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| The Word About Town |
| Issue 32, July 2021 |
| Welcome |
| Another academic year is almost over and our thoughts are turning to summer holidays. We're all hoping that we'll have a few more freedoms and be able to get out and about even more, so let's hope for some good weather as well. Fingers crossed! In the meantime read on for our Award results, your Lockdown lifesavers and what is going on this summer! |
| Our 2021 Award Winners revealed! |
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| Once again our Awards were a huge success with nearly 2,500 people voting! Thank you for getting involved - many of the businesses and organisations listed on Mum's guide to Harpenden have had a tough year and they will be delighted with the support shown to them during the Awards process. So, now to reveal the winners of the Mum's guide to Harpenden Awards 2021... Best Activity Class or Group for Under 5's: SAADI Gymnastics Runner-up: Artventurers Harpenden & St Albans Best Activity Class or Group for School-Age Children: SAADI Gymnastics Runner-up: King's Soccer School Best Holiday Club or Class: SAADI Gymnastics Runner-up: King's Soccer School Best Pre/Post Natal Support Service: Emma Hunt Personal Training Runner-up: Be Kind Hypnobirthing Best Party and Celebrations Provider: Artventurers Harpenden & St Albans Runner-up: Feeding Time Best Local Independent Business: Threads Runner-up: FiveDinners Well done to all our winners, runners-up and finalists! You continue to make Harpenden and the surrounding area such a fantastic place for us all! Thank you. And speaking of people making Harpenden and the surrounds such a lovely place to live, do read on to find out who you nominated as your Lockdown Lifesavers... |
| Fizzbug now taking bookings for Summer Holiday Camps! | |
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FizzBug hello@fizzbug.co.uk 07894 264 274 www.fizzbug.co.uk |
FizzBug Holiday Clubs are not only a way of providing childcare support to families when their schools can’t, but they also support the work that teachers in those schools have done during term-time. Our camps will be running from July 26th to August 27th at The Grove and Crabtree Schools in Harpenden, and Wheatfield School St Albans where we will be providing exciting and creative opportunities for children to learn new skills and enjoy themselves whilst getting fitter! From sports activities and games to cookery, drama, crafts and outdoor exploring, there is something for every child at FizzBug. This summer we are back again with our fabulous team tepees (the feedback from last summer was incredible!) and we even have the special addition of a beach with a paddling pool. Keep an eye on the Fizzbug social media channels for more info coming soon!
We welcome children age 3-11 and our clubs can be booked for a half, 3/4 or full day. To find out more or to book please visit our website www.fizzbug.co.uk or email hello@fizzbug.co.uk  |
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| Your Lockdown Lifesavers! |
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| As part of our 2021 Awards we introduced a special category to enable our users and followers to recognise and thank individuals, groups, organisations and businesses that have gone above and beyond in the past year. We were overwhelmed with the response and from all the comments received it is very clear that these really are "Lockdown Lifesavers". So congratulations and thank you to each and every one of you! Everyone appearing on the Roll of Honour below was nominated during our 2021 Awards nominations phase by people who felt that these individuals, organisations and businesses made a positive difference to their lockdown experience. To see the reasons they were nominated and the beautiful comments that went with the nominations, please see our full article, 'Congratulations to our 2021 Awards Lockdown Lifesavers'. Reading it will brighten your day! Individuals and Informal Groups: Caitlin Askey, Cindy Cheung, Fairmead Ave/Highfield Ave WhatsApp Group, John Davey, Piggotshill Lane WhatsApp Group, Thornbury Residents, and Park Rise WhatsApp Group. Public Service and Voluntary/Charity Organisations: 10th Harpenden Girlguiding Group, 1st Harpenden Scout Group, Dr Tania Goodwin (The Village Surgery), Harpenden Library, Harpenden Town Council - Harpenden Cares, Harpenden Trust and the Harpenden Vaccine Volunteers, Miss Aukett - Teacher at Crabtree Infants School, Mrs Kate Watson - Year 6 Teacher at Harpenden Academy, Mrs Davies and all the Staff at Harpenden Academy, Mrs Sarah Hinchcliff – Headteacher at Redbourn Primary School, Mrs Boby & Mrs Bentley - Reception Class Teachers at Roundwood Primary School, Mrs Stray - Teacher at Alban City School, Jill Habib - Student Welfare Advisor at St Albans Girls' School, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Santa 365, and The Peterson's Fund for Children. Businesses: All Things Careers, Artventurers Harpenden & St Albans, Ruth Martin - Artisans Kindergarten, Baby College Mid Herts, Body Mechanix, Camp Green, Caroline Appleton Personal Trainer, Chilli Pilates, Coppers Shoes, Cracking Cakes, Debbie Gilbert - Mums Unltd Network, Emilios and Toastilicious, Emma