Local Life: Recent Episodes
Rob Pearman
This month we were joined by the St Albans and Hatfield partner for Deakin-White, Scott Willmott. Scott discusses the appeal of the St Albans housing market and the current financial situation.
In this special edition of ‘So What?’ Andy and Elly talk about a very difficult topic – the death of a family member. On a recent trip to Plymouth, Andy’s mum died after a period of illness. Talking about it helped, but it also made him realise that people really do need to discuss their ... Read more
De Havilland is an important part of our local history and the De Havilland Aircraft Museum in London Colney documenrs this wonderfully. Jonny Seabrook was welcomed by Derek Lamb, a volunteer at the museum, who guided him around the museum. Their chat is here as a two part podcast.
St Albans Girls School are presenting their first school musical drama production since COVID and it is MATILDA - THE MUSICAL.
Join the STAGS Radio and podcast club as they go behind the scenes with interviews, discussion and all the backstage gossip.
Podcast creator and producer John Cushing explains to Local Life the production services that he and his colleague Michael Weadock are providing to a multitude of different sports after a working lifetime in broadcast radio with a focus on news and sport. It is indeed anythingbutfooty.com.
Local nature correspondent Rupert Evershed asks a simple seasonal question - but the answer might not be the one you expect.
Lucy Gaygusuz, Trustee at Open Door, tells Rob Pearman about the plans to help and then keep local rough sleepers off the streets for the second Covid winter. This year - as last year - the project involves Open Door, Centre 33, Hightown Housing, Emmaus and the District Council and this year with the additional support of Morgan Sindall. This year, the project needs more volunteers to help manage and support the special cabins located at Emmaus St Albans where those without a warm place for the night will be protected from the cold and rain and Covid. Can you volunteer?
Chris Tillin chats with Youth Talk CEO David Barker and fundraiser Phill Coates about the fantastic work the charity are doing as we approach Christmas
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed calls for support in the campaign to save Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits - home to a wide range of birds and other wildlife - from potential loss if the Bowmans Cross development proposed by Hertsmere Borough Council is approved. Consultation closes on 6th December.
John Mulholland, Trustee and Warehouse Manager at St Albans & District Foodbank, explains to Rob Pearman how the service works, how much it has increased over recent years (it now has six distribution points), and how the combination of increasing prices, the ending of the Covid uptick to Universal Credit and of the furlough scheme, plus announced increases in National Insurance may add to local requests for assistance - just at a time when the Foodbank has to move out of its current premises and find a new distribution warehouse by mid-November. If you know of a suitable site, please contact warehouse@stalbans.foodbank.org.uk urgently. (Local Life - Sundays 8-9am and 6-7pm; Wednesdays 7-8pm.)
It's been thirty years since local nature observer, writer and correspondent Rupert Evershed was last visited by a Spotted Flycatcher. They had once been annual visitors so he was delighted to see them back again - even though now as migrants rather than nesting birds and also, sadly, on the 'red list' as an endangered species. (Photo copyright and used by courtesy of Rupert Evershed)
Local naturalist and correspondent Rupert Evershed (see podcast series: Local Life - Nature Notes) believes that experiencing nature's variety is as good as a rest. His recent experience of land and sea birds around The Scilly Isles included discoveries about the house sparrow and the magpie, but also an encounter with the rarely seen tiny seabird Wilson's Storm Petrel, as well as dolphins, gannets and shearwaters. Now, back home, we move on from summer to autumn!
One of a series of publications by the British Library, 'Crawling Horror - Creeping Tales of the Insect Weird' is edited by Daisy Butcher and Janette Leaf, respectively postgraduate researchers at Hertfordshire University and Birkbeck, University of London. They have searched the archives for 19th and 20th century tales about insects - some good, some bad. Some by men such as HG Wells and Edgar Allen Poe, others introducing previously overlooked women writers. In this extended version of an interview with Rob Pearman on Local Life, Janette and Daisy explain and illustrate this strange world - with recorded excerpts from three of the fascinating tales.
Stacey Turner, founder of the local mental health charity It's OK to Say started to plan ways to help newly arrived evacuees from Kabul who were facing the trauma of their unplanned exit from their homeland . She soon realised that many of them - having left Afghanistan in haste - had very real immediate needs for clothing and other essential items. Stacey and her colleagues set up collection points around the city and within a matter of days local people had responded so overwhelmingly that they had to pause the programme - and also to ask for luggage (suitcases, backpacks etc) so that the evacuees could move on with their new belongings. She explained how it came about and how it succeeded in this interview with Rob Pearman on Local Life.
