Chris Film Club: The Lego Batman Movie

Chris's next choice of 'Comic Book' Film is the recently released 'The Lego Batman Movie'.

If Lego Batman wants to save the city from the Joker's hostile takeover, he may have to drop the lone vigilante act, and try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up. Hopefully his superhero sidekick Robin and loyal butler Alfred can show him a thing or two.

Stars the voices of Will Arnett, Zach Galifankis, Michael Cera, Ralph Fiennes and Rosario Dawson.

Interior Design Feature with Gwendoline Alderton @ga_interiors

Today we talked to our interior design correspondent Gwendoline Alderton about kitchens, and how to design them.  Spring is coming, and in this season many people start to think about renovating their homes.  The kitchen is a room where people tend to spend a lot of time, and therefore it plays a large part in the interior design of your house.  When thinking about designing the kitchen, you usually want it to be organised, sterile and practical.
Being organised is important when taking about the kitchen because there are so many hazards to be wary of, such as hot ovens, sharp objects and bleach.  The kitchen has to be practically organised.  The sink, the oven and the fridge should be connected with an imaginary triangle; this concept is called the 'work triangle'.  This helps to make the work space more effective and safe.  
After the work triangle has been sorted out,  you can then bring in the glamour and accessories.  Although Danny did suggest a sparkly kettle can add glamour, lighting can also help to bring individualism.  Adding glossy, shiny textures juxtaposed with granites and woods can also make your kitchen more individual and interesting.  If your kitchen joins onto another room, such as a family room, make sure the interior design connects as well to improve the overall look.

For more details, Gwendoline's details are below:
website: www.ga-interiors.co.uk
twitter: @ga-interiors
instagram: @gainteriors
facebook: gainteriors

Chris' Film Club: Blade 2

This week Chris is back on the Film Club, and today he sets the week's theme as 'Comic Books', starting with 'Blade 2'.

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, the sequel to Blade stars Wesley Snipes as a half-vampire, half-human who battles the forces of darkness.

In this film, the vampires approach Blade to work with him to defeat a new type of vampire, one that hunts normal vampires.

Stars Snipes, Ron Perlman, Danny John Jules and Luke Goss.

The Radio Verulam Film Guide: Friday 24th February 2017

hehehehehe, stupidface chris here, deffo not SIMON again. in the studio today when SIMON the magnicfent magnifnicent magnificent cool came to talk ab out films and stuff with danny hairyface SIMON spoke lots of cool words and made lots of grate points and basicaly was the bestest. chris me and my dumb face with big ears and tiny tiny mouth could only watch with envie as SIMON was better than me in every way and showed me wot being a reel man looked like.

Ok, that was a lie, but Simon was in the studio to talk about the UK box office, new releases in the cinema, and his pick of films on TV for the coming week.

Friday
Chocolat
7.40pm – 10.00pm
Film4+1 

Saturday
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6.45pm – 9.00pm
Film4

Sunday
12 Angry Men
4.55pm – 6.50pm
Film4

Monday
Double Jeopardy
9.00pm – 11.10pm
ITV4

Tuesday
Total Recall
10.00pm – 12.15am
ITV4

Wednesday
Escape Plan
9.00pm – 11.15pm
Film4

Thursday
The Lincoln Lawyer
11.20pm – 1.40am
Film4

When Zoe Met Danny... @DuncanWalton_ @kosappeal

On today's show we were joined by the delightful Zoe, who was our co-host for the afternoon.  Zoe has always had an interest in Radio, and when she heard about this opportunity, she didn't let it pass her by.

Last November we had Olivia Beech from the Kos Refugee Christmas Appeal on the show.  Olivia is a local resident who has single-handedly created this worthy cause.  Part of their efforts for 2016 included a charity auction and, amongst the items donated was an opportunity to co-host a Friday Drivetime show.  For more information about the campaign, check out their website http://www.kosrefugeechristmasappeal.com

Zoe played a full and active part in today's show, introducing songs and helping to present various features.  Whilst the songs were playing, Zoe even threw some interesting shapes, trying to entice Danny into joining her for a dance or two!

