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st albans February 2026

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When ‘Picky Eating’ is more than a phase Many parents worry about their child’s eating habits, but when mealtimes become stressful and food choices extremely limited, it may be time to seek specialist support. Magnificent Munchers, based in Abbots Langley, Herts helps children from toddlers to teenagers who struggle with eating. Through individual and group food therapy sessions, their experienced team gently supports children in exploring new tastes and textures, always working at the child’s own pace.

Creativity & Craft Club for Adults Crochet, Knitting, Sewing, Embroidery, Mixed Media, Collage, Ceramics, Silversmithing, Calligraphy, Indian Block Printing, Mosaics, Creative Writing, Quilting, Linocut Printing and much more to come! Meet Me at Mabel’s, located in St Albans, offers short courses and workshops in all sorts of arts, crafts and creative activities. I started Meet Me at Mabel’s because I wanted to build a local community of like minded people who could come together and be creative while having fun. I also offer Birthday Parties, Hen Parties or Work Events.

The service takes a whole-family approach, guiding parents and carers through the steps of the eating process and showing them how to support progress at home. With a high staff-to-child ratio and specialist knowledge, the aim is to help children become confident, relaxed and happy social eaters. The multidisciplinary team includes a Children’s Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist, Dietician and Therapy Assistants, supporting children with a range of needs, including those on the Autistic Spectrum and with ARFID. Flexible appointments, including evenings and weekends, fit around busy family schedules. Founded by Children’s Occupational Therapist, Jacqueline Parkinson, Magnificent Munchers is dedicated to helping families enjoy mealtimes again.

www.magnificentmunchers.co.uk

There is a FREE social once a month please email hello@meetmeatmabels.co.uk to book a place Instagram and Facebook @meetmeatmabels a link in the bio takes you to the booking page The Mill, Unit 2, 181a Verulam Road, St Albans AL3 4DR

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Welcome to February

With so many places to visit and things to do this month we’ve squeezed in as much as we can from the Feb Fest, February Frolics and Valentine’s Fun to Star Gazing, Science Workshops, Wildlife and Local Walks. As always we’ve included lots of local businesses to help you with whatever you need doing. Run your own business? We‘d love to include you too, just book your space online today.

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Jane & Wendy

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Deadline 6th February Book online today theNOWmagazines.com

Feb Fest

Wardown House, Museum & Gallery LU2 7HA

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Shakespeare in a Suitcase: Hamlet 16th Feb 11.30am & 2pm £6, age 8+ A family drama of revenge, justice, and moral dilemmas, reimagined for young audiences. With just two actors, one musician, seven props and a suitcase! A Square World 18th Feb 11.30am & 2pm £6, age 3+ A story of friends who enjoy the same routine day after day, until an unexpected change is forced upon one of them. This endearing, funny show looks at the unfairness of being left out in a world designed for everyone else but you. Hat Factory Arts Centre Luton LU1 2EY Clay Play Workshop 16th Feb 10.30am & 1pm Get messy, unleash your creativity and express yourself at a fun-filled clay crafting workshop. £6, age 4+ Last Unicorn Airways 16th Feb 11.30am & 2pm Join two whimsical baggage handlers as they recreate a round-the-world adventure aboard the final flight of Last Unicorn Airways, opening suitcases full of trinkets, fine clothes, alluring smells and exciting tales. £6, age 4+ Get Lost & Found 17th Feb 11.30am & 2pm Magical puppetry, an ingenious pop-up book set, original music and interactive play will delight young audiences and encourage them to immerse themselves in a unique participatory story-telling. £6, ages 4 - 7 Four Go Wild in Wellies 18th Feb 11.30am & 2pm An adventure with bobble hats, scarves and tents with a life of their own and, lots of fun in wellies! £6, ages 3 - 5 Little Murmur 19th Feb 2pm Combining visual design and technology with dance and humour, while exploring the warped and exaggerated realities of living in a world that doesn’t reflect how you feel inside. £6, age 7+ Big Red Bath Bubble Disco 20th Feb 10.30am & 1pm Join celebrated children's author Julia Jarman for a live reading of her splishy splashy picture book. £6, age 2+ Stockwood Discovery Centre Luton LU1 4LX Tales that Dance 17th Feb 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm Join in African and Caribbean folktales. Why does the Leopard have spots? What makes the Gecko so grumpy at night? go along to a joyful immersive storytelling experience to find out. £6, age 5+ Circus Skills Workshop 19th Feb 10.30am & 1pm Try juggling, plate spinning and acro-balance, then once you’ve impressed everyone with your amazing skills, have a go at clowning too! £6, age 5+ culturetrust.com

