Cottonmill Community and Cycle Centre is calling on residents and businesses to help make sure no child goes without this Christmas, as it launches its festive appeal for 2026 in partnership with local CIC LeeAnna’s Wish. The centre, which is managed by leisure operator Everyone Active, is collecting children’s gifts and...
Residents and allotment users have questioned whether a footpath providing access to a new country park actually puts them at risk from crime and anti-social behaviour. The path links Sopwell Mill and Cottonmill Cycling and Community Centre, and is being built by rail freight developers SEGRO as part of their planning...
More than 1,000 people flocked to the third annual Cottonmill Gathering, a free family-focused community event organised entirely by volunteers from the Sopwell Residents Association. Special guests at the Cottonmill Community and Cycle Centre included St Albans Mayor Cllr Matt Fisher and Herts county council chairman Sandy Walkington. Children enjoyed bungee jumping,...
A derelict wasteland has been transformed into a blossoming community allotment thanks to the dedication and commitment of local volunteers. An unused and overgrown plot on the edge of the Sopwell Mill allotment has now been given a new lease of life as an Inclusive Community Allotment. Situated just 500m from Cottonmill...
Three weeks after an arson attack on a children’s bug hotel at a community garden in Sopwell and volunteers have created a bigger, stronger refuge for local wildlife. Grow Community Sopwell, founded to bring residents together through gardening, sustainability and shared outdoor space, has been a cornerstone of the neighbourhood for...
Council bosses have washed their hands of any responsibility for a plot of green space at the end of a Cottonmill cul-de-sac which neighbours fear could be turned into housing following its recent sale. Residents of Ashby Gardens have a very similar story to homeowners living on the Verulam Estate, which...
A much‑loved children’s bug hotel at a community garden in Sopwell was destroyed in a deliberate arson attack on Thursday evening, leaving residents shocked and young volunteers heartbroken. Grow Community Sopwell, founded to bring residents together through gardening, sustainability and shared outdoor space, has been a cornerstone of the neighbourhood for...
Crops have been ruined, homes are being put at risk, and a valuable community resource has been transformed into a stinking swamp by flooding. The Cottonmill allotments have been affected by new abstraction limits imposed by the Environment Agency which restrict the amount of water Affinity Water can extract from the...
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