North Mymms News: April 2019

Are you interested in becoming a PCSO?

Invitation to attend career information evening

Hertfordshire Constabulary is inviting anyone who would like to join the force as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) to attend an information evening on Thursday 16 May at the force HQ in Welwyn Garden City. The event starts at 7pm.

Invitation to try your hands at bowls free-of-charge

North Mymms Bowls Club in action
Image courtesy of North Mymms Bowls Club

Anyone interested in having a go at bowling is invited to turn up at the North Mymms Bowls Club open day on Sunday 5 May between 10am and 4.30pm.

Equipment will be provided, all you need is a pair of flat-soled shoes. Trainers are recommended. And there is absolutely no cost involved.

Temporary repairs to Gobions access road

Chippings used to level the potholes along Jonas Way
Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Stone chippings have been used to fill the potholes that had opened up along Jonas Way, Brookmans Park.

The material used on the Gobions Open Space access road looks similar to the material in two mounds of hardcore that was deposited in the parish council car park earlier this month.

Jhoots says branch now open Monday to Friday only

But will close for an hour at lunchtime

Jhoots Pharmacy, Bradmore Green, Brookmans Park
Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Those collecting prescriptions from Jhoots Pharmacy in Brookmans Park need to visit on a weekday following the company’s decision to close on Saturdays.

Jhoots has confirmed that from now on the Bradmore Green branch will be open Monday to Friday. It will also close for an hour between 1pm and 2pm.

“Most existing services stay the same”

Class 717 departs Brookmans Park station 15 April 2019
Screen grab from video courtesy of Simon Goldsworthy

Great Northern says it’s rolling out its summer timetable on Sunday 19 May 2019. The company says most services will continue to operate to the current timetable, but some times are changing by a few minutes “to improve punctuality”.

Funding for flashing warning signs agreed

The speed warning sign on Bluebridge Road, Brookmans Park
Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Speed Indication Devices (SIDs) - the flashing warning signs that tell motorists when they are travelling too fast - are to be set up along Dixons Hill Road and Station Road in Welham Green.

Local long distance path could be divided in three

Photograph of The start of the final path heading north to Brookmans Park Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

The start of the final path heading north to Brookmans Park
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

The parish council is considering dividing the North Mymms Way into three sections to “make it more manageable”. The 12 mile (19.3 km) circular route around the parish of North Mymms takes half a day to complete.

Garden turf dumped east of Skimpans Bridge

A load of garden turf has been fly-tipped along Bulls Lane close to Welham Green, reducing the passable width of the road by half.

Drivers should take care because there is at least one concrete fence post buried under the pile of earth and grass.

Parking spaces restricted “for up to two weeks”

Two large mounds of hardcore at the southern end of Gobions car park
Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Two large mounds of rubble have been dumped in the car park at Gobions Open Space without permission.

According to North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC), which owns the land, the material was deposited by North Mymms Angling Club who intend to use it to “replace the pathways around the fishing lake and renew the fishing lake swims”.

Yet another hack attack takes site down

Screen grab of WelhamGreen.org taken in August 2018
Grab courtesy of the Wayback Machine

A community website that has served Welham Green for almost six years has closed following the latest attack by hackers.

The independent site was created by Welham Green resident, photographer and historian Mike Allen. It launched on 1 July 2013.

According to the mission statement on the front page of the site, the project aimed “to make Welham Green a better place to live and work in”.

Plan is to move in on Tuesday 16 April

The Hope and Anchor, Station Road, Welham Green - 1 April, 2019

Image by North Mymms News, released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

The company that owns Welham Green’s Hope and Anchor on Station Road says it’s hopeful that the pub will open shortly. The announcement follows confirmation that a new tenant has been found for the 19th century pub. Ei Group, which owns the building, says refurbishments will follow once the plans are signed off.

Three horses removed while fences are fixed

Broken fence alongside footpath 86

Image by North Mymms News

Released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Local police say they have spoken to the owner of the horses that have been escaping from Leach Fields. The animals have frequently been found wandering local footpaths and straying into North Mymms Parish Council's open spaces.

Police officers say they’ve been told that the fences will be fixed and three horses removed while repairs are carried out.

Three years of work to produce a reference document

Image: The front cover of the North Mymms Parish Plan

“A blueprint for the future of North Mymms”

Do you remember the North Mymms Parish Plan? When it was published in 2011 it was hailed as “a blueprint for the future of North Mymms”. The plan’s authors described it as a “powerful tool to influence decisions”.

Now, eight years on, the 36-page document is used by North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC) for research only; it is no longer available on the parish council website, and it has no legal status.

Small “quaint” truck would “upset rural balance”

Image: Gobions car park at 10am on a Saturday morning Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Gobions car park where the small “quaint” truck would have served refreshments
Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC) has refused to give permission to a Welham Green woman who wanted to serve refreshments from a van parked in the Gobions Open Space car park off Jonas Way, Brookmans Park.

Proposal to run two sessions a week rejected

Dog training classes - Image by Katrin B from Pixabay

A plan to hold dog training classes at Gobions Open Space, Brookmans Park, has been rejected by North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC).

Red and white tape at latest escape route

Image: Broken fence at junction of footpath 86 and entrance to NMPC land Image by North Mymms News Released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

The broken fence at the entrance to NMPC land
Image by North Mymms News
Released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

The frequent escape of horses from Leach Fields in Brookmans Park has been raised at North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC), with concern growing for the safety of the horses and the public on council-owned land.

According to the most recently published NMPC minutes there are also concerns about the welfare of the horses “who do not appear to be well fed”.

Old images digitised and enhanced for future generations

Photograph of a family in Welham Green in Victorian times. Image from A Nott / G Knott, from the Images of North Mymms collection

A Welham Green couple in Victorian times
Image from A Nott / G Knott, from the Images of North Mymms collection

On Saturday 6 April photographer and historian Mike Allen will be attending the North Mymms Horticultural Society where he will be giving one of his local history presentations. The event is being held at the North Mymms Youth and Community Centre from 2pm.

Mike is the man responsible for Images of North Mymms, a collection of more than 3,500 historical photographs of parish life. He is also one of the team of four behind the North Mymms History Project.

Here Mike sets out the background to the creation of his photographic collection, and explains what those attending his talk are likely to experience.

Did you see or hear anything suspicious?

Police are appealing for the public’s help following a burglary at a house in Grangewood, Little Heath. The theft happened at around 3pm on Friday 29 March.

Our latest North Mymms rights of way update

The junction where North Mymms bridleway 4 and BOAT 4 meet BOAT 5
Image by Hertfordshire Walker, released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Hertfordshire's Countryside & Rights of Way team has released the latest update on works currently underway on the footpaths, bridleways, and byways in the parish of North Mymms. The information is emailed to this site on a regular basis by Access Projects Officer Dawn Grocock.

Hope and Anchor could reopen this month

The Hope and Anchor, Station Road, Welham Green - 1 April, 2019
Image by North Mymms News, released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

The group responsible for the Hope and Anchor in Welham Green says it’s “hoping to have the site open in two weeks time”.

The update was volunteered following the issuing of an April Fool hoax by the North Mymms Social Club (NMSC) which claimed that “there is a proposal in with the planning department of Welwyn Hatfield Council for the Hope and Anchor to be turned into a MacDonalds restaurant”.

The historical North Mymms pub has been closed since November, and there were fears in the village that the Grade II listed building might have served its last pint.