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with perennial meadow, lake, naturalistic planting of main border with wildlife friendly and drought tolerant plants and unspoilt panoramic views over parkland. Cream teas will be available. Benington Lordship, Stevenage SG2 7BS ngs.org.uk

IWM Duxford

Out & About Natural History Museum Tring

Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year until 26th April 10am - 5pm free Highlights of the stunning pictures taken by talented young photographers from across the globe capturing the beauty and fragility of the natural world. Cold-blooded Animals 17th - 19th Feb 10.30am & 2pm, age 3+ Free Explore the world of cold-blooded animals, from snakes and turtles to fish and frogs. Handle the specimens, touch their scales, feel their smooth skin and find out how they keep warm and cope in cold weather. Behind the Scenes Tour 25th Feb 2.30pm, from £13 Take a look behind the scenes at Tring’s worldrenowned bird collection. Learn about the lengths explorers went to collecting these remarkable specimens and discover how they are conserved and used by researchers today. Akeman Street Tring HP23 6AP nhm.ac.uk

In the Cockpit: Spitfire N3200 Feb selected dates from £50 A unique opportunity to sit inside the cockpit of an airworthy MK.1 Spitfire and hear the story of how the N3200 flew with the 19 Squadron from Duxford during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. American Air Museum Walking Tour until March selected dates adults £10 See the largest collection of American military aircraft outside of the USA, including the Lockheed U-2 spy plane, the fearsome A-10 'Thunderbolt II' ground attack aircraft, the WW2 B-17 'Flying Fortress' heavy bomber and the massive eight-engined B-52 'Stratofortress' in service from 1955 to the present day. Cambs CB22 4QR iwm.org.uk

St Albans City Walks

Historic St Albans 1st, 8th,15th, 22nd Feb 11am Ghosts and Ghouls 5th & 19th Feb 7.30pm City Centre Highlights 7th Feb 2.30pm £10, please book online stalbanstourguides.co.uk

Herts Wildlife Trust

Guided Walk: Winter Photography 7th Feb 10am - 12 noon Join volunteers for a walk through the beautiful Nature Reserve and learn tips and tricks for capturing photographs of the scenery and nature. Free, donations welcome Cassiobury Park Watford WD18 7LG NGS Open Gardens Guided Walk: Basic Winter Tree Identification Walkern Hall 31st Jan & 1st Feb 12th Feb 10am 12 noon - 4pm, £6, please book A winter woodland garden, set in eight acres, the Take a walk through the beautiful Gobions Wood and uncover the subtle clues that reveal a tree’s carpet of snowdrops and aconites is a constant identity. Dress warmly and wear sturdy footwear. source of wonder in winter. This Medieval Brookmans Park, Potters Bar AL9 7AF hunting park is known more for its established trees such as the Tulip and a magnificent London Help To Build A Bee Tower Plane which dominate the garden. Home-made 21st March 11am - 3pm soup, tea, coffee and cakes will be available. There are over 270 species of bee in the UK, Walkern Hall, Stevenage SG2 7JA they are all important and lead amazingly interesting lives, though many are disappearing Benington Lordship from our environment. Learn about some of 10th Feb 11am - 4pm, £9 child £4 them, and help give them a home by helping A seven acre site with a ruin of C12 Norman keep and C19 neo Norman folly. See spectacular build a collection of bee towers. Stocker's Lake, Rickmansworth WD3 1NB snowdrops and spring bulbs, a formal rose hertswildlifetrust.org.uk garden, walled kitchen garden with vegetables, gravel garden and wildflower meadow, orchard

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Brick Walls Fencing Patios Paths Hard Standings for Sheds & Garden Rooms “Always leaves a clean & tidy site” St Albans Based 35 Years Experience

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Garden Construction Horticulture and Maintenance Book in now for your Garden Clearance and Tidy Up, Cutting Back, Winter Pruning, Bed Preparation and be ready for Spring! 01727 757463 / 07747 692153 greenleafgardenco@gmail.com greenleafgardenco Greenleafgardenco

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Future Nature Tree Surgery & Garden Care All Aspects of Tree Work including Stump Removal Fruit Tree Specialist Garden Clearance & Fencing St Albans Based 35 Years Experience

