Sign up to: Hertfordshire Constabulary’s community messaging system – Herts Connected, (which replaced Neighbourhood Watch)

Herts Connected

Hertfordshire Constabulary is delighted to share the link to its community messaging system called Herts Connected (part of the Neighbourhood Alerts system).  This system replaces OWL (Online Watch Link).

Get connected with what is happening in your local area, keep up to date and have your say in what goes on where you live or work in Hertfordshire.

Herts Connected is a free interactive messaging service from Hertfordshire Constabulary.

You will also be able to choose who you would like to receive messages from – including the Police and Crime Commissioner, Neighbourhood Watch and Action Fraud. Your preferences will make your messages bespoke and not just related to your postcode.

It’s quick and easy to sign up here: www.hertsconnected.co.uk

By working together, we can make Hertfordshire an even safer place to live and work.

Hertfordshire Constabulary

You’re Invited! Cottered & Throcking groups, clubs and societies: ANNUAL COMMUNITY MEETING, Monday 12 May 7.30pm

The parish council hosts an ANNUAL COMMUNITY MEETING (Annual Parish Meeting) every May, usually in the village hall, which will be held this year on MONDAY 12 May at 7.30pm, immediately following the Annual Meeting of Cottered and Throcking Parish Council where the chairman is elected for the forthcoming year.

Everyone is welcome and the parish council would like to encourage this social event by inviting representatives of the various groups, clubs and societies in Cottered and Throcking to come along to the meeting, share a brief report on their year’s activities with parishioners and staying for refreshments afterwards.

Please contact for further information.

East Herts Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

An LCWIP is a plan that will identify important local routes for people walking, cycling or using a wheelchair. Once these important routes are identified, the latest guidance is used to suggest ways to improve them and make them safer. LCWIPs aim to give communities more options for how they travel, so that you and your families can go to work, school, go shopping or carry out other everyday journeys on foot or by bike and feel safe.
In the summer of 2024 East Herts Council held a public engagement period, where residents, members and stakeholders were asked to give feedback and suggestions to the draft walking and cycling maps. Just under 1,300 comments were made and a full review of feedback on the network plans then fed into the development of the next stage. The proposed routes were assessed and scored, with those likely to bring the most benefits in allowing people to access key services and facilities being prioritised. After the prioritised walking and cycling routes were audited, both by foot and by bike, the key issues currently faced in these areas and ways to improve them were looked at.

Infrastructure improvements to improve walking and cycling could include (but not be limited to) measures such as:
· New or improved cycleways so people cycling are better protected from vehicles;
· New pedestrian crossings and/or cycle crossings;
· Changes to junctions such as roundabouts or crossroads;
· Footway improvements such as wider footways, better surfaces or tactile paving;
· ‘Traffic calming’ to help slow vehicles.

All of the suggested improvements will be very high-level at this stage. The LCWIP itself does not include any drawings or designs, but does suggest mechanisms that could be utilised to improve conditions for walkers, cyclists and wheelers. Proposed schemes will go through further analysis and public engagement (where appropriate) in the future before they are implemented.

You can find out more about the East Herts LCWIP on the project website: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/EastHertsLCWIP
If you would like to contact the project team, please email:

OPALS (Older Persons Activity Learning and Safety) event: Friday 7 March, 10am, Cottered Village Hall

An OPALS (Older Persons Activity Learning and Safety) event is being held on Friday 7 March, 10am in Cottered Village Hall, click here

OPALS 7March

Electrical Fire Safety Week 2025

Electrical Safety First is a campaigning charity that aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by electricity in UK homes. We do this by working closely with Government, the electrical industry, manufacturers, retailers and consumer safety organisations to improve safety regulation and standards. The current campaign for Electrical Fire Safety Week 2025 is raising awareness about the fire risks associated with using white goods.