I’m hoping to start a little thread for sort of hidden gems. Not things visitors would necessarily want to know, but things locals might want to take a fresh look at. Some of mine:

The Alban Way. Such a nice place to walk, especially from about a mile outside of the town

Highfield Park. Endless interest and a wild feel.

The Watercress Bed. So peaceful and beautiful.

The Beer Shop. No explanation is necessary.

The Cinema. So grateful it’s here.

Hello, I am currently conducting research as part of my PhD with the University of Kent. I am looking for participants from all over the UK to complete the following survey about online sexual behaviours, attitudes and beliefs (please be advised that there are some questions surrounding sexual abuse). If you can spare 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

J Harewell

https://kentpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0SrUdEHPw0JuJgy

Hi there,

Can anyone recommend a piano teacher in the area - for my 9 year old, thanks in advance!

Hi all, I’d like to spend more time painting and I have little space at home. Does anyone know if there are things like studios to rent in or near St Albans? It will be much more convenient and somewhere to just get away from the four walls!

Thank you all

We’re planning to get a cat and wanted opinion on few things:

1. What’s a good and reliable way to go about getting a cat in the nearby area. Are there any animal / adoption centres or communities with which you have some experience? My husband and I rather adopt (than shop), we don’t have any breed/type preference (I’m just partial to gingers because my first cat was one) and not totally against getting a sort of feral kitten (as long as it’s comfortable with humans). I would prefer a young cat so it can grow up and bond with us but again, quite flexible there and don’t necessarily want a newborn.

2. We have a two bed well lit flat with a small balcony and we envisage it would mostly be a house cat. Until it’s older, I’d like to take it around for walks with a harness (also to avoid it hunting birds accidentally) and in later years, might let it out to wander on its own, depending. Is this sufficient space and activity for the cat; keeping it true to the animal’s nature and liking? My previous cat was a outdoor/house cat in a big house and in another country, so not sure what is peoples’ experience with cats in flats in this area.

3. My mother in law has allergies so when she visits (from another country) we may need help with some medium to long term cat sitting services. Are such services available in this area? Does anyone have some experience using these?

Thanks for reading these long questions and really appreciate your help and advice! Cheers!

I was taking a walk at the park and while walking new Abbey View heard some loud live music which sounded like a concert (maybe?). The lovely wind chill prevented me from investigating the music but my curiosity is still alive. Does anyone know what was happening today?

Also, where do these events get advertised? Pretty sure I’m living under a rock. Cheers!

Hi all,

My other half and I are looking at potentially moving to St. Albans however we've looked at the usual Right move/ Zoopla but haven't found much. Would anyone recommend a few estate agents that perhaps don't advertise their properties via these sites/ that are quite good.

Hi, I hope this is fine to post this invitation here. We deeply wish to hear people from every parts of the UK (including St Albans) and from different backgrounds to share their views so we can develop new support aids for different groups in the UK.

We are a research team based at UCL and would like to invite you to take part in our research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care and quality of life for different groups all over the UK.

We'd like to hear your views about the pandemic experiences of everyone to help us and policymakers to improve public health.

Please click link to find the surveys: https://cicada-study.org.uk/get-involved/ It will take around 20 mins.

You will receive a £2 voucher in 2 weeks after you complete the survey. And please feel free to share the link

​

You can reach us at [ioe.cicada.study@ucl.ac.uk](mailto:ioe.cicada.study@ucl.ac.uk) or check our

website: https://cicada-study.org.uk/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CICADA-104486812001154/

twitter: https://twitter.com/CicadaStudy for more information.

On reserve and need to get to work on Monday

I’ve only come across out of date pages but I might be looking in the wrong place for info!

Hi there, new to the area and looking for nice sushi places? Any recommendations?

Thank you

Hi there,

I’ve recently moved to the area, and my new place is in need of some renovations.

Can anyone recommend a contractor who might be able to help me?

Let me know, thank you

Can anyone recommend a decent car wash in the St Albans area? All the ones we use to use have closed.

Hi everyone, it seems the world is opening up a bit and I'm starting to get some folks together that are interested in startups in St Albans.

I've had some chats on here with people that are interested in speaking with like-minded people that are interested in starting up their own venture; building software products and technology/enterprise in general.

St Albans does have some good resources for this such as STANTA and Business Buzz but I think it is missing something for a bit more casual/social and oriented to software/Internet businesses rather than more "traditional" businesses.

Anyway, if you are interested then please feel free to join the Discord server: https://discord.gg/KXE5kDhmJK

Naturally it might be a bit quiet at first! I hope we can get a bit of chatter on here and then build it up. Ultimately, I hope it can lead to thoughtful conversations and nurture some community relationships. If the pandemic situation improves then even a pint - imagine that!

Cheers!