Contact Chris 01727 844243 07518 626938 chris.futurenature@gmail.com “Always leaves a clean and tidy site”

Out & About Dark Skies

7th Feb 4.45pm £2, £5 includes film & talk An immersive evening celebrating the beauty of the night sky, experience the stars with reduced artificial lighting and minimal light pollution. 3.30pm: Film: Night Burns Like Cigarettes, and a talk considering if darkness could really play a greater part in our future world. Hertford Castle SG14 1HR hertford.gov.uk

St Albans Museum + Gallery

Community History Day 7th Feb 9.30pm - 4.30pm free, please book Calligraphy Workshop 8th Feb 10am £40 Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth & Power 11th Feb 7pm £10, Zoom £6 Celestial Explorer Explore the cosmos in this mobile planetarium. Please book Earth, Sun & Moon 17th Feb 10.15am Tour of the Solar System 17th Feb 11.45am Our Sky & Beyond 18th Feb 11.45am £6.50 Workshop: Sun, Moon & Stars Clay Modelling 19th Feb 10.15am £6.50 Workshop: Dragons & Dragon Eggs Modelling 20th Feb 10.15am £8.50 ‘Wilde’ Immersive Film Screening 26th Feb 7.30pm £7.50 Watch the 1997 biopic starring Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde, filmed in the courtroom of the Museum, where this screening will take place. St Peter’s Street, St Albans stalbansmuseums.org.uk

Waddesdon

Guided Tours: Putting the House to Bed 7th Feb - 1st March Sat & Sun, 11am & 1pm, Take a behind-the-scenes look in the house, explore the collection stores, learn about the conservation techniques used to care for the collection and view the academic apartments, not normally open to the public. £29 Zoolab Live Shows 14th, 15th, 21st & 22nd Feb 10am - 4pm, £5 Get hands-on with snails, spiders, snakes and more, and learn about Native Species at this interactive show that will inspire you to get outdoors and appreciate the amazing animals around us. Ages 3 -10

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Eythrope Parkland Spring Tours 18th - 20th Feb & Weds from 4th March - 29th April £15 Enjoy a tour of this private parkland and woodland garden with Eythrope’s garden guides. Guided Winter Walking Tours 18th Feb - 22nd March Weds & Sun 11.30am Free included in grounds admission See seasonal highlights including the Elephant Family, Daffodil Valley and winter and spring blooms. Wear warm clothing and walking boots. Mother's Day Afternoon Tea 14th & 15th March Enjoy an afternoon tea with a selection of sweet fancies and savoury treats. £39.95, child £18.50 Bucks HP18 0JH waddesdon.org.uk

St Albans South Signal Box

8th & 18th Feb & 8th & 22nd March 2pm - 5pm free Visit the largest preserved Midland Railway signal box in the UK open to the public and next to a mainline railway. Operate working signals, see a point, signalling demonstrations and more. 5 Ridgmont Road AL1 3AJ sigbox.co.uk

The Libraries

My Book Crush: Quiet Bookclub 12th Feb 5pm free Harpenden Library Discuss your favourite literary heartthrobs, before the quiet reading group. Craftea 24th Feb & 31st March 3pm - 4.30pm Just bring your craft project and join in Coffee and Craft Social, Harpenden Library Talk: Swordsmen of the Silver Screen 14th March 6.30pm £7.70 Harpenden Library Join sword-master Andy Wilkinson as he demonstrates Olympic fencing and theatrical swordcraft, alongside film clips and insights into the actors and fighting experts from the halcyon days of Hollywood swashbucklers. Andy has been a director, actor, stuntman, screen-writer, producer, fight-choreographer, stage combat instructor, author, and award-winning fencer. herts.spydus.co.uk Children's LEGO Clubs £4.40, please book Harpenden: Mondays 3.45pm St Albans: Fridays 4.30pm Harpenden Library, High Street AL5 2RU St Albans Library, Level 2, The Maltings AL1 3JQ hertfordshire.gov.uk

Valentine Illumination

12th - 14th Feb 5.30pm - 9.30pm St Albans Clock Tower will be transformed into a glowing celebration of love with a special Valentine light show, and red and white lighting illuminating George Street, French Row and Waddington Road throughout February.

