harpenden NOW Feb 22 by wendy robertson

harpenden

Pick p u me m ’ I E FRE

February 2022

NOW

promoting local businesses, events and much more since 2006

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Welcome to February

If like us you have lots of festive goodies left over in January and so find New Year’s resolutions tricky to keep, why not make a healthy promise in February instead, it’s just easier somehow once all the Quality Street have gone. So we’re sponsoring each other to do the BlueCross 3,125 Sit-ups Challenge, and we’ll check in with each other daily to make sure we’ve done our quota! What challenge will you set yourself this month? If you run your own business, we’d love to include you, we offer a helpful, friendly service so please give us a call.

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3 months £43 per edition 1/4 page £52 per edition 1/3 page £64 per edition 1/2 page £110 per edition Full page

Silver, Gold and Jewellery Ceramics Military Items Antique Furniture Automobilia Fine Art Old Toys and Computer Games Anything Old, Quirky and Interesting House, Barn and Loft Clearances

We also provide free advice if you need help deciding how best to sell your items

other options are available

Contact James 07748 690175 james.andersen@hotmail.co.uk www.cotterstockantiques.com

Please get in touch

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Deadline 8th Feb for March edition www.theNOWmagazines.com

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professional mosaic making tools to snip your glass. All welcome £12 Greenwood Park Pavilion, St. Albans AL2 3HW www.montetdesigns.co.uk

Feb Fest

NOW for the Kids Imagine Children's Festival

9th - 20th Feb The largest festival of its kind in the UK with over 160 events, and more than 50% are free. The Festival has children's theatre, comedy, music, literature and dance, and is all about unlocking creativity, celebrating the individuality of every child and bringing families together. Southbank Centre, London SE1 www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Half Term Explorer Quest

12th - 20th Feb 10am - 5pm Get fit for history with this outdoor explorer quest. Track down the fun-filled challenges around the site while getting active in the fresh air. Entry included in admission price .£13.90, child £8.40, please book Wrest Park, Silsoe MK45 4HR www.english-heritage.org.uk

Bletchley Park

Half Term Fun: Codebreaking Puzzles and More 12th - 25th Feb 11am Get ready for a special mission, pick-up your Top Secret Mission Pack and explore Bletchley Park solving various puzzles and challenges. £1, plus admission cost www.bletchleypark.org.uk

Verulamium Museum

Meet a Roman Soldier 12th, 14th, 15th & 17th - 19th Feb 2.30pm Meet Decanus Laurentius Calvus Petronius, a Roman Soldier posted to Verulamium during the rebellion of Boudicca. Make a Mosaic 16th Feb 10.30am - 1pm Create a mosaic coaster, dolphin or cat with professional mosaicist, Audrey Montet. Children must be accompanied by an adult, age 6+ £10, please book www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk

Love Heart Mosaic Making

14th Feb 10am & 11.30am Select your colours of glass and embellishments to make a unique design and have a go at using 4

Unless otherwise stated all events are at the Hat Factory Arts Centre, Luton LU1 2EY Sunshine various times 14th Feb Stockwood Discovery Centre LU14LX 15th Feb Wardown Museum & Gallery LU2 7HA All Mr Sand wanted to do was relax and enjoy the sea air on his skin and the sunshine on his face. This interactive clowning spectacle, with a huge heart is fun for all the family. £8.50 Imagination Station 14th - 18th Feb 11am - 3pm Activities including arts and crafts, face-painting, storytelling, music and more, free drop-in for young people of all ages. Josephine 15th Feb 11.30am & 2pm Josephine blurs the real with the imagined, as we follow one woman’s incredible journey from the slums of St Louis via the bright lights of Paris and into the hearts of the world. The Dark 17th Feb 2pm Follow a brave young boy on his journey to meet the darkness in his basement, and watch as he eventually learns to befriend it. £8.50, age 5+ Little Murmur 18th Feb various times Based on the true story of one child’s struggle with letters and words. £8.,50, age 7+ www.culturetrust.com

Waddesdon Half-Term Activities

19th - 23rd Feb 10am - 4pm Explore the grounds and discover the animals of Waddesdon on a Birds and Beasts Trail. Bring out your wild side and get exploring along Miss Alice’s Drive. Complete the trail and claim your souvenir. £3.50 per trail plus normal grounds admission www.waddesdon.org.uk

National Nest Box Week

14th - 21st Feb Organised by the British Trust for Ornithology this week aims to encourage more people to help birds by putting up nest boxes. With the nesting season not far away, garden birds will be starting to prepare for their busiest time of year. The main nesting season runs from March to August, but rather aptly, birds are traditionally thought to have paired up by Valentine’s Day. We know how vital it is to feed garden birds, but it's just as important to make sure they have a suitable shelter and site for breeding. With natural habitats such as trees and hedgerows being lost to development and the increase in urban housing, some garden birds struggle to find a safe shelter to rear their young. However, we can all do our bit to help by putting up a nest box in the garden, which will provide them with a clean, warm environment to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. ww2.rspb.org.uk

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Snowdrops Galore

If you fancy walking through carpets of snowdrops, there are lots of local parks, gardens and woods where you can see these botanical beauties.