The High Street Life podcast is presented by Roma Bhowmick and Leona Fensome and is a six-part series looking at life as an independent retailer on the St Albans High Street.
The series is sponsored by the St Albans BID (Business Improvement District) and will share with you, the stories, triumphs and challenges of business owners and managers who serve our community on a daily basis.
In this sixth and last episode, we chat with two general managers of local businesses, Mad Squirrel Taprooms, James Ward, and The Peahen's, Phil Ottaway. They share with us, what their hospitality and pub journey has been like and also, how during lockdown they continually adapted to meet their customer needs and how they supported their teams and the St Albans community amidst an ever-changing landscape.
When someone knocks on your door and tells you he can fix that loose tile, beware. It's odds on he's a scammer aiming to rip you off. HCC Trading Standards Officer Darren Ward tells Local Life some hair-raising tales of the tricks these scammers play and how much it can end up costing you.
We're all doing our best to help in the fight against climate change, so it's no surprise that scammers have decided that is where we're most vulnerable. Trading Standards Officer Darren Ward explains on Local Life how the 'energy-efficiency scammers' work, what to watch out for and - above all - how to save yourself a lot of grief.
Well actually, it isn't. And if you 'click on one' as invited, you could soon be handing over access to all your banking details. Darren Ward of HCC Trading Standards explains how the scammers use a simple text about an undelivered package (supposedly from Royal Mail or Amazon or DPD or.....) to get into your bank account and take whatever they like. Find out how to avoid a disaster. Scams awareness fortnight runs from 14 to 27 June 2021.
Anyone who owns a phone, a computer, a letter box or even a front doorbell is a target for the scammers (which means all of us). On Local Life, HCC Trading Standards Officer Darren Wood explains the tricks the scammers use – focusing this time on the ‘Nottingham Knockers’ and the rogue fish sellers, who turn out not to be all they pretend. Scams Awareness Fortnight runs from 14 to 27 June 2021.
The High Street Life podcast is presented by Roma Bhowmick and Leona Fensome and is a six-part series looking at life as an independent retailer on the St Albans High Street.
The series is sponsored by the St Albans BID (Business Improvement District) and will share with you, the stories, triumphs and challenges of business owners and managers who serve our community on a daily basis.
In this fifth episode, we chat with three managers of local businesses, Debenhams Ottaway Managing Partner, Susan Glenholme, and Metro Bank's Local Director, Sam Mathur and Store Manager, Amber Dunlop. They share with us, what their journey has been like and also, how during lockdown they created initiatives to go over and beyond to support both their employees and community.
Local Life welcomed Robert Naylor-Stables, current Play Director at one of the District's best known amateur dramatic societies. Rob Pearman asked him to tell us what they've achieved over the past 75 years, what they see as their contribution to the local community, how they coped with the lockdown and what's coming up when they can once again invite an audience into the Memorial Hall (Spoiler alert: it's Brian Friel's 'Faith Healer' from 14-16 October). Photo from earlier production of Macbeth.
Adam Nichols, Artistic Director at OVO and The Maltings, tells Local Life what the company aims to achieve through live performance, how they've used streaming during the lockdowns, and what happens next - including their management of and performances at the Roman Theatre Open Air Festival (28 May - 11 July) plus other productions to follow in Cornwall and St Albans.
Celebrating 70 years since its foundation, St Albans Musical Theatre Company can’t wait for the lockdown to be eased so they can get back on stage. Choreographer and performer Elise Betts tells Rob Pearman what SAMTC does, why and how – plus how you can join them whatever your skill or aspiration. The first new productions will be part of the Open Air Theatre Festival at the Roman Theatre in St Albans (May to July - details and booking at maltingstheatre.co.uk) and the first new show at St Albans Arena will be 'Elf' in November (details and booking at samtc.org.uk)
In the first of his short series for Local Life on jazz greats, local music man David Ireson looks at the life and music of George Gershwin - from Tin Pan Alley and Broadway to Hollywood.
This podcast - in the series looking at theatre activities in and around St Albans - focuses on Trestle Arts Base and Trestle Theatre Company (now in its 40th year, with a celebratory exhibition due to open at St Albans Museum+Gallery on 17 May). Creative Director Helen Barnett explains the history of the company and the Arts Base, and the multitude of creative activities available through Trestle - including how the lockdowns have led them into new ways of reaching out to their local, national and international community.