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jane@theNOWmagazines.com

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NOW for some Entertainment The Pioneer Club

Josh James: Doin' Alright 11th Feb 8pm £16 One of the most exciting names to breakout in UK comedy. Dan Tiernan: All In 13th Feb 8pm £17, 16+ Expect explosive energy, razor-sharp punch lines, and tightly-packed gags about a man on the brink. Sherlock Holmes: The Death & Life 14th Feb 8pm, £16, 14+ In this wryly humorous one-man tale of murder, mystery and the occult the world's greatest detective refuses to leave the stage! Daniel Foxx: How Lovely 21st Feb 8pm £19 Abbey Theatre Join Daniel as he navigates dating in your 30s, Le The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood Creuset addiction and 12-step skincare routines. 5th - 7th Feb 8pm £15 Screaming Blue Murder 23rd Feb 8pm £11.99 A powerful performance that questions justice, Resident monthly comedy club with Sally-Anne memory and the voices history leaves behind. Hayward and Andrew Bird. 18+ The Marriage of Figaro 8th & 14th Feb 2.30pm General Medical Emergency Ward 10 10th, 11th & 13th Feb 7.30pm 26th Feb - 1st March £16, £12, 12+ In Mozart’s comic masterpiece Figaro and Susanna Every hospital, medical-based, doctors-and-nurses are ready to marry, but the plans are disrupted by their cliche-ridden drama in a comedy mash-up spoof! boss, who’s secretly pursuing Susanna, and also by a The Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead HP1 3AE rival with a contract and a grudge! oldtownhall.co.uk To Have & To Hold 27th - 28th Feb & 4th - 7th March 8pm Barn Theatre 1st March 2.30pm £15 Dancing at Lughnasa After 60 years of marriage Jack and Florence have 6th - 14th Feb 8pm & 14th Feb 2.30pm refined the art of bickering and carved out a tolerable A summer of joy and heartbreak as five sisters life. When their grown-up children arrive old tensions dance on the brink of change. stir and buried truths begin to emerge. A warm, Seasons of Love uproarious and sometimes difficult watch, love in the 20th & 21st Feb 8pm & 21st Feb 2.30pm second half of life. A collection of poetry, songs and prose. The Playlet’s the Thing Comedy at the Barn 28th Feb 8pm 14th March 3.30pm & 7.30pm £15, child £8 Because life’s too short not to laugh at the A variety show from Shakespeare to their own original wrong things. works performed by Theatrix Performing Arts young All Our Children 27th March - 4th April 8pm talents. & 4th April 2.30pm Me & My Girl 26th - 28th March 7.30pm Set in 1941 in a small German clinic, where the people & 28th March 2.30pm £15 are quietly trying to navigate a world losing its moral It’s EastEnders meets Made in Chelsea, when compass. A play reminding us of the enduring power cheeky Cockney Bill learns he’s the long lost heir of empathy and moral courage. to the Earl of Hareford, and is whisked away from Welwyn Garden City AL8 6ST barntheatre.co.uk London to the grand halls of aristocracy as he’s expected to leave behind his roots and Sally, the UH Arts girl he loves. Romeo + Juliet: A St Valentine's Concert with Abbey Theatre, St Albans AL1 2DL James Mayhew 8th Feb 2pm & 4pm £15, £12 abbeytheatre.org.uk As the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra plays the spectacular repertoire, James Mayhew will The Old Town Hall paint illustrations in perfect synchronicity with the Russell Hicks: This Time It’s Personal music. Prokofiev - Extracts from Romeo and Juliet 6th & 7th Feb 8pm, £19, 16+ and Extracts from The Love for Three Oranges Suite. Last year's show was all about his life in the UK. This year is all about him and it’s personal! Young Pioneers Night 1st Feb 5pm £7 An event run by local college students with bands The Limestones, Slaughter Theory and Vulva. The Trash, The SGs & Ramona Marx - Punk/ Reggae Party! 7th Feb 7pm, from £12 14+ Local musical legend The Kevolution is hosting a night of punky reggae shenanigans! U18s to be accompanied by an adult at both events The Pioneer Club Heathlands Drive, St Albans AL3 5AY pioneerclub.co.uk

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Fates & Destinies 22nd March 4pm £18, £15 de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra will deliver these fiery repertoires. Mozart – Overture to Don Giovanni / Dvořák – Violin Concerto in A minor Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4 in F minor Weston Auditorium, University of Herts, de Havilland Campus AL10 9EU uharts.co.uk

