West Herts Drivetime With Danny Smith

Alex and the Black Lights Live on Drivetime Sessions

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:16:12 PDT

Alex Lilly and one of the three Black Lights (Accordian player Jess Hart) came into our studio for the West Herts Drivetime Session this afternoon.

Alex and the Black Lights are an up and coming band in St Albans who have been performing gigs in the local area since last Christmas. The band are currently working on their first album, with the other two Back Lights, Gavin Beale and Tom Waters.

Alex and Jess treated us to three songs this evening: 'Fairest Lady' and 'Fire, fire, fire', both original compositions, and a cover of 'O Brother Where Art Thou?'.

If you want to find out more about the band and see when they're playing, details are listed on their Facebook

If you missed this Drivetime session, or any of the rest of the show you can listen again via www.radioverulam.com/listenagain

Faff Free Cooking with Jackie Johnson - Easy Chocolate Ginger Cookies

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:00:01 PDT

My motto has always been ‘never trust a skinny cook!' I do like to share recipes that I know work for me. They are not necessarily of my invention – but I will always give you the origin and maybe the story behind them! These recipes are relatively easy to make – hence the title, Faff-Free Cooking.

So, today’s treat is ….... Easy Chocolate Ginger Cookies

Great for a mid afternoon pick-me-up!

Ingredients:

125g butter or margarine

100g caster sugar

75g soft brown sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

150g plain flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

100g dark chocolate, chopped

3 ‘globes’ of preserved stem ginger in syrup, chopped

Method:

Gently melt the butter or margarine in a small pan.
Put both sugars in a mixing bowl and pour in the melted butter or margarine and beat well with a wooden spoon.
Beat in the egg.
Sift the flour and the baking powder into the bowl and stir in.

Add the chopped dark chocolate and ginger. The mixture will be quite loose.
Dot heaped dessert-spoonfuls of the mixture on to 2 baking sheets covered with baking parchment leaving a good 4cm between them as they spread out.
Bake on a pre heated oven at 190C/Gas 5 for 10 mins until they are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheets for a couple of mins to firm
up and then cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Lifestyle with Lisa Pearson

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:39:16 PDT

Our lifestyle coach Lisa Pearson was our guest this evening on Drivetime, Lisa told us about going to festivals with your family this summer;

I know many of you won’t be even considering the hundreds/thousands of pounds that it costs to go on holiday this summer.

You might also be struggling to take 7-14 days off work.

I’ve got a great alternative for you …

Hows about thinking about a Family Festival instead?

If you’ve never been to a festival before, it’s a great way to start.

If you went to festivals before having kids, why stop now?

A ‘Family Festival’ can mean lots of things, but basically it means that there will be music, but kids are expected and catered for. Some are more ‘family’ than others.

I had the idea of going to a Family Festival last year because I’d never been to a festival before, so I thought maybe if we start now with the kids, they’ll invite us along with them to Glastonbury when they are teenagers!

We went in a yurt glamping, but this year we are going to try camping for the first time with a glamping twist (think bunting, and pretty colours!). You can also just go for the day, or stay in a local B&B if you don’t fancy getting in touch with nature though.

To be fair to people who used to go to festivals when they were younger, it’s not going to be the same; getting drunk just isn’t practical when you have little ones to watch and lots of people around you. The good news is that kids don’t mind mud and love tents, so as long as you are willing to compromise a bit, I reckon a family festival will be every bit as good as the ones that you used to go to.

What To Wear To A Family Festival?

You’re packing the picnic basket, ear defenders for the kids and maybe even the tent if you are brave like us.

Perhaps you were inspired by my post on why family festivals are great?

But what’s worrying you is ‘OMG what am I going to wear to a family festival?‘

It’s not exactly glastonbury, and you probably don’t want to wear teeny shorts any more, but if you go in plain old boring stuff you might feel just as odd.

Here are my rules:

1) Colour is a must, but pick one that will mix and match for the whole weekend and NO white!

