News

The annual Napsbury Christmas market took place on 9th December and was once again a popular event in the heart of the local community. As well as stalls filled with handmade gifts and offerings from local businesses, this year saw a Santa’s grotto, a Napsbury first which proved to be a big hit with the…

This year we were lucky enough to have been a chosen charity for the infamous St Albans bach Choir Christmas Concert. Proceeds from the event were generously donated to OLLIE, to which we are extremely grateful for. The evening concert which took place on the 8th December was hosted in the beautiful St Albans Abbey…

From 1st-15th December, local art gallery Nude Tin Can is showcasing the first exhibition of Louise Gendrot aka LouZyArt. LouZy’s work is described as model making infused with hidden installations. Inspired by London grit, modern society and conceptual ideas, they are a culmination of large sculptures and hidden scenes, creating a vibrant and interesting exhibition for…

On Thursday 4th October some of the best of business gathers at The Noke St Albans Mecure for the revered Community Business Awards. There were 9 award categories ranging from Best Restaurant to Green Business. OLLIE’s co-ordinator (now operations manager) Verity Bramwell was shortlisted for Young Employee 2018, an award sponsored by Oaklands College. Verity…

The Postcode Community Trust is a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. OLLIE wanted to ensure that the state secondary schools in Hemel Hempstead were able to access OLLIE’s training, so we applied to the People’s Community Trust to remove any financial barriers so that all the state secondary schools could…

October 24th saw the much-awaited fine dining fundraiser for OLLIE. Local photographer Jeremy Banks teamed up with Phil Thompson from Thompson St Albans to put on a fine food experience that raised money for OLLIE. On the menu were mouth-watering scallops with pork croquettes, melt in the mouth slow roasted beef and creamy vanilla panna…

Saturday 13th October Celtic Folk Rock masters The Dolmen returned to St Albans for their second gig in aid of OLLIE arranged by Steve Bedford. OLLIE volunteers Kate James and Marion Adams and Actar Dinata helped the night get off to a great start whilst enjoying The Dolmen’s tribal rhythms and spiritual renditions. The gig…

On World Suicide Prevention Day 2018 the theme was working together, so OLLIE through a community meeting to talk about how anyone can get involved with suicide prevention. We had a brilliant turn out, three different speakers and everyone signed their interest up for training. Verity Bramwell, our operations manager, talked about her personal experiences…

Saturday 8th September saw young and old alike gather to take part or spectate in a much-awaited basketball tournament. The tournament was raising awareness and funds for OLLIE and CLIC Sargent. The day had such a buzz to it and a festival atmosphere with the help of DJ Rocaball mixing tracks. The games were opened…

As we begin to approach September its important to remember that on the 10th the world will be uniting to recognise and commit to working towards suicide prevention. The theme for 2018 is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide”. It seems fitting therefore that OLLIE will be spending the 10th in The Luton Mall. The day…