Peter Taylor's newsletter 14th December 2022

Below you will find the top stories from my weekly newsletter. You can sign up to receive these every Wednesday at https://www.watfordlibdems.org/mayor-peter-taylor  

Exciting new project promises to bring the history of the River Colne to life

We have received a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to partner on a new 3-year project ‘Tales of the River’. The programme will help bring the community together to discover the heritage of the river and help to shape its future.

The project will really boost the regeneration works we are carrying out on the river under our Rediscovering the River Colne project and help bring our unique river to life again for Watford residents and its wildlife.

As part of the project two paid internships and volunteering opportunities will be provided giving local people the opportunity to start building green careers.

You can find out more by following this link.

Emergency support for rough sleepers in Watford

New Hope and One YMCA are part of our Severe Weather Emergency Protocol and are making spaces available every night for people experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough.

This afternoon I visited the accommodation that we are putting in place to make sure that no one in Watford is sleeping rough over the cold winter and spring months. It was great to see the work of our charity partners who are helping us provide this service, free of charge to those who use it. 

Tackling homelessness is a key priority for me we work constantly with New Hope and other organisations to make sure that we are supporting people who are experiencing homelessness. This emergency protocol is an extra measure that will make sure that no one will need to sleep in the street.

If you are concerned about someone who is sleeping rough in Watford, please call the 24/7 emergency phone line on 0300 012 0168 so that the Outreach Plus team can engage with the person and offer appropriate support.

Christmas card raises over £10,000 for local charities.  

Earlier in the year you may remember a photo competition with a theme of "Watford at Christmas". The lucky competition winner was Neil Sturgess who I met this week to congratulate.

The card is sponsored by local businesses and the proceeds go to two local charities, Homestart Watford and Citizens Advice Watford. 

Thanks to the generosity of these businesses we have raised £10,500.