2) Flat shoes only! Wellies, Crocs, daps or pumps

3) Leggings or Skinny jeans (don’t get messy in the mud)

4) Lots of thin layers: vests, tunics, cardigans, coats, pashminas etc

5) Dress for summer and winter and wet weather: sun tan lotion, hats, water proofs and jumpers!

6) Pack wooly hats for the kids in the evenings to keep warm

7) Consider flower garlands, feather boa, wings, and face paint if you are feeling brave!

Last year I rocked the flower garland, feather boa, sparkly fit flops, gypsy shirt and short skirt + leggings combo, and my mate looked fab in cropped jeans, daps and a pretty skirt:
Further details can be found at the web site http://www.festivalsforall.com/

New Music Playlist w/c 17th June 2013 & this week's featured track by Madness

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:52:04 PDT

Hi Drivetimers

Here is our new music playlist for the forthcoming week:

Alison Moyet - Love Reign Supreme
Barenaked Ladies - Boomerang
Belinda Carlisle - Sun
Biffy Clyro - Opposite
Bo Bruce - Alive
Bon Jovi - What About Now
Brinsley Forde - Baby I Love You Now
Bruno Mars - Treasure
Caro Emerald - Liquid Lunch
Court Yard Hounds - Sunshine
Daft Punk - Get Lucky ft. Pharrell Williams
David Bowie - The Next Day
Emmelie DeForrest - Only Teardrops
Fleetwood Mac - Sad Angel
FM - Story Of My Life
Jamie Cullum - Edge Of Something
KT Tunstall - Feel It All
Leanne Mitchell - Pride
Madness - Misery
Michael Bublé - Close Your Eyes
Mumford & Sons - Babel
Olly Murs - Dear Darlin’
Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines ft. T.I. & Pharrell
Status Quo - Bula Bula Quo
The Proclaimers - Not Cynical
The Wanted - Walks Like Rihanna
Tom Odell - Another Love
Travis - Where You Stand

Items in BOLD are new additions.

This week's featured track is Misery by Madness:

Chris' Film Club: Avengers Assemble

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:22:21 PDT

Today Chris has chosen the film Avengers Assemble as it is actor Chris Evans' 32nd birthday. He plays Captain America in Joss Whedon's very successful superhero film. Also starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johannsson, Mark Ruffalo and Samuel L Jackson.

Today's guest: local author Ruth Jacobs

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:19:56 PDT

Today's guest was West Herts author Ruth Jacobs who has recently had her book 'Unforgivable' published by Caffeine Nights

As part of the Soul Destruction series, this novel came out end of April and looks at the story of Shelley Hansard, a call-girl who is raped by a client and later finds that he has perpetrated this crime on two of her close friends. They decide to plot revenge on what is obviously a dark tale with an adult theme.

Primarily though this is a book which is about women and the plight of those in a tough business, not always helped by their inaccurate and stigmatised portrayal in the media and by the wider public. Many of course come from abusive childhoods and relationships and find no way of escape.

Ruth herself had some difficulties in younger years, falling into the wrong crowd and experimenting with drugs in the late 90s. She associated with prostitutes on a friendship basis and used some of their experiences as research for a university dissertation as she studied sociology and crime. These first-hand accounts inspired the series of books she has subsequently written.

Getting the books published was not an easy task, although Ruth was encouraged by the good feedback she received from those that decided against taking the work on. She feels primarily this was due to the clearly strong and far from glamorous subject matter.

Ruth will be seen at a special event at Waterstones St Albans next Thursday 20th June at 7pm for a book signing. We wish her all the success!
For more information, take a look at Ruth's website at: www.soul-destruction.com where 'Unforgivable' can be picked up as a Kindle or E-book from £1!

Chris' Film Club: W.

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:30:00 PDT

Today we can say a happy birthday to 89 year old President George H. W. Bush. Bush Sr. was President of the United States in the late-eighties and early-nineties and is played by James Cromwell in Oliver Stone's biopic of Bush Jr., W. (wow, that was a confusing amount of punctuation!)

