 Don’t miss out on the St Albans Christmas Cracker – the annual event that launches the District’s festive season.
It will take place in the City Centre from noon until 6pm on Sunday 20 November and among the attractions will be live music, Santa’s grotto, scores of market stalls, funfair rides and street performers.
The Christmas lights will provide a seasonal backdrop during the event with pyrotechnics on the main stage ensuring a dramatic finish to the day.
We organise the Christmas Cracker while the main sponsor is St Albans BID.
One new attraction will be a Sustainability Activity Zone. People are asked to bring used crisp packets, cards, wrapping paper and magazines to decorate a sustainable Christmas Tree and Star. If possible, these should already have been cut into festive shapes.
 We are supporting White Ribbon Day on Friday 25 November – a campaign that aims to end male violence against women and girls.
Councillors Chris White, the Council Leader, and Jacqui Taylor, Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee, signed the White Ribbon promise in the run up to the event.
This is a commitment to raise awareness about male violence against women and never to remain silent about the issue.
The Council gained White Ribbon status earlier this year and pledged to ensure women across the District who experience violence know that help is available.
To show support for White Ribbon Day, our Museum + Gallery will be lit up in orange from 5pm and over the weekend - the colour symbolising a brighter future free of violence.
On Saturday 26 November, St Albans City FC will take part by flying the White Ribbon during their home match at Clarence Park against Bath City.
A booklet packed with advice on dealing with the challenges faced by people this winter has been produced for Hertfordshire residents.
The publication is available online and deals with physical and mental health, personal finance, family support and crime prevention.
It includes contact details for many of the public agencies and charities that can help people in difficulty.
We are also providing residents with a range of advice on our website to help people cope with the soaring cost of living.
This includes information about reducing energy and food bills, benefits that may be available to you and dealing with debt.
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 Our Museums Service has been awarded more than £1 million of funding from Arts Council England.
The money will help the Service deliver its newly-published Strategic Plan aimed at making further improvements over the next three years.
To win the grant, the Service had to show its artistic and cultural output was of the highest standard and that it was committed to diversity and sustainability.
The new Strategic Plan covers both the Museum + Gallery and Verulamium Museum as well as the Clock Tower, Sopwell Nunnery, and the Roman Wall and Hypocaust in Verulamium Park.
It includes a series of ambitious targets including attracting more than 300,000 visitors per year to the Museum sites.
 A new free exhibition has been opened in the basement cells of the Museum + Gallery.
Curious Crimes features art works created by ex-offenders who took inspiration from historic cases that were tried in the building’s courtroom. They have created a series of striking graffiti works.
The exhibition, which runs until Wednesday 30 November, has been produced with the help of HACRO, the Hertfordshire Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders.
 More than 3,000 people gave their views in a survey about a car parking strategy for the District.
The strategy will have four main objectives - tackling the climate crisis, improving enforcement, ensuring access to less able drivers and making use of digital technology.
The views of those who replied will help shape the strategy which is due to be finalised and published early next year.
In another initiative, our Civil Enforcement Officers are to trial body-worn cameras to improve their personal safety.
The cameras should deter people from verbally or physically abusing them as they will provide police with evidence of any serious incidents.
Police, other local authorities, the security industry and businesses have used body-worn cameras for many years. Measures will be taken to protect people's privacy and uphold data protection rules.
 St Albans District Community Lottery is on track to raise more than £23,000 for good causes this year.
We are urging local not-for-profit groups and charities who have yet to sign up, to do so now.
They could be as successful as St Albans City Youth Football Club which is selling over 240 tickets a week and is on course to raise more than £6,200 during the next 12 months.
You can apply to become one of the lottery’s good causes here and find information about how to buy tickets to support local charities here. There is a weekly draw with the prospect of a top prize of £25,000.
Several hundred people attended a moving Remembrance Sunday Parade and Service in St Albans, one of a number of services held across the District.
The Mayor of St Albans City and District, Councillor Geoff Harrison, led the commemoration and was joined by leaders of the major faiths.
Representatives of air, sea and army cadets, the Guiding and Scout movements, the police and other uniformed services were present.
There were also Royal British Legion members, Honorary Aldermen and Councillors from County, District, Town and Parish Councils.
The Mayor is pictured above laying a wreath at the War Memorial near St Peter's Church.
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 Our waste contractor Veolia has donated 40 trees to seven of the District’s primary schools to encourage children to take an active interest in the environment.
The Veolia Orchards campaign highlights the contribution trees make to increasing biodiversity and improving air quality.
Councillor Allison Wren, Lead Councillor for Recycling, is pictured above helping pupils at Roundwood Primary School, Harpenden, plant one of the trees.
She said: “As a Council, we are committed to making the District carbon neutral by 2030 and planting more trees is one of the many actions that we are taking to achieve that goal. This initiative by Veolia is a welcome addition to our own tree planting work.”
 Hertfordshire County Council is now urgently seeking new sponsors to host individuals and families from Ukraine.
For more information, please visit their website or register for their no obligation webinar on Wednesday 23 November, 7pm to 8pm.
 Just Talk Week 2022 is being held from Monday 21 to Sunday 27 November. This is a campaign to highlight the range of mental health advice and practical support available to people.
During the week, there will be free workshops for parents, carers and those involved in education.
The theme is #LookBeneathTheSurface, encouraging everyone not to judge others too quickly, but recognise we’re all fighting our own battles.
The campaign is coordinated by our partners from the public health team at Hertfordshire County Council and you can find out more about what’s happening on the Just Talk webpage.
 An area on the edge of our District is to be transformed into a more attractive and sustainable place.
Up to 11,000 new homes and 10,000 jobs will be created by 2050 to the north and east of Hemel Hempstead with the growth area straddling parts of Dacorum Borough and our District.
Residents and businesses will play a key part in shaping the proposals for the Hemel Garden Communities project.
You can have your say in a survey on whether you agree with the Garden Town aims and what’s important to you.
Those who complete the survey, which is open until 5pm on Sunday 11 December, will be entered into a prize draw to win an electric bike.
To find out more about Hemel Garden Communities, visit their information stall at St Albans Charter Market on Wednesday 30 November or go to their website.
The Hertfordshire Family Centre Service is running Baby Fairs to support expectant parents or parents of a child under one year old.
These new events will offer families the opportunity to meet other local parents and get advice on a range of issues.
One of the fairs will be held in St Albans on Friday 2 December from 2pm to 6pm at Marlborough Road Methodist Church.
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Our Community Protection team is working with Hertfordshire Constabulary to make drivers more aware of the danger of keyless car thefts.
Thefts of all types of motor vehicles have been increasing in the District with 182 stolen between April and October this year, an increase of 45 on the same period last year.
Keyless thefts happen where a vehicle is stolen without the thief being in possession of the key. Instead, they can use a device to pick up the key’s signal, open the car and start the ignition.
One security device that car owners can buy to prevent this happening is a signal blocking pouch for their keys. This is available for only £5 from the not-for-profit security store Owl Protect.uk.
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Pub in the Park - a festival of food, drink and live music - will be returning to Verulamium Park next September.
There will be four sessions from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 September, hosted by celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, with music from Sam Ryder, Craig David, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Rudimental.
Early bird tickets are now available along with more details about the line up on the event’s website.
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