When we went off air, Zoe interviewed Danny and the result can be heard on our podcast:
WestHertsDrivetimeWithDannySmith

Michelle Lake @MissionNutriti_ and Becky Alexander @thelocalfoodie join us to discuss healthy packed lunches

This afternoon we were joined by Becky Alexander and Michelle Lake to discuss their new book, Packed, a guide with healthy hacks and recipes to ensure that your packed lunch is never boring again.

Becky, the food columnist for the Herts Advertiser and the Welwyn and Hatfield Times, and Michelle, a registered nutritionist, teamed up to provide adults with healthy and tasty options for their packed lunch, after years of commuting into London. The aim is to stop people from eating the same thing every day and to eat well at the same time.

For more information about Packed click here and to read Becky's food blog head to thelocalfoodie.wordpress.com/.

Missed the show? Catch up online at listenagain.radioverulam.com and navigate to Thursday at 5:30pm.

The Drivetime Session with @Hidden_Jules

Drivetime regulars Hidden Jules were back in the studio and stunned us once again. The duo are launching their second album 'Spirits In My Wine' at the Horn in St Albans this Sunday 26th February. Jon and Julie played a promo of two of the album's songs 'Let Love Go' and 'Fall from Grace' for Radio Verulam listeners. 

If you act quickly you can catch Hidden Jules playing a couple of tracks in person tonight, the 22nd February, at 8.30pm for the Hare and Hound's open mic night. 

As usual a recording of the performance has been posted on the West Herts Drivetime Facebook page. Or if you'd rather listen to the show again then you can visit http://listenagain.radioverulam.com. 

Also make sure to check out Hidden Jule's Facebook page for all their latest updates.

The Radio Verulam Film Guide: Friday 17th February 2017

hullo, it is chris here agin, and deffo not Simon. chris, errrrm, i mean, i, have not been hear for a wile because i am a stoopid bum bum head with a big nose and tiny mouth and a big nose and silly teef. now Simon, there is a handsom hunk of meat. he is so cool, and so good with the laidees. AM I RITE? i wish i were like him he is my hero i fink i cud learn a lot from him cause i am a stoopid head and he deffo isn't. this is deffo stoopid chris, by the way, not hunky Simon.

Ok, that was a lie, but Simon was in the studio to talk about the UK box office, new releases in the cinema, and his pick of films on TV for the coming week.

Friday
Shaun of the Dead
9.00pm – 11.00pm
ITV2 

Saturday
Tootsie
6.40pm – 9.00pm
Film4 

Sunday
Seabiscuit
1.55pm – 4.30pm
Channel 5 

Monday
Life, Animated
9.00pm – 10.25pm
BBC4 

Tuesday
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
11.10pm – 2.10am
Film4 

Wednesday
From Dusk till Dawn
11.10pm – 1.20am
ITV4 

Thursday
Safe House
10.50pm – 1.05am
BBC1

Coming up on next week's Drivetime show: @OVO_Theatre @heavensacupcake @Hidden_Jules_ @thelocalfoodie & @MissionNutriti_

On next week's Drivetime show we will be joined by David Widdowson from OVO on Monday. On Tuesday we will be joined by Lucy Clark who is our cupcake correspondent. The Drivetime Sessions on Wednesday will feature Hidden Jules who are an original acoustic duo and will be performing live. On Thursday we will be joined by Becky Alexander a food writer & Michelle Lake a nutritional therapist.

Hope you can join Danny and the team weekdays from 4pm - 7pm on 92.6FM Radio Verulam - THE radio station for St Albans.

The NHS - For better or worse?

Four Issues in Tonight’s DriveTime

·        Is the NHS improving or getting worse?

