inform M
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Keeping you “Inform”ed with all the news, products, services, events and opportunities available in St Albans!
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Issue 8 - December 2021
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Businesses COMMUNITY
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Contents
What’s in store for you in this month’s Inform Magazine?
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The 12 “must have” apps
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Top Tips with Tania from BT
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Harpenden Spotlight on Africa
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The Best Gift You Can Give This Year
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Talent Spot
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Local Events
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Have you met....
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Clubs & Societies
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Make 2022 the best year for business
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Local Band Release New Single
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#ShopLocal
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Local Products
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St Albans Outdoor Activity Park
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News Round Up
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Fed Up Working From Home?
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More Local Talent with Kick Pistol
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Was COP26 A Success?
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Popdance in Schools
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THE
Businesses COMMUNITY
Wow! December is here! As we write this we’ve just had a little scattering of snow and we are busily preparing for the Woo Hoo Awards! We are VERY excited to be “back in the room”, “in the flesh” celebrating the achievements of many incredible businesses. December is often a time of reflection - looking back over the past year to see what we have achieved - and, we must all be very proud of ourselves for getting through one of the toughest times of running a business - for some of us it’s meant doing something completely different to what we anticipated for 2021, for others it’s meant adapting and learning new ways of doing things, and for some it’s been completely changing tactics or direction for our careers.
forefront - as well as celebrating the more prominent achievements. With no judging, no popularity contest - purely nominations from fellow peers - it’s a time to come together and see for ourselves that there are incredible businesses in St Albans. We wish you health and happiness for 2022 and look forward to being able to celebrate with friends and family this Christmas - enjoy! Here’s a throwback from a couple of years ago, when lots of us got together to create a Christmas Mash-Up in aid of Home-Start Herts - enjoy! And, if you’d like to donate to this amazing charity - here’s the donation link www.homestarthertfordshire. enthuse.com/profile
But what the pandemic has taught us, is to really appreciate our communities - friends, family, colleagues - helping and supporting each other along the way - and the Woo Hoos were created specifically for that - for celebrating achievements - no matter how small or large - for all sizes of business bringing the unsung heroes to the
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The 12 ‘must-have’ Apps for an ‘Appy Christmas Make it an ‘Appy Christmas this year with these great suggestions from Big Buzz Solutions - Your Local App Development Experts!
1. PNP - Portable North Pole Create and share magical personalised messages from Santa Claus while encouraging good behaviour this holiday season - a favourite with children and grown-ups alike.
We love Apps - that’s why we spend our time designing and building them for small businesses. And so we thought it only right and proper that, in the run up to the festive season, we share with you some superb Christmas Apps that everyone should have on their mobile device.
Available on iOS
So, here’s our top picks for 12 great Xmas Apps we know ‘yule’ love - all downloadable from the iOS and Android app stores…
Available on Android 2. The Christmas Gift List Manager Want to stick to a budget this Christmas and manage what gifts you have bought for your family and friends? Then this is the app for you! Available on iOS Available on Android 3. Christmas Countdown The Xmas app that keeps you updated on how many days, hours, minutes and seconds there are until Christmas 2021. Available on iOS Available on Android 4. The Harpenden Guide Clearly we couldn’t let this list pass without including the amazing local community app we have developed to support local people and businesses in Harpenden and the surrounding areas. :-) Available on iOS Available on Android
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5. Santa Tracker There are lots of these now but here’s a fun tracker that creates lots of excitement as it tracks the big man making his way around the world.
10. How the Grinch Stole Xmas The Dr. Seuss classic, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ comes to life with playful interactivity, delightful animations and fun activities!
Available on iOS
Available on iOS
Available on Android
Available on Android
6. StreetLink Christmas is the season of goodwill and as the cold weather kicks in StreetLink provides a way for people to inform local authorities about rough sleepers to help get them off the streets.
11. Virtual Fireplaces Feel cosy this Xmas even if you don’t have your own fireplace! Guaranteed to bring a warm glow to your festivities!
Available on iOS Available on Android 7. Christmas Sweeper 4 Candy Crush fans, get ready Christmas Sweeper is in the house, and it’s like your favourite game, except with a Christmas twist. Hours of festive fun guaranteed!
Available on iOS Available on Android 12. Amazon Definitely the best shopping app and with Prime Delivery it’s an opportunity to grab those last minute gifts you’ve forgotten to buy! Available on iOS
Available on iOS
Available on Android
Available on Android
Happy Christmas from all of us at Big Buzz Solutions - Your Local App Experts.
8. Elf Yourself The most popular app of the holiday season is back with great new dances and features. Create your own personalised videos with your face on dancing elves! Available on iOS Available on Android 9. Santa’s Secret Keeper A festive, spoiler-free secret Santa app for creating a gift exchange and keeping the gift buyers secret so everyone can participate. Available on iOS Available on Android
We’re a local family-owned business providing dedicated app solutions for small businesses. The team design, build and publish unique iOS, Android and Progressive Web Apps to help small businesses increase sales, loyalty and repeat customers. We’re also the Creators and Sponsors of The Harpenden Guide App - a unique local community initiative to support local businesses and local people.
www.bigbuzzsolutions.co.uk
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Top Tips with Tania Bringing you tech tips from BT Skills for Tomorrow
Accessibility & Inclusion If told you there’s a consumer segment, with spending power to the tune of £274 billion, in the UK alone, would you want a piece of that? Well, it’s no fairy tale - disabled people and their carers are ready to spend £274 billion pounds! As we head towards Christmas it’s a consideration that many small businesses should think about. Whether through inclusive design, an accessible sales journey or signposting to extra help and support for those that need it. Little changes can make a huge difference and often improve the customer experience for everyone. Following the success of #PurpleTuesday, which encourages organisations to embrace, and commit to improving the customer experience for disabled people 365 days a year. I’m now getting behind International Day of People with Disabilities (idpwd.org) on the 3rd December.
