Nine supporters of charity Reach Out Plus have trekked to an Everest base camp to raise a total of £17,000 for the Hertfordshire charity.

The team included Jeanette Lendon from Redbourn and Chris and Maggie Wright of Hemel Hempstead.

Money was raised by individual events put on by some of the trekkers on the lead up to the trip, as well as sponsored support from family, friends and colleagues.

The three-week included hiking for 14 days ending at Everest base camp.

Charity director Ron Overton, who joined the party, said; “It was an amazing experience and the views were absolutely breathtaking.

“The trek itself was a lot harder than any of us were expecting but that just made the sense of achievement even greater.

“I am so grateful to all of my fellow trekkers for not only raising such a fantastic amount of money for Reach Out Plus, but for their enthusiasm and support on the trek.

“We will be running another overseas challenge in October, to Kilimanjaro. If you fancy the trip of a lifetime while also raising money for a good cause, please get in touch to express you interest.”

Reach Out Plus is a disability charity based in Hertfordshire creating opportunities to change people’s lives.

A parents and teachers group is celebrating a £2,000 fundraising total after just 12 weeks of work- thanks to a helping hand from Santa.

Staff at Great Gaddesden School can now fund future trips out and purchase much-needed computer equipment.

On top of cake sales, raffles and clothing collections, Friends of Great Gaddesden School (FOGGS) walked parents and staff alongside Santa’s sleigh through Berhamsted streets in December.

FOGGS vice-chairman Clare Rudd said: “It was such a fantastic evening. To see the faces of the children as Santa came past their door was just amazing.”

Group chairman Debbie Bayliss thanked Berkhamsted Lions who invited the group to participate in the collection. “£2,000 will make a real difference to our pupils. We are very proud,” she said.

Old folk living at a sheltered housing complex that has been plagued by boiler problems found themselves without hot water on New Year’s Day.

Tenants at the Dacorum Borough Council-run Dudley House in Bovingdon were also without hot water for eight days after the two boilers serving their complex packed up just before Christmas on December 17.

Engineers managed to get them working again in time for Christmas Day but residents woke up to cold showers on January 1.

One tenant Steve Eldridge said: “We need something to be done about it. 
“I think because we are all elderly they can’t be bothered.”

A Hemel Hempstead baby was the first to be born on New Year’s Day at Watford’s maternity unit.

The baby boy came into the world at 1am. The second baby to be born was also to Dacorum-based parents and arrived at 2.54am.

A total of 10 babies were delivered at Watford General Hospital on January 1 - of these seven were boys and three were girls.

Commuters were welcomed back to work on Wednesday with news that they are being hit in the pocket by new year rail fare increases.

An annual season ticket to travel from Hemel Hempstead to London has gone up by more than £100, from £3,196 to £3,304 – and the seven-day equivalent now costs £82.60, up from £79.90.

Although London Midland has increased its fares by an average of 2.8 per cent, a spokesman for the rail operator said: “This is below the overall national industry average of 3.9 per cent. We continue to work hard to ensure we deliver value for money across our network.”

Train firms are blaming the government for the controversial increases.

Chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies Michael Roberts said: “We understand commuters don’t like to pay more to travel to work but it is the government, not train companies, that decides how much season tickets should rise on average each year.

“Successive governments have required train companies to increase the average price of season tickets every January since 2004 by more than inflation. Ministers want passengers to pay a larger share of railway running costs to reduce the contribution from taxpayers while sustaining investment in better stations, new trains and faster services.”

Campaign for Better Transport has launched an online petition calling on the government to name a date to end above inflation fare rises.

A group statement said: “It is unacceptable that government policies on rail fares are making the choice to take the train to work an extravagance that many struggle to afford.”

Are you a commuter struggling to foot the bill to get to work? Call the newsroom on 01442 898454.

One of the top TV shows of the Christmas period put Hemel Hempstead centre stage as the town played a starring role in BBC children’s drama Mr Stink, seen by millions as it aired twice over the holiday period.

The TV take on David Walliams’ children’s novel saw Hugh Bonneville as the title character admiring the views in Gadebridge Park as well as making drinks in Marlowes coffee shop, Tiki Cafe.

Tiki’s Amy Michie, 23, said: “When we were approached to be a location for the film, we were told it was going to be on BBC1 and I thought: You can’t get much better than that.