National Gardens Scheme

This scheme gives visitors access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in the UK, and raises money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake. Walkern Hall 5th Feb 12 noon - 4pm A winter woodland garden set in 8 acres, with a carpet of snowdrops and aconites that is a source of wonder in January and February. This medieval hunting park is known more for its established trees such as the tulip trees and the magnificent London plane tree which dominates the garden. Following on in March and April is a stunning display of daffodils and other spring bulbs. £5, child free, please book. Walkern, Stevenage SG2 7JA 1 Elia Cottage 18th Feb 12.30pm - 4:30pm A third acre garden where early spring combines snowdrops, hellebores and crocus. The garden has a pond, cascade water features, a stream with a Monetstyle bridge, seating, two summerhouses and a half acre area opposite with snowdrops. There will also be a garden quiz. £5, child free Nether Street, Ware SG12 8TH King's Arms Garden 27th Feb 2pm - 4pm Small woodland garden of about 1.5 acres created by plantsman, the late William Nourish, with trees, shrubs, a mass of snowdrops, early spring bulbs and many interesting collections throughout the year. £4, child free Brinsmade Road, Ampthill, Beds MK45 2PP www.ngs.org.uk

Benington Lordship 5th - 27th Feb 11am - 4pm

Every year the gardens here are carpeted in naturalised snowdrops around the remains of the Norman keep and surrounding moat. Hellebores, aconites and winter flowering shrubs are also in flower, as well as the coloured stems of acers, cornus and willow around the ponds. The snowdrop walk which runs along the wall at the top of the moat, was planted in the early twentieth century by the present owner’s family. £7, child £3 www. beningtonlordship.co.uk

Heartwood Forest

Stroll through sprinklings of snowdrops, while taking one of the easy-to-manage walks for even the littlest of legs! Sandridge, St Albans AL4 9DQ www.heartwood.woodlandtrust.org.uk

Ashridge Estate

With 5,000 acres of the Chiltern Hills and woodland there are plenty of walks to choose from, where you’re sure to find patches of perky little snowdrops on your way. Berkhamsted HP4 1NS www.ashridgehouse.org.uk 12

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NOW for your Entertainment

tricks and original songs, this fun show is perfect for young children and their families. www.radlettcentre.co.uk