RNIB - Technology is changing every day and if you have sight loss it can be daunting knowing where to start. RNIB guides will help you to: •
understand the basics of different mainstream products
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introduce the features of specialist technologies
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Build confidence in browsing for information and searching on the internet
To show my support I’ve launched some helpful resource for those that may need a little extra help get to grips with tech. If you have, or know someone with a visual, hearing, motor or cognitive impairment, then learning just a few of the most common accessibility features of you smartphone can, not only make life easier, but it also opens up a whole new world to explore online.
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Head to RNIB’s Technology resource hub to get the latest technology facts, tips, and guides for people with sight loss
AbilityNet My Computer My Way provides hundreds of step-by-step guides to adapting your device to make it easier to use. From Windows, iOS, Android, and Chrome, as well as popular browsers, there are over 600 free guides at your fingertips. You can search for a specific adjustment you want to make, or by condition, or the symptom you are experiencing.
NHS App - As Covid continues to be part of our lives and business as usual - if you know someone that could do with a little help setting up the NHS App or downloading their COVID Pass check out my simple guide here NHS App.
Want to help your family or small business get the most out of tech? Here is a small selection of the guides available to help: •
Make text larger
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Increase the size of your mouse pointer
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Magnify the screen
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Change your colours
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Alter sound settings
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Use your voice to control your device
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Change your keyboard settings
Find a range of free courses and advice for your home and work life at BT Skills for Tomorrow Tania Young leads on BT’s Digital Skills programme for older and vulnerable customers.
Explore AbilityNet’s My Computer My Way
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Harpenden Spotlight on Africa Mbale is the poorest part of Eastern Uganda, and the communities are mainly refugees from conflict in South Sudan and north Uganda. A large proportion of whom are destitute.
Our Focus There are many objectives, but these typically fall into four categories:
In this article Harpenden Spotlight on Africa (HSoA) take great pleasure in updating you on: •
The significant accomplishments made in 2021 by our team in Uganda
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Share with you our plans for 2022
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Give details of a collaborative opportunity with HSoA in 2022
About HSoA We are made up of two teams who collaborate to deliver great outcomes. The Uganda team (based in Mbale) work with the local community, the Uganda Government, and the UK team, to roll out projects to resolve significant locally identified needs. The UK team, who are all volunteers are focussed on providing funds and supporting the projects in Uganda. 97% of all funds raised in the UK go directly to the team in Mbale.
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•
Save Lives – adults and children
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Educate young people
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Enable communities to become financially independent
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Create an economically sustainable future
Success in 2021 There have been many successes this year but HSoA have:RAISED FUNDS to build a maternity centre which will save many lives of expectant mothers – In the area expectant mothers are 36 x more likely than in the UK to die during childbirth. BUILT A MATERNITY CLINIC – building work started this summer and we are making great progress, we anticipate that the maternity centre will complete in Q1 2022. SAVED LIVES through commencing the roll out of a transformational Community Health Programme in Mbale. This delivered 2000 child vaccinations and the creation/ maintenance of 250 voluntary health workers.
Plans for 2022 We have big plans for next year and HSoA will, in partnership with PEAS, commence the build of a secondary school. This project is currently being fully scoped and costed but will enable young people in Mbale to transition seamlessly from our academically successful primary school to secondary school. At present youngsters travel hours every day to access secondary education.
We are keen to create bespoke relationships but would welcome your organisation to join us in our 2022 our events programme. These are likely to include:-
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Social events – such as golf event, garden party, local meals
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Adventure Activities - such as abseiling
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Large functions - such as the HSoA Summer Ball
We would also welcome any innovative ideas to support our objective of building a muchneeded Secondary School and changing as many lives as possible.
The 2022 Hertfordshire Business initiative We are looking to create partnerships with local businesses with the intention to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties. The focus of this is to raise funds towards the secondary school planned in 2022. The benefits to your business with an effective CSR initiative, aside from the feel-good factor can include:-
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Improved job satisfaction and increased motivation of employees
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Attraction of new business
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Retention of customers
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Enhance your business’s standing in the community through local PR
If this article has sparked your interest in working with us at Harpenden Spotlight on Africa, please do follow up by contacting one of us below: Neil Margereson – neilmargereson@hsoa.org.uk Andrew Horne andrewhorne@hsoa.org.uk We are planning on running a presentation to provide more comprehensive background to HSoA and launch this program in early 2022. If you would like to be kept informed of this, please do let us know. Finally, Harpenden Spotlight on Africa sends our readers many festive greetings and best wishes for 2022.
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Get your business
2022-ready
Speak to OnBrand today! Digital
Social
Branding
PR
Audio
Events
OnBrand is an established St Albans based full-service marketing and business growth agency focused on delivering results for a range of business, retail and consumer brands. We exist to help you make your business thrive and we love being part of that journey!
sayhello@onbrand.co.uk
03333 220022
A Specialist Menopause Clinic.
We provide a holistic approach to Menopause Care.
www.vitalwellnessclinic.com 10
01727 226911
Talent Spot THE PINK NOSTALGIA
SUPPORTING COACH PARTY AT THE HORN ON 19 JAN BUY TICKETS FOR THE EVENT HERE.
"The Pink Nostalgia are the type of group that mesmerise with stunningly- lit sounds and fuse eclectic indie- electronic soundscapes that will take you to places you didn’t know existed." - A&R Factory
"Haunting vocals and a good craft to the electronics" Bristol Funk "The Pink Nostalgia is an exciting space to be watching." Eclectic3 Blog
The Pink Nostalgia is the indie-electronic solo project by Joseph James. Hailing from London and Hertfordshire, UK, The Pink Nostalgia released their ethereal, dream-pop esque, self-titled debut EP on July 1st 2020, with ‘Peaches’ as the lead single. Shortly after the first EP, The Pink Nostalgia began work on ‘MONOCHROME’, their conceptual second EP, released on January 29th 2021. The lead single, ‘THE COMEDOWN’ and subsequent singles ‘PLUTO’ and ‘DRIFTED’ received great praise from their fans and press alike, with these singles becoming clear fan-favourites. The track list discusses the grief that breakups bring, as well as, unrequited love and regret. Joseph cites his main influences as The 1975, Wolf Alice, Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac, The Japanese House, and Bon Iver, to name but a few. The Pink Nostalgia's slot at Islington Radio Festival coincides with the release of their new single; the summertime, house/ club remix of 'THE COMEDOWN', remixed by TXP, which will be unveiled during the set list. Listen to The Pink Nostalgia here.
