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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

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 [email protected] urgently. (Local Life - Sundays 8-9am and 6-7pm; Wednesdays 7-8pm.)

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.

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 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!

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.

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.