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A road of rubbish After three years clear-up finally begins on litter-strewn A41
AFTER three years of waiting, the eyesore of mounting rubbish lining the A41 will finally be cleared.
What a load of rubbish. Tring Lions with the results of their clean up | The massive clean-up operation started on Monday with workmen collecting a staggering one-and-a-half tonnes of rubbish in a mile and a half stretch of the carriageway verges.
Dacorum Borough Council has teamed up with Herts County Council to get parts of the bypass closed to allow its workers to clean up safely.
A street cleaning crew is working along the A41 from Tring to Kings Langley in sections and once finished they will turn around and work back towards Tring clearing the other side of the carriageway, covering in total 27 miles.
The task is expected to take 10 working days.
Dacorum Borough Council has to pay Herts County Council to close parts of the inside lane of the road while work is carried out.
At a cost of £800 a day Dacorum Borough Council will foot a bill for £8,000.
But the rubbish has been left by the roadside for so long that it cannot be recycled, as items like plastic bottles have become too brittle.
Workmen from Cupid Green Depot have estimated they will collect 15 tons of rubbish - the equivalent to the weekly rubbish produced by 1,200 homes in Dacorum.
The litter lined A41 has been an issue which local residents have raised again and again over the years.
Council bosses had previously tried to get together to arrange the clean-up operation but failed to sort it out.
A Dacorum Borough Council spokesman said: “We are hoping to do the clear-up twice a year.
“It is quite a major logistical job trying to co-ordinate with the county council.
“We know it is something residents are concerned about and would like to see it done and we are working to make that happen.”
Once all of the rubbish is cleared, the grass verges will be trimmed by workmen from Herts County Council.
In the past, litter clearance and verge cutting have been done separately costing more in time and money.
A Herts County Council spokesman said: “By doing these in tandem it reduces the amount of time the road has traffic management in place and it makes it a cleaner and more straightforward operation.”
Volunteers from Tring Lions collected 35 sacks of rubbish from the A41 exit slip roads at Tring during the weekend.
Members of the club turned out on Saturday (March 25) to spend three hours clearing sack loads of litter, which was dumped by motorists.
Derek Grant from Tring Lions said: “It was hard work, but very worthwhile.
“All of us had noticed the build-up of litter over recent months and felt it created a bad impression for visitors to the town and residents.
“There is always more to be done, but it is amazing how much was achieved in a morning by the club members.”
Dacorum Borough Council last cleared the slip roads six months ago.
Within the next four weeks
the A41 central reservations will also be cleared of rubbish and the grass cut.
It will take five days to complete and sections of the lanes closest to the central reservation will have to be closed while work is done.
A date has not yet been set for when this will start.
No end to success of town’s dance school with a difference West End star shares all the best grooves
THE LATEST moves and grooves, as used on the West End stages, are being taught in Tring.
Twenty-one-year-old musical theatre student Venetia Grivas is running Flash Dance in the town.
The third-year student of London’s Arts Educational School explained: “I didn't want it to be like every other dance school, there are so many that offer the same things - ballet and tap.
“I decided to take my musical theatre knowledge and teach people what I’m learning in London.
“I have already worked with quite a few musical theatre big names, like the directors from West End show Mary Poppins, and with all of the top choreographers in the West End."
Venetia holds classes for children and adults at Grove Road Primary School.
Lessons feature Street Jazz - the type of dance moves you see in pop videos - Street Tap and Venetia’s latest invention Jallet - which focuses on the movements of ballet rather than the technique.
“It is more about making people more free with their bodies,” she explained.
“I do feel that adults are more inhibited about dancing, but it is a lot more fun than going to the gym and there is a lot of body conditioning work,” she added.
Venetia grew up in Tring and attended the Arts Educational School for 10 years
before heading for the bright lights of London at 18.
Tring’s Arts Educational School has nurtured many
famous ex-pupils including Hollywood actress Thandie Newton and former Emmerdale soap star Amy Nuttall.
Venetia will graduate from the London Performance School this summer, but plans to continue her Saturday dance lessons, which are open to youngsters aged from seven, through to adults. Each lesson costs £4.50. Call Venetia on 07886906852 for more information about Flash Dance.
Battlelines drawn in fight to save hostel
TRING Town Council has put its weight behind the campaign to save Ivinghoe Youth Hostel.
During a Tring Town Council meeting last week, councillors agreed to write to the Youth Hostel Association and Ivinghoe Parish Council to back the drive to save the popular hostel.
Cllr John Allen said: “Our schools use it and it is used as a base for a lot of activities around the Chilterns area.