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EVENTS Check the TBC Calendar HERE for all events
1st December 1st December 1st December 1st December -
Off GRID – Building your business away from social media The Business Network South Herts – Retirement Event Facebook & Instagram for Business Workshop -STANTA Meet the Employer – Could you work at Sky Studios Elstree?
2nd December - Online Business Networking Group – Mums Unltd 3rd December - Google Analytics workshop - STANTA 7th December 7th December 7th December 7th December 8th December 8th December -
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BIG CHRISTMAS BUSINESS NETWORKING EXTRAVAGANZA event - Mums Unltd Vision boarding & Brunch - Milknbizz Business Planning Seminar Part 1 - STANTA Christmas Chamber Lunch Chamber of Commerce LinkedIn for Individuals and Businesses STANTA Rothamsted Christmas Lunch
9th December 9th December -
Business Planning Seminar Part 2 - STANTA Christmas PA Club
10th December - Import Documentation & Procedure – Practical Guide - Chamber of Commerce 10th December - Planning and Creating a Website - STANTA 10th December - Mums UnLtd Online Networking Group 12th December - Christmas Afternoon Tea at Rothamsted Manor 13th December - Mums UnLtd Evening Group 14th December - Women in Leadership Afternoon Tea Chamber of Commerce 15th December - Mums UnLtd St Albans Group 22nd December- Rothamsted Christmas Lunch
Do you have events you’d like more people to know about? They can be any kind of event, not just business - get in touch with us at stalbans@thebusinessescommunity.com to find out more
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Have you met...
Locanda Bagutta is a local Authentic Italian restaurant that you will find halfway down George Street, in St Albans town centre. We have been open for just over 3 years now and recently celebrated our 3rd Birthday. Locanda Bagutta is named after the first “Bagutta” restaurant owned by my family in Milan. We even have some of the orignal artwork from Milan displayed and love to tell customers about its origin and how it found its way to St Albans. We serve authentic Italian food and have a vast varied menu full of Italian delights, old favourites and innovative dishes created by our excellent Italian chefs. People often ask about StA Pizza and whether is separate to Locanda as it its opposite us in the courtyard, but StA Pizza is part of the Bagutta family. Our Pizza Chef prepares pizza with the freshest ingredients and homemade dough for our eat in restaurant guests and for those that want takeaway or delivery. We have just released our 2021 Winter menu - Truffle features heavily on many of our homemade pasta and gnocchi dishes and we have some new “Stars of the show” Liguran style Sea Bass with sliced potato, pine nuts, taggiasche olives roasted cherry tomatoes and white wine, plus an amazing Lamb cutlet in almond croute, lemon and
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honey citronette served on a bed of rocket! We make some lovely cocktails and our desserts are homemade by our Chefs. The “Zuppa Inglese” (Italian dessert layering custard and spongecake) is proving to be very popular, along with the addition of a classic “Creme Brulè”, of course our customers say you can’t beat our “Tiramisù”, so if you haven’t tried it yet, what are you waiting for? Our Wines are imported from Italy, along with some new Italian craft beers (you might have tried at the St Albans Gin and Jazz Festival) so if you are looking for something new instead of the usual Gavi or Pino Grigio, chat to us for a recommendation. From 2nd -24th December we are serving a “Christmas Party Menu” with a welcome glass of Prosecco, so if you are looking to book a Christmas celebration, large or small, contact Antonio or Martina on 01727 854525 for more details or to book. Follow us on Instagram locandabagutta or Facebook @locandabagutta.stalbans for the latest news, photos and highlights... 23A George St, St Albans. We look forward to welcoming you very soon!
Christmas Menu
Locanda Locanda
AUTHENTIC ITALIAN RESTAURANT
St Albans
Welcome glass of prosecco with appetizers
STARTERS Mixed marinated vegetables salad and nuts (V) (GF) OR
Mango and Parma ham (GF) OR
Tiger prawns tempura with fried artichokes FIRST COURSE Tortellini in chicken broth OR
Fish ravioli, prawns cream OR
Fresh spinach and ricotta Tortelloni, cream parmesan sauce, truffle oil, roasted red radicchio julienne (V) MAIN COURSE Beef medallion in Madeira sauce, fried polenta (GF) OR
Dover sole fillets mugnaia style (GF) OR
Aubergine and courgette timballo, parmesan cream (V) (GF) DESSERT Traditional Italian Verona pandoro Alckermes flavoured and chocolate sauce (V) OR
Fruit salad with maraschino and vanilla ice cream (V) (GF) OR
Cantuccini Toscani and Vinsanto (V) (GF)
£ 42.00
per person, drinks not included AVAILABLE FROM 2nd DECEMBER TO 24th DECEMBER 2021 Lunch - Friday to Sunday 12.00 pm to 3.00 pm Evening - Tuesday to Sunday 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm Or on different times for groups. PREBOOKED ONLY
23A George Street (Inside courtyard) - AL3 4ES St.Albans
0172 7 85 2545
booking@bagutta.co.uk 17
Clubs & Societies Soroptimist International is a global women’s organisation with Clubs all over the world. Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls. The local Soroptimist Club ‘St Albans and District’ has a lively and diverse group of more than 30 women volunteer Members from St Albans and the surrounding areas. The work of the Club is local, national and global. We are on Instagram and Twitter as well as Facebook all with the handle @sistalbans and have a website www.sigbi.org/st-albans
Celebrating Centenary of Soroptimist International
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Find out news and information about the club
WE WISH YOU A CHILLI CHRISTMAS AND A RED HOT NEW YEAR GRAPHIC DESIGN & COMMS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Make 2022 the best year ever for your business!
challenges with a smaller group of people and all learn from each others experiences and ideas.
