“Feelin’ Good Week” is there to celebrate good mental health and emotional well being of children and young people in Hertfordshire.

Too often people don’t talk about the issues that concern them when it makes a difference, “Feelin’ Good Week” is coming up soon, are you going to do anything about it?

It is important that we do whatever we can to reduce stigma which is fundamental in enabling children and young people to access emotional support if is needed and to recognise that anyone can suffer from an emotional/mental health problem and that seeking help is a legitimate strategy for a happy and successful life.

You can find out more at: http://www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/hwb/ewb/feelinggood/index.shtml

Young people aged 16-19 will be given the opportunity to get involved in volunteering opportunities in their area thanks to a grant from a local county councillor.

Councillor Allan Witherick (St Albans North Division), is supporting the Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) in St Albans from his 2011/12 allocation by providing £500 from his locality budget fund towards the cost of a youth volunteering project.

The CVS helps people of all ages to get involved in volunteering but says the youth age group can be difficult to place as, in some cases, the young volunteers may need to reply on others for transport, may require supervision and may not meet the minimum age policy of many organisations.

Councillor Witherick said: “Young people in St Albans will be better able to access the many and varied benefits of volunteering and also to develop work relevant skills such as communication, time-keeping, planning and self-confidence. This can help young people who hold few or no qualifications to get experience which will help with their work prospects.

“Equally, the few local organisations that actively welcome youth volunteers at the moment benefit greatly from their enthusiasm, physical ability and energy, alternative perspectives and new ideas.”

Euro MPs have sent a strong signal of support to the European Commission to put in place a cross border alert system to stop so-called ‘dodgy doctors’ from moving from country to country to continue malpractice.

The NHS relies heavily on the EU’s free movement of labour with almost 1 in 10 health care professionals trained outside the UK.

Calling for improved coordination between Member States to stop incompetent professionals crossing borders to set up shop in a different country, South West MEP Sir Graham Watson said:

“There is no doubt that doctors and nurses trained outside the UKprovide vital services to the NHS. However, we must ensure that vulnerable patients can have peace of mind about the competence of all health care professionals.

“There should be an alert mechanism for Member State governments to warn each other of incompetent and rogue doctors and nurses. This sort of cooperation is one of things the EU does best.

“It is also particularly important that there are no language barriers between doctors and patients.

“It is now up to the European Commission to come forward with proposals to ensure the best quality of treatment across Europe.’’

The vote comes after the case of David Gray, who died when by a German doctor performing out of hours duties for the NHS who gave him an overdose of the drug diamorphine in 2008.

“The law in force at the time, which dated back to 1983, restricted the power of the NHS to refuse giving a licence to a foreign doctor to practice in the UK on language grounds. The coalition government is committed to eradicating this practice and I welcome this move.”

One thing the Liberal Democrats can not be accused of in St Albans is having a vision and working hard to deliver on it.

Only the Liberal Democrats have worked hard to deliver new services and facilities, from increased recycling through to Westminster Lodge.

If you’re nosey why not go and have a look?

A visitors’ information cabin, showing plans, layouts, materials and models of the new WestminsterLodge Leisure Centre, is now open.

The new leisure centre is being built off Holywell Hill in St Albans to replace the current leisure facility.

The visitors’ information cabin, which is open seven days a week 7am – 10pm, is located right next to the entrance of the current leisure centre, alongside the building site.  Visitors can also see the building works in progress on the construction site from the cabin, which was previously the site of a car park serving the existing Westminster Lodge and Abbey Theatre.

The visitor cabin gives detailed information about the facilities in the new centre.

The first floor gym and exercise studios, accommodating up to 180 pieces of equipment including cardio vascular and resistance apparatus, will have spectacular views of the Abbey and VerulamiumPark. There will also be a youth gym and chill out space.

There are to be two exercise studios with sprung floors for dance, aerobics or for community based activities. The studios have a central folding partition and can be opened up into a single large space for functions and special events.  There will also be a small spinning studio for around 20 spinning bikes.

For younger residents the new centre will have a crèche and soft play area which can also be used for children’s parties, Yoga, Pilates, and community use.

In the split level spa there will be a walk in hydro spa pool, an aroma steam room, Kelo (scented) sauna, hot rooms including a tepidarium*, laconium* and caldarium*, and monsoon and bucket showers. The spa will have under floor heating and will be fully accessible for people with disabilities.  Also featured are pedicure and nail bars, treatment rooms and a relaxation lounge opening onto an external sun terrace with views of the Abbey and Verulamium Park to the west.

The new 4-court sports hall with a semi-sprung floor will accommodate a range of sports including badminton, basketball, volleyball, 5-a-side football, netball, gymnastics, trampolining, short tennis, handball, table tennis, martial arts, community events and much more.

A 12m high climbing wall and standalone pinnacle will offer a variety of climbing routes from beginner to expert levels.

There are three pools in the new Westminster Lodge; a 25m main pool with 50% moveable floor, a 17m x 10m teaching pool with a 100% moveable floor, and a confidence water area for young children providing shallow water and fun play elements including water spouts, slides, showers and interactive wet play equipment. A spectator balcony for 250 people is being built above the main pool.