Abbey Theatre Manager Tina Swain and Production Executive Karen Thomas tell Local Life how the theatre and The Company of Ten have coped with the past year's lockdowns, how they adapted through live streaming, recording and hybrid performances, and what the plans are for the anticipated re-opening from 18 May. Also how how they produced PPE and later became a centre for local food distribution.
Rev Caroline Keighley the Vicar of St Mark's Colney Heath presents a reflection for the 3rd week of Lent.
Local music maker and performer David Ireson introduces George Gershwin, one of the giants of 20th Century music.
Local nature correspondent Rupert Evershed encourages those of us with an outside space to feed the birds - not just in winter months but all year round.
As part of our seasonal reflections Rev Richard Watson the Vicar of St Saviour's Sandpit Lane presented a reflection on the second week of Lent.
The Radio Verulam Lent Reflections have returned for 2021.
Listen on the radio every Sunday at 9.45am and Wednesday at 7.45am.
Week 1 features Peter Crumpler from St Paul's Church on the Hatfield Rd.
Coming up we we'll welcome Richard Watson, Caroline Keightley, Kirsty Wainwright, Tim Bull and Kim Quak-Winslow.
The pandemic has not been kind to those living on limited income, at whatever age. But for those over 60, a single unexpected event can push you to the edge. Kate Newton, Grants Manager at St Albans Old People's Trust, explains how the Trust can help individuals in need - and has done so to the tune of £200,000 in the past year. Kate also describes other projects helping local people, including the Warmer Homes initiative and explains how many people are unaware that they can claim Pension Credit.
Don't leave those old laptops (or tablets, smartphones etc) just gathering dust. They can be put to great use by Computer Friendly, a local charity now refurbishing unwanted devices and getting them into the hands of local kids who don't have their own means of connecting with their online home schooling. Guaranteed protection for your old data by cleaning or destroying the discs. The kids need your help now!
The High Street Life podcast is presented by Roma Bhowmick and Leona Fensome and is a six-part series looking at life as an independent retailer on the St Albans High Street.
The series is sponsored by the St Albans BID (Business Improvement District) and will share with you, the stories, triumphs and challenges of business owners and managers who serve our community on a daily basis.
In this fourth episode, we chat with wellness & beauty founders, Eve & Adam Beauty Clinic CEO Sally-Anne Shepherd and The Pilates Rooms owner Sara Waller. They share with us, what their journey has been like and also, how this year, during lockdown they reinvented life as independent business owners.
Helen Gray, CEO of Hertfordshire Communities Foundation, reports on the huge pressure on local charities/voluntary groups and the people they serve. Thanks to the Foundation's long history of fund raising, it has been able to assist many that were struggling to cope - and in some cases survive - during the pandemic.
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed records sighting of his 100th bird in this area - the yellow browed warbler.
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed encourages us to be patient and let nature take its course.
As we headed from 'free-to-roam' summer 2020 into the second lockdown, nature correspondent Rupert Evershed asked when autumn really begins.
With more people taking country walks during the pandemic, a nationwide survey shows, not surprisingly, that interest in wildlife has increased significantly.
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed describes the wide variety of creatures, sounds and images that nature offers us in the summer months.
A look back to the summer months when the Swift, master of the skies and unrivalled in its dexterity but with a song that sounds like a scream, drew the attention of nature correspondent Rupert Evershed.
Rev Peter Crumpler from St Paul's Church St Albans shares an advent reflection on the theme of love.
John Archer, CEO of the local branch of national charity Headway, explains its work with those who have experienced acquired brain injury - whether resulting from a medical condition or a traumatic event. As recent press coverage has highlighted, sports such as soccer and rugby are now areas of concern.
June Chapman, CEO of Citizens Advice St Albans, offers some timely guidance on ways to keep energy costs as low as possible.
St Albans Museum+Gallery is open again. And with a brand new exhibition in The Weston Gallery that's perfectly timed for the Christmas and New Year season. Curator Sarah Keeling tells Local Life all about Cabaret Mechanical Marvels and everything else you can see now and for the next many weeks....
Now it's open, now it's closed, now it's open again! Head Guide Stephen de Silva tells Local Life presenter Rob Pearman where things now stand for St Albans Cathedral - open for private visits and for safely guided tours, some services streamed and others ready to welcome a smaller number of participants than usual - and how to book for a service or a tour.