We had such a brilliant time at the launch of Peer2Peer Club last month with many different businesses joining us for a full morning of learning, connecting and sharing of experiences and skills.
At the end of the Peer2Peer Club meet, all were invited to Opt-In or Opt-Out of the next meeting in January. A staggering 90% have opted-in.
Hosted by John Acton of Peer2Peer, we had presentations from Joolz Joseph on email marketing, and Georgia O'Keefe of OST Digital on social media with an interactive Q&A session afterwards - and there were certainly lots of questions on how to leverage social and improve marketing. After a well-earned coffee break, we had "break out" tables with an expert host on each enabling business owners to share their experiences, questions,
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If you want to join the 90%ers, the next Peer2Peer Club is on Friday 21st January at 9.30-12.30pm at Rothamsted Conference Centre - and the theme for January is all about Planning for your best year ever! And what's more - Peer2Peer Club is free until April 2022 - giving you plenty of time to see the value it will definitely bring to your business. If you haven't yet done so, find out more and book your place here - and let's make 2022 the best it can possibly be.
Local St Albans band, release new single "Apparitions"
This young band have come a long way in such a short space of time. Take a look at their new single and it would be great if you could show your support by giving them a follow on instagram @kickpistol
Local Products and Services #ShopLocal Accountants the barefoot accountant ltd Accountancy services for creative businesses www.thebarefoot.accountant
Advertising My Mustard Looking for targeted, cost effective, measurable results? Look no further. My Mustard & Google AdWords, a winning combination. www.mymustard.co.uk
Arts & Culture Trestle Theatre Company Trestle Theatre Company are a mask and physical theatre company running Trestle Arts Base where they offer creative workshops and opportunities, space hire, performances and training. Trestle provides high quality, creative opportunities to everyone. Find out what their current offer is at www.trestle.org.uk/whats-on
Business Coaching Talia Zamora I help determined achievers (specialising in those with Neurodiverse families) to become the go-to business in your field and attain the income you desire! I help to form transformational strategies which enables you to live your dream lifestyle. www.taliazamora.com
Business Consultancy Good Beyond We work with forward thinking organisations that want to lead with vision and create healthy happy workplaces that change the world. www.goodbeyond.com/talk St Albans Enterprise Agency (STANTA) Free business advice and training for Hertsbased micro businesses under 3 years old, but we specialise in helping businesses in postcode areas AL1-10 www.stanta.co.uk
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Business Support Grow With Vision We help businesses do business better. From streamlining processes, to Software implementation and training, we show you ways of working faster and smarter. www.growithvision.com The St Albans Business Community Effective marketing for your business from a community you can trust www.stalbans.thebusinessescommunity.com/ work-with-us Mums UnLtd Mums UnLtd offers business support for Mums running or starting a business www.mumsunltd.co.uk Jaxstar Solutions Jaxstar Solutions is a Business Support service focused on assisting you to grow your business no matter the size. We offer several different services from a GDPR audit to a Xero Review and Fix package. For more information, get in touch today. www.jaxstarsolutions.co.uk/jaxstar-solutionsservices/ Accord HR Consulting Ltd Accord HR Consulting will help businesses to resolve their tricky people management situations. www.accordHRconsulting.co.uk Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Is legal, H&S, GDPR, HR, and pensions auto enrolment an expensive chore for you? Get it sorted in a day at no extra cost. Tap into the bargaining power of 165,000 members for key business services. We are not-for-profit, all fees go to making business services accessible to all. Call Loreta on 07464 892 681 to discuss your application. Rocket Girl Coaching My life and work is dedicated to personal and organisational development to improve inclusion and understanding in society through Executive Coaching, Consultancy and Disability Equality Training. www.rocketgirlcoaching.com
Charity Harpenden Spotlight on Africa HSoA delivers projects in challenging environments, transforming the lives of some of the poorest people in Africa. www.hsoa.org.uk
Coaching Peer2Peer Peer2Peer is all about helping business leaders build the best businesses possible, but to also, making sure they enjoy the ride. We’re an inclusive group, everybody is welcome as long as you’re serious about being the best you can be and building a great business. Simply ping me an email johnacton@dpi-europe.com Mark Ashley with 30 years of business & management experience, I help new or existing businesses grow, provide advice and a range of business services, including 121 coaching. www.markashleyltd.com mark@markashleyltd.com
Commercial Photography Striking Places Photography Professional photography for all your business photography needs. www.strikingplaces.com
Dance School Rinceoiri le Cheile Irish Dance Academy Irish dancing classes for boys & girls from 3yrs+ www.instagram.com/rcirishdance
Digital Marketing Wagada Wagada is an award-winning, results-driven digital marketing agency, working with ambitious companies to help them to reach their goals and acquire new customers through engaging and strategic marketing campaigns. www.wagada.co.uk Darcy Salinger SEO & Analytics Service to help improve visibility within search engines jon.salinger@darcysalinger.com and www.darcysalinger.com
Family Louise’s Antenatal Classes Hi I’m Lou the Midwife. I deliver antenatal and hypnobirthing classes and offer antenatal and postnatal care. www.louantenatal.com
Family & Portrait Photography Annie Griggs Photography Capturing a wide range of photography genres, including families and children, business headshots, events and product photography. All at a high professional standard. www.anniegriggs-photography.co.uk
