The Government's new Crisis and Resilience Fund offers help to households in financial crisis.
You can apply if you are struggling to meet the cost of essentials such as energy, food, clothing and furniture and the cost of living.
In Hertfordshire, Citizens Advice can provide access to the fund for people needing this support. You can contact the St Albans branch by clicking the button below.
We are administering the fund for people in the District who are in receipt of benefits but need additional help to meet their rent. You can find out more about that here.
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging people to be aware of the risks of activities in or near water during the warm summer months.
Between 2000 and 2025, the service attended 120 water related incidents with 21 lives being lost.
Around half of the accidental drownings that occur inland at lakes, rivers and reservoirs happen to people who did not intend to go into the water for a swim.
It is important to know how to stay safe and how to help someone who gets into difficulty. Click on the button below to find out how to become water aware.
Residents are asked to put their bins and containers out for collection by 5am on your scheduled collection day.
This revised, earlier time is to allow the Council's waste contractor greater flexibility during the year to cope with unpredictable events.
These can include extreme weather conditions such as a heatwave, or challenging winter conditions.
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One of the most popular FREE attractions in St Albans for young children has opened for the summer.
Our Splash Park at Verulamium Park is in operation seven days a week, weather permitting, from 10am to 6pm, right through the school holidays until Wednesday 2 September.
Children can have fun in a safe environment and make new friends while supervised by staff from our leisure operator Everyone Active.
Parents can keep an eye from the surrounding grassy banks – or venture into the wet zone as well.
The Splash Park is fully compliant with stringent health and safety guidelines with the water quality having been rigorously tested.
* All Splash Park users are advised to follow NHS guidelines on sun safety - use sunscreen of at least factor 30, never burn, keep babies under six months out of direct sunlight and take extra care of children. Find out more by clicking the button below.
Tuff Nutterz, the UK’s largest touring inflatable obstacle course, is coming to Verulamium Park in St Albans for the very first time.
The attraction will be at the park from Friday 7 to Monday 10 August.
Families can enjoy an action-packed outdoor experience on a course containing slides, tunnels, climbing walls and fun challenges designed for all ages.
Four daily sessions will run at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm, with each session lasting one hour 45 minutes. Suitable for children, teenagers and adults, with tickets from £15.
Bring your bucket and spade to St Albans Pop-Up Beach next month when part of the City Centre is transformed into a giant sandy playground.
Located at Civic Close, by the Alban Arena, the attraction will open at 1pm on Saturday 8 August and continue daily, 10am to 4pm, until Sunday 23 August.
The fun family entertainment for the school holidays is free. Children can build sandcastles, dig, play and enjoy a taste of the seaside while parents watch from brightly coloured deck chairs.
The attraction is being delivered by St Albans City Centre BID who decided to bring it back for a second year after it proved to be a major hit last summer.
Click on the button below to discover what else is happening in the District.
 Os' Dough will celebrate its first anniversary trading at St Albans Charter Market next month.
The stall sells a wide range of delicious cookies with flavours including lemon and poppy seed, sea salt and chocolate chip.
Owner Oliver bakes the tasty treats himself having turned his hobby into a thriving business.
He said: "This is a real market. People don't just browse - they come here to buy and invest in what traders like myself do.
"The business is going from strength to strength and on Saturdays, we are heaving."
Any entrepreneur who wants to hire a pitch on Wednesday or Saturday should click on the button below.
The ambitious Hemel Garden Communities (HGC) project is progressing with two major planning documents having been published.
HGC is located to the north and east of Hemel Hempstead on land which crosses the boundaries of Dacorum Borough and St Albans District Councils.
By 2050, the project will provide around 11,000 much-needed new homes with roads, cycle lanes, green spaces, schools, health clinics and other community infrastructure. There will also be commercial areas to provide up to 10,000 jobs.
The two planning documents, which have been have been adopted by both Councils, include details on how neighbourhoods and the employment growth area will be planned and delivered.
The guidelines will encourage new developments that are high quality, sustainable and designed to create strong communities.