Stone's ambitious and interesting but ultimately flawed film follows George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) from his youth to the war in Iraq. It also stars Cromwell, Thandie Newton, Elizabeth Banks, Richard Dreyfuss and Jefferey Wright.

The Drivetime Sessions: Said The Maiden

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:27:12 PDT

Kathy, Hannah, Danny (not a Maiden!) & Jess

We were thrilled to be joined in the studio today by local folk trio Said The Maiden. As well as chatting with Danny, they performed three live acoustic songs in our humble studios. If you missed any of today's session, goto www.radioverulam.com/listenagain where you can here the show for a week after broadcast.

To find out more about Said The Maiden, here are their various links:

Blog - saidthemaiden.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Said-The-Maiden/201177073299665
Twitter - twitter.com/SaidTheMaiden

On next week's Drivetime Sessions - Alex & The Black Lights.

Strange food and Travel with Andy Jarosz

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:31:11 PDT

Andy came in to do his monthly travel feature and give us advice on where to go.

Danny mentioned that many people are wary of travelling to Turkey at the moment due to the recent protests. Andy's advice was to check the Foreign office website as they update it daily, currently it says that it isn't unsafe to visit. If you have already booked a holiday the tourist destinations are mostly away from where the commotion is happening. However if you are heading to Istanbul Andy advises to just steer clear of the main square.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Food is important when you're away whether you like to experience a new cuisine or prefer home comforts. Andy mentioned to not be afraid of speaking to waiters and asking what's in a dish or how it's prepared.

The strangest food Andy has eaten on holiday is fruit bat!

http://www.501places.com/

Chris' Film Club: Holes

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:30:01 PDT

Today we say, well, not a 'happy' birthday (because I tend to despise him and his movies) but instead we say 'Oh, it's Shia LaBeouf's birthday' and then we move on.

Ok, that is being a little unfair, because there have been a couple of films that Mr. LaBeouf hasn't entirely wrecked and Holes is one of them. Based on a book by Louis Sachar it sees young Stanley Yelnats (LaBeouf) wind up in what is essentially a childrens prison, hunting for lost treasure.

The film also stars Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voigt, Tim Blake Nelson, Patricia Arquette and the Fonz (Henry Winkler).

Chris' Film Club: The Wizard of Oz

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:30:02 PDT

Today we would be wishing the fantastic Judy Garland a Happy 91st Birthday, were she still with us. Sadly she isn't but we can still look back at some of her work and one of her films stands out amongst the rest: The Wizard of Oz.

A magical musical full of classic songs and memorable characters, it stars Garland as Dorothy, a young woman who is whisked off to the land of Oz, where she teams up with the Scarecrow, the Tin-man and the Cowardly Lion to find a way home.

The film also stars Margaret Hamilton, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr.

Citizens Advice Bureau

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:26:26 PDT

Elizabeth Crampton from the Citizens Advice Bureau was our guest on Drivetime this evening, Elizabeth covered the following items;

Do I need wedding insurance? What will wedding insurance cover?
There are various levels of wedding insurance cover available. See Wedding insurance rated for details.
If you have to cancel the wedding for any unavoidable reason, such as an injury to you or your partner, the policy should pay out if you are out of pocket. This is likely to be one of the most useful areas of cover that policies offer.
Should you take out wedding insurance?
Wedding insurance can protect you against a range of unfortunate events and help you make sure you are not out of pocket as a result, but whether it’s worth taking out ultimately depends on the cost of your wedding and how worried you are about things going wrong.
All aspects of the policy will have exclusions and cover limits and there will also be general exclusions, so check your policy documents carefully. See Wedding insurance rated for selected cover limits.
Wedding insurance and loss or damage
Wedding insurance can also cover you for loss or damage to wedding attire, such as the wedding dress, as well as presents, the wedding cake, rings, flowers and gifts for the guests. Cover starts a set period before the wedding and finishes a set period after – from seven days before to 24 hours after for wedding gifts, for example – but this will vary depending on the policy.
Any loss or theft should be reported to the police within 24 hours.
Failure of suppliers
You’ll be relying on wedding services from a range of providers. Wedding insurance can cover any extra costs you incur up to the policy limit if something goes wrong with these services. Wedding insurance also covers you for deposits you can’t recover or the cost of arranging alternatives if suppliers go bust, but you would already be covered by section 75 if you paid by credit card.
It's important to scrutinise wedding insurance policies as some insurers, such as Weddingplan, exclude wedding gift providers.
Another important area covered by wedding insurance is your personal liability for injury to third parties or loss or damage to third party property. You may already be covered for this under your but some wedding insurance policies cover the actions of all wedding guests as well as the couple.
Additional areas of cover that some policies offer are for legal expenses, personal accident and stress counselling.
Check the policy details if you are having the reception on a different day from the ceremony or if you are getting married overseas.