Barn Theatre

A Bunch of Amateurs 4th - 12th Feb 8pm & 12th Feb 2.30pm They wished for a star…then wished they hadn’t! After Electra Deliciously stuffed with Shakespeare…it’s a 28th Jan - 5th Feb 8pm & 30th Jan 2.30pm laugh-a-minute. Virgie, an eccentric free spirit of the 60s, invites her family and friends to a birthday celebration. This play Sydney and the Old Girl explores big themes in a way that’s entertaining and 16th - 19th Feb 8pm deeply moving, and contains strong language Taut psychological drama. A mother and son at and adult themes. war with each other, with neither prepared to lose a single battle. One Man, Two Guvnors 01707 324300 www.barntheatre.co.uk 25th Feb - 5th March 8pm & 27th Feb 2.30pm A glorious celebration of British comedy, Eric Morecambe Centre laugh-out-loud satire, slapstick humour, Oh What A Night 4th Feb 7.30pm mistaken identity, brilliant characters, superb Go back in time on a musical journey through the one-liners and toe-tapping songs. incredible career of Frankie Valli & The Four 01727 857861 www.abbeytheatre.org.uk Seasons with classics such as Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Bye Bye The Radlett Centre Baby and many more. Don’t miss this ultimate Richard Jones - BGT Magician 1st Feb celebration of one of the world’s greatest Richard was the winner of Britain's Got Talent, and is a British Army soldier as well as one of the world’s Rock & Roll bands. £24.50 & £22.50 greatest magicians in The Magic Circle. A Night Out With Sanjeev Bhaskar 6th Feb 7pm Someone Like You - The Adele Story 3rd Feb Actor, comedian, writer and presenter Sanjeev A stunning live concert performance, celebrating Bhaskar OBE is best known as co-creator and star the music of one of our generations’ finest of TV comedies, Goodness Gracious Me and The singer-songwriters. Kumars at No.42. He will be talking about his career Oh No, George! 4th & 5th Feb Using acrobatics, slapstick comedy, Sign Supported and revealing the stories behind his most famous sketches, series and roles. £31.50 English and live music to bring George the playful Roy Ayers Ubiquity 18th Feb 7pm dog’s joyful escapades to life. Age 3+ The band are celebrating the 45th anniversary of Clive Anderson : Me Macbeth & I their seminal 1975 album Mystic Voyage, which 19th Feb 7.30pm has been sampled countless times in Hip Hop over The host of Whose Line Is It Anyway, Loose the years and was one of the foundations of the Ends and Talks Back on his first ever solo tour. flourishing Jazz-Funk scene which developed Ian Ashpitel & Jonty Stephens As Eric & Ern in the 70’s. £25 & £30 22nd Feb 7.30pm Rothamsted Park, Harpenden AL5 2HU A brilliant homage to Morecambe and Wise, full www.the-emc.co.uk of those famous comedy sketches. Bringing you sunshine with their most loved routines, songs and Come and Sing - Verdi Requiem sketches and of course a musical guest. 5th Feb Workshop 1pm Performance 6pm Totally Tina 26th Feb 7.30pm An open workshop hosted by Harpenden Choral Come shake a tail feather with the UK’s supreme Society, with a free public performance, to book Tina, Justine Riddoch and her talented cast. tickets please email Peter Pan - Tiny Mites 27th Feb tickets@harpendenchoralsociety.org With colourful characters, beautiful bubbles, magic www.harpendenchoralsociety.org 20

Abbey Theatre

Lulu & the Hullabaloos

5th Feb 7pm Jazz with a swing, mellow ballads, lively Latin and more. Vocals accompanied by guitar or keys, double bass, saxophone, flute and drums. £20 Lourdes Hall, Harpenden AL5 1PD www.lemonrock.com

Scottish Fantasies

6th Feb 4pm A wintry-themed concert of music inspired by Scotland, the de Havilland Philharmonic will perform the beautifully lyrical Bruch Scottish Fantasy with solo violin partnered by Malcolm Arnold’s Four Scottish Dances, to musically create a picture of Scotland. Mendelssohn visited Scotland and was inspired not only to write his hugely popular Hebrides Overture, but also Symphony No.3, known as the Scottish Symphony. £18, concs £15 UHArts, Weston Auditorium, Hatfield AL10 9EU www.uharts.co.uk

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the Musical

St Albans Cathedral

Handel Coronation Anthems 12th Feb 7.30pm With The Sixteen Choir and Orchestra and conductor, Harry Christophers. One of Handel’s first tasks as a naturalised British Citizen was to write the music for the Coronation of the new monarch, King George II. The result was four majestic anthems, perfectly capturing the pomp and grandeur of the occasion, and a celebration of the baroque era at its grandest and most opulent and glorious. £30 - £12 Elgar The Black Knight, Parry De Profundis 26th Feb 7.30pm Hertfordshire Chorus presents two rarely performed works by two of our greatest romantic English composers. Elgar’s The Black Knight, and Parry’s De Profundis are accompanied by more familiar works by the two composers. £30 - £14 Aled Jones: Blessings 28th Feb 7.30pm Featuring Carly Paoli, TV presenter and former choir boy Aled Jones performs a mix of inspirational songs. During his outstanding 30 year career he has sung for the Pope and the Royal Family, received an MBE, released over 30 albums and has over 40 silver, gold and platinum discs. His career started aged 12 with Walking in the Air, the hit song from Christmas film, The Snowman. £35 - £20 www.stalbanscathedral.org

8th Feb 7.30pm Based on the popular 1988 film, this show takes us to the French Rivera for high jinks and hilarity. Sophisticated suave with a good dash of mischief, this hysterical comedy features a delightfully jazzy score by David Yazbek and was nominated for a staggering 11 Tony Awards. This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre The Portobello Jazz Band International. Age 13+ £20, concs £16 13th Feb 1pm Markova Theatre, Tring Park School HP23 5LX A traditional New Orleans / Dixieland jazz band www.renniegrove.org playing music from the 20's. The band was founded in 1997, and quickly established itself on the UK jazz Berkeley Jazz scene. They have played at jazz festivals in France, 11th Feb 8pm Italy and Ireland, as well as having held residencies A quintet of experienced Jazz musicians playing cool at a number of London venues. Jazz classics, smooth and lively Latin grooves and Lemsford Village Hall, WGC AL8 7TT some Blues. Harpenden Arms, Harpenden AL5 2TR www.lemonrock.com www.lemonrock.com

