stalbanslife

I love fireworks, simple as that. I can’t get enough of them and the annual display at Verulamium Park is always excellent. Luck favoured the brave and the evening was still and crisp. The rain held off till later in the evening allowing for one of my favourite displays for some years. Here is an image to give a flavour of what we enjoyed. See you there next year…..

St Albans is extremely proud to have the world’s largest butterfly park, which is a £25 m project. Currently known as Future Gardens, it will eventually become Butterfly World.

It consists of 27 acres of land in the green belt area north of the M25 in Chiswell Green, St Albans. There are 12 inspiring gardens which have something for everyone, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar Garden for children. There is the Wildflower Meadows, a tropical butterfly house, a butterfly garden and a café.

Clive Farrell, a lepidopterist (butterfly enthusiast) is the inventor of this project. He has opened butterfly houses in Florida, Switzerland and Stratford-upon-Avon. When finished, the aim is to have 10,000 tropical butterflies of 250 species. These will freely fly under the 300ft-wide, walk through dome.

David Attenborough is concerned about the decline of butterflies in recent years but is delighted that the plants are already flourishing in this new habitat. David Bellamy, the celebrated botanist, is one of the trustees of this project and has already spotted some species of butterflies and bees at the gardens.

One little hiccup to overcome, it seems, is the issue of finding the place! Some signs say Future Gardens and some show a flower. This has caused some complaints but perhaps the stalbanslife readers can let us know how it went for them?

For information on opening times and directions, visit www.butterflyworldproject.com  or email info@butterflyworldproject.com .

This is actually my first ever blog and it is a great honour to be writing it for a website such as stalbanslife, as I consider this city very special and think that the website will reflect all that is good (and sometimes not-so-good) about it.

Yesterday, as I wandered across the Verulamium with two of my children, I wanted to photograph so many aspects of it; the scene of the lake with its swans, the River Ver, the ancient Fighting Cocks Pub, the rise up to the truly magnificent Cathedral (Abbey) of St Albans!

I wonder if everyone has that same connection and sense of belonging that I feel while sitting in the Cathedral. Whether it’s an official event going on or a quiet Saturday afternoon, it gives me a sense of awe. I feel the past meet the present here. When the choirs practice, its like magic in the air from the floors to the ceiling. The Christmas festivities are really worth coming for, if you want to be moved to tears. Personally, I like to ponder on the fact that Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) swung across the altar here during the making of Johnny English.

Anyway, the point I want to make is that this majestic city, with its amazing history, its churches, cafes, restaurants, museums, pubs and parks, is good enough to share with the rest of the world. And stalbanslife is hoping to do just that!

St Albans has many interesting and friendly clubs. The Friends of Verulamium Park is just one of them, but this caring and educational club is worth a special mention on St Albans Life.

Their motto is: To preserve the natural beauty of this precious space.

The Friends were established in 2000 for those who care about the present and future of the Verulamium Park, which covers part of the ancient Roman city of Verulamium. Frequent talks and activities are organised and for a small donation to become a member, you receive three newsletters per year.

The park itself is owned by the St Albans City and District Council, but not everyone respects the park, so there is a lot of litter collecting to be done, in particular the area around the pub, The Fighting Cocks. This will take place on March 15th this year. Members and children will be out with their black bags and gloves to tidy the place up! As always, more help would be very welcome.

For more information about the park go to the website and see below.

Friends of Verulamium Park – Events 2009

Friday February 20th

Ditch maintenance. Meet at London Gate, 1.45pm, with loppers, gloves, and boots. We will continue the work started on January 16th.

Thursday February 26th

Heartwood  Forest, Sandridge   Pam Farley of the Woodland Trust (St Albans Group) will talk about the new forest. Details can be found  on the Woodland Trust website.

Sunday March 15th

Litter Pick. Meet by the Abbey Mills entrance, 11am-1pm. Bring a plastic bag and wear gloves.

Thursday April 23rd

Memories of a Verulamium Park Superintendent 1968 to 1988. Roy May and Tony Mason, St Michael’s Parish Centre, 8.00pm.

Thursday May 21st

Annual General Meeting followed by Julie Simpson, SACDC project manager for the rebuilding of Westminster Lodge. St Michael’s Parish Centre, 8.00pm

Thursday June 25th

Visit to Oughtonhead Common, Hitchin to see Longhorn cattle with Robert Williams. Leaving the Museum Car Park at 9.45am and sharing cars, or possibly in a coach if enough people are interested, and a pub lunch. The site may be found on Ordnance Survey Map Sheet 166 Grid Reference 168 302.