Residents in St Albans District have only a few days left to register to vote in important local elections.
They should also check whether they have valid photo ID as this will have to be shown at polling stations.
The elections are for St Albans City and District Council with one seat up for election in 18 of the 20 wards.
There are also two seats up for election in both St Stephen and Sandridge & Wheathampstead wards.
Everyone aged 18 and above who is not registered at their current address should do so by midnight on Monday 20 April.
The Council provides a number of key public services including social housing, planning, parks, waste and recycling, leisure facilities and car parking, so it is important to have your say.
 The Spring Festival is returning to St Albans City Centre after a successful debut last year.
The event is on Sunday 17 May, features free entertainment for everyone and will be a celebration of food, wellbeing and sustainability.
Thousands of people are expected at the street party which will take place from noon until 6pm with St Peter’s Street closed to traffic.
Among the attractions will be live music, arts and crafts, street theatre and dozens of stalls selling takeaway food, drink and other produce. There will be opportunities to learn, play and create with fun activities.
To ensure accessibility, sighted guides and British sign language interpreters will be in attendance.
The Council’s events team is organising the Festival which is being sponsored by Code Ninjas St Albans and Specsavers St Albans and Harpenden.
The newly refurbished spa at Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre has reopened after a £400,000 transformation.
The project has focused on modernising the spa’s heat and water experiences. Improvements include a refitted sauna and steam room, upgraded hydrospa and enhanced monsoon showers.
Exciting new features include an ice cave with cold plunge baths and a salt room with infrared seating.
TV personality and former elite gymnast Ella Mae Rayner was among the first to look around the revamped spa which is managed by Everyone Active on the Council’s behalf.
Photo: Ella Mae Rayner at the spa’s reopening.
Our CCTV operators – who monitor the City Centre 24/7 – helped catch a thief who has been jailed for eight months.
The team spotted a suspect hiding a stash of iPhones, worth thousands of pounds, that had been stolen from a delivery van outside the O2 store in St Peter’s Street.
They alerted the Police who arrested a 60-year-old man. He was sentenced last month at St Albans Magistrates’ Court and also ordered to pay £3,912 in compensation to O2.
Our CCTV service, which is non-statutory and fully funded by the Council, helps deter crime and make the streets safer for residents.
Say hello to Dan Falemara – who runs one of the brightest stalls on the Charter Market.
Dan sells a variety of toys and ornaments in strikingly vivid colours at 3D Make Me.
The figures, produced on a 3D printer, include dinosaurs, dragons, highland cattle, wolves, giraffes, lizards and other animals.
He has been operating at the market for a year, on Saturdays and occasional Wednesdays, and has built up a substantial following.
“It is a great market – the best I have ever traded in,” he said.
“People’s eyes light up when they see my display of toys as it is so unusual. Of course, it is popular with the young – but I get plenty of older customers, too. There is no upper age limit.”
 The sensational Circus Vegas – a world-famous touring show – is coming to Verulamium Park next month.
The Las Vegas-style entertainment will feature high-wire acrobats, motorbike stunt riders, clowns, jugglers, dancers and much more.
Performers come from across the world including Cuba, Tanzania and the UK.
The action takes place inside a climate-controlled Big Top from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 10 May and is suitable for people of all ages.
More than 800 school pupils have been taught how to keep safe and protect themselves from danger.
The children, all aged 10 and 11, attended a series of activities at St Albans Fire Station as part of the annual Crucial Crew scheme.
Among the many subjects covered were road safety, fire risks, online safety and first aid.
The programme was run by St Albans District Community Safety Partnership which includes our community safety team, Herts Police, and Herts Fire and Rescue Service.
Students from Oaklands College’s public services course and representatives from Herts Mind Network helped with the presentations and workshops.
 A career with your local Council offers you the chance to deliver services that make a real difference to local people.
We offer a competitive package that includes membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and flexible working arrangements as well as training and development opportunities, highlighting our commitment to supporting the career progression of our workforce.
If you're looking for a role where your work has a positive impact on the community, we'd encourage you to take a look at our current vacancies at the link below, where we currently have opportunities across our finance, housing, and legal teams.
Residents are now able to recycle Tetra Pak containers.
These should be put into your black mixed recycling bin for fortnightly collections.
The recycling banks located at Waitrose, St Albans, and Bowers Way Car Park, Harpenden, will be removed from service next month.
Please remember to wash and squash food and drink containers, removing any residue.
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Our Private Sector Housing Team support private landlords to manage their properties and sustain successful tenancies.
Their goal is to make renting in St Albans easier, safer and more rewarding for both landlords and tenants.
They can help find tenants, prevent evictions and offer advice on issues ranging from tenancy agreements to property standards. You can contact them at the number above.
The team also organise regular Landlord Forums – a chance to network, talk to experts and hear about the latest legislation.
A Growing City: Commercial Gardening in St Albans, Friday 1 May to Monday 31 August, St Albans Museum + Gallery, Free
This new exhibition explores the history of local nurseries, garden centres and horticultural businesses.
Come and discover how St Albans has been the base for internationally known names such as Ryders’ Seeds and Sanders’ Orchids as well as local favourites including Ayletts and Carpenters and forgotten gems like the New Zealand Nursery.
Shop Small Pop-Up Creative Market, Saturday 9 May, 10am to 4pm, Assembly Room, St Albans Museum + Gallery, Free
Our Shop Small Pop-Up Creative Market is back for spring by popular demand!
The Assembly Room will be transformed into a market celebrating local creatives and artisans.
Shop under the chandeliers and meet the producers and designers who will be offering jewellery, gifts, candles, games, clothes, cards, prints and much more. The event is being organised in conjunction with St Albans Markets.
 The Young People’s Puppet Theatre is a local arts education charity that works with schools.
Through year‑long projects, the theatre guides pupils as they design and build their own puppets, create sets and rehearse for a production.
Founded in 2015 by father-and-daughter team Jeremy and Caitlin Duschenes, the theatre has run over 150 projects with about 5,000 children.
At the heart of their work is a belief that every child should have access to high‑quality creative experiences.
Performances are usually private, but next month there are three opportunities for people to come and watch a show. Tickets are available for a performance on Monday 4 May of the Soldier's Tale at the Trestle Theatre.
There are also two performances of other shows on the evening of Wednesday 20 May at St Albans Cathedral.
 St Albans Healthy Hub is your local centre for health and wellbeing information, advice and support.
You can get help with many issues including how to lose weight, quit smoking, cut down on alcohol, become more active and manage money.
The organisations involved include Citizens Advice, Communities 1st, Mind in Mid Herts and many more. You can find more information on the Healthy Hub webpages.
We have been supporting Bowel Cancer Awareness month this April.
The campaign is focused on ensuring everyone is made aware of the fact that the best chance of survival is an early diagnosis.
You can find out more about the symptoms to look out for, screening tests and other information by clicking the button below.
 Our partners at Hertfordshire County Council are working with the health and voluntary sectors to deliver help for families in their local communities.
This includes creating Best Start Family Hubs at Watford and Stevenage where families are able to access a wide range of activities and support.
There is also a family centre in St Albans, based at Mandeville Primary School, which offers similar help.
This includes information about feeding your baby, ante-natal and post-natal classes and tips to keep your little one safe.
Details about these family hubs and centres, together with the support that is available, can be accessed online by clicking the button below.
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