Your Hertfordshire Rural Affairs and Community News Bulletin
Welcome to our September 2022 eBulletin
All of us at CDA Herts are very saddened to hear the news about the passing of Her Majesty the Queen who gave her life serving all of us not only in the UK but across the world.
The Queen knew Hertfordshire well as her Mother’s family live in the north of the county and she had many fond memories of her time spent in Hertfordshire.
We send our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and may Our Queen rest in peace.
CDA Herts shall be closed on Bank Holiday Monday as a sign of respect.
A Hertfordshire Book of Remembrance has been opened to honour Her Majesty and you can view the book and submit a personal entry by clicking hereBook of Remembrance
Click Here to view the eBulletin on our CDA Herts website
CDA Herts CRED Team Invitation to their Celebrating Communities Day
Click on the Pic to Book your Place on Eventbrite
Thank you Ellie for joining our CRED Team for August
"During the month of August I completed a placement with CDA Herts with the aim of better understanding what community development is. I had the most amazing month travelling to visit a variety of community groups across Hertfordshire including the Irish Network in Stevenage, the ‘Iroko Drumming for Wellbeing’ workshop, ‘Junction 7 Creatives’ and the ‘Empower Her’ workshop by Stevenage Healthy Hub.
It was a brilliant experience to see the incredible work community groups are doing in Hertfordshire but also acknowledging the hard work and challenges these groups are experiencing. Thank you CDA Herts for a wonderful placement experience and being so welcoming! I will take all the experience and learning over the past month back to my role as a Youth Worker for Services for Young People based at Bowes Lyon Young Peoples Centre. My role is to engage young people in Stevenage in youth projects including Emotional Wellbeing, Youth Council, Healthy Relationships and Friday Night Projects."
Innovative scheme promises keenly priced Solar PV panels
Herts residents are invited to invest in renewable energy, through a group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage.
The Solar Together Hertfordshire initiative gives homeowners the chance to pay a more competitive price for installation, from pre-approved installers. The innovative scheme builds on four years of the highly successful Solar Together programme across the UK, which has resulted in more than 7,000 installations to date and helped avoid over 130,000 tonnes of lifetime carbon emissions.
From 22 August 2022 homeowners have been able to sign up for the group-buying scheme, which offers solar panels with optional battery storage and electric vehicle charge points. There is also an option for retrofit battery storage if you have already invested in solar panels and are looking to get more from the renewable energy they generate, as well as increase independence from the grid. It is free to register and there is no obligation to go ahead with an installation.
Energy bills to be capped at £2,500 for typical household
Prime Minister Liz Truss will limit energy bill rises for all households for two years as the new prime minister tries to prevent widespread hardship.
A typical household energy bill will be capped at £2,500 annually until 2024. The huge support scheme could cost up to £150bn, but Ms Truss refused to put a figure on it, saying "extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures". Businesses will get help, with prices capped for six months, a shorter period of protection than many had hoped for. The energy price cap - the highest amount suppliers are allowed to charge households for every unit of energy they use - had been due to rise to £3,549 for a typical household from October. To limit the amount customers' bills go up by, the unit price will be capped, although household energy bills will vary according to how much gas and electricity they use.
Click for information about Household support programmes at GOV.UK
Click on the Pic to read more about Shout About It 2022
Your Invitation to Community Alliance Broxbourne & East Herts' AGM
On Monday, 10th October 2022 from 12 noon to 1.45pm, we invite all to join us for our AGM. The event will begin with lunch for all attendees. This year, as well as our normal AGM structure, we will celebrate the launch of our new name “Community Alliance Broxbourne and East Herts” and complete the switchover to the new brand including our new website, domain name and signage. We will also be presenting our annual review for 2021 to 2022 and bringing news of a new business plan for the organisation. Finally, as well as presenting our popular annual awards, we are delighted that our keynote speaker at the event will be Cllr Richard Roberts, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, who will be delivering a speech entitled, “The Community of Hertfordshire.”
To book your place please reply to Penny Leighton penny@cvsbeh.org.uk
Click on the Pic for Active in the Community website
£250,000 Prince’s Countryside Fund grant fund
The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) is inviting applications for grants of up to £25,000 from community projects across the UK, with up to £250,000 available
The PCF is interested in projects that will make a difference in rural communities across the UK and clearly demonstrate the need within the community. Applications from Wales and Northern Ireland are particularly encouraged, but communities from across the UK are eligible to apply.
Click the Pic to take the free 20-minute online training by Zero Suicide Alliance that will help you spot the signs, say the words and signpost to help. Anyone in need can call the NHS by dialling 111 option 2 for specialist mental health support.
What is a reuse shop?
Our reuse shops are an easy place to drop off unwanted household items or at the larger reuse shops to pick up an amazing bargain.