The Sandpit Theatre

Battle of The Bands

15th Feb 8pm Spontaneous Potter Kidz The bands that will be performing are No Comply, 12th Feb 2.30pm £12, £10 age 8+ Sweet Coins and Something-in-Between, the Spontaneous Potter audience can vote for their favourite, and then 12th Feb 7.30pm £16, £14 age 16+ the winning band will be announced. £7 Grab your wands and don your house robes, for The Horn, St Albans AL1 3TE this magical improv show, based on an audience www.thehorn.co.uk suggestion of a fanfiction title. See an entirely new Potter adventure magically improvised on the spot, with live musical accompaniment. www.sandpittheatre.co.uk www.theNOWmagazines.com 07983 588313 wendy@theNOWmagazines.com 21

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Walks & Talks

Hertfordshire Health Walks

Walks are free, led by qualified volunteers and graded between 20-30 minutes (first steps) and 90 minutes (grade 4) please arrive 15 minutes before the start time Highfield Park YMCA Highfield Park Centre 59 Russett Drive, St Albans AL4 0DB Mondays 9.30am, grade 2-3 Wheathampstead East Lane car park, behind The Bull pub AL4 8BL Tuesdays 10.30am, grade 3 Harpenden Conference Centre car park, Rothamsted Research, West Common AL5 2JQ Thursdays 10.30am, grade 4 Highfield Park Centre YMCA, Russett Drive, St Albans AL4 0DB Tuesdays 1.30pm, first steps & grade 2-3 Greenwood Park Community Centre, St Albans AL2 3HW Fridays 2pm, grade 2-3 Batford Marquis Lane car park, Harpenden AL5 5AA 5th Feb 2pm, grade 4 Bricket Wood Riverside Way car park, Bricket Wood AL2 3TX 20th Feb 10.30am, grade 3-4 www.hertfordshire.gov.uk

Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust Urban Peregrines 3rd Feb 7pm online Learn about these amazing hunters, and residents of skyscrapers and tall buildings across Hertfordshire, with naturalist and author, Ed Drewitt. Please book, suggested donation £5 Introduction to Coppicing 8th Feb 10am Discover the history of one of our oldest traditional woodland management techniques, and try your hand at coppicing willow and hazel. Learn why coppicing is used on the reserves and the key species that will benefit from such work. £10, adults only, please book Stocker's Lake, Rickmansworth WD3 1NB Great Crested Newts: Natural History and Surveying 9th Feb 7pm online 24

A fascinating look at the evolution, biology, distribution and natural history of the great crested newt. £10, please book Wildfowl of King's Meads 11th Feb 2pm Watch wetland birds over the meads as the sun sets. Suggested donation £5 King's Meads, Ware SG12 9XD Learn to Draw Nature Zentangles 15th Feb 2pm online The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by focussing on patterns and shapes found in nature; waves, leaves, flowers and more. This should give you an and increased focus and sense of well-being. No drawing experience needed, just pens, pencil and paper. All ages, £15 Butterfly Identification 23rd Feb 7pm online Can you tell your orange tip from your red admiral, a marbled white from a speckled wood, or do you just want to brush up on your skipper skills? This is essential training if you want to join a butterfly survey team, but also has plenty for the enthusiast, and brings a touch of summer colour into February. You will cover Hertfordshire's common species and place them into an ecological context. Suggested donation £5 King's Meads Pop-Up Event 18th Feb 10am - 3pm Drop in and visit the Herts Wildlife stand on a wintery walk at King's Meads Nature Reserve. King's Meads, Ware SG12 9XD www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk

St Albans Tour Guide Walks Ghosts and Ghouls 3rd & 17th Feb 7.30pm Historic St Albans 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th Feb 11.15am £6 per person, please book www.ticketsource.co.uk www.stalbanstourguides.co.uk

Guided Tours: Luton Hoo Walled Garden

9th & 23rd Feb 10am Enjoy the tranquillity of the ancient private landscape not usually open to the public, discover its history and learn about the Bedfordshire landscape designed by Capability Brown. The walk is about six miles with plenty of chances to take photos of the beautiful countryside, and will take place in all weathers. Appropriate clothing and footwear should be worn. Not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. Meet in the Walled Garden car park £10, please book. Use postcode LU1 4LF www.lutonhooestate.co.uk

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Caring & Sharing Coffee Mornings & Craft Fayres