·        YCYF – FEB 28

·        Surgery online systems

·        Did not attend

1. The NHS: for better for worse! – it’s a supply and demand issue; the NHS has increased supply, but we as patients have significantly increased demand!

Supply: Watford General Hospital has significantly increased its staff

·     580 new nurses and midwives since SEP 2015;

·     43 new consultant grade doctors (net, up 10%) since SEP 2015

·     Virtually zero consultant vacancies.

Demand: partly down to people living longer, partly to population increase. But also down to people going to A&E who should be going to pharmacies, GPs or Minor Injuries. NB Urgent Care now on reduced hours due to lack of demand!

    http://hertsvalleysccg.nhs.uk/news-events/750-herts-valleys-stakeholder-update-february-2017

But the critical issue – what is NHS doing to fix it?

2. Feb 28 Meeting – Roundwood Park School

Sustainability and Transformation Plans should be the way forward; but they have opened pandora’s box! The 44 plans around the country require £9.5bn of investment to generate £26bn in savings by 2020/21. In Hertfordshire we’re looking for over £600m. Demand £9.5bn – available, around £1.6bn! The annual capital budget should have been £4.5bn but almost £3bn has been assigned to cover immediate needs!

So come along on FEB 28 and hear how the plans are likely to evolve!

http://hertsvalleysccg.nhs.uk/news-events/753-looking-at-future-health-services-in-st-albans-and-harpenden

3. Book, View and Renew

Do you use Your Surgery’s online system to book appointments, order prescriptions, or see your records? It’s easy and fast to use and so convenient. On average in our area 21% of patients use the system – more than in other areas (Watford – 11%, Hemel – 17%, and Potters Bar – 19%) but still very low. In St Albans/ Harpenden the best surgery has 48% and the worst is on zero!

http://hertsvalleysccg.nhs.uk/news-events/727-gp-online-an-appointment-with-your-surgery-is-a-click-away

4. Surgery “DNAs”

DNA = did not attend; at the Maltings last week our DNA rate was 4.5% but it varies between over 5 and under 3! Some surgeries are way over 10%.  So whatever you do, Don't be a DNA!

The Drivetime Session with @AmeliaLappert

The Drivetime Session was treated to another visit by Amelia Lappert and her mother! Amelia played two of her new songs, 'Game of Life' and 'You Are My Light', which were both upbeat takes on her usual folk-y soul sound. Amelia concluded with a cover of her favourite song of 2016  'Agape' by Bear's Den. All three performances were accompanied by her mother's harmonies.

Don't hesitate to visit The Horn in St Albans tonight, the 15th February, to catch Amelia playing live. The doors open at 8pm and tickets are a bargain £5 online and £7 on the door.

We recorded Amelia Lappert's performance and you can find these on our Facebook page. Or if you would rather listen back to the show it's available for the next seven days, navigate to Wednesday from 5:30 pm on the radio's website. 

Consumer Advice

Elizabeth Crampton from the Citizens Advice Bureau joined us for the monthly update on consumer issues.

Do I Have to Pay Tax When I Sell Things Online?

Generally, just selling a few things on eBay or Etsy won't mean you have to pay extra tax. However, doing it regularly enough could count as running a business, even if you already have a job. In that case you'll need to file a Self Assessment tax return and pay tax on the money you're making.

Paying for support and care at home
You may have concerns about the costs involved in getting care and support at home. But if you have been assessed as needing care, you will also be assessed to see how much you can afford to pay towards the cost of services, while still having enough money to live on.

The amount that social services departments pay towards care on your behalf varies depending on your local authority, although there are minimum requirements.

When you have an assessment, your needs will be judged to see whether you’re eligible for services under the national eligibility criteria.

If you’re found to have eligible needs the local authority has a duty to meet those needs but can charge for services.

If the council has assessed you and you need care and support, you will then be means tested to see how much you need to contribute, if anything, and how much the council will pay towards it.