By dropping off or buying items for reuse, you:
stop them going to waste
save the energy needed to recycle them
reduce the natural resources used to create new products.
NEW PM LIZ TRUSS MUST 'TRULY LEVEL-UP' THE RURAL ECONOMY
Farming UK reports that Liz Truss, must go further than any previous administration and 'truly level-up' the rural economy.
The new government should include the rural economy at the 'heart of government policy in these tough times', the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has said. There is an 18 percent productivity gap between the rural economy and the national average following 'years of neglect'. According to the rural organisation, closing this gap would add £43 billion to the UK economy. The reasons for the countryside’s lower productivity are complex, but key contributors include poor digital connectivity, the planning system, bureaucracy and decades of underinvestment.
Rural campaigners say measures such as a simpler tax regime and more investment in rural skills would help close the productivity gap. Mark Tufnell, CLA president said: "As PM, Liz Truss must go for growth, laying out in detail her plans to deliver genuine planning reform, full connectivity, a simpler tax system for diversified businesses”.
Two free summer food programmes for vulnerable families and children and a multi-faith summer activity camp are among 20 Hertsmere schemes to have been awarded community grants. Our councillors allocated just over £30,000 worth of funding from its 2022/23 Community Grants scheme to groups and communities that celebrate the borough’s heritage and identities; promote inclusion and cohesion and champion social justice. Among the top recipients were Borehamwood Foodbank and Churches Together in Radlett and Aldenham (CTRA), which were both awarded £2,000 each.
A project which ensures every fraud victim in Hertfordshire is offered support and advice has been boosted by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire. The Beacon Fraud Hub, helps tackle one of the highest crime types in the county by advising victims of their rights, advocating with banks on their behalf and providing one-on-one assistance to stop vulnerable victims being constantly targeted. In the past three years the unit has contacted thousands of fraud victims, and in the process have helped them recover £2.3m. Residents and businesses who have had money stolen by deception have been contacted by specialist workers, as part of the award-winning scheme. Now the number of Fraud Hub staff is going to be increased from two to three following a decision by David Lloyd to invest extra money from the Government’s Victim Services Grant.
Packaging free sustainable products are important to us, Why? We're passionate about the environment, zero waste, plastic free, sustainability, recycling, composting and of course turtles.
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Shopping with us reduces your households` impact on our planet and your local environment.
We make refill shopping easy, enjoyable and fun. Shopping your whole family can be involved in and learn from.
River Purwell Hitchin Hertfordshire's Living Rivers The jewel in the crown of Hertfordshire’s freshwater network, is one of the rarest environments on the planet. Chalk rivers are a unique kind of river system that support some of our most iconic yet threatened wildlife, such as wild brown trout and water voles. There are less than 250 in the entire world and we are lucky to find around 10% in Hertfordshire. Think of Kenneth Grahame’s Wind and the Willows and your imagination will place you beside a beautiful chalk river on a summer’s day. In good condition our chalk rivers can appear ethereal; with gentle banks sloping down to a verdant river edge, glass-clear water babbling over gravels as the river travels along its meandering course, visited by the striking kingfisher, suspended mayfly and sail-finned grayling swaying in the currents.
Harry Bott's September Farming, Wildlife and Garden Reports
Sadly the Swallows have left the barn but it has been a record year for an early harvest although the parched concrete-like ground is no use for drilling. In the garden though the tomatoes have loved the heat. Read the full September report from Harry by clicking below.
Click on the poster for the Norris & Fisher website
Help CDA Herts Mobile Hub Get On The Road
We need your support to raise enough funds to get our Mobile Hub on the road
enabling us & other partners to bring information and support to rural areas on
numerous helpful services.
Click Here to Support our Mobile Hub Project by buying
East Herts Lottery Tickets.
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CDA Herts Services available to communities in Hertfordshire
Community Garden St Albans - Plots available
Village Halls Advisory Service - part of the ACRE network
Rural Support Networks
Rural Issues Network
Rural Loneliness Forum
Digital Inclusion Project
Farmers' Cafes
Rural Affordable Housing Needs Assessments and Surveys
Village Connectors Project
HMP The Mount Play Area
Jobs Pathway
Covid Recovery Ethnic Diverse Project (CRED)
Health Equalities Partnership Programme (HEPP)
Reconnecting Hertford
Community Energy Network
Management Health Checks
Health & Safety Training, Audit and Risk Assessment
Health & Wellbeing advocacy
Send us your news, bulletin or newsletter and we will feature you.
email tim.hayward-smith@cdaherts.org.uk
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CDA Herts does not endorse nor recommend any services or products featured in the eBulletin and accepts no liability for any unforeseen circumstances arising.