Changes to legal aid
Civil legal aid helps to pay for the costs of getting legal advice if you’re on a low income. However, the government has made large cuts to the civil legal aid budget. This means from 1 April you’ll no longer be able to get civil legal aid for many types of problems that might affect your everyday life. These include:
Welfare benefit appeals
You’ll no longer be able to get legal aid to help you make an appeal against a decision on welfare benefits unless you’re making an appeal to the Upper Tribunal or higher courts.
Debt
You’ll no longer be able to get legal aid to help you with your debts unless a creditor is making you bankrupt or taking court action to evict you from your home
Housing
You’ll no longer be able to get legal aid to help you with housing problems unless:
    there’s serious disrepair in your home
    you’re homeless
    you’re being evicted from your home
    the council is taking action against you because of anti-social behaviour.
Employment
You won’t be able to get legal aid to help you with an employment dispute or go to an employment tribunal unless it’s a discrimination case.
Private family law
You won’t be able to get legal aid to help you with private family law problems unless you're a victim or are at risk of domestic violence or there has been or is a risk of child abuse These include:
    divorce
    dissolution of civil partnership
    financial disputes
    property disputes
    disputes over children.

Asylum support
If you’re an asylum seeker, you won’t be able to get legal aid to help you with asylum support unless you have applied for both housing and financial support.
Non-asylum immigration
You won’t be able to get legal aid to help you with an immigration application unless you:
    have been detained
    make an application under the domestic violence rules
    make an application because you’re a victim of human trafficking.
Education
You won’t get legal aid to help with education problems unless the child or young adult has Special Educational Needs.
Consumer and general contract law
You won’t get legal aid for any action you want to take for consumer problems or problems you have with general contracts.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority cases
You won’t get legal aid to help with the costs of trying to get compensation because you’ve suffered a criminal injury.
Clinical negligence cases
You won’t get legal aid for most clinical negligence problems.
What will you still be able to get legal aid for
You’ll still be able to get legal aid for the following problems:
    care proceedings
    family mediation
    asylum applications
    mental health proceedings
    community care cases
    discrimination.
Civil Legal Advice helpline
The Civil Legal Advice national helpline on 0845 345 4345 provides specialist legal advice for people who are eligible for civil legal aid.
The service offers advice in six areas of law:
    debt
    education
    discrimination
    housing
    family
    welfare benefits appeals.
The helpline only offers advice on problems for which you can still get legal aid.
Legal aid for debt, discrimination and Special Educational Needs problems
If you need to apply for legal aid for a debt, discrimination or Special Educational Needs problem, you must apply through the telephone gateway service run by Civil Legal Advice on 0845 345 4345.
Financial eligibility for civil legal aid
There are also changes to who will qualify for civil legal aid, based on the amount of income and capital you have.
If you receive a passporting benefit, your capital will now be assessed to see if you’re eligible to get civil legal aid. Passporting benefits include:
    Income Support
    income-related Employment and Support Allowance
    income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
    guarantee credit part of Pension Credit
    Universal Credit.
There are also increases in the amount of contributions you’ll have to pay towards the cost of civil legal aid.
Further details can be found at the web site;
http://www.adviceguide.org

New Music Playlist w/c 10th June 2013 & this week's featured track by Belinda Carlisle

