Bamboo Connect has launched a Community Programme to support charities across Hertfordshire, including a £25,000 charitable fund. Hertford-based Mudlarks, which supports adults and young people with learning disabilities and mental health concerns, has been chosen as the first long-term charity partner.
A couple in Yardley, in the West Midlands, have transformed their semi-detached home into a Halloween display that has drawn thousands of visitors. Entry is free, with optional donations going to the mental health charity CALM, and the couple have raised over £3,000 so far.
A 112-year-old bandstand in Rutherglen's Overtoun Park, badly damaged by a fire in 2024, has been unveiled after a careful restoration. Craftsmen rebuilt its original design from surviving ironwork, old photographs and foundry catalogues, and a new mosaic celebrating the town's 900th anniversary has been added to its base.
Dave Barron, from Wigan, has spent years creating elaborate Halloween displays in tribute to his late wife, Catherine. Visitors' donations have helped him raise more than £55,000 for the Macmillan cancer charity, and this year's Back to the Future-themed display was his most ambitious yet, with help from family, friends and strangers.