The Rev Caroline Keighley, the Vicar of St Mark's Colney Heath, shares a reflection on Hope for the 2nd week of Advent
Denise Parsons, Manager of St Albans BID, tells Local Life listeners what it's like for local businesses in these difficult times but also has some good news to share from the pandemic.
In the brief respite between two lockdowns, St Albans Museum+Gallery opened for visitors - and Curator Sarah Keeling told Local Life listeners how they had prepared, what we could see in the summer and what would be coming up next.
Head Guide Stephen de Silva tells Rob Pearman how the Cathedral coped with the lockdown and what it can now offer visitors in a Covid-compliant environment. Interior and exterior visits can both be booked in advance - and the choir is back in action for regular services!
To celebrate the 175th anniversary of St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society (also known as SAHAAS or Arc & Arc), here again is an interview with the Society's President, Sandy Walkington, first broadcast on Local Life a couple of years ago. As well as plenty about the Society, this conversation with Rob Pearman also includes a lot about our City's history.
Clare Hobba discusses two books that make the connection between wildlife and the environment: "Vesper Flights" by Helen Macdonald and "Wilding" by Isabella Tree.
There is nationwide concern that rough sleepers - taken safely off the streets at the start of the lockdown in March - are once again at risk as winter approaches and the pandemic is still all around. Most local authorities had no option but to place them in hotel accommodation which they then had to vacate. But in St Albans a joint project between local charities and the District Council made sure all local rough sleepers were offered secure homes where they can remain into the future. Two of those involved in the project (Lucy Gaygasuz from Open Door and Cllr Jacqui Taylor from SADC) explain to Rob Pearman (Local Life) how the project has succeeded and what happens next as we move into the winter. It's a great story - and a rare 'positive' to come out of Covid!
With the government's furlough scheme due to close at the end of October, many will be anxious about the possibility of redundancy. There is no easy solution, but it's best to know your rights in advance. On Local Life, June Chapman, CEO of Citizens Advice St Albans, offered seven critical tips for those facing the possibility of job loss. Forewarned is forearmed.
Jennifer Marshall, Regional Children’s Home Manager for MacIntryre Charity, explains how this local organisation supports children with often complex learning disabilities such as autism, helping them to develop skills for adult life. Youngsters who seek continuity in their daily life were especially at risk during the Covid-19 lockdown but learned to cope and develop against the odds.
The pandemic and subsequent lock-down brought additional financial difficulties to even more local individuals and families. But St Albans Foodbank - assisted by other local charities, volunteers and generous donors - continues to provide critical support, as Emma Dalton explains in this telephone interview...
For the concluding part of her audio tour of St Albans Museum+Gallery, Curator Sarah Kealing takes us into the West Glazed Link (with its views over Market Place and back into the Courtroom) and then onwards into the Keeper's Gallery where the most recent exhibition (pre-lockdown) was about Handley Page - an exhibition that can now be viewed online at stalbansmuseums.org.uk, along with other recent shows. Let's hope we can all explore this wonderful building soon!
The image shown is from Imprinted, an earlier exhibition in the Keeper’s Gallery of works by local artist Suman Gujaral.
Continuing her tour of the building, Sarah Kealing moves up the Grand Staircase, with its many images of 'local people', and into The Assembly Room - the most impressive space in the building and one that offers a multitude of uses: from meetings and lectures to weddings, bar mitzvahs and parties.
One of many installations that have been seen in The Assembly Room is Liz West's 'Our Colour Reflection' (photo: Inna Allen).
Continuing her audio tour, Museum + Gallery Curator Sarah Kealing takes us into the Weston Gallery, a new location created during the major refurbishment and one that has already offered a wide variety of exhibitions.
From The Courtroom, the prisoners were taken back down to the cells - a journey that Sarah Kealing follows so she can describe how they looked then and how they look now.....
Continuing her audio tour of St Albans Museum+Gallery, Sarah Keeling describes the famous Courtroom (now the cafe). From the dock in this beautifully restored circular chamber, local thieves were sentenced to transportation to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) for crimes as minor as stealing a cricket bat. Here too, in 1851, the Bribery Commission found St Albans guilty of 'buying' votes and expelled its two MPs from Parliament.
Phil Richards plays a new charity release which aims to raise funds for various community groups in St Albans.
Curator Sarah Keeling starts our virtual tour of the St Albans Museum+Gallery by walking through the entrance area towards the Courtroom. Next time - upstairs to The Assembly Room. (Photo Courtesy of St Albans Museums.)