The swimming pool flexibility will allow the Council to provide a diverse range of water sports for all the community from recreational, training and short course competition swimming, to water polo, synchronised swimming, sub-aqua, canoe training and under water hockey.   The main pool includes a platform lift for people with disabilities.

The new Westminster lodge Leisure Centre Café / Bistro will also be accessible directly from Verulamium Park for use by park visitors and theatre goers.  It will have an external terrace overlooking the Park’s Meadow Area and with views to the Abbey in the distance.

Among the things launched last year was the Youth Contract, a £1bn programme to get every unemployed young person earning or learning again before long-term damage is done.

As Liberal Democrats we know that as a society we cannot afford to lose the skills and talent of our young people – right when we need them most. We need the next generation to help us build a new economy.

Across the UK, youth unemployment has risen to 21.9% and in St Albans, there are currently 340 young people claiming Job Seekers Allowance. We owe it to them to make sure that even in tough economic times, we will do everything we can to find them a job, training or education.

That is why the Liberal Democrats in Government have committed the Coalition to investing £1bn to tackle youth unemployment. You can read more about the contract here, but it includes:

• A work experience place for every unemployed 18 to 24 year old who wants one
• 410,000 new work places over the next three years
• 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices
• 250,000 new work experience placements
• And because we know businesses are struggling to take young people on, we will pay half their basic wage for six months

Young people have been hit particularly hard in the recession, but even in the boom years, Labour failed to tackle the issue. During Labour’s 13 years, youth unemployment rose by 40%. With Liberal Democrats in Government, we won’t allow the children brought up in the boom to bear the brunt of the bust. The next generation must not pay the price for my generation’s mistakes. So the Coalition Government won’t sit on our hands and let a generation fall behind.

As your local Councillors, Melvyn Teare and Rod Perks have the ability to call in planning applications to committee.  This could be if you are concerned about the impact it would have on the local area, or equally that planning officers don’t allow something simply because the rules are inflexible.

Before you get to this stage though St Albans City and District Council have extended the hours of its drop-in service for home owners seeking informal planning advice as part of measures to make our planning service more customer focused.

They provide a drop-in advice service for householders on Wednesday mornings, from 9am to 12.30pm, and a telephone service on Wednesday afternoons, between 1pm and 5.15pm.

There is also an additional drop-in session on Monday afternoons between 1pm and 4pm at our offices in the Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans.

As with the service on Wednesday mornings, the new service will operate on a ‘first come, first-served’ basis.

Planning applications and all supporting documentation are also available via the Council’s website at http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/planning/planning-applications/planning-applications-search.aspx

The UK has taken over for 6 months the chairmanship of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe which hosts the European Court of Human Rights. That Court applies the European Human Rights Convention (ECHR) in cases brought by citizens of the 47-country organisation.

Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford commented:

“I fully share the government’s top priority of reform of the European Court of Human Rights to make it more streamlined and efficient, long championed by LibDems. The current huge backlog of cases, bureaucratic delays and variable quality of judges obviously prejudice the Court’s effectiveness.”

“The objective is to increase respect for the European Human Rights Court and Convention, not to undermine them. Europe minister David Lidington has rightly disabused those Tory MPs hoping for UK government sabotage.”

“The notion that European human rights law only protects terrorists, rapists and illegal immigrants is a gross fallacy. In applying the European Convention the court has done much to safeguard the liberties of British citizens such as over storage of DNA, stop & search and ending discrimination against widowers in benefits.”

“The ECHR was largely drafted by British lawyers to guarantee freedom and peace after fascism and war. As a founder signatory, the UK is uniquely well-placed to reinvigorate the Court so that through landmark decisions and in partnership with national judges it can lead the challenge to serious human rights abuses throughout Europe.”

So we’re already running out of time and the Easter Eggs are out in the shops!

St Albans City and District Council have installed collection bins for the recycling of Christmas cards at the council offices, council-owned sports centres and community centres across the District until the end of January. The locations are as follows:

• St Albans City and District Council, Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans
• Alban Arena, St Peter’s Street, St Albans
• Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre, Holywell Hill, St Albans
• Greenwood Park Community Centre, Tippendell Lane, Chiswell Green
• St Stephens Parish Centre, Station Road, Bricket Wood, St Albans
• Redbourn Recreation Centre, Dunstable Road, Redbourn
• Marshalswick Community Centre, The Ridgeway, St Albans
• Jersey Farm Community Centre, St Brelades Place, Jersey Farm, St Albans
• Harpenden Swimming Pool, Leyton Road, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden
• Harpenden Sports Centre, Leyton Road, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden
• Harpenden Public Halls, Southdown Road, Harpenden
• Memorial Hall, Marford Road, Wheathampstead.

Details of the Christmas card recycling points are on the Council’s website at: goo.gl/vFdBm.

Real Christmas trees can go in your green bin- it’s small enough!  Please ensure that the trunk and branches are no wider than a broom handle and the lid to the green bin can be closed.

Trees can also be taken to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) for composting. You can find your nearest HWRC at http://www.wasteaware.org.uk/hwrc.cfm.

Some garden centres will chip your tree. Aylett Nurseries, for example, will collect and chip your tree for a small fee. To find out more about their service, call 01727 822255.