Recent figures show our Charter Market is growing and attracting more traders.
The average number of traders working at the weekly Wednesday markets was up 22% during the four months from June to September 2023, compared to the same period last year.
The number of occupied pitches rose by 37% with some traders operating from more than one pitch.
At the weekly Saturday markets, the number of traders rose by 16% and the number of occupied pitches was up 26%.
Over the same quarter, the monthly Sunday Market saw the number of traders rise up by an average of 11% while occupied pitches rose 16%.
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Meet busy bee Zsuzsanna Kispal – a Charter Market trader who runs two businesses from one stall!
Zsuzsanna operates the Happy Honey Store – selling raw honey imported from her native Hungary – and My Rustic Home, an interiors shop.
Each jar of honey is from a single flower, giving it a unique colour, texture and taste.
Her home accessories include cushions, jugs, bowls, vases, ornaments and – her best seller – hand-made mugs.
Zsuzsanna said: “The honeys as well as being delicious have medicinal benefits. Lime tree is excellent for a sore throat while sweet chestnut is full of iron and helps recovery from an illness.
“Our homeware is all sourced from independent suppliers from Denmark, Hungary, Derbyshire and elsewhere and are not available from mainstream shops, offering shoppers something different.
“I have been trading at the Charter Market for three years now and I just love it. I love the historic feel of the City Centre and the other traders and Market management are great. It’s a wonderful place to be.”
The stunning Clarence Park Pavilion in St Albans has re-opened following £300,000 of restoration work.
The external structure of the historic building was repaired by a specialist contractor.
Improvements include painting and decorating, new guttering and repairs to the brickwork, external staircase, roof and distinctive balustrade.
There were also upgrades to lighting and the reconditioning of windows or installation of new ones.
We oversaw the work in consultation with St Albans Cricket Club, which uses the building under a licence from us, and residents.
The second phase of the project, refurbishing the interior and upgrading the changing rooms for both men and women players, is being planned.
Don’t miss out on our Christmas Cracker – a fantastic street party to kick off the festive season in St Albans.
The popular annual event will take place on Sunday 19 November from noon until 6pm with the City Centre closed to traffic.
There will be something for all the family, people of all ages and abilities, with thousands expected.
Attractions will include live music, dozens of food, drink and gift stalls, Santa’s grotto, street entertainers, a create and play zone, dance and theatrical performances.
St Albans BID is organising a series of Christmas events and will provide the City Centre’s Christmas lights.
Local businesses and other organisations are urged to register for the annual St Albans Business Summit.
This is a fantastic networking opportunity as well as a chance to hear about major topics such as local economic data and sustainability.
There will be a number of presentations as well as break-out sessions on issues such as recruiting and retaining top talent.
Everyone with an interest in local business is welcome to register for the event which is on Wednesday 15 November, 5.30pm to 7.30pm, at Oaklands College, St Albans Campus.
Coronation Street legend Chris Gascoyne will star as Captain Hook at this year’s Alban Arena pantomime.
He will appear alongside CBeebies' Maddie Moate, as Tinkerbell, and Ian Kirkby, as Mrs Smee, in the All New Adventures of Peter Pan – A Pantomime Sequel.
This promises to be the Arena’s most spectacular pantomime yet with stunning sets, dazzling costumes and a star-studded cast - a must-see show for the whole family. The show runs from Friday 8 to Sunday 31 December with tickets from £15 available online here or by calling the box office on 01727 844488.
Beauty and the Beast is the enchanting pantomime to be held this festive season at the Eric Morecambe Centre in Harpenden.
The show features spectacular scenery, glittering costumes, amazing special effects and plenty of audience participation!
This is family pantomime at its best, so book your tickets now for Harpenden’s finest festive treat.
The pantomime runs from Saturday 9 to Saturday 30 December with tickets from £18 available online or by calling the box office on 01582 767525.
St Albans Mayor Anthony Rowlands has announced his charity for his year in office - the St Albans Fund for the Future.
The Fund, managed by Hertfordshire Community Foundation, distributes grants to smaller charities and community groups within the District.
Councillor Rowlands will raise money for the fund through a series of activities with the theme of his Mayoralty being All Ages Together.
You can find out more about the fund and sign up to make regular contributions here.
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There was an excellent response to the draft Local Plan consultation with more than 1,200 people attending exhibitions held across the District.
More than 1,500 people gave their views in a questionnaire and more than 1,000 completed a survey. A further 2,214 watched a video on YouTube explaining the Local Plan.
All the feedback will be analysed by the Council’s spatial planning team and a report on the findings submitted to Councillors.
The Local Plan is a blueprint for growth, identifying land for future commercial infrastructure and housing developments. A further consultation will take place next summer.
Thousands of people thronged the City Centre last month for of the Enjoy St Albans Food and Drink Festival’s six-hour-long street party.
Attractions at the fun event, known as the St Albans Feastival, included around 100 market stalls selling a vast variety of food and drink products.