June Chapman offers advice on one of the most frequent questions asked - what to do when I cannot pay my housing costs during the lock-down?
June Chapman, CEO of Citizens Advice St Albans, answers six of the questions about Universal Credit that have been asked most frequently since the lock-down began.
June Chapman, CEO of Citizens Advice St Albans, explains how this critical support service is operating on the phone and online during the current crisis, which has forced the temporary closure of CA offices. June provides details including the dedicated local phone line and email address.
Catherine Newley reminds us about the intriguing project that was launched while the Museum+Gallery was under development and is still available online. "Talking Buildings" tells us the history of many buildings - past and present - in the buildings' own words! Rediscover St Albans and look at the city with fresh eyes (and ears). (Photo Courtesy of St Albans Museums)
Everything was prepared and then the lock-down meant we could not visit Hertfordshire Open 2020 in April - but we can still see the work of 50 artists and 80 artworks of all kinds online. And also catch up online with the exhibition on local aviation company Handley Page, which opened briefly in March. (Photo Courtesy of St Albans Museums)
Catherine Newley, Audience Development Manager, explains how to access online more than 50,000 objects and specimens in the collection at St Albans Museum+Gallery. (Photo Courtesy St Albans Museums)
Rupert Evershed discovers new visitors as migrating common scoters pass over his garden - and this is just one of many species that travel by night.
On Easter Sunday the Dean of St Albans shared a powerful Easter message in light of the current situation we are living in.
Two more selections of poems recorded by members of the Ver Poets group, beginning with one where the opening lines are strangely apt for these days of lock-down and empty rooms.
After a lifetime working on stage, on TV and on radio as an actor, director and producer, local St Abans resident Jenny Lee chats with Rob Pearman about how it all began and then how it just kept on going...
Two Ver Poets - Robert Peake and Mary Hannah - came to the UK from the USA. Here is a selection of their poems, several of which reflect the transition from one culture to another.
In this continuing series of interviews with people who either live or work locally, this week's guest Leona Fensome talks through her journey into various media roles - including BBC Radio 4's 'Saturday Live' and 'Womans Hour', community radio, social media and more.
Peter Burley offers his latest preview of events and entertainment coming up across the City & District in the next few weeks.
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed thinks aloud about the important role of nature, especially in our mental health.
David Temple, Musical Director of the Hertfordshire Chorus tells Jill Burridge about recent and imminent performances in St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Gateshead, Coventry and Wroclaw - with music that includes Handel's 'Messiah' (15 February 2020 in St Albans Cathedral), Mendelssohn's 'Elijah' (2019 in St Albans Cathedral), 'Porgy & Bess' (Wroclaw, Poland - September 2019), James McCarthy's 'Codebreaker' and Vaughan Williams' s 'A Sea Symphony' (Sage, Gateshead - 3 May 2020), and 'A Century of Song' as part of the WGC Centenary Celebrations (18 July 2020).
In the first 'In Concert' preview session for 2020, David Ireson tells Jill Burridge about some of the upcoming choral and orchestral events due to be performed across the District in February.
Publishing Manager for Harpenden-based publisher Oldcastle Books, Clare Quinliven, tells Rob Pearman about her work and how she got into the publishing business. Oldcastle Books has several imprints including the award-winning No Exit Press.
From the Alban Arena to the Harpenden Halls, the Maltings and the Abbey Theatre to the Sandpit Theatre, the Cathedral to St Peter's - these and other venues are where you can find events and performances and talks over the next few weeks as previewed by regular contributor Peter Burley.
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed encourages us to check out the ducks, especially when the weather is grey...
Christmas 2019 has gone and the decorations are all stored away, but there's always time to enjoy the singing of The Hertfordshire Chorus, whose performance of carols in this Christmas Special from Local Life is interspersed by extracts from Christina Rossetti, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, Longfellow and others - read by Jill Burridge and David Ireson.
Cathedral guide Stephen de Silva paints a colourful picture of the days when St Albans had its very own monastery....
Two stories each from Rob Wood and Emma Legouix - plus a Christmas special about Mrs Frost and Mrs Claus - bringing this series of short stories from the BeauSandVer Writers Group to a close.
Some of the Ver Poets read their poems and those of other members of this renowned local group - all on the theme of Christmas.
St Albans' parliamentary candidates answer questions on their policies to address the climate and ecological crises facing us.