“They filmed it in October but customers were all asking what it was about and when it was going to be on. People are still quite excited and they loved seeing their coffee shop on telly.

“I think they chose here because it is the biggest independent coffee shop in the town. It was crazy and manic at the time, with actors walking around and Pudsey the dog chilling in the corner. But it has all been positive for us and it was an enjoyable experience.”

Tiki customer and mum-of-two Nicola Hemley said: “We come here quite often, but it feels a bit weird to come in to your local cafe once you have seen it on TV.

“I quite enjoyed it, and it was nice to see Hemel on the telly. I think I will show it to my sons next because it would be good for young children.”

Viewers would also have spotted Raj’s, a newsagents set up in an empty unit along Marlowes for the purposes of the show.

Amy Stevens, a sales assistant at the MoneyShop pawnbroker next door said: “People have been coming in saying they had seen the shop on Mr Stink and they might now be more aware of what we do in here.

The drama is available on the iPlayer service until Sunday.

Police were called out to a total of 91 incidents in Dacorum from 7pm on New Year’s Eve and 7am the following day.

Dacorum Chief Inspector Mike Pryce said: “It was relatively quiet in Dacorum during the New Year’s Eve celebrations. There were a number of incidents reported however these were largely low level incidents and there were no serious or violent crimes.”

During the same period last year, there were 105 incidents in the borough.

Across the whole of Herts this year, there were 692 emergency calls to police and 365 non-emergency calls. A total of 675 incidents were reported.

Santa and his team of volunteers from the Berkhamsted Lions helped raise £6,470 for good causes during their December outings.

The sleigh journeys around the town, which were accompanied by house-to-house collections, were taken over by the Lions from the Berkhamsted Round Table three years ago.

The Round Table had been forced to close due to dwindling membership numbers, but the Lions organised 20 ‘sleigh’ trips on its community minibus this year.

The money will be split between organisations including the 1st Berkhamsted Scouts, Berkhamsted Football Club, Berkhamsted Baptist Church and the 1st Northchurch Scouts.

Even more cash was raised from a Christmas hamper raffle, which added more than £1,000 to the total.

There were three hampers to be won and the pick of the bunch went to Vi Wrigglesworth from Mandelyns, Northchurch.

Lion Peter Abbiss, who delivered it to her, said: “The winners just couldn’t believe how crammed full of first class food and drink the hampers were.”

A fat-busting duo are hoping to get the people of Hemel Hempstead shedding the pounds this year after meeting reality television star Mark Wright at Slimming World’s annual awards ceremony.

Tina Barnes and Clare Deacon were thrilled after meeting the former The Only Way Is Essex party-boy, who made a special appearance in the show’s Christmas edition.

Despite a ‘great year’ for Slimming World, Clare said there is still work to do.

She said: “Lots of people will be making New Year’s resolutions.”

“We’d love anyone who wants to make a change to come along.”

Organisation founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell said the pair’s support was ‘really important’.

“The people of Woodhall Farm are very lucky,” she said.

The Hemel Hempstead group, which aims to facilitate behaviour change combined with healthy-eating, meet on Thursdays at the Roman Catholic Church in Rant Meadow and Tuesdays at Brockswood Primary School, Shenley Road.

To get your slimming resolutions up and running, call Tina on 01442 259802, Clare on 07766 884087 or visit www.slimmingworld.com

Herts police and crime commissioner David Lloyd writes about the challenges ahead in 2013:

A full month into my new role as police and crime commissioner, my thoughts are firmly focused on the future – and particularly on my first police and crime plan which will provide the blueprint for policing and crime in this county.

My plans are coming together, as I will outline, but I want to know what you think too.

Victims of crime are too often forgotten as the bureaucratic wheels of the criminal justice system turn.

A greater focus on them during the court process is essential but also a continuing effort when the court case is over and sentence has been passed.

I have heard from victims who have to face their assailant on a daily basis. There must be ways to help survivors of crime to escape this continued anguish and to make the system work for them.

Too many communities in the county have to deal with dangerous driving near their homes, schools and playgrounds.

I was heartened to see the actions taken by residents in rural parts of the county to set up a community speed watch that has slowed traffic in those villages.

These schemes need to be expanded and supported by targeted enforcement action by the police.