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:01:46 PDT

Hi Drivetimers

Here is this week's new music playlist:

Alison Moyet - Love Reign Supreme
Barenaked Ladies - Boomerang
Bastille - Laura Palmer
Belinda Carlisle - Sun
Biffy Clyro - Opposite
Bo Bruce - Alive
Bon Jovi - What About Now
Bruno Mars - Treasure
Caro Emerald - Liquid Lunch
Daft Punk - Get Lucky ft. Pharrell Williams
David Bowie - The Next Day
Emmelie DeForrest - Only Teardrops
Fleetwood Mac - Sad Angel
KT Tunstall - Feel It All
Leanne Mitchell - Pride
Mark Owen - Stars
Michael Bublé - Close Your Eyes
Mumford & Sons - Babel
Olly Murs - Dear Darlin’
Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines ft. T.I. & Pharrell
Status Quo - Bula Bula Quo
Tegan And Sara - I Was A Fool
The Band Perry - Done
The Proclaimers - Not Cynical
The Wanted - Walks Like Rihanna
Tom Odell - Another Love
Travis - Where You Stand

Items in BOLD are new additions

This week's featured track is Sun by Belinda Carlisle:

The Radio Verulam Film Guide - 7th June 2013

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 07:31:35 PDT

Today Simon came in dressed like a hippo. We all laughed. The end.

Ok, that was a lie but Simon was in the...

No, wait, I have to address why this wasn't very good. I'm under a lot of pressure from Simon to make these little blog posts amusing so it makes him sound like, in his words, 'a wacky character in the style of Chester Conklin' (no, I don't know who that is either). Look, Simon isn't here now (he's having bowel problems from too many breakfast tacos) so I have this chance to get the message out. He is a cruel dictator, much like Josef Stalin, Pol Pot or Jeremy Paxman. He needs to be stopped, we need to rise up and take him down. His time belittling studio assistants is over and the revolution is soon to be upon.... Here he comes now! Look busy!

.....studio to talk about the UK box office and his pick of films on TV for the coming week. He really is a handsome man.

Friday
Point Break
11.55pm – 1.50am
BBC1

Saturday
The Ghost
9.00 pm – 11.35pm
Channel 4

Sunday
Law Abiding Citizen
10.10pm – 12.10am
Channel 4

Monday
Drive Angry
10.00pm – 12.00am
5USA

Wednesday
Hairspray
8.00pm – 10.20pm
E4

Thursday
Billy Elliot
9.00pm – 10.45pm
BBC4

Chris' Film Club: A Nightmare on Elm Street

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:30:02 PDT

Today is the 66th birthday of Robert Englund, who has found fame for portraying Freddie Kruger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street films.

The original film is an innovative and scary ride from horror master Wes Craven. Freddie Kruger hunts and kills teenagers in their dreams and nowhere is safe for the kids in this film, including a young Johnny Depp. It also stars Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon and the trailer can be seen below.

Chris' Film Club: Patriot Games

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:41:33 PDT

Patriot Games was released today in 1992. Based on a Tom Clancy bestseller it stars Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, a retired-CIA analyst who intervenes in an attempted assassination and becomes a target himself. Also stars Sean Bean, Anne Archer, James Earl Jones and Richard Harris.

The Pocket Gods

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:19:01 PDT

Mark and Paul, who combine to make the alternative sounds of Sandridge based band The Pocket Gods, joined us in the studio today for a spot of live music and a chat with Danny.

They played two tracks from their new album 'In Search Of The Divine.' If you liked what you heard you can see them live at The Horn on the 25th July where they'll be supporting Nadine Shah, or find out more on their facebook or twitter.

If you missed their performance or any of the rest of Danny's dulcet tones then you can listen to the show again at radioverulam.com/listenagain.

Chris' Film Club: Tomorrow Never Dies

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:45:51 PDT

Today is British actor Geoffrey Palmer's 86th birthday and he appeared in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. The film sees Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan, team up with Michelle Yeoh to take down a media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) intent on starting World War III.

While the plot is fairly flimsy it still has its moments and is a good solid action film. The trailer can be seen below.