Finance Visionary Accountants Providing professional services including Tax Returns, Tax Advice & Planning, Management Accounts, R&D, Bookkeeping, Payroll & Workplace Pensions www.visionaryaccountants.co.uk/contactus
Flooring Carpet store Quality flooring at affordable rates Tothecarpetstore@aol.com
Food Dizzy Bee Kitchen Food Gorgeous Granolas www.dizzybeekitchen.co.uk Rothamsted Manor Rothamsted Manor is a Grade 1 listed manor house in the heart of Harpenden, offering afternoon tea, music concerts, weddings, parties, wakes and much more. www.rothamstedenterprises.com/events
Graphic Design The Brandit Super simple, super effective, super amazing logos, branding and communications for your business www.thebrandit.co.uk
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Hair/Barbering Headcase Barbers proper haircuts in an unpretentious environment www.instagram.com/headcasestalbans
Health and Beauty Karen’s Temple Spa Spa Experiences in your own home www.templespa.com/karenfrancis Caroline k facial treatments I offer luxury skincare treatments, procedures and products. For information or to book call 07949138145
Health and Wellbeing Victoria Bell Nutrition Nutritional therapy programmes supporting women with digestive health and the perimenopause www.victoriabellnutrition.co.uk Forever Living (the Aloe Vera Co) by Nicky Packman I can advise on and supply a wide range of Aloe Vera & Beehive based products to help support skin, digestion, gut health, immunity, mobility and general wellbeing for all ages. www.thealoeveraco.shop/GkHcYFOe Moveology A wide range of treatments to help with injury recovery and fitness improvements. www.moveology.co.uk
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Home and Decor Verulam Tile Warehouse Ceramic, porcelian, natural stone wall and floor tiles for inside and outside. www.verulamtilewarehouse.co.uk Blissfully Organised Professional Organising www.blissfullyorganised.co.uk
Illustrator Hannah Sessions Design I offer bespoke illustrations of your house/ school/ favourite place. Makes a great gift and now have some packages to choose from. Get in touch. www.facebook.com/hannahsessionsdesign
Insurance Broker EIC Insurance Services Limited We help business owners sleep at night by protecting the things they care about www.eicinsurance.co.uk
Language Services Atlas Translations We offer personal, certified and professional language services. A world-class, ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified translations agency. www.atlas-translations.co.uk
Marketing
Popdance Learn fun dance routines to pop music from the 80s, 90s, 00 and current pop track - for all ages and abilities www.popdance.co.uk
Amber Mountain Marketing Cost Effective Marketing Communications Book a free power hour too boost your marketing here; www.ambermountainmarketing.co.uk/ contact
Positive Reflex Therapy I offer deeply relaxing, rejuvenating and destressing Reflexology and Reiki treatments in the comfort of your own home or workplace. www.positivereflextherapy.co.uk
Joolz Joseph Email Marketing Services & Training. Marketing Motivation and Mentoring for small businesses. Find out more at JoolzJoseph.com www.joolzjoseph.com
Music Kick Pistol Show your support for local indie band, Kick Pistol, by following them on Instagram www.instagram.com/kickpistol
Networking The Business Network South Herts Visit us to enjoy networking with likeminded people and an educational seminar www.business-network-south-herts.co.uk/ events-seminars The Athena Network Bedfordshire & St Albans Business Networking and Development Club for Women in Business www.theathenanetwork.com/katecherry or email me at kate.cherry@theathenanetwork.com Women In Business Network Connections, Support, Business Potential for Women In Business through networking www.wibn.co.uk
Network and Internet Countrifi Networks We provide advice, guidance and solutions for improving your internet and wireless coverage around your home or business. We also offer a range of CCTV and Alarm solutions. www.Facebook.com/CountrifiNetworks
Office Space BubbleHUB bubbleHUB is a new, high end coworking space in the heart of St Albans www.bubblehub.co
Optometrist EYES on St Albans We ROCK your new eyewear..! www.eyesonstalbans.com
Painters and Decorators St Albans Decor Kitchen Cabinet Painters + Renovations Painting and Decorating www.stalbansdecor.co.uk
Performing Arts School Brilliant Theatre Arts We are youth theatre and drama school combined offering training through performance. Aimed at young performers aged 7 - 21 who have a serious interest in performing www.brillianttheatrearts.co.uk
Print Macpro Design & Print Ltd. Providing professional artwork, design and print to local SME’s. Visit our website for more information www.macprodp.com
Photography Stephanie Belton Photography Portrait photography for families and businesses www.stephaniebelton.com Immersive Walkthroughs We create unique 3D virtual tours to help you promote your business www.immersivewalkthroughs.com/tourexamples
Retail Atelier Ferrari Monti ladies made to measure www.ferrarimonti.com Dress Up & Dance Dancewear, dance shoes, gymnastics clothing, fancy dress costumes for sale and hire, accessories and costume make up www.dressupanddance.com Floral City Goodbye Flowers, Floral Gifts and Flower Subscriptions www.floralcity.co.uk
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Retail Flagship Wines A great range of delicious wines, Champagnes, Ports, Spirits and craft beers www.flagshipwines.co.uk, Flagship Wines on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Lift Your Spirits Online We aim to ‘Lift Your Spirits’, explore gifts that create a true understanding of our Company’s name. www.liftyourspirits.online Lou Murphy Styles Styling and shopping with French fashions from Captain Tortue www.facebook.com/ groups/1620092258294835
Senior Care & Dementia Care Tea & Memories Reminiscence Vintage Tea Party Activity for Seniors. Suitable for groups in care homes, community care venues, or private homes. Ideal for celebrations. Email terri@teaandmemories.co.uk Tel: 07505 141707
Telecommunications Trio Telecom Trio Telecom are rate 5* on Google and provide local businesses with Voice over IP phone systems, broadband and ethernet connectivity, and call answering and virtual numbers. www.triotelecom.co.uk/contact-us VOIspeed Ltd VOIspeed offers a fantastic business phone system with collaborative tools ideal for hybrid working that can be used anywhere on any device. www.voispeed.co.uk