The Alban Arena

LDN Wrestling: Live & Unleashed! 17th Feb 7.30pm Drama, excitement, and larger-than-life characters. Peter Andre - The Best of Frankie Valli 18th Feb 8pm £48 A celebration of the timeless music of four boys who started singing under a streetlamp in New Jersey. With songs including Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You and many more. Boyband In The Buff: Starring Gareth Gates 20th Feb 7.30pm, 18+ A cast of ripped and talented performers, belting out hits of the ‘90s and ‘00s, from Backstreet Boys to Take That, in a show that’s nostalgic and naughty. Jim Davidson - Last Man Standing…Just! 21st Feb 7.30pm £31, 18+ Jim’s back to do what he does best: making us laugh and reminding us why he’s still standing! Cirque Entertainment 26th Feb 7.30pm from £28 A blend of circus, music and performances with aerialists, fire performers, acrobats, jugglers and West End vocals with songs from Take That to Beyonce. Nigel Kennedy: Virtuoso 4th March 7.30pm A classical, jazz, and contemporary repertoire from the UK’s greatest living violinist. Expect breath-taking Bach, alongside the most delicate rendition of ‘A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square.’ Totally Gaga 5th March 7.30pm The sensational Georgia Crandon and her stellar live band perform Gaga’s greatest hits, Bad Romance, Poker Face, Born This Way and more. Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour - Red Film Programme 6th March 7,30pm, 12+ Join the world’s top adventure filmmakers and thrill-seekers as they climb, ski, paddle and ride into the wildest corners of the planet! Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show 11th & 12th March 10am, 1pm & 4pm Troy Hawke ‘Never Stop, Never Change!’ 13th March 7.30pm, 14+ Angry security guards, barked compliments and crossed wires abound as Troy navigates various conversational minefields.

Professor Brian Cox: Emergence Preview 14th March 7.30pm Madama Butterfly 18th March 7.30pm One of the most colourful and exotic operas, performed by the Dnipro Opera, from Ukraine, with a live orchestra of over 30 musicians. Ardal O’Hanlon - Not Himself 19th March 7.30pm Towel Animals? A.I.? Chair Yoga? Cauliflower as a main course? No current idiocy is left un-examined. This is a testament to the healing power of humour. Talking Pictures Festival of Film 21st & 22nd March 10am - 7pm With film and TV history, special guests, comedy, music, magic and fun. Gary Davies Disco For Grown Ups 80s Party! 27th March 8pm, 18+ Evening with Jermaine Defoe 31st March 7.30pm Expect entertainment, banter and a full insight into his time at Tottenham FC. The Alban Arena AL1 3LD everyonetheatres.com

The Maltings Theatre

The Actress 26th Feb - 7th March £15 Lydia Martin, is a renowned leading lady and it’s the night of her last performance; in her dressing room visitors come and go, and their interactions are funny, sad and even downright brutal! Baby Broadway 8th March 3.30pm £13.50 - £15 A fun interactive family concert of songs from hit musicals and films featuring West End singers. St Albans AL1 3HL ovo.org.uk

St Albans Organ Theatre

Organ Concert 7th March 3pm With Phil Kelsall. Please book Mechanical Instrument Concert 8th March 3pm 320 Camp Road AL1 5PE stalbansorgantheatre.org.uk

St Albans Symphony Orchestra Concert 14th March 7.30pm Manuel De Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat / Music from the 1919 Diaghilev ballet / Jean-Michel Damase’s Flute Concerto / Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No.2 St Albans High School for Girls AL1 3SJ saso.org.uk

Hardynge Choir 60th Anniversary Concert 28th March 7.30pm

Performing Mozart's Requiem, Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate and Haydn's Te Deum with the Hertfordshire Classical Orchestra and a quartet of professional soloists. £20, student £10, child free St Nicholas Church, Harpenden AL5 2TP hardyngechoir.org

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Understand insulation, airtightness, ventilation, breathability and ask all your questions, while at the Eco house. Free, donations to Sustainable St Albans welcome Our Planet Our Future Book Club: Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope & Healing in a Divided World 26th Feb 7.30pm venue to be confirmed sustainablestalbans.org

Shuttleworth

Out & About RAF London Half Term STEM Week 14th - 22nd Feb Bubbly Maths Show 14th - 17th Feb 11am & 2pm Interactive bubbly maths show featuring giant bubbles. Age 4+ £6.50 Aircraft Access 17th - 19th Feb 11am, 12pm, 2pm & 3pm £12 Get up close and personal with the Bristol Sycamore, Hawker Tempest, English Electric Canberra and Gloster Meteor. Laser Tag Sessions 19th - 22nd Feb 11am, 12pm, 1pm & 2pm Age 7+ £6.50 Grahame Park Way, London NW9 5LL rafmuseum.org.uk