If communities are concerned about dangerous driving then we must help them to respond and provide the means to call in direct support from the police, too.

Those who commit offences should be punished in the pocket – this could mean paying the full costs of removing and storing vehicles, or paying the ‘hotel bill’ for a stay in the cells.

Speed awareness courses are proven to have a real impact on future behaviour but those who take them should pay the full cost for them.

And the principle of ‘offender pays’ could be taken further still for other types of crime.

I also want to see a concerted attack on criminal assets, ploughing these back into services for decent people.

Rehabilitation of offenders appears to focus on the wrong people at times.

Victims should have a greater say about what happens to those that cause damage or injury to them.

More victim and public voices should be heard in deciding how behaviour is dealt with and how offenders pay back for crime.

Everyone will remember 2012 for the Olympics and the spirit demonstrated by the volunteers who gave their time willingly to help others.

I would like to capture that spirit in a wide variety of ways. I hope that we can introduce an expansion of special constables across the county.

For those who do not want to don a uniform there must be other ways, such as reviewing CCTV evidence, in order to keep our officers on the streets.

In addition, I am sure that we can improve the way that we use the intelligence that the public provides.

You can be the eyes and ears of the police. In turn, the police need to ensure that they act on what you tell them in order to attack criminality.

I also want to see businesses playing their part. Sponsoring initiatives such as speed watch, or providing CCTV are all things that I feel are widely untapped in this county.

We could apply some more business sense in most areas of policing and community safety.

I am a big fan of Hertfordshire Constabulary. When a crime is committed their record of attending the scene and their investigation is possibly the best in the country.

However, once they have left, victims can feel forgotten, even though efforts continue to catch the offenders. This has to be improved.

If I can track my purchases online then you should be able to keep up to date with the progress of your investigation.

The community safety world with its many partners, including local authorities, has no shortage of innovation – what it appears to lack is co-ordination.

If I do nothing else next year a serious attempt to bring partners together to make better use of resources is essential.

I know that colleagues from the local authorities agree with me on this. We are already meeting monthly to take action.

My agenda is large and it will be a big challenge to achieve everything that I set out to do.

I hope that if I can provide an environment where individuals, groups and organisations can all play their part, then Hertfordshire will continue to go from strength to strength.

If my plan can set out a blueprint for keeping crime low and making sure offenders pay back, we can all continue to enjoy life in this fantastic and safe county.

You can play your part in the development of the plan, too.

I am building on district and borough council community safety priorities, and the safer neighbourhood priorities set at local level by residents and businesses with your local police and elected representatives.

David Lloyd is Hertfordshire’s new police and crime commissioner. 
You can keep up to date with his activities by visiting the website at 
www.hertscommissioner.org and follow him on Twitter at @HertsPCC

A good cause that helps the elderly hopes it will not be left out in the cold over the winter fuel allowance debate.

A Liberal Democrat MP has said the allowance – given to pensioners and worth up to £300 – should be means tested to help cut costs under a reformed system of care for the elderly.

But Age UK Dacorum, which last month launched a free home energy saving scheme, says old folk are struggling and fuel prices are still on the rise.

Community fundraiser for the charity Michelle Law said: “Age UK’s stance is, yes of course we appreciate that we need to fund the money to cover these care costs for older people, but whether or not that is the right way of doing it we are not too sure. We would really like to talk more with the government on how we can reach a solution to this.” It is estimated that in the UK six million older people are living in fuel poverty and some close to home in Dacorum are forced to shut off their heating to save cash.

For home energy efficiency help call Age UK Dacorum on 01442 259049.

The recent outbreak of norovirus has had a knock-on effect, as blood donors have had to cancel appointments.

O Rh negative (O-) donors are urgently being asked to come forward to give blood now. Blood stocks can often dip around holiday time as people get distracted and can’t always attend sessions. Non-attendance by O-neg donors increased by 50 per cent just before New Year.

There has been a recent high demand for O-blood to meet patient need, meaning stocks have fallen. Donors with blood group O-negative are commonly known as the ‘universal donor’ as their blood can be given to patients with a different blood group. For full information call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk

A Hemel Hempstead blood donor session is due on January 15 at St Barnabas Church from 1.15pm-3.30pm and 5pm-7.30pm.

Fascinating facts on Dacorum have emerged from an analysis by one of the country’s leading banking chains.