Hunt PT, Feeding Time, Fingertips Nursery, Fizzbug, Funnybones, Hannah Armstrong - Jolly Creative, Harpenden Cycles, Hurst Children's Theatre Group, Jelley's Meats, Jump'n'Juice, Learning Lions, Let's Dance Academy, Lou Murphy Styles with Captain Tortue, Manor Pharmacy, Maria's, Menace Sports, Mini Professors Harpenden & St Albans, The Dance Studio, Jo Midgely - MummyFit Luton, Musicale, Rebecca Windram - Violin Teacher at Musicale, All Professional Nannies, PJ Garrity Fruit & Veg, SAADI Gymnastics, Sean's @ Redbourn, Showtime Circus, Stephanie Gross – Gymboree, SW Dance Academy, The Kitchen Front, The Little Gym, Theo Michaels & FiveDinners. com, Threads, Tricia King Postnatal, Victoria McDermott - Indigo Holistics, Wendy Warren Jewellery, Angela Rake - Zing Wellness, Zuckermaus Austrian Bakery, and Zumba with Jen Papple. |
| The new Rothamsted Park Play Area grand re-opening |
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| Saturday 24th July will be the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Rothamsted Park - the new and improved Play Area will be opening. As long as Government restrictions are eased as planned, on 24th July from 11am-2pm there will be a grand re-opening event. There is going to be a short opening ceremony, followed by entertainment as well as food stalls, bouncy castles, face painting, and much more. And of course, the new play park will be very much open for the children to enjoy! |
| Summer holiday fun and entertainment |
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| It's hard to believe but the summer holidays are upon us again. I think we all need and deserve a bit of a rest after the 17 months we have had, but for many a holiday away from home will be off the cards. But don't panic - there are plenty of events happening this year to keep you and the kids entertained and plenty of holiday clubs running if you need a bit of time to yourself, or need to work! If you're looking for holiday clubs and classes we have lots listed on the website which are running this summer. Take a look at the Holiday Clubs & Classes section and remember that you can filter results by the type of holiday club, age, whether or not they accept childcare vouchers and the holiday period you require. Some of the long standing ones which we know are running are the aforementioned Fizzbug for those that like a little bit of everything, SAADI Gymnastics Ltd and The Little Gym for the budding gymnasts in the family or just for the active, Elliswick LTC for the future Wimbledon stars or just the ones that love a bit of outdoor sport, King's Soccer School for those inspired by England's success in Euro 2020, Showtime Circus for the great little performers and adventure lovers, Harpenden Musicale Holidays for some magical music making and Adventure Tuition for those with a love of learning! And what if you are looking for a day out with the kids and a bit of adventure? We have loads of places to visit from museums to parks to escape rooms, outdoor adventure golf to National Trust properties and everything in between. There really is something for everyone. So check out our Things To Do section and visit some new places this summer. There are also plenty of Events on this summer. Our What's On page has them all listed, but we have also looked through to choose our personal favourites, and here they are:
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| Have your say on local issues! |
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There are a number of surveys taking place at the moment covering a variety of local issues some or all of which may affect you and you may like to have your say on. High Street Recovery Survey
St Albans Urgent Care Provision Consultation To find out more about the options being considered and to take part in the consultation:
The survey is open to men and women of all ages and is available until Friday 9 July. It can be accessed via: Bus Usage Survey |
| The Final Word |
| Sometimes the summer holidays with kids and endless weeks stretching out ahead can feel a little daunting. When our kids were all very young we used to plan ahead in loads of detail because it made it seem easier. Now they're a bit older we go with the spontaneous approach. Whatever works for you, go with it, and try to enjoy it. As someone once noted, you only really get 18 summers fully with your kids before they fly the nest (though even our young teens would already rather be with their friends than family now anyway!) so we should make the most of each and every one! Have fun all! |
| Alison, Angela & Carol Mum's guide to Harpenden |
  
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| Please note that the articles in this newsletter are written by third party businesses as specified at the end of each article. Any opinions are the article writer's opinions and not Mum's Guide To Limited's opinions. Mum's Guide To Limited do not represent or guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy or reliability of any article by any of the Businesses in this newsletter or endorse any opinions expressed by them, or products or services provided by them. |
| Mum's Guide To Ltd, Registered in England & Wales No.8045592 www.mumsguideto.co.uk mums@mumsguideto.co.uk |