The Bishop of St Alban’s Garden

14th, 15th, 21st & 22nd Feb 2pm - 4pm Open for the annual snowdrop display. Wear suitable footwear. Proceeds to Beds & Herts Historic Churches Trust. (weather and snowdrops permitting). £5, child free, dogs on leads welcome Abbey Gate House, Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans AL3 4HD

Murder Mystery: Valentine's Special 14th Feb 7pm £78, 18+ Love is in the air, but death is close behind. Why not dress up for the live ultimate immersive theatre experience. Includes a drink on arrival and dinner. Scale Model Exhibition 15th Feb from 9am Explore hundreds of beautifully crafted models in the Engineering Hangars. £19.50 Engineering Open Workshops 21st & 22nd Feb from 9am Discover what it takes to restore, rebuild and operate one of the world's most extensive collections of working vintage agricultural exhibits, veteran and vintage vehicles, and aircraft from the earliest days of flight. £25 Casino Royale Night 28th March 7pm £60, 18+ An unforgettable Bond-themed Casino Night, try your luck at the fun-money casino tables, enjoy canapés and drinks and the music of Bond with a live jazz trio. Dress to impress - think Bond, elegance, and a touch of mystery. Biggleswade SG18 9DT shuttleworth.org

Hatfield House & Park

Valentine’s Day Candlelight Concert 14th Feb 6.30pm £40 -£60 A romantic evening of love songs by candlelight in the beautiful Tudor Palace. Lambing 14th - 22nd Feb Watch the new-born lambs take their first steps in February Film Week 16th - 20th Feb the Lambing Barn and keep an eye on expectant Mother’s Day Champagne Carriage Tour 15th March 10am, 12 noon, 2pm & 4pm £60 ewes as you might be lucky enough to see a Enjoy a Champagne tour of Hatfield Park in a lamb being born. Also enjoy the indoor and horse-drawn carriage travelling from the Old outdoor play, and daily animal activities. Palace, through the woodland and into Mead Open Farm, Leighton Buzzard LU7 9JH exclusive areas of the park. meadopenfarm.co.uk Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea 15th March February Frolics 14th - 22nd Feb Easter Explorers 28th March - 12th April See live lambing, newborn lamb bottle feeding Hatfield AL9 5HX demonstrations and lots fleecy fun at this baahatfield-house.co.uk rilliant day out. Enjoy hands-on fun with Mad Science, watch explosive shows and visit their Romans vs Celts Wargames science stations. 15th Feb 11am - 3.30pm free with admission Willows Activity Farm, St Albans AL4 0PF Roman and Ancient Briton model soldiers will willowsactivityfarm.com be gathered for a large wargame. Verulamium Museum AL3 4SW Sustainable St Albans stalbansmuseums.org.uk Open Day: Victorian Terrace Eco House 14th Feb 9.30am & 11.30am

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Out & About Roald Dahl Museum

Wonka Collection Cabinets from 15th Feb For a limited time, see rare items featured in the 2005 film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, from Golden Tickets and chocolate bars to Willy Wonka’s top hat, coat and cane. Free with Museum admission Charlie & the Chocolate Factory Half Term Storytelling 14th - 22nd Feb Led by expert storytellers who will bring the words to life and you can join in with noises and actions. Free with Museum entry Workshop: Clay Factory Landscape 16th - 20th Feb age 5+ Create your own fantastical factory landscape, experimenting with textures and patterns using a range of tools and materials. £5 + museum entry, Charlies Child Heroes Village Trail 19th Feb 11.15am & 2.45pm £5 age 6+ Join expert guide and storyteller Michael on a magical walk through Great Missenden. Bucks HP16 0AL roalddahlmuseum.org

Heat Press Printing Workshop

22nd Feb 10.30am Using a variety of materials experiment with textures, patterns and colour, printing small fabric samples with ink, papers and a heat press. Mill Green Museum, Hatfield AL9 5PD millgreenmuseum.co.uk

