HCL January Newsletter 2025

Welcome to 2025! New Year, new Hertsmere Community Lottery. And we’re

already starting off with a bang. We’ve already got a new Super draw prize

running and we’re about to have our first weekly draw of the year tomorrow!

We hope everyone enjoyed the festive season whether you were celebrating

or not, and that you all saw in a fun and joyful New Years.

A quick congratulations to all who won in December’s draws, we saw 25 winners

over four draws! A special congratulations to our weekly Top Prize winners – Mx W

(Borehamwood), Ms L (Borehamwood) and Ms S (Bushey). Well done everyone!

Now on to the fun stuff! In our first Super Draw of the New Year, one lucky

person will walk away with a cool £1,000 Aldi Gift Card. Just imagine the Special

buys you could find with £1,000 to spend - you might just go in for bread and milk,

but who knows what amazing possibilities you'll leave with from the Aisle of Aldi!?

Or simply stock your cupboards with Super 6 veg, Super Weekly offers on meat,

and more - the choice is yours! Get your tickets before Saturday 25th January 

to be in with a chance to win! Remember you do not need to do anything

complicated to be entered into the Super Draw, all you need to do is ensure is

that your normal weekly ticket is running. Each ticket gives you a chance to win,

so more tickets mean more chances to win!

Next up, we are happy to be celebrating four more birthdays this month! It’s a proper

big birthday season as four of our Good Causes turn three this January! A big Happy

Birthday to SAHWR, Hertfordshire Showband, Nice 2 Meet Ya and Hertswood

Academy! Let us give you a quick rundown of who these Good Causes are…

• SAHWR is a charity that specialises in domestic abuse services, providing

         safe accommodation and community services for men, women and children

         fleeing domestic abuse. SAHWR works within the community to create a

         safe haven and a fresh start for these people and do invaluable work with

         survivors of domestic abuse.

• Hertfordshire Showband provides a much loved and valued service for the

         community, both in terms of performance at local events, and by giving young

         budding musicians a chance to perform in public. The Showband is based in

         Potters Bar and performs in concerts and events both locally and abroad.

         They were extremely active over the festive season, performing at Waltham

         Abbey at the ‘Cavalcade of Light’ and at the ‘Father Christmas Parade’ in

         Hoddesdon amongst other events.

• Nice 2 Meet Ya is another Potters Bar based charity that works across

  Hertfordshire. They help adults with autism and learning disabilities to develop

  and maintain friendships and relationships, and support them to build meaningful

  connections. As we enter January and see out Blue Monday (20th January 2025)

  this year it is important that we recognise how important close connection is

  between people and how it can get us through our “bluest” days.

• Finally, we have Hertswood Academy! If you’re a local Borehamwood resident you

         probably already know the Academy or maybe even have a child who goes there.

         Hertswood Academy is a thriving and happy learning-focused community,

         providing an engaging learning environment with an innovative curriculum,

         personalised care and support and a broad enrichment programme for all students.

         They aim to offer expanded support to their students and the wider community.

Last year, we decided to take a positive spin on Blue Monday and celebrate

“Brew” Monday instead. Blue Monday (20th January 2025) is labelled one of

the saddest days of year because Christmas and New Years are over and we’re

still in the midst of cold and dark weather outside, which can end up making you

feel a bit low. But, here at Hertsmere, we prefer looking at the positive side of

things, so instead, on Monday we’ll celebrate Brew Monday! So grab a cup of

your favourite hot drink and settle in for a cosy day ahead, maybe you’re a fan

of rom-coms or bubble baths or a comforting home-cooked dinner? Whatever

makes you smile, enjoy yourself, lift your spirits and remember the joy in the

little things! And, if you’re feeling a little lonely we’d recommend looking through

our Good Cause list to find an organisation in the local area which provide comfort

and companionship to members of the community, such as DR96, The Monday Club,

The Golf Trust or Potters Bar Cycling Club.

To finish up at the end of this month we will also be celebrating Lunar New Year!

This year it will happen on 29th January 2025 marking the first day of the Chinese

Lunar Calendar and we will enter the Year of the Snake. To those who celebrate,

best wishes and we wish you a year of good health and happiness!

We wish you all a good January and we’ll be back in February with another

exciting newsletter!