28 Aug 2025
We ask a different figure from the local community to choose 10 questions to answer from a list of 50. This week: Tim Abbott, chair of Highfield Park Trust, the charity which funds Highfield Park through a variety of events throughout the year – see https://www.highfieldparktrust.co.uk/
Where do you walk when you want to think?
An easy one to start with, Highfield Park. We are a beautiful rural park, with so many diverse spaces with always something different to see and enjoy. We are entirely charity funded and managed, so I always have a lot to think about. If people only knew!
Are things getting better or worse?
Things are getting better, but I do worry about the future. The world is a troubled place and the economic situation at home is a cause for concern. I recently read that UK welfare costs are likely to rise 26% in the next five years and that the economy is not likely to grow by more than 8%. This isn’t sustainable, so something has to give.
What was your first job?
I delivered the Evening Echo along Drakes Drive, Hill End Lane and Thirlmere Drive. I haven’t gone very far.
Do you speak any foreign languages?
This will make my school friends laugh. I went to Francis Bacon (now Samuel Ryder) and studied German to O level. I was rubbish at it. One day our teacher was so exasperated with my pronouncing of “Ich” that she exploded in a fit of rage. The incident is still being discussed 45 years later. So, the short answer is no.
What is your most-missed St Albans shop, pub, café or restaurant?
The original Riders Sports Shop.
Odyssey or Netflix?
The Odyssey, which we try to visit at least once a month. I remember the Odeon and its decline. When James Hannaway asked for financial support to recreate the original cinema, I bought a single £500 share and am so proud to have played a very small part in achieving something incredibly special. I just wish I had bought a few more shares!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A forester. My careers adviser told me it was a complete waste of time and I ended up spending the majority of my career in industry, initially with GEC and then Airbus. I have loved every minute of my career and had some amazing experiences. But I always loved being in woodland, which is why I became a Trustee of Highfield Park Trust in 2008.
How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Not enough. Apparently, your feet never stop growing and I’ve just hit size twelve, which prompted a clear out of the size elevens. Size twelve seems to be the last standard size to be manufactured, so it could become very expensive in the future.
Where do you buy your coffee in St Albans?
Fade to Black at Trestle Arts Base. Fantastic venue and the Fade to Black team have done a brilliant job since opening last year.
If you had a time machine, what year would you choose to visit and why?
Christmas Day, 1914. The Hertfordshire Regiment were fighting alongside the Irish Guards on the Western Front near Bethune in France. There was certainly no football being played along this part of the Western Front and my great grandfather, Lance Sergeant Tom Gregory became the first man from Watford to be killed in the First World War. He was incredibly brave and his story became national news on the centenary of his death in 2014. I would have told him to keep his head down!
As a family, we knew the story, but not its significance. We have visited his grave twice and been in the ‘sap’ where he died. Very moving. I genuinely believe that everybody should visit the Western Front at least once. It puts everything into perspective.
