Touring St Albans

Thank you to Mayor Cllr Rosemary Farmer and Alison Orde from the Mayor’s Office for an enjoyable visit to St Albans. I also met Chief Executive Amanda Foley and Deputy Chief Executive Richard Shwe together with Alistair Woodgate, President of the St Albans Chamber of Commerce.

First it was a pleasure to chat with ladies from the Hertfordshire Asian Women’s Association and learn about their Tiffin Club, trips and outings and how they support women in their community.

At the Batchwood Sports Centre I learnt about the dedicated Friends of Batchwood who are all volunteers and maintain the woodland area. The Sports complex is not only a centre of excellence for tennis but also supports a number of initiatives in the community to encourage fitness and wellbeing.

Community 1st has its offices within the Council buildings and does excellent work in St Albans and Hertsmere connecting volunteers with organisations and helping with community transport as well as supporting many community, voluntary and business initiatives.

Finally, we joined a Team Brief with the St Albans branch of the Hertfordshire Constabulary and had a tour of their station with Chief Inspector Lynda Coates. She explained their particular challenges around an increase in violent burglary in the district and dealing with repeat offenders.

It was a pleasure to spend a day in St Albans and thank you to everyone for the warm welcome.