Luton Hoo Estate Talks Celebrating Early 20th Century Women Estate Workers 23rd Feb 10.30am, £7.50 Lady Wernher, a widow before, during and after WWI, was supported by female staff who were so important they are now celebrated with monuments flanking the Wernher Mausoleum. An Estate Responds to National Change 1900-1950 30th March 10.30am, £7.50 lutonhooestate.co.uk

Toddler Safari 24th Feb - 15th July

The perfect way for kids to let off steam and learn about some of the animals, in this mini adventure, exploring the natural world. During term time only. For toddlers up to 5 years. Free with admission Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable LU6 2LF whipsnadezoo.org

Film: The Phoenix of Gaza

21st March 3.30pm £10 Please book Documentary film and Q&A with journalist Yousef Alhelou capturing a portrait of Gaza in July 2023. St Albans URC, Homewood Road AL1 4BH 26tinyurl.com/stalbansphoenix07983 588291 jane@theNOWmagazines.com

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NOW at the Cathedral

The Whales until 4th Feb Three colossal sperm whale sculptures will soar above the Nave, come and see these magnificent creatures, created by artist Tessa Campbell Fraser. Whales Lates 1st & 3rd Feb times vary A chance to immerse yourself in this mesmerising artwork after dark. Please book Abbey by Night 4th Feb 8pm & 8.30pm Be transported back in time to the medieval abbey as you encounter the fantastic stories of the past under candlelight. Tower & Treasures Tour 5th Feb Exploring the shrines, wall paintings and medieval architecture of the cathedral as well as climbing the tower to see the ringing chamber, belfry and views from the roof. £20 Be a Chorister for a Day (Boys) 7th Feb 2pm A chance for boys in years 3 and 4 to experience the life of a chorister and sing with the Cathedral Choir at Evensong. No experience necessary, please book Two Together, Forever? 8th Feb 1.30pm Monks, priests and popes were supposed to be celibate, but if you look closely you can find couples, hear their stories and vote to give your opinion. £6 Choral Compline 8th Feb 6pm Sung by the Cathedral Youth Choir in the candlelit Lady Chapel, this short service offers gentle choral music and time for silence and reflection. Tour: Amazing Architecture 10th Feb 2pm & 27th Feb 10.30am £12 Discover 1,000 years of history from Norman foundations to modern additions. Wall Paintings Tour 11th Feb 10.30am £12 The Cathedral houses a remarkable collection of rare medieval wall paintings, hear about the techniques used to create them and how they have survived. Luther Vandross - The Candlelight Concert 12th Feb 7.30pm A soulful tribute under the glow of candlelight. Talk: A Heavy Yoke: Theology, Power & Abuse in the Church 12th Feb 7.30pm £12 / online £6

Talk: The Wars of the Roses 14th Feb 10.30am Learn about how the power struggle for the throne between the royal houses of York and Lancaster left its mark on the fabric and people of the monastery in the 1400s and 1500s. £12 Soul Plates 14th Feb 7pm £55 Join Dinner Ladies for this special edition of their Supper Club in the Lady Chapel. Enjoy a 3 course menu designed to mark an evening of conversation and shared experience with loved ones. The World Within: Creativity & Retreat 18th Feb 7.30pm £12 / online £6 Award-winning author Guy Stagg explains the impulse to withdraw and asks what is gained and what is lost by stepping back from society. Tower Tour 21st Feb 10am Climb 211 winding steps to the spectacular Norman Tower. £15, £12 Swing into Spring with the Tim Boniface Quartet 21st Feb 7.30pm £10 - £30 Expect onstage interaction and stunning individual skill as some of the UK's finest jazz musicians play a delightfully swinging repertoire. Martin Luther King, Jr. & the Civil Rights Movement Wednesdays 25th Feb - 25th March 7.30pm 5 week course. The St Albans Mystery Plays 27th Feb 7pm See Old and New Testament stories come to life as never before, with medieval-inspired music, dancing and singing. All washed down with a glass of mead. Divine Designs 11th March 2pm £12 Come and encounter the work of the medieval abbot whose fascination for mathematics and astronomy led him to invent one of the most technologically advanced clocks of his time. Serenity & Hope 14th March 7.30pm £6 - £25 St Albans Chamber Choir presents a programme of spiritual music from lamentation, longing and repentance to serenity and renewal. Hertfordshire Chorus - Simply Mozart 21st March 7.30pm £36, £26, £10, £5 Experience the emotional power of Mozarts Requiem and the youthful flair of his Vesperae Solennes de Confessore and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik one of his most instantly recognised orchestral works.

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