St Albans District Greener Together is a network of individuals and organisations who share an interest in promoting sustainability.
Its website includes a helpful calendar of events so you can get involved with local activities and connect with others who care about the environment.
There are listings for repair fairs, butterfly walks, home energy efficiency talks, community activities and much more.
If you are organising an appropriate event, you can also submit details to be included in the calendar.
Residents are reminded that they must not dispose of batteries in their household waste or recycling bins.
This includes Lithium Ion batteries which are contained in electronic products such as mobile phones, laptops, wireless headphones and smart watches.
There is a serious risk that a battery will start a major fire when crushed in the collection trucks.
One recent incident was avoided when a refuse collector spotted a large car battery had been placed in a rubbish bin.
You should dispose of batteries safety at recycling points at supermarkets and other shops or at household recycling centres
Hertfordshire Constabulary is promoting Safe and Found Online - a new portal to help quickly locate vulnerable missing people.
The initiative will provide vital support for individuals living with dementia and armed forces veterans.
The constabulary is urging family members, friends and carers of those at risk of going missing to register key information about them.
This information, stored securely online, can save crucial time in developing a search plan should someone go missing.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is asking residents to follow a few simple bird-feeding rules to reduce the spread of disease.
The number of some garden birds, including Greenfinches, has declined by more than 65% during the past 30 years because of disease.
To prevent the spread of infections, the RSPB's new advice is to Feed Seasonally and Feed Safely.
Between May and October, residents are encouraged to pause feeding seeds and peanuts. Small amounts of mealworms, fat balls and suet can still be provided.
You should also clean feeders and bird baths regularly, avoid bird tables and change water daily.
Planting bird-friendly flowers and shrubs provides natural food sources throughout the year.
Photo: a Robin perched in an apple tree.
Accessories Exhibition - Photography Session, Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July, 2pm to 4pm, Assembly Room, St Albans Museum + Gallery, Free with booking of 10 minute slots required
This autumn, we are curating an exhibition exploring accessories from our collections, from jewellery and watches to badges and nail art. As part of the exhibition, we're inviting local people to be photographed wearing accessories that are meaningful to them. Whether it's something that reflects your identity, cultural heritage or a special moment in your life, we'd love you to take part. Sessions last around 10 minutes.
Summer Holidays at St Albans Museums, Friday 24 July to Tuesday 1 September St Albans Museum + Gallery and Verulamium Museum
Looking for family-friendly activities this summer? Join us for a programme of workshops, archaeology activities, trails, object handling and more. Family craft workshops at St Albans Museum + Gallery include polymer clay modelling, papercraft garden scenes and ceramic tile painting while Verulamium Museum offers hands-on archaeology sessions using genuine finds. There's something for all ages throughout the holidays.
Orchid Art Day, Saturday 1 August, 10am to 3pm, St Albans Museum + Gallery, £25, booking required
Spend a day drawing orchids with a professional artist, exploring a range of techniques and materials including pencil, watercolour, wax resist and collage. Inspired by St Albans' fascinating history as the world's centre of orchid growing, this creative workshop invites participants to develop their own artistic response to these beautiful plants.
 St Albans Healthy Hub, located at the Civic Centre, is the place to go for health and wellbeing 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'll find more information on the Healthy Hub webpages.
St Albans Community Safety Partnership and Hertfordshire Trading Standards are asking residents to beware of doorstep traders offering to undertake work at their home.
Their advice is NOT to agree to any work as a result of a trader calling unexpectedly at your door.
This follows several incidents where householders have been pressured into paying high sums for shoddy building work.
You can report a rogue trader by clicking on the button below and find out more about the work of Trading Standards.
Residents who decide to donate to charity are urged to take a few simple precautions before handing their money over.
This is to ensure that you are donating to a genuine charity and your money will reach its intended destination.
First, take a moment to check that the charity is registered with the Charity Commission. You can do so by clicking the button below.
Be cautious of fundraisers who pressure you to donate immediately and always ask for identification.
You can report any concerns to the Council's Charitable Collections team on 01727 866100.
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