Video Production Yellow Lizard Media Professional video production for a range of industries, services and events www.yellowlizardmedia.co.uk
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Web Design Gold Nugget Designs Bespoke WordPress websites that get your business seen! www.goldnuggetdesigns.co.uk/websiteworksheet
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LOCAL PRODUCTS Check out these gorgeous products available from local businesses- All products available from www.hertfordshiremums.com Gordon The Gorilla - Say hello to Gordon the Gorilla. This big guy is here to add some humour to a bar or sideboard. He’ll hold a full size bottle of wine securely, and keep you company for an evening drink. find out more here
Personalised Baubles - Beautiful ceramic baubles from Hannah Sessions Design. from £15 - Find out more here
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Living M Collagen Boost - A multitasking dream cream designed to boost collagen production and deliver vital nourishment for plumper, glowing, firmer skin. - Find out more here VeryanMadeThis Local Lino Prints Hand carved and hand printed lino print of St Albans Cathedral, available in striking red, bright yellow, dark navy or duck-egg blue. Makes a stunning addition to any room.. - Find out more here Shutibyjk - Silk Eye Mask Tuxuriously soft silk eye masks help nourish and hydrate your skin and promote a good night’s sleep.. Find out more here
Spatogo SIESTA FOREVER - Infused with a warming essential oil blend that includes lavender, petitgrain, geranium, frankincense, chamomile, myrrh, black pepper, dill and patchouli. We just know you’ll want to SIESTA FOREVER all night (and day) long!. - Find out more here
Wine Social - The power of Six - White wine premium selection. Fresh, crisp, fruity, sharp - all covered, serve CHILLED! - Find out more here
Tommy & Lottie - The set contains three items these include – a unisex organic cotton embroidered polar bear sweatshirt, a matching back pack made from recycled plastic bottles and a plantable seed card including an envelope - Find out more here
Do you have a product or service to offer in St Albans that you would like to feature in an issue of Inform Magazine? • • • • •
Simply send us: an image of the product or service a simple sentence about it how much it is a link to where people can buy/order from you
That’s it - we want to make #ShopLocal as easy as possible for people in St Albans Send your info to stalbans@thebusinessescommunity.com
St. Albans Outdoor Activity Park (SOAP) There are many wonderful parks and open spaces in St. Albans and the surrounding district with purpose-built recreation apparatus. Much of the apparatus is only geared towards the smaller child or toddler. The recent upgrade of the Verulam play area has notices disqualifying any over 10’s from participating. There is little outdoor, free to use, nonorganised recreation for preteens, teens and young adults. This is a large demographic not catered for with nearly the right amount of opportunities. Attempts at trying to create a space for pre-teens, teens and older has been limiting as it is usually single use does not provide much in the way of creativity or imagination.
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After the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo where British skateboarder Sky Brown won a bronze medal there has been an uplift of participants of wheeled sports especially by females. This demonstrates the power of positive roles models for getting young people active. This legacy needs to be built upon by constructing a concrete built Activity Park that adds to the diversity of the Health & Leisure portfolio of the city and the surrounding area. The Activity Park needs to be open and free to use for all the community of the district of St. Albans. It is envisaged that the Activity Park is an all-inclusive area to cater for all wheel sports such as BMX, WCMX, scootering, skateboarding, roller skating and in-line skating. Wheeled sports generally are quite affordable. Skateboards themselves cost between £30-£150 and often need little maintenance or other equipment.
Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey highlights how just 17.5% of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines of more than 60 minutes of activity a day, every day of the week (Sport England 2018). Similarly, research by Youth Sport Trust indicates that only 40% of girls and 54% of boys aged 11-18 enjoy physical activity, with enjoyment levels decreasing with age (Youth Sport Trust 2018).
Wheel Sports participants such as skateboarders and other Activity Park users are often highly varied in age, gender, ethnicity, bodily ability, socioeconomic background, etc. This inclusivity in turn allows more riders to feel able to engage in their chosen activity and engenders a general feeling of inclusivity at Activity Parks. Many local authorities are working to encourage more residents to engage in physical activity more often. There is a lot at stake. Potential outcomes that can be achieved for local communities through enabling more regular participation in sport and physical activity include:-
• Improved health and wellbeing • More effective management of health conditions • Higher levels of self-esteem • Reduced prevalence of mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression • More opportunities for social interaction and the fostering of community cohesion • Local economic growth through job creation and place-shaping
Mental health benefits, often among those who otherwise might not be active. These benefits range from introducing young children to sport as a playful activity, to engaging teenagers who might otherwise be unattracted to team sports, to twentysomething millennials and Generation Z’ers expanding their sense of community, to middle-aged riders looking to keep active, alert and socially-connected. A recent and significant trend in related wheeled activities has been the rise in ‘adaptive’ riders using Activity Parks and urban terrains. Users include those who are blind, visually-impaired, deaf and/or are challenged with a range of physical and mental disabilities. WCMX - riding wheelchairs specially adapted for ramps and Activity Parks - has become especially popular. WCMX may well be part of the 2024 and 2028 Paralympics.