28th Jan & 25th Feb 10.30am until noon Pop along for a coffee and a chat if you’d like to find out more about The Hospice of St Francis and the work they do. All proceeds from the craft fayres go to the Hospice. Hospice of St Francis, Berkhamsted HP4 3GW www.stfrancis.org.uk

these items by posting them free of charge to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to help raise money for life changing research. BHF fund over £100 million of research each year into all heart and circulatory diseases and the things that cause them, Strokes, Vascular Dementia and Diabetes. Simply download a freepost label, to print at home or at your nearest participating Collect+ store, where you can drop off your parcel. www.bhf.org.uk

Free My Meal

Free My Meal creates connections between people who need a meal, with people who can provide one, Ashtons Estate Agents are fundraising to reach this and it's all based on trust and respect, and works via year’s target of £10k which they will donate to local Facebook and the website. 'Cooks' post meals on charities. They would love you to help them decide private groups, and 'Recipients' (privately) request that which charities from the 20 shortlisted deserve a little meal. No one else on the group has to know you've extra financial support this year. An online poll is open requested the meal. Cooks can also offer a meal via until 4th February to vote for your favourite charity. the Provide a Meal form, and recipients can also Ashtons will distribute the funds 50% / 30% / 20% to request a meal via the Request a Meal form. There the top 3 charities. There’s no need to bungee jump or are over 70 UK and international groups, with over bathe in baked beans to raise money, simply cast 7,000 members and it’s entirely non profit. You can your vote online. Find out more about the campaign also help families in need by donating to the and this year’s Charity Calendar at Grocery Fund. www.lifesgreatcauses.co.uk Facebook @FreeMyMealUK www.freemymeal.co.uk 3,125 Sit-ups Challenge

Raising £10K for Life’s Great Causes

As the Bluecross reach their 125th anniversary, they’re asking pet lovers to take on a 3,125 Sit-ups in February Challenge to help them continue providing the vital specialist care that vulnerable pets need. Join an amazing community of fundraisers, and register for your official free tshirt. Do it wherever and however you like. It’s free to take part and there’s no maximum sponsorship required, just raise as much as you. Have you got what it takes to complete this challenge, or do you know someone who has, if so why not spread the word to see who else wants to take part. Together, we will change pets lives. www.bluecross.org.uk

Volunteer at Home-Start

Home-Start is a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support, helping families with young children through challenging times. They are there for parents when they need help the most because childhood can’t wait. Home-Start needs your help; if you can spare as little as an hour a week, you could help parents not just survive but thrive during this crisis. As a volunteer, you will be given training and support, to be effective and make a real difference to families in your community. You will also develop transferable skills which can support you in your life, whether at home or work. Join their family of 10,000 trained volunteers, supporting 56,000 children and 27,000 families a year. You can help make the difference. www.home-start.org.uk

British Heart Foundation

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NOW at the Alban Arena

Henning Wehn - It’ll All Come Out In the Wash 19th Feb 8pm Watch the German Comedy Ambassador give everything a good rinse and witness him wring sense out of the nonsensical. Henning has no agenda, he just happens to be always spot on! The Bowie Collective 1st Feb 7.30pm An incredible trip through the finest work of David An Evening with Dolly Parton 20th Feb 7.30pm Bowie as this group of rock musicians, artists and This Rags to Rhinestones Story is a smash hit performers recreate Bowie’s most iconic dynamic theatre production widely accepted as the recordings in exquisite detail against a spellworld’s foremost tribute show to Dolly Parton.  binding backdrop of lights and visual magic. Performed by the award-winning Julia Martin, described as totally authentic in every way, Ross Noble - HUMOURNOID capturing Dolly’s incredible stage presence, 2nd & 3rd Feb 8pm mannerisms, charisma and unique comedy What happens when pure comedy takes human one-liners as well as delivering a spectacular form? What happens when a creature is created and bred to do stand up? Nobody knows because evening of entertainment. that isn’t a thing. What is a thing is Ross Noble Superslam Wrestling 21st Feb 7.30pm doing a show, that you can come and see! Promising to be an evening of non-stop action when all your favourite Superslam heroes and Roy Orbison & The Traveling Wilburys villains meet. Experience 4th Feb 7.30pm Now in its eighth successful year this hit Sir Ranulph Fiennes 22nd Feb 7.30pm production has wowed audiences with their Both light-hearted and strikingly poignant, offering uncanny visual, vocal and musical resemblances a personal journey through Sir Ranulph’s life, to the original band members. And with the spanning his early childhood and school Traveling Wilburys never actually going on tour, misdemeanours, his army life, the Transglobe perhaps due to the untimely death of Roy Orbison, Expedition and his current Global Reach this is a your chance to enjoy a live Traveling Challenge; making him a pioneer of exploration Wilburys Experience. with an unparalleled story to tell. An Evening with Sir Geoff Hurst Jason Manford: Like Me 23rd Feb 7.30pm 13th Feb 7.30pm It’s been a busy few years for Jason, since his last Geoff will talk amusingly about his illustrious West smash-hit stand up show but fans of his Absolute Ham and England career with his great friend and Radio show will know this nationally acclaimed agent Terry Baker asking the questions. comedian hasn’t changed a bit. ‘Like Me’ is sure to be ‘expert observational comedy’ (The Guardian) Reginald D Hunter - Bombe Shuffleur mixed with ‘comic gold’ (Mail on Sunday). 14th Feb 8pm Reginald D Hunter is back and there’s no time for Fairport Convention 24th Feb 7.30pm niceties. Unafraid to tackle head on the subjects This year’s tour will present a mix of longthe rest of us skirt around, Reginald is the voice of established Fairport favourites and some surprises his generation, searingly honest, brutally funny from albums old and new including their latest and uniquely placed to commentate on the album, Shuffle & Go, which was released just unfolding meltdown of life as we know it. before ‘lockdown’ in 2020. Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Peppa Pig’s Best Day Ever 15th Feb 7.30pm 26th & 27th Feb 10am, 1pm & 4pm Embark on a thrilling night of adventure with a Prepare for the brand new Peppa Pig live show brand-new collection of short films from the world’s packed full of songs, games and laughter, it really most prestigious mountain film festival! is the best day ever for Peppa Pig fans!

