconsultations  

Your Tree Our Future: creating a more sustainable borough through tree planting

Hertsmere Borough Council is working in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council to offer residents the chance to claim free trees as part of the ‘Your Tree Our Future’ scheme.

By giving residents the opportunity to plant trees, the council hopes to meet some of its sustainability aims, as tree planting has a positive impact on air quality, helps reduce the carbon in our atmosphere, supports biodiversity and can help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. In addition, access to natural features has been linked with benefits to physical and mental health.

Councillor Seamus Quilty, Portfolio Holder for Environment, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with neighbouring authorities and Hertfordshire County Council on the Your Tree Our Future initiative and I hope Hertsmere residents take advantage of the scheme to help create a greener Hertsmere. In addition to the 10,000 trees being given away as part of the county-wide scheme this year, we are giving away an additional 4,000 trees to Hertsmere residents.

“Trees are so important to improving air quality, increasing natural habitats for our wildlife and helping to combat environmental issues, which is why we have committed to this initiative. Each tree sapling planted locally will help in the fight against climate change and will benefit local biodiversity, as well as air quality, for years to come.” 

Hertfordshire residents can visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/yourtree where they will be able to choose from a selection of eight different native species, or a hedgerow pack, which will be provided on a first come first served basis. Residents who have successfully requested a free tree will receive an email from the county council with details of how to collect them from a local pick-up point in December 2022. 

The ‘Your Tree Our Future’ scheme was created as part of Hertfordshire County Council’s Tree and Woodland Strategy, which sets out how the council will increase tree cover in the county. The project will be delivered in partnership with all ten district and borough councils.

To download a copy of the logo, please click on the image below.

62066-Trees-Herts

Notes to editors:
The Your Tree Our Future project will run for four years, starting in Autumn/Winter 2022 where 10,000 trees will be available. A further 30,000 trees will be available each year for the following three years. 

Residents will be able to choose from eight different species, all of which have been chosen for their suitability for planting in Hertfordshire:
•    Crab apple
•    Field maple
•    Hawthorn
•    Hazel
•    Hornbeam
•    Rowan
•    Silver birch
•    Wild cherry

A limited number of hedgerow packs which include 30 trees (enough to plant 5-6 metres of hedgerow) will also be available.