Local Tourism Feature with Charles Baker

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:25:22 PDT

Charles came into the studio to tell us all the local events that are happening this month.
The Alban weekend is coming up! (Sat 22 and sun 23 June) at St Peter's street. The unique event is a celebration of the life of Saint Alban and sees giant carnival puppets retrace Alban's last steps and tell his remarkable and moving story. There will be a traditional street market, free live music 10am to 6pm in the court house on Saturday and a day of dance on the Sunday.

The Breakaway Theater company are hosting a production of Roberto Zucco at the Maltings Theatre. Tickets are available from the Tourist Information Centre, or you can call 08448700887.

There is also the St Albans Symphony Orchestra festival concert at the Cathedral on Saturday 8th at 7:30pm. The programme includes Holst's Planet Suite, Ravel's Pavane for tickets head to, www.saso.org.uk

For any more information or to see what other events are happening go to, http://enjoystalbans.com/

Chris' Film Club: The King's Speech

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:30:02 PDT

Today in 1937 Prince Edward married Wallis Simpson, leading to his brother Albert, becoming King. The King’s Speech is all about the shy, stammering Albert (now King George VI) overcoming his speech impediment with the help of Australian therapist Lionel Logue and it charts their relationship over several years as they grow into friends and confidants.

The film stars Colin Firth (in an Oscar-winning performance), Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce. While it has the appearance of a big-budget television movie it is beautifully acted and the relationship of the two leads is central to the charm of the film.

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:07:01 PDT

Sarah Buckingham from the Herts & Middlesex wildlife trust was our guest this evening on West Herts Drivetime;

Today new plans to protect and restore our rivers and their catchments was launched by Environment Minister Richard Benyon on the River Mimram in Welwyn.

The visit recognises the work already achieved by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and partners on the Rivers Beane and Mimram, where the new ‘Catchment Based Approach’ has been piloted successfully. The development of the Beane and Mimram Catchment Management Plan has been part of a nationwide scheme driven by Defra and the Environment Agency, with the aim of helping all our rivers reach ‘Good Ecological Status’ by 2027.

Charlie Bell, Hertfordshire Living Rivers Officer at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, said: “We are particularly pleased that Defra has chosen to launch the Catchment Based Approach here in Hertfordshire and is showcasing the work we’ve been doing on the Mimram and the Beane. Plans to restore our rivers have been written before, but this new approach involves a wider range of organisations, including local river groups like the Friends of the Mimram and the River Beane Restoration Association. We’ve also chosen to develop a dynamic, web-based plan, rather than a paper document. Without local, coordinated action on the ground like this our rivers will continue to suffer from pollution, modification and over-abstraction.”

Both the River Beane and the River Mimram are ‘over-abstracted’ – the water that supplies the rivers is pumped away by water companies for public consumption and with a growing population in Hertfordshire, demand is increasing all the time.

Jane Durney, Chief Executive at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, said: “Our river restoration projects are gathering plenty of momentum, but a major barrier to our rivers reaching good ecological status in Hertfordshire is the lack of water in them. For parts of the year large sections of our chalk streams, which are precious habitats of global importance, are dry. Nearly 70% of the water we drink in Hertfordshire is sourced from groundwater, which also feeds our chalk streams. If we take too much of this water, our rivers dry up. With water consumption well above the national average, our county is seriously water stressed. We are determined that these iconic habitats and their wildlife should be protected, but only coordinated action with partners – and high level political support – will make it happen.”