Information just released by Halifax in its Quality of Life 2012 survey shows that our gross weekly earnings average £654, that the employment rate is 73.8 per cent and the number of households with broadband access is 98.4 per cent.

Unsurprisingly, the number of homes with central heating is now 98.4 per cent and Dacorum’s number of empty homes is a low 0.9 per cent.

The survey is based on a range of factors including residents’ health and life expectancy, employment, crime rate, weather and even good broadband access.

Some warming news is that Dacorum averaged 30.3 hours of sunshine a week – bettered only by places such as the Isle of Wight and Bournemouth –and we only suffered half the rainfall of West Devon, with the borough’s at 764mm per year.

Dacorum comes 73rd out of named authorities. Halifax data shows average Hemel house prices dropped by £5,851 last year from £231,796 to £225,945.

Nearby St Albans recorded one of the biggest percentage increases.

A shopper is calling for mobile phones to be banned from supermarkets after being injured twice by chattering shoppers.

Debby McArdle wants Hemel Hempstead’s three major supermarkets – Asda, Sainsburys and Tesco – to take action after being hit in the face by a distracted shopper’s basket and rammed by a trolley.

The 52-year-old said: “People are getting battered while they are doing their shopping.

“They are running the gauntlet to do their shopping,”

The shop manager, from Adeyfield, has discovered she is not the only victim after inspecting the accident books of some supermarkets.

She wants bosses to put up signs telling people to turn their phones off but says meeting her half way with signage urging shoppers to be aware of their surrounding when chatting or texting would be a good start. “To say ‘turn them off when you are shopping and put them on when you go out’ – I would be happy with that, or even to be met half way,” she said. “Sooner rather than later somebody is going to get really hurt.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “While we have no plans to prevent customers from using their phones, we would ask them to be considerate of others while shopping.”

Sainsbury’s said because Debby’s injuries were not sustained at its store it would be inappropriate to comment but added that there is no plan to introduce a mobile policy. Asda did not comment before the Gazette’s deadline.

The go-ahead has been given for a Halfords store to host driving tests, leading the way for Hemel Hemsptead to soon be doing the same.

Halfords in Wellingborough will be the first to participate in the initiative to make driving tests more accessible. It will be offering the service from next month – driving examiners will have a designated area within the store to meet with learners.

Hemel Hempstead, which has a Halfords store in London Road, is in line to also host a test base.

Last year, Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning, who was then the transport minister, announced plans for the practical driving test to be held in the town for the first time.

Buzzing business owners in Hemel Hempstead have been invited to attend a networking meeting in a pub on Thursday morning (January 10).

The Olde Kings Arms, in High Street, plays host to Business Buzz Hemel Hempstead, from 10am to 12noon in the group’s first event of the year.

Janice O’ Neill, host of Business Buzz Hemel Hempstead says: “I really enjoy hosting Business Buzz at The Olde Kings Arms. Before we launched I attended a great many networking events but was sometimes put off by the need to commit – time-wise and financially. We see many of the same faces at Business Buzz every month, which speaks volumes for the amount our regulars get out of these events.

“New people are always welcome and if they are new to networking or would like to be connected to particular businesses, then that’s where I come in. I get real satisfaction connecting businesses that can work together. As an active networker my portfolio of contacts is vast which enables me to introduce and match individuals, dependent on their specific requirements to benefit both parties.”

Katrina Sargent, one of the founders of the Business Buzz network, said: “Business Buzz Hemel Hempstead is held in the centre of town, making it accessible for local business owners to walk down, drop in and connect. These businesses are often facing the same challenges, so this gives them a great platform to learn from each other and recommend new connections and business opportunities that will help one another succeed.”

Business Buzz is an informal and relaxed networking event, with no advanced bookings and just £5 on the door, which includes unlimited teas and coffees from 10am – 12pm. It is sponsored by Dacorum Borough Council and Hicks Chartered Accountants.

Since its debut in February 2012, the Business Buzz says its networking events have been attended by 564 unique businesses across Hertfordshire.

A car that flipped onto its roof this morning may have slid in an area where there was flooding, said police.

They were called out to the A5183 in Redbourn about 300 yards south of the Shell petrol station, just before 5am on Wednesday.

A Ford Focus had overturned and damaged some fencing, but its driver was not injured.

Police stayed at the scene until about 6.30am.