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Out of Town

Tring Natural History Museum

Wildlife Photographer of the Year until 19th June An exhibition showcasing a selection of images recording the beauty and fragility of wildlife, from tiny insects to massive mammals. Please book, free Workshop: Bumblebee Needle Felting 10th Feb 7pm Create a wonderful needle-felted bumblebee mounted in a tin, like a true felter entomologist. £20 The Natural History Museum, Tring HP23 6AP www.nhm.ac.uk

RAF London

Shuttleworth

House Tour 9th Feb 10am Explore the stunning ground floor of Shuttleworth House and learn about its rich history. £20 Scale Model Exhibition 13th Feb 10am With model exhibitors and trade stands located in the engineering hangar. Tickets include entry to the Collection, Swiss Garden, Lakeside Parkland, Shrubbery and Woodland Walk. £16 Engineering Open Workshop 18th - 20th Feb Visit the Shuttleworth Collection workshops, see the projects on the go and meet professional and volunteer members of the engineering teams. £16 Spitfire Sit In Experience 18th - 20th Feb time slots from 10.20am Enjoy the chance to sit in the 1941 Supermarine Spitfire MK VC, the most famous of all the WWII fighter planes which was used to escort USA air force bombers between 1942 and 1943. It has the livery of the original squadron it served, No 310 (Czech) Squadron based at nearby Duxford. £20 Wedding Show 27th Feb 11am Set in 425 acres of historic parkland, Shuttleworth offers a wide range of wedding options to help you celebrate your special day. www.shuttleworth.org

The Vulcan and Cold War Experience until 29th Oct Explore two of the Cold War’s most iconic aircraft; the Avro Vulcan B.2. and the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 which between them tell a story of uncertainty and tension that loomed over the world for decades. You can take a seat in the cockpit of the Vulcan and the pilot’s seat of the Phantom. This is a rare opportunity to experience what it was like to fly these great aircraft. You will also be given a full ground tour, and get up close to other significant Cold War aircraft and hear fascinating real-life stories of the people who flew them. £50 www.rafmuseum.org.uk

IWM Duxford

Waddesdon Manor

20th Feb 11am - 4pm Celebrate the 94th Anniversary of Speedway in the UK at Paradise Wildlife Park, the home of the National Speedway Museum. With display bikes, pit lane start-ups, meeting former riders and a wide range of Speedway memorabilia for sale. The Museum and the Speedway Memorial Garden will be open throughout the event. £12.50 Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne EN10 7QA www.pwpark.com

Exhibition: Illumination: Works by Leo Villareal 2nd - 6th & 19th - 27th Feb 11am - 4pm Showcasing work by American light artist Leo Villareal and celebrating the completion of ‘Illuminated River’, the longest public art commission in the world, lighting the nine central London bridges across the Thames. Free with grounds admission Virtual Wine Tasting: Our Favourite Wines of 2021 4th Feb 7pm online Led by experts Andrew Bloomer and Ollie Waddon who will be live from the cellars at Waddesdon, as they explore five new wines. Each booking will receive five bottles of wine, tasting and technical notes and ideas for food pairings, ensuring you’ve everything needed for an enjoyable evening. Please book, £59.95 plus P&P www.waddesdon.org.uk