The St. Albans Activity Park SOAP campaign is looking to build a team to raise awareness of the need for an Activity Park in St. Albans and raise funds to construct the Activity Park. If you feel you are able to contribute I would really like to hear from you at kylenewman68@hotmail.com
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The Art of Breathwork in December is focused on finding balance and you can choose from 9th December at 9.30am or 13th December at 7pm. All sessions are experiential. Online Women’s Yoga classes are also running every Wednesday at 7pm. Visit - www.staceylandau.com Twitter - @staceylandau.yoga Facebook - facebook.com/staceylandauyoga
Have you made sure networking is part of your marketing strategy for 2022? Athena St Albans members love the collaboration and productivity of our online meetings providing a local and national network of connections. Here are some networking top tips. Plan ahead and book a discovery visit for January! Contact - kate.cherry@theathenanetwork.com Instagram - @athena_beds_stalbans Facebook - n@athenanetworkbeds
Communities 1st is helping local NHS Trusts to retain their international nurses by pairing them with \’volunteer buddies\’ that will help them settle into our communities by showing them around and involving them in group events. Visit - www.communities1st.org.uk Twitter - @1stCommunities
Carrot - St Albans Drone Services We are CAA authorised www.carrot.co.uk www.instagram.com/carrot_drone_stalbans www.twitter.com/CarrotPhoto www.facebook.com/carrot.co.uk
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Bespoke floral design homeware locally crafted artisan products and gifts for today’s lifestyle. Based in Wheathampstead High Street plenty of free parking (and coffee shops!). Official area stockist of eco-friendly Frenchic Chalk and Mineral paint. Www.flowersbycatherine.com Flowers by Catherine on Facebook and Instagram
We’ve got a superb time-limited offer running for local Nursery Schools and Childcare Facilities. A chance to create a unique 3D Virtual Tour of your nursery to enable parents to enjoy a superb virtual showaround! And if you’re one of the first three to respond we’ll provide the tour for you free-of-charge! www.immersivewalkthroughs.com/nursery-special-offer www.facebook.com/immersivewalkthroughs www.twitter.com/Your_3D_Tour
We are looking forward to Christmas. Are you ready for Cocktails? We have fantastic Shakers Mixers at - www.liftyourspirits.online
Shop for your festive FASHIONS and GIFTS in the Captain Tortue seasonal SALE for ladies sized 4-24. Personal shopping styling experiences Visit - www.facebook.com/groups/1620092258294835/ @loumurphystyles
Have you received feedback at your appraisal that you should ’Speak up’ in meetings; or a talented member of your team is not presenting the best version of him/herself in client meetings? Perhaps a career target is to speak more in conferences and step up to be more visible. Our SuperStar Communicator Programme is for ambitious talented professionals who wish to speak more effectively; with impact and confidence in 2022. Why not book a call? Book a chat: Here Instagram: @susanheatonwright1 Twitter: @superstarcomms Facebook: www.facebook.com/superstarcommunicator
Grab your customers attention this Christmas with social mediaready videos featuring your animated logo. Special offer: any 5 festive video bundle featuring your logo at half-price for £50! Choose your videos www.christmas.greentreeva.com @greentreevauk - Instagram @greentreeva - facebook @greentreevauk - twitter
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St Albans and Cheltenham based digital marketing agency Wagada Digital have won the Best Low Budget Campaign (SEO): Small Award at the UK Search Awards 2021 at a ceremony held in London on Tuesday 16 November. www.wagada.co.uk/contact-us www.facebook.com/Wagada www.twitter.com/wagada_digital www.instagram.com/wagada_digital
Running a business is busy enough without having to worry about those huge files that need to be backed up or software and hardware updates and general security procedures. An IT support partner will take away that headache removing those frustrating crashes and sluggish systems. Download Now: www.networkandsecurity.co.uk/business-it-support-partner
Instagram - netsec.it Facebook - ntsec.co.uk Twitter - net_sec_it
Travel insurance is it worth it? Yes it’s essential but it needs COVID cover included! We don’t plan for things to go wrong but the pandemic has taught us to expect the unexpected. Contact Not Just Travel – Keeley Brown to find out more www.keeleybrown.notjusttravel.com/travel-insurance-covid-covernow-included @keeleybrownnotjusttravel
Do you video desk-top share and team chat to your colleagues using your phone system? Give us a call for a demo and find out how you could be working. 01727 848186 www.voispeed.co.uk/newui_videoconference_desktop_sharing www.facebook.com/VOIspeedUK www.twitter.com/VOIspeedLtd
Looking for Email Marketing Content? Check out this online Compelling Content Course from Joolz Joseph packed full of ideas and examples. www.joolzjoseph.podia.com/creating-compelling-content-for-emails @JoolzJoseph
Bookkeeper Vacancy Visionary Accountants are a friendly, family-run accountancy firm looking to recruit for our St Albans office, located in the centre of town. We are growing rapidly and looking to ensure we have enough resource to maintain our customer service levels. The Role: We are seeking an experienced full-time bookkeeper to take on bookkeeping and VAT duties across a portfolio of our clients. These mainly use Xero software but knowledge of Sage and Quickbooks would also be useful. Excellent package and benefits including parking. Further details can be found here: Bookkeeper vacancy Please call 01727 730550 or email cwallace@visionaryaccountants.co.uk
Would you like to feature your business/ news/products/services/events in the Round Up? It's just £25 PAYG or £99 for the whole year - plus the round up goes out separately as an email and across social media too! Book to feature in the January issue here
Fed up working from home? Need to downsize or upsize your office? Then consider STANTA Business Centre, Soothouse Spring, St Albans AL3 6PF
Current vacancies: Suite 3: 4-6 person unfurnished ground floor office with kitchenette. 412 sq ft. £1391.67 (plus VAT) all-inclusive monthly licence
Offices to rent STANTA Business Centre’s USP is that there is plenty of on-site FREE parking and there is no long-term commitment to a lease; after an initial three months, the notice period is one month, so if your business changes, you’re not tied down. Budgeting is easy as there is an all-inclusive fixed monthly fee, so the only extra cost is your telecoms and broadband. There is also a large conference room, with WIFI and a flat screen TV which is available for tenants to use at no cost (up to 2 hrs per day).
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Suite 18: 4-6 person first floor office with kitchenette 426 sq ft. £1443.33 (plus VAT) all- inclusive monthly licence
Suite 11: One person or two person desk space in a bright first floor office with shared kitchenette, microwave, toaster and coffee maker. Each position is approximately 7.8m2. £277.50 plus VAT allinclusive licence for each desk.