More details can be found at the trust web site
http://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/

New Music Playlist w/c 3rd June 2013 & this week's featured track by the Barenaked Ladies

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 05:58:52 PDT

Hi Drivetimers

Here is our new music playlist for the forthcoming week:

Barenaked Ladies - Boomerang
Bastille - Laura Palmer
Biffy Clyro - Opposite
Bon Jovi - What About Now
Bruno Mars - Treasure
Caro Emerald - Liquid Lunch
Daft Punk - Get Lucky ft. Pharrell Williams
David Bowie - The Next Day
Emmelie DeForrest - Only Teardrops
Fleetwood Mac - Sad Angel
Goo Goo Dolls - Rebel Beat
Josephine - Last Minute
KT Tunstall - Feel It All
Leanne Mitchell - Pride
Mark Owen - Stars
Michael Bublé - Close Your Eyes
Olly Murs - Dear Darlin’
Passenger - Let Her Go
Phillip Phillips - Home
Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines ft. T.I. & Pharrell
Status Quo - Bula Bula Quo
Tegan And Sara - I Was A Fool
The Band Perry - Done
The Script - Millionaires
The Wanted - Walks Like Rihanna
Tom Odell - Another Love
Travis - Where You Stand

Items in BOLD are new additions

This week's featured track is Boomerang by the Barenaked Ladies:

The Radio Verulam Film Guide - 31st May 2013

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:47:01 PDT

This week we had been given strict instructions to meet Simon out in the car park before The Film Guide. Last week he suffered what can only be described as a mental breakdown due to being a long-suffering Brentford fan. Danny and I had to see a horrific Hawaiian shirt, dump a stolen Ferrari and clean it for prints, and return a traumatised ferret to its child master.

Danny and I waited out in the car park and, dead on the specified time, a big white van pulled up, opened its side door and a huge boot kicked a disheveled, ashen-faced man out onto the concrete. The man picked himself up, dusted himself down, blinked heavily in the daylight and stroked his new beard. It was Simon, but he looked like a homeless and mentally unstable Richard Gere if he had been cast as Robinson Crusoe.

"Hi, Simon." We said in unison, trying not to sound like he freaked us out a little.

"Hello chaps!" Simon replied, smiling broadly. "How have you too been without me?"

"Don't you mean 'you two'?" asked Danny.

"How can you spot spelling mistakes in my verbal speech pattern?" Simon replied, looking confused.

"It's a talent." said Danny, looking a little smug.

"Anyway," I cut in "how did you grow a beard so quickly?"

"To keep us calm at the institute they fed us lawn fertiliser and it makes me a bit potato bucket monkey cheese Snoop Dogg but it sure does make my hair grow!" Simon answered while picking a fly out of the air and sticking it in his mouth.

"I think we should take him inside" suggested Danny, as Simon started rifling through the skip nearby in the vain hope of finding a life size Sandra Bullock cutout. She has a restraining order out against him, don't ya know?

Ok, that was a lie (except the restraining order) but Simon was in the studio to talk about the UK box office and his pick of films on TV for the coming week.

Friday
Back to the Future III
7.45pm – 10.00mm
ITV2

Saturday
Unbreakable
11.45pm – 1.50am
ITV2

The Hills have Eyes
11.25pm – 1.30am
Film4

Sunday
The Road
10.30pm – 12.10am
BBC2

Tuesday
The Iron Lady
9.00pm – 11.35pm
Film4

Thursday
Starter for Ten
9.00pm – 10.30pm
BBC4

Chris' Film Club: Bull Durham

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 30 May 2013 10:30:01 PDT

Today in 1935, baseball legend Babe Ruth played his last ever game of professional baseball. To honour this moment in time, we've picked Bull Durham, one of Kevin Costner's many baseball films.

The film is a comedy about a love triangle between old pro Kevin Costner, young talent Tim Robbins and baseball groupie Susan Sarandon.

The trailer can be seen below.

Company of Teens

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 30 May 2013 09:54:02 PDT

Tonight Danny was joined in the studio by Kieran and Alex, two young and talented individuals that made Danny curse his age and lack of skill. After he had finished throwing a wobbly Danny got down to the important business of why exactly they were there, flaunting their youth in his face.

Turns out they come from 'The Company of Teens', which is the youthful arm of 'The Company of Ten'. The group if for people aged 14-19 and they put on a show each season, with this years show being The Tempest. The company is based at The Abbey Theatre at the bottom of Holywell Hill.

If you want to find out more about both companies or are interested in joining then you can go to their website here or e-mail them at coteens@abbeytheatre.org.uk.