Duxford In a Different Light: The Spitfire Special 19th Feb 4pm Enjoy the chance to photograph 12 Spitfires up close using innovative lighting techniques as the aircraft in the current exhibition, ‘Spitfire: Evolution of an Icon’ will be illuminated to create evocative opportunities for your photographs. As well as the Spitfires, the aircraft and exhibits inside the main display space will also be lit up allowing you to capture some of Duxford’s incredible collection of British and Commonwealth aircraft. £50 www.iwm.org.uk

Celebration of Speedway

Mill Green Museum

Beginner's Bread Making Workshop 21st Feb Join Paul Barker, professional artisan Master Baker to learn how to make a rustic wholemeal loaf using the Mill's stoneground, organic wholemeal flour. He’ll lead you through the stages of bread making, explaining the reason behind the different techniques. Tea and coffee will be provided. www.millgreenmuseum.co.uk

How to reduce heat loss from your home - ‘The fabric first approach’ We all know that we are being asked to to identify areas of excessive heat loss in your on the way to creating an eco-friendly do ‘our bit’ in being more eco-friendly. home building, using thermographic equipment is a How can we achieve this in our homes? A family asked EcoTiffin to do just that and after enlisting their help, they commented: “EcoTiffin saved us 37% in energy bills whilst increasing our square footage by 35%, giving us a warm and welcoming home.” Moisture in brickwork is the worst possible ingredient to have in your property and every effort should be made to prevent the ingress of moisture. Moisture in the brickwork reduces the bricks thermal capacity to retain heat and it has a chilling effect like a fridge on your home. Solid brick walls are by far the worst. Remember; wet walls are cold walls! The fabric first approach is essential when improving insulation to roofs, walls, floors and windows which are just some of the ways of reducing heat-loss. The use of thermography (thermal imaging) is an exciting and relatively new application in the building world. If you want

good place to start.

Robert Tiffin (descendant of the original family) and highly respected building expert and Quantity Surveyor, has seen a rise in the number of families wanting to make their homes work more efficiently by reducing heat loss. Evidence from thermograms help to provide much of the data to substantiate Robert’s bespoke reports for each property in “seeing the unseen”. To the trained eye, the results can reveal important information enabling a clear diagnosis. Homeowners can look forward to maximising their comfort to a warm, cosy and cost effective, healthier environment for themselves and their families.

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information session via Zoom, then borrow a camera. Visit the website to book, or for help to reduce your carbon footprint and fuel bills. St Albans 8th Feb 8pm & 22nd Feb 12.15pm Harpenden 10th Feb 8pm & 21st Feb 8pm Helping Businesses and Organisations Reduce Carbon Emissions 16th Feb free Book an information session by emailing sarah.kersey@sustainablestalbans.org Repair Fair 19th Feb 2pm - 5pm Experienced volunteers will be on hand for cycle repairs and household electricals and sewing repairs. Visit the website to book a time slot. All Saints Church, Harpenden AL5 4UU 2022 Street Parties 23rd Feb 7pm & 28th Feb 10am online Information sessions for people interested in holding a street party. Free www.ourstreetparty.org Harpenden Writers Harpenden Sustainability Market 4th Feb 10am 20th March 10am - 3pm Creative Writing Tutor, Elizabeth Barber presents From eco essentials and gifts to eco food and tips for writing satisfying flash fiction. All welcome, includes cuppa and chat about writing and writers £5 wellbeing. Please visit the website for traders application details. Friends' Meeting House, Southdown Road, Harpenden AL5 1PD Get Involved With Sustainable St Albans www.harpendenwriters.com St Albans District Council have set a target to reach Net Zero by 2030. To do this the community in St Albans Museum + Gallery St Albans will need to reduce its CO2 emissions by Exhibition: Arriving & Belonging 50,000 tonnes a year. In response, Sustainable St 4th Feb - 15th May Albans has developed a number of initiatives which Connect with individual experiences of Jewish people can get involved with, please visit the website people in Britain and see how they became part of for further details. St Albans. Their stories bring to life the universal Volunteers Needed to Help Reduce themes of sanctuary, courage, compassion, work St Albans District Carbon Footprint and community. Explore the timeline of Jewish life in Sustainable St Albans are recruiting volunteers to St Albans and England and take a virtual stroll join them on stalls at markets and events. They also around the city to see where the Jewish community need people to speak to visiting groups to help raise settled, and learn how its members have contributed awareness about the climate emergency to the wider community and listen to their stories. To get involved call 07880 931537 or email Spotlight Talks sarah.kersey@sustainablestalbans.org 13th Feb 1.30pm: Caroline Pearce www.sustainablestalbans.org 23rd Feb 1.30pm: Jennifer Taylor Join members of the local Jewish community whose Afternoon Tea family objects are displayed in the Arriving & 27th Feb from 12 noon Belonging exhibition to find out about the personal Enjoy afternoon tea in the beautiful Rothamsted stories behind the objects. Each object, from a Manor Great Drawing Room and Library. painting hidden in an Amsterdam annexe to a family £23.95, child £10.25. please book prayer book, tells a story linking to universal themes Rothamsted Manor, Harpenden AL5 2JQ of sanctuary, courage, compassion, setting down www.rothamstedenterprises.com roots, work and community. Save Our Streams www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk Not many people know this, but the water we drink Charity Fun Quiz Night comes from the local environment, flowing through 5th Feb 7.30pm Zoom nearby rivers and streams. SOS is the UK’s biggest Soroptimist women's group quiz ever water saving initiative, focused on saving our in aid of women's refuge incredibly rare chalk streams, and the habitats they www.sigbi.org/st-albans/quiz22 provide for local wildlife. Affinity Water have made it or call Jane on 07834345796 easy to get involved, with lots of free water saving devices and bespoke expert advice. Get started by Sustainable St Albans entering your postcode, it’s quicker than making a Borrow a Thermal Imaging Camera cup of tea! See where your home is leaking heat, lacking in www.saveourstreams.co.uk insulation or needs draught-proofing. Attend an 36