Want to start a business but don’t know how? St Albans Enterprise Agency, known as STANTA, helps micro businesses or individuals to start, grow and develop a business. 12 hours of support is offered AT NO COST! This consists of one to one business advice meetings and a choice of workshops to attend on such subjects as: • Bookkeeping • Business Planning • Introduction to Social Media • FB & Instagram for business • Blogging for Beginners • Search Engine Optimisation
For a very cost-effective solution - one desk is offered in suite 14 at a cost of £186.67 plus vat, All the information, prices and pictures are on the website: www.stanta.co.uk/premises/ offices-to-rent-in-st-albans
• Google Analytics • …… and many more
Call 01727 837760 for more details. St Albans Enterprise Agency (STANTA) Suite 19 Stanta Business Centre 3 Soothouse Spring St Albans AL3 6PF advice@stanta.co.uk www.stanta.co.uk 01727 837760
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WAS COP26 A SUCCESS? Considered to be the most important climate summit in history, renowned environment campaigner and Willmott Dixon nonexecutive director Jonathon Porritt shares his thoughts on whether COP26 achieved its goals. A mammoth two weeks Going into extra time, the COP26 climate conference ended on Saturday 13 November, with 196 nations committed to a series of targets. Grabbing the headlines was the change of wording from India and China, amongst others, to ‘phase down’ rather than ‘phase out’ the use of coal, although there was far more to the deal than grabbing headlines. Reflecting on the negotiations, they were by no means a failure as they delivered on some of the pre-determined objectives. However, they could have gone much further. Perhaps this was to be expected when asking hundreds of countries, each with differing priorities, to reach a unanimous agreement. The big question is, will the commitments pledged at COP26 keep 1.5oC within reach? I believe 1.5oC is still just about in reach. We are unlikely to have a concrete idea on this, however, until after COP27, at which point countries will be asked to review their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with 2030 in mind, giving a short-term action plan for reducing their emissions. The NDCs agreed
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at COP26 put us on course for around 2.4oC if the Governments deliver on all of their commitments, without slippage or deviation. This substantial gap in outcomes indicates the urgency and importance of the NDC review at COP27.
Further pledges at COP26 As well as the overarching agreement, a range of further pledges and cooperation agreements were made at COP26. A significant example of this is the commitment on the part of some countries to reduce emissions of methane by 30% by 2030. Methane is an important greenhouse gas, although only lightly discussed in comparison to carbon dioxide, it is significantly more powerful when released into the atmosphere, increasing global warming at a higher rate than carbon. The reduction of methane will be a key priority for many countries and forms a key part of the agreement between the USA and China.
Drop a line to our decarbonisation team here An area I was particularly disappointed in was the lack of ownership from richer countries regarding the consequences of their actions when it comes to accelerating global warming, and the impact these actions have had on the developing world.
There are places suffering from climate disaster right now, and we are seeing some African countries spend 5% of their GDP fighting this problem. The developed world has failed to deliver on the $100Bn of support it promised in 2009. We need to address this critical issue now.
The UK outlook The UK Government played a key role in shaping the agenda for COP26. Following the Conference, it must lead from the front to prevent accusations of hypocrisy. Given the UK’s commitments, it is hard to see how the green light can be given for any future large-scale oil and gas project, or for the controversial coal mine in Cumbria. I was delighted to see a day of the COP26 agenda devoted to the built environment, a sector responsible for around 39% of global carbon emissions. This is an area where we are off the pace with both standards for new builds and retrofitting existing structures. The methodology for zero carbon buildings is not new - we have known how to build zero carbon houses for more than thirty years. To ensure sustainability is at the heart of a building’s design, though, we need to be mandating the requirement. Closer to home, at Willmott Dixon, a key driver we are seeing is the ambition for local authorities to be Zero Carbon across their estates by 2030, a commitment we echo in our 2030 ‘Now or Never’ sustainability strategy. This approach is seeing the acceleration of highly sustainable building requirements, such as our contract with Spelthorne Borough Council to deliver Greater London’s first Passivhaus accredited leisure centre. We are also seeing customers evaluate how they can decarbonise their existing infrastructure, such as our work with Oxford City Council, which will see four of the city’s leisure centres reduce their emissions by converting from fossil fuels to water and air source heat pumps. I hope to see more retrofit decarbonisation projects like this over the next few years.
Finally, it was pleasing to see the UK Green Building Council issue its new advice on embodied carbon - the emissions associated with the materials used to build - on the built environment day during COP26. There is currently a strong focus on operational carbon and reducing the emissions from running buildings. As building efficiencies improve, however, using more renewable energies, we will s ee a movement towards reducing embodied carbon. More retrofit decarbonisation projects need to be accelerated, such as the removal of their emissions by converting from fossilfueled infrastructure (pictured) to water and air source heat pumps.
Increased visibility My final remark is that through COP26, growing numbers of people in the UK now understand the scale of the challenges we face to keep global warming under control. Through the Conference, coupled with the UN’s ‘code red for humanity’ warning, we have had access to the solutions from our scientists, coupled with pledges from our world leaders, like never before. There is greater understanding and urgency across the public for why we need to be moving at pace to prevent climate disaster. This can only be a good thing.
We have known how to build zero carbon buildings for more than 30 years, however we need to mandate the requirement to see more schemes like Hackbridge Primary School, the UK’s first Passivhaus ‘plus’ school.
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POPDANCE
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Let's get the kids active through dance in schools! Did you know that you can Popdance in schools? Whether it be part of a PPE session A breakfast, lunch or after school workshop Or delivered by your own teachers?
Popdance is all about having fun through dance Learning fun dance routines to pop music that they love - like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and Little Mix. Whether you'd like our professional Popdance teachers to come into your school Or whether your team would like to deliver the simple routines themselves Get in touch to find out more sue@popdance.co.uk
There's lots of ways in which we support local businesses From free features in Inform Magazine to different packages to suit different requirements We all know that we need to be seen, be known and be trusted in business and that takes hard work and commitment. We also know that many of us are stuck for time and feel overwhelmed with all the places we can be - such as instagram, facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, Google My Business, website, blogs, email marketing - the list goes on So that's where we come in - we make it super simple to ensure your business gets seen, gets known and gets trusted - every single month! Whether it's the "promote my business package" at £25 PAYG or £99/year Or The Full Monty at £45/month We make sure your business is front of mind, is consistently in front of the people in St Albans, and we make it super simple for your business to be included. Sound good? Find out more about working with us here
Amy Wybrow Artworks Get in touch here for any design and artworking queries.
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