There was also live music, a create and play zone, street entertainers and a cookery theatre.
We organise the annual event which is supported by SA Law and St Albans BID and part-funded by the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
 Congratulations to the winners of the Food and Drink Festival’s coveted Food and Drink awards 2023.
Eight awards were announced at a ceremony at St Michael’s Manor on Monday 2 October. The winners were:
Restaurant of the Year - Nouvellé Lounge, Marshalswick, St Albans.
Best Pub or Bar - The Green Man, Sandridge.
Best Café - The Potting Shed, Carpenters Nursery, Sandridge.
Best Food and Drink shop or Market Stall - Carpenter's Nursery, Sandridge.
Best Takeaway or Street Food - Kat's Oriental Cuisine, St Albans.
Best Local Producer - The Pudding Stop, Redbourn.
Best Newcomer- Nouvellé Lounge.
Kate D’Arcy Award for Customer Service - The Angoni family of Bellacino's, French Row, St Albans.
Picture: St Albans Mayor Councillor Anthony Rowlands, wearing his chain of office, with some of the winners.
A young man with Cerebral Palsy hopes to swim the Channel after completing a fundraiser at Harpenden Leisure Centre’s pool.
Ollie Sales, 20, who is unable to walk or sit unaided due to his condition, has raised more than £1,200 by swimming ten lengths.
His aspiration is to continue improving his swimming skills with the ultimate goal of swimming the Channel.
The fundraiser, organised by Ollie and his mum Peta Sales-Lucas, raised money for HCPT Group 124, a charity that takes disabled and disadvantaged children on trips abroad.
Peta said: “He’s a very determined young man and is always looking to inspire others with Cerebral Palsy. He documents his swimming and weightlifting journey on social media where he has more than 1,000 followers!
The Zombies Come Home: In Conversation and An Acoustic Set, Museum + Gallery, 8pm, Friday 10 November, £50, licensed bar.
The Zombies were formed in St Albans in 1961 and enoyed success on both sides of the Atlantic, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Join music journalist Jo Kendall in conversation with the original band members: keyboard player Rod Argent, vocalist Colin Blunstone, bass guitarist Chris White and drummer Hugh Grundy.
Hear how the band formed, perfecting their sound in the pubs and live music venues of St Albans and rising to fame with their hits She’s Not There and Time of the Season.
Exhibition: Ballito Bombshells, Keeper’s Galleries, Museum + Gallery, Friday 20 October until Sunday 4 February, Free
The Ballito Hosiery Mill was a major landmark in Fleetville from the 1920s to the 1960s. This exhibition celebrates the Ballito stockings worn across the country, the striking adverts that filled newspapers, the advanced machinery used in the factory and the dances, language classes and sports facilities offered to its employees. Also covered is the transformation of the factory during the Second World War from making delicate stockings to artillery shells.
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We are holding a Landlords Forum on the evening of Thursday 23 November.
This is an opportunity for private landlords and letting agents to learn about new legislation, receive advice from guest speakers and discuss housing issues.
Representatives from the Council’s private sector housing team and Mosaic Lettings agency will be in attendance.
You can support good causes and win up to £25,000 by taking part in the St Albans District Community Lottery.
Tickets for the weekly draw cost only £1 with 60p going to a good cause of your choosing.
Among the organisations that have signed up to become a good cause is Open Door St Albans.
Since 1993 Open Door, with the help of the St Albans community, has supported over 7,000 people who have experienced homelessness. The Charity funds improvements to the Open Door shelter as well as covering the costs of outreach services and a volunteer coordinator.
By purchasing a lottery ticket here, you can help support the most vulnerable in St Albans. Nobody should be out in the cold.
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 St Albans Healthy Hub is your free one-stop-shop for health and wellbeing information, advice and support.
You can get advice on how to lose weight, quit smoking, cut down on alcohol, become more active, manage money and much else.
The organisations involved include Citizens Advice, Communities 1st, Mind in Mid Herts and many more. You can find more information here.
Our partners at Healthwatch Herts want to hear from people aged 18-plus about their views on sexual health services, particularly testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Please help them by completing this confidential survey before Friday 10 November. It should only take a few minutes to complete.
STIs are rising across many different demographics, so it’s important that they hear from a wide range of people from Herts.
The findings will be used to enhance local sexual health service provision and ensure that everybody can access the testing and treatment they need.
Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations for all those eligible began last month.
Programmes have started earlier than planned as a precautionary measure following the identification of a new COVID-19 variant.
GP practices in Hertfordshire are working together to deliver vaccinations and have been inviting people to their local clinics.
If you’re a paid or unpaid carer, you can book here. Seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccinations can protect you and those you care for.
You can still join the thousands of Stoptober supporters who are quitting smoking for the month of October.
If you can quit for a month, you’re five times as likely to quit for good. And if you get help from a stop smoking service you are three times more likely to quit than trying to do it without support.
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