Out & About

07500 801192

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Index of Businesses Accountants Hicks Antiques Cotterstock Antiques

College Oaklands College

Computer Repairs Ken Hodson

Bathing Mobility Bathing Mobility Advisory Service

Beauty Face & Body

Blinds Harpenden Blinds

Building / Refurbishment AJR Building Services 33 Complete Refurbishment & Roofing Front Cover Eco Tiffin 35 Kingsholme Back Cover Open Plan Solutions 37

Home Care 11 Caring Connections

Finance Continuum JP Wealth Management Ltd

Pest Control 6 Wasp Guys

Car Body Repairs Prestige Paint Shop

Garage Doors Garolla

Car Servicing / Repairs RTI Auto Services Ltd

7 Plumber DJ&M Plumbing Services Ltd 30 Roofing GJ Smith Roofing 27 Security Harpenden Alarms Ltd 28 Maximum Security

Garden Nursery Townsend Nursery

Gardening / Landscaping AR Landscapes Ltd

Singing Club 17 Clover Singing Club

Charity Traid Children’s Art Classes ArtShed!

Chimney Sweep The Local Chimney Sweep

Cleaning Domestique Merrivac Molly Maid

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Locksmiths 38 Lock Around the Clock Locksmith Services Conservatory Roof Solutions Nu-Look 9 Loft Ladders Home Counties Loft Ladders Dance & Drama Penny Waterman Painters & Decorators School of Dance 5 CB Decorators Stagecoach 5 M & M Decorators

Flooring KC Flooring Specialists Ltd Foot Care 1st Footcare

Hairdressing Image Mobile Hairdressing Healthcare Spire Harpenden Hospital

Shutters Shuttercraft

Solicitors Rayden Solicitors

Windows & Doors Cloud 9 Kings Windows

Local Computer Hardware and Software Repairs Upgrades and Advice for Home and Business

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No fix, no fee for all repairs - you have nothing to lose! Low hourly rate Most repairs carried out in your home, if not the computer will be picked up and delivered back to you. Problems with Windows / Applications / Games / Internet / Networks fixed Friendly training and instruction available in plain English Advice given on upgrades - many older computers can be upgraded at a fraction of the cost of a new machine Upgrades of hardware and software

07974 156743 / 01582 794723 enquiries@kenhodsoncomputerservices.co.uk www.kenhodsoncomputerservices.co.uk

We have made every effort to ensure that any material published in harpenden NOW is correct and can accept no liability for any errors or delays in publication or distribution, harpenden NOW accepts no responsibility for its advertisers.

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Ken Hodson

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Tree Surgeons Fircroft Tree Surgery Ltd 22 & 23 TGB Treecare

Hearing Services Hearing Healthcare Practice 19

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DJ&M

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www.djmplumbing.co.uk

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