PR 8984 Let the music and dance project begin!

Children from 13 schools will benefit from a confidence-boosting project thanks to funding from a Hertfordshire county councillor.

Cllr Chris White (St Albans Central) has donated £3,840 from his locality budget to Nexus Extended Schools, to fund a music, dance and movement group therapy project.

Jo Maher, of Nexus Extended Schools, based at Fleetville Junior School in St Albans, said: “I’m really grateful to Chris White for supporting this project which will enable us to help children who lack confidence, suffer with low self-esteem or are generally struggling at school. Nexus has piloted many projects over the last few years and has experience in setting up systems to help children’s emotional well-being.

“The schools involved are also absolutely delighted to now be in a position to offer these programmes as it means they will be able to learn from the specialist therapy provided, enabling them to continue supporting their children.”

The project is due to run from next February and will involve groups of between four to six pupils at 12 primary schools in the area and at Heathlands Special School.

Fleetville Junior School is the hub school for Nexus – the North East St Albans Extended Schools Consortium. The 17 schools in the consortium work together with an ever increasing list of partners, local and community groups and providers to offer services in North East St Albans.

Cllr White said: “’The importance of music and dance in education are often underestimated. They are not only important in themselves but also form a vital ingredient in a child’s development.”

Locality budgets were launched in July, with funding to be used for worthy social, economic or environmental causes in Hertfordshire. For more information on how to apply, visit www.hertsdirect.org and type ‘locality budgets’ into the search box.

ENDS

Updates over last week are shown in italics

BROKEN PROMISE 1:

Lemsford Road: resurfacing was repeatedly promised and I even checked the text of a letter I sent to local residents confirming that it would be done two years ago. Last year I was given further reassurances but am now told that it is on hold awaiting the end of building works.

There is now a tentative date of February next year but they have added in new reasons why they won’t be willing or able to do it.

BROKEN PROMISE 2:

I was assured that there would be additional markings on Holywell Hill to warn motorists of the pelican crossing – something which is not so obvious among all the usual street clutter. I have been told that ‘safety officers have decided’ that they are not needed.

BROKEN PROMISE 3:

Years ago I was promised that the various faded and illegible signs in Cecil Road would be replaced by new ones. Year after year this simple task is not done or even started.

BROKEN PROMISE 4:

I was given cast iron assurances that the failure to ensure that the pedestrian lights on the High Street were in sync with the Peahen lights would be rectified. That was more than two years ago.

BROKEN PROMISE 5:

I was told that the pavements in St John’s Court would be replaced. Nothing happened until over a year after I had passed this promise on to residents. The situation today is that still only a tiny fraction has been done.

BROKEN PROMISE 6:

After the failure of contractors to patch Worley Road to an adequate standard, residents were promised that the road would be resurfaced adequately this year. There are no signs of any intention to honour this promise.

BROKEN PROMISE 7:

There have been frequent requests for yellow lines at the corner of Churchill and Jennings Road. This is to prevent pavement parking and is a safety measure to protect young people. I was frequently assured that this was in hand and would be in the next batch of traffic orders. The officers now say they know nothing about it. Their boss now admits that it has ‘fallen off the radar’.

Highways officials are now processing this after my protests. A letter is being sent to residents.