Education chiefs are spending £214,000 of taxpayers’ cash to educate 15-year-old special needs pupil Lewis Jones for a year after his mum took them to a tribunal.

Although that is more than six times what it costs to send a child to Eton, she says he needs it after being neglected at schools in Herts.

Sarah-Jane, who is also a mother to Lauren, 18, said: “Lewis could not read, put numbers into a mobile phone or use a calculator.

“He was very violent and had mental breakdowns and would be physically out of control.

“What do you do with a child like that? You do not want sympathy or understanding – you just want it to be dealt with. He would not survive until 18 if he was not where he is now.”

Lewis has been getting one-to-one tuition at 3 Dimensions boarding school in Somerset and coming home to be with his mum at weekends since May 2012.

He suffers from a string of disorders including dyslexia and autism, and Sarah-Jane says this is one of only four schools in the country that would agree to educate him.

The 35-year-old, of Spring Lane, Warners End, said: “It has been hell looking after him for all these years.

“He broke anything and everything and even took windows out. He took his bedroom flooring up, because one day he decided he did not like it.”

She said he has tried to kill himself many times and police helicopters have been called to search for him after he skipped school and ran away from home.

She said he was shifted between schools and none of his teachers had the expertise to deal with him.

But she said: “He’s lucky enough now to have a good group of friends around him, who accept him. He’s a lot calmer now.

“He’s just been at home for four weeks and I have not got one damaged thing in my house.”

Herts County Council spokesman Jo Brown said the tribunal was called to resolve a dispute about its provision of education for special needs pupils.

She said: “No criminal charges were brought relating to neglect nor have we been sued on these grounds. We have not been asked to pay any compensation.”

John Barfoot, deputy cabinet member for the council’s children’s services, said the council aims to provide ‘good education’ to all of the county’s children – including those with special needs.

He said: “There is no one model that fits every child and no one price that can be quoted for providing the necessary services to support their education.”

Photographic retailer Jessops has gone into administration putting jobs across the area at risk.

The major high street retailer has two stores in Milton Keynes and one each in Hemel Hempstead, Luton, Aylesbury and Bedford.

PwC’s Edward Williams, Rob Hunt and Matthew Hammond have today (January 9) been appointed joint administrators of The Jessop Group Limited.

Mr Hunt, joint administrator and partner, PwC said it is inevitable that there will be store closures.

He said: “Our most pressing task is to review the company’s financial position and hold discussions with its principal stakeholders to see if the business can be preserved. Trading in the stores is hoped to continue but is critically dependent on these ongoing discussions. However, in the current economic climate it is inevitable that there will be store closures.”

Jessops is a major high street retailer of photographic equipment and growing on line business. Turnover in the year to December 31 2012 was £236million and Jessops operated from 192 stores with around 2,000 employees throughout the UK.

Despite its strengths, PwC added that Jessops’ core marketplace has seen a significant decline in 2012 and forecasts for 2013 indicate that this decline would continue. The stores also had a bad Christmas overall.

PwC said despite additional funding being made available to the company by the funders, Jessops has not generated the profits it had planned with a consequent impact on its funding needs. This was exacerbated by a credit squeeze in the supplier base.

Discussions with funders have not been successful and directors appointed administrators.

Finally, at present Jessops is not in a position to honour customer vouchers or to accept returned goods.

A woman who lost more than 20st is launching her own weight-loss programme to help others.

Sarah-Jane Jones, 35, of Spring Lane, Warners End, weighed between 33 and 35 stone in 2004, but now tips the scales at just 11st 6lb.

The mum-of-two said: “My course is about tuning into the person and finding out what makes them tick.

“With me a lot of it was about loss and not having a purpose and I suppose my comfort was food. Then you get into a cycle and have health problems.”

Sarah-Jane’s problems began when she split from her partner of 10 years.

She said that at her biggest she lived on pasties and bread and rarely left the house.

She turned herself around by going to the gym five days a week and balancing her diet. She said: “I have got my life back.”

She will teach a 12-week course from next Tuesday, with prizes of up to £300 for those who lose the most weight.

Her classes will be from 6pm to 9pm on Tuesdays at Gadebridge Community Centre and from 8am to 10am at JFK School in Warners End.

To sign up for £39, ring her on 07788 578029 or learn more at www.sarahjanejones.com