Wow... February 1st already - one twelfth of the year has already passed!  It's been a busy start to the year at Link4Growth, both in St Albans and nationally. We had the first of the annual L4G conferences in Great Missenden on January 8th, a fantastic event with over 100 people from across the country in attendance.

There were many inspirational speakers, all compered excellently by Paul Violet.  We learned much about the future vision of Link4Growth, and there was plenty to hear about what is going on currently.  For all of the updates from the conference including videos of each of the speakers, check out the L4G main blog here.

So what is happening in St Albans & Central Herts?  With so much more now available from L4G, we are focusing on growth this year.  But what does growth mean?  We are a non-profit after all.  Simply put, we want to do more in our town.  We want to expand into the surrounding areas - Harpenden, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Wheathampstead and Radlett.  In order to do that, we need a team of community-minded people who really want to make a difference.

So, following the conference and going back to basics, let's explore what it is that Link4Growth is now able to provide.  There is so much more to L4G - Link4Coffee mornings that many of you are familiar with, of course, but we also have the following available and want to introduce all of this in 2016:

We will of course continue to focus on community building and support

Link4Business - business focused networking meetings with speakers from the local community

Online mentoring groups - facilitated peer-to-peer online mastermind groups to help our local business community

Link4Skills - an online platform providing access to a wealth of training across a wide spectrum of subject matter

L4G TV - online TV shows - local, national, global - open to all to share expertise, knowledge and passions

As well as...

• #L4GBuyLocal - supporting local traders and the local community wherever possible
• Leadership development programmes for those that wish to get involved with the great work that we are doing at L4G
• Plus much, much more 

It's quite likely that you weren't aware of any / much / all of this - and if any of it resonates or sounds of interest, please do get in touch with me as I would love to talk more with you!

How can you get involved?

One of the biggest focuses of 2016 will be the growth of the St Albans L4G team - we are on the look out for anyone in the community that is doing great work, or loves the sound of the L4G ethos.  Do you know any of these people?  Are you one of them?  If so, please let me know!  It could be anything, in any area - perhaps a local sustainability project, a programme to help people get fit and healthy, a kindness initiative, supporting local charities - absolutely anything at all.

We want to use the online platforms available to publish all of the positive activities that are happening, to give those community-centric folk a vehicle to educate our community on everything amazing that is happening in our town.

So, are you proud of St Albans?  Who do you know who deserves some credit and recognition?  Who in the community do you know who may want to get involved in a movement that is going to impact the town like nothing ever witnessed before?  This is going to happen, and at L4G we want as many people as possible to be involved - it is open to all.  So, please - get in touch via email or give me a call, I am very keen to hear from you!

Our next event

Our next Link4Coffee will be at the Beech House, 81 St Peter's Street, St Albans on February 25th from 10.00 to 11.30 - we have been running these events for almost a year now and they have been a great success.  Link4Coffee events are informal and relaxed drop-in sessions, organised to provide a regular opportunity to connect with others in our local community; you will find yourself in a friendly environment where you are able to tap into the connections and experience of others.  Things happen when we have conversations, so let's have lots of conversations!  There are no attendance fees or barriers, please just book in to attend, come along and join us. Why not bring a friend too?  You can register using the Eventbrite link here.

And finally...

Here is a throwback to 2015 - a brief interview I did with Chris Ogle and those infamous Google glasses after our first event in 2015.  We have big plans for our district in 2016 - let us know if you want to be a part of it!

The CKi (Community Kickstarter initiative) is coming to St Albans in January!

The CKi (Community Kickstarter initiative) is coming to St Albans in January!

Link4Growth has been running a series of coffee mornings at the Beech House in St Albans since January 2015, which have been a great success and we have seen the start of some really interesting projects within the local community, and some great connections being made between local businesses and residents.

Chris Ogle (Link4Growth founder) has been working hard behind the scenes drafting the CKI - Community Kickstarter Initiative - and I am pleased to report that St Albans is going to be one of the first launchpads for this exciting programme.

This initiative will provide visibility of all of the great work that is being undertaken in St Albans.  It is based on two and a half years of running Link4Growth, and Chris has pulled together all of the best aspects of this into a blueprint that can be rolled out in different towns across the UK.

There is a huge amount of fantastic work that people are involved in within their local community, however only a very small percentage of this is being reported on and shared with the masses.  The work is almost underground and Link4Growth is the platform that is being put in place to enable the people involved in these schemes to share them with a much wider audience.  This will then spark new ideas and projects - and the whole aim is for us to make the community of St Albans stronger than ever.  It's time to share the good news!

It is important to celebrate the good things that being done, to give them visibility and then to enable more people to join in, engage and get involved.  This is the core reason that the CKI has been devised, and what's more, it is free!  It is free to get involved and use this vehicle to inform others of the good and great things that are happening in our town.

Our first core team meeting took place on October 20th where several local people convened and Chris shared the initial concepts of the CKI.  We are planning a launch in January, with a venue and date to be confirmed shortly, and we are interested in hearing from people from all walks of life in St Albans who might want to be involved!

Chris has prepared a short video (below) explaining more about the CKI and what we are looking to achieve.  This is a long-term project that will grow organically over time, and it can only be a success if we spread the word and get more and more people involved.

Do you want to make a difference to St Albans?  Would you like to be involved in the CKI?  Would you like to understand more about how it could benefit you?  We have our next planning meeting for the CKI on November 17th, at 2pm - venue TBC.  If you would like to attend, or would like to understand more, please contact me and I will be happy to help.  It would be great to see you there!