More information can be found at the web site https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Sam's Film Club: Donnie Darko

Sam concludes her sci-fi ish Film Club with 'Donnie Darko'.

After surviving a freak accident, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to explore what it means to be alive, and in short order to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a tempting power to alter time and destiny.

Jenny Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore also star.

 

Local comedian @VickyArlidge joins us to discuss her comedy and playing the ukulele

On today's show we were joined by composer and local musical comedian, Vicky Arlidge, to discuss her music, comedy and nomination in the BBC New Comedy Awards.

Vicky has performed locally and in Edinburgh as a comedian and also teaches the ukulele. If you are interested in learning how to play, Vicky teaches at the Crown Pub on Hatfield Road on Wednesday nights from 8-9pm. The next meeting is on 22nd February. Its open to anyone who has a ukulele, (although she usually has some spares).

For more information about Vicky, visit her website, www.vickyarlidge.com.

Missed the show? Catch up online at listenagain.radioverulam.com and navigate to Thursday at 5:30pm.

Sam's Film Club: Cloverfield

Sam's next sci-fi choice for this week is 'Cloverfield' from 2008.

Produced by J.J Abrams, the found footage film follows a group of New York City residents fleeing from a gigantic monster and various other smaller creatures that attack the city while they are having a farewell party.

Directed by Matt Reeves, the film's viral marketing make it something of a cult hit.

The Drivetime Sessions with @MinnieBirch

On this weeks Drivetime Sessions we were joined by Minnie Birch. She performed two charming original compositions titled 'But Thinking Makes it So' and 'Sangatte' as well as an exquisite cover of Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes 'Lullaby'.

For more information on Minnie Birch you can visit her Facebook Page by clicking here.

If you would like to listen to Minnie birch again then visit listenagain.radioverulam.com  and navigate to Wednesday at 5:30.

Sam's Film Club: Contact

Sam's Sci-Fi Film Club continues today with 1997 Robert Zemeckis film 'Contact'.

Jodie Foster stars as Dr. Ellie Arroway, who after years of searching finds conclusive radio proof of intelligent aliens. She then begins to receive mysterious instructions to build machinery from them.

 

Local Literary Feature with Marie Kemplay and @revpeterlaws

Today Marie talked to Peter Laws about his debut novel 'Purged'. 'Purged' will be released next week and is a crime thriller which follows the story of an ex-minister and sociologist investigating religiously motivated crime. Peter said that being a minister himself made the religious element of the novel easy to research, and even found he based the main character slightly on himself because he was trying to write a character that he related to. Marie also talked to Peter about being a minister and where the more macabre side of the book came from.

Peter is also writing another book about why people are interested in morbidity, where he travels around and visits spooky places. In researching this book he visited places as diverse as Transylvania and Bath.

Peter also makes a podcast called "The Flicks that Church Forgot", which explores spiritual themes found in the culture of horror.

For more information visit Peter's website:
http://www.peterlaws.co.uk/
Or follow him on Twitter at:
@revpeterlaws
You can find his podcast using the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgZZklJNcUEZplFDboNho6g

If you missed the Local Literary Feature, visit listenagain.radioverulam.com, where it will be available for 7 days.


Local Literary Events:

Events at Waterstones St Albans:
Packed - Book Launch Celebration

Thursday 9th February
7pm - 9pm

Half Term Events - The Night the Dragon Got Bored

Monday 13th February
2pm - 2.45pm


Storytelling Games, stories and songs with Sally

Wednesday 15th February at 11:30–12:30

Kevee Lynch Book Launch

Wednesday 1st March
7.30pm - 9pm

Simon Michael Evening Talk And Signing

Thursday 16th March
7.30pm - 9pm

Events at Segrue Books, Radlett:
Thursday, February 23, 2017 7:30pm - 8:30pm

February Book Group: City of the Mind by Penelope Lively

http://segruebooks.co.uk/events/

Sam's Film Club: Gravity

The Film Club returns this week, and Sam takes charge today by setting the week's theme of 'Sci-Fi ish' picks.