This was recorded at Trinity URC St Albans on Tue 3 Dec 2019.
Two more Ver Poets read some of their many poems - specially selected for Radio Verulam listeners.
Two more members of the BeauSandVer Writers Group offer examples of their collection of shorter stories.
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed reminds us that scary wildlife is not just limited to Halloween.
David Ireson and Jill Burridge provide Local Life's monthly preview of choral and orchestral performances across the City & District from mid-November to mid-December.
A special for Halloween week - tales of man eating plants, killer orchids, trees looking for revenge and more botanical Gothic tales - as collected for her new anthology by local researcher Daisy Butcher.
With her wide experience ranging from repertory and summer seasons to the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, from stage to TV and more, Imogen Slaughter - a local resident - talks about her career so far and about the pressures and pleasures of life as an actor, in the ongoing Local Life series "Me & My Job".
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed is on the lookout for these 'Little Brown Jobs' that make up much of Britain's bird population.
Peter Burley previews music, theatre, talks and more - it's all coming up across the City & District in the next few weeks...
Two more Ver Poets - David van Cauter and Gillian Knibbs - read their selection of poems to add to the increasing store of local writers' work now available on Local Life's podcast series.
David Ireson tells Jill Burridge about concerts and recitals due to be performed in the next few weeks at venues including St Peters, St Saviours, St Albans Cathedral, the Abbey Theatre Studio and the Western Auditorium in Hatfield.
Local writer and teacher Clare Hobba tells Rob Pearman why she wanted to talk about Man Booker 2018 prize winner 'Milkman' by Anna Burns.
Katharine Gallagher and Belize McKenzie offer a few of their poems for our pleasure and enjoyment.
Two more members of the BeauSandVer Writers Group - Liz O'Connell and Rachael Simpson - offer us some of their work.
Local Life's Events & Entertainment correspondent Peter Burley offers his preview of what's coming up in venues around the City and District over the next few weeks.
Local nature expert Rupert Evershed is in search of butterflies but above all he wants to find The Purple Emperor.
This month's guest in the series 'Me & My Job' on Local Life on Wednesday evening and Sunday morning is Ian Hamilton, TV producer/director. He lives locally but has worked everywhere from The London Palladium to the Australian Outback and most studios in between. He tells Jill Burridge about his career from early days on the first rung of the ladder at BBC Bristol to working with Ant & Dec, the late David Frost and many others.
This month on Local Life, Ver Poets Chris Delaney and Sandra Galton share with us just a few of their poems, including several prize winning contributions.
This month's preview by Peter Burley of events & entertainment coming up locally from mid-August to mid-September.
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed looks for timely lessons for all in Isabella Tree's book 'Wilding' which describes the impact of efforts to restore nature to Knepp Farm in West Sussex.
Rob Pearman tells regular reviewer Debbie Heath why he chose George Saunders' Man Booker prize winning novel 'Lincoln in the Bardo' for this edition in the series 'Talking about Books and Audiobooks'
In the latest in the series "Me & My Job", Jill Burridge chats with Pam Firth, psycho-social counsellor in palliative care about this demanding and challenging work and about other work Pam has undertaken during her career internationally as well as in the St Albans area.
In the series by members of the BeauSandVer Writers Group, Nick Churton reads another of his short stories (An Unwanted Appearance) and then Clare Hobba brings us a longer story about 'The Ginger Beer Bug'.
Nature correspondent Rupert Evershed focuses on the importance of - and threat to - the insect species.
Peter Burley previews music, theatre and other events and entertainment around the City & District over the next few weeks.
He lives locally but he reports and commentates on football matches played around the world. Dominic Johnson gives an insider's view of working in one of the world's favourite sports and tells Rob Pearman how he built his career.
Two more Ver Poets read a selection of their poems in a series looking at the work of this much-acclaimed poetry society which meets in St Albans but has a national and international membership.
David Ireson and Jill Burridge tell us about what's coming up in St Albans & Harpenden venues over the next few weeks (including the first concert in the Assembly Room at the new Museum + Gallery) in this final edition of In Concert before the summer break.
Helen Burridge, Manager of St Albans BID, looks at the challenge for the City in meeting the needs of local people and the need to encourage more visitors.
In the first in a series of short stories by the BeauSandVer Writers, Nick Churton reads two of his pieces: Heading East and Postcard.
In the first of this new series, two Ver Poets (Anna Avebury and Sylvia Banham) read some of their work.