“If this residential base is closed I don’t know where in the area people could be accommodated, especially groups of children.”
The announcement that the hostel would be shut down under cost-cutting measures by the YHA has outraged residents.
The move threatens the future of local attractions like the Chilterns Study Centre, which works with school groups staying at the hostel.
Schools and groups from across the country use the hostel as a base to discover the surrounding countryside.
Cllr Denise Rance said: “The hostel and the learning centre are superb facilities.
“I would hate to see it go from a parent’s point of view.
“My daughter went there last year, they learn so much just from standing at
Ivinghoe Beacon and looking down over the land and seeing how farming has worked over the years.”
Rich or poor - cast needed for show!
THE TALENTED Tring duo behind a hugely successful homegrown musical have come up with another show set to be a hit.
Robin Hood The Musical will be staged at The Court Theatre this September following the success of Noah The Musical last year.
Auditions are being held for the new show next month (April).
Rob said: "After the fantastic response we have had from Noah we decided to bring forward our plans and write Robin Hood this year rather than put it on the back-boiler."
The premiere of the show on Saturday, September 9 will be in aid of the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, with the full price of tickets sold going to the charity.
Show dates will run from September 9 to 16.
Noah The Musical was such a hit that it is being staged across the country and is even being performed in Australia.
Ian said: "Robin Hood is completely different to Noah and is a light-hearted look at one of England’s greatest folk heroes.
“Although typically with our shows there are quite a few poignant and sad moments,” he added.
Now the team is on the hunt for a cast of singers, dancers and actors to be part of creating the brand new musical.
Auditions are open to people aged 14 to 25 and will be held at The Court Theatre on Sunday, April 9.
To audition turn up at the theatre at 7pm or for more information call producer Lynda Minshull on 01442 826923.
Tow the line to carry word
VOLUNTEERS are needed to help transport the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home exhibition trailer.
There is an urgent need for people who are able to offer some of their spare time to tow the charity trailer for a special roadshow, which will be hitting the road in June.
Drivers need to be quite fit to set up the trailer, which displays pictures and information about the work of Iain Rennie nurses, have a car that is fitted with a towbar and have experience of towing a large trailer or caravan.
Anyone who thinks they can help can get more information at www.irhh.org.uk or call Carole Niven on 01442 890222.
Have some fun in woods
This Easter have some fun in Wendover Woods during the Woods at Work Family Day.
On Sunday, April 9 there will be something for all the family to enjoy including woodland crafts, forestry equipment, tree surgery, horse logging, birds of prey, story telling and children’s craft activities.
The event, organised by the Chilterns Conservation Board and the Chilterns Woodlands Project runs from 11am to 4pm and costs £2 per adult, free for children and free parking.
Wendover Woods is sign posted off the B4009 between Wendover and Tring. For more information call Cathy Rose on 01844 355 506 or John Morris on 01844 355 503.
Gardens will open to help fund hospice
PICK up some gardening tips during the second annual open garden scheme being launched by the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home.
Green-fingered gardeners can request their free copy of the open garden leaflet, which lists all of the gardens opening to the public from April.
From small town gardens to large country retreats, more than 20 gardens will be opening across Herts and Bucks until August.
Last year the scheme raised £28,000 for the Tring based charity, which covers the cost of one specialist support nurse for a year.
Many gardens will be serving home-made refreshments, selling plants and cuttings, craft items and other goodies making it a fun family event.
Most gardens cost £2 per person for entry to one garden or £3.50 for two or more gardens on the same day. Children go for free.
All proceeds will be given to the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home.
For a free copy of the open garden leaflet call 01442 890222 or email fundraising@irhh.org
Welly brigade on pond parade
Getting Aldbury pond clear | ALDBURY villagers rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in during the weekend to clear out the historic village pond.
About 50 people turned out during Saturday (March 25) clad in their wellies to do their part in digging up the overgrown reeds.
Ian Gunter, who helped organise the dig, said: “It was a really fun village activity with everybody getting together and getting muddy.”
This is the first stage of clearing out the pond to prevent it from completely silting over. It has not been cleared since 2003.
Next an industrial gully sucker will be brought in to remove mud from the bed. Last time this was done 20,000 gallons of liquified mud was sucked out.
During the dig volunteers discovered a whole array of wildlife, including frogs, newts and ducks. They timed the pond clear out so that it did not clash with the nesting season.
Mr Gunter said: “The pond has been there forever. It is very ancient. The village has grown up around it.”
Now quite shallow, the pond was once used to provide water for farm stock and forms the centre of the village, along with the village green, stocks and whipping post.
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