Up first, is 'Gravity' from 2013. On a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes for astronauts Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. When their shuttle destroyed, leaving them completely alone the two are tethered to nothing but each other, and spiralling out into the blackness of space. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth...and any chance for rescue.

The film won 7 academy awards, and was nominated for far more.

Being Mrs Thrifty

Penny Carr joined us tonight for more money saving tips.

Yellow Stickers on Food 
A good way to save money on your food shopping is to look out for the yellow stickers on reduced items, particularly at the end of the day - but only buy what you need and watch out for sell by dates.

Saving money at the cinema
Prices vary from location to location it is worth checking out first, you can get off peak tickets and 2D films are cheaper to watch than 3D ones. Look out for special offers on web sites, children's screenings and senior citizens rates.

 more information can be found at Pennys web site http://beingmrsc.com/

Chris' Film Club: Blade Runner 2049

Chris finishes this weeks Film Club of sequels with 'Blade Runner 2049'

The Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel to the classic neo-noir Blade Runner sees Ryan Gosling as Blade Runner Officer K, who discovers a long-buried secret which could cause chaos.

His only answer is to get the help of Rick Deckard, who has been missing for 30 years.

Stars Gosling, Harrison Ford and Ana de Armas.
Out in October.

The cast and crew of the @BreakawayAmDram production of Uncle Vanya join us

On today's show we were joined by director, Jon Baker, and actors Lesley Cowland and Graeme Shaw, from the upcoming production of Uncle Vanya at the Maltings Arts Theatre.

Described as a 'coming-of-age' story, this production by the Breakaway Theatre Company is an updated version of Uncle Vanya, the Chekhov play, relocating the story from 19th century Russia to the English countryside.

The show will be on for four nights: 10th, 11th, 17th and 18th February. Tickets can be purchased from the Maltings Arts Theatre Website: http://www.maltingsartstheatre.co.uk.

Missed the show? Catch up online at www.radioverulam.com/listenagain and navigate to Thursday at 5:30pm.

Coming up on next week's Drivetime show with @BeingMrsC @revpeterlaws @minniebirch @VickyArlidge

On next week's Drivetime show we will be joined by several guests. Penny Carr will be in the studio on Monday and will be on air discussing about  'Being thrifty' with @BeingMrsC. Penny is our local thrifty correspondent. She brings in monthly articles about saving money. On Tuesday we will be joined by our local literature correspondent Marie Kempley who will be joined by Peter Laws who have just launched a book called 'Purged'. On Wednesday there will be the Drivetime sessions with Minnie Birch a singer-songwriter who will be interviewed and will also perform. On Thursday we will have Vicky Arlidge a composer & a musical comedian on the Drivetime show.

If you would like to listen back you can visit listenagain.radioverulam.com

The Drivetime Sessions with @Katie_Plus_Juan

On this week's Drivetime Sessions we were joined by local artists Katie Plus Juan. They performed two remarkable original songs 'Better Days' and 'When You're Young' as well as an amazing cover of '8 Days a Week' originally by the Beatles.

Both of the original tracks performed are from their forthcoming album 'Tom's Garden' which is being launched at the Trestle Arts Base on Thurs 16th Feb from 7.30pm.  More information about this and about Katie Plus Juan in general can be found at www.katieplusjuan.com and on their facebook page www.facebook.com/katieplusjuan

If you wish to watch Katie Plus Juan's performance you can see the videos on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/westhertsdrive and if you would like to listen back you can visit listenagain.radioverulam.com for the next 7 days and navigate to Wednesday from 5:30 pm.

Chris' Film Club: Alien Covenant

Out in May of this year is 'Alien: Covenant', Ridley Scott's Prometheus sequel.

This next film in the series sees the colony ship Covenant find a remote planet, populated by the android David, and a whole host of scary monsters.

Stars Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride and Demian Bechir.