'70 Not Out' could be a good description of the NHS. In reality it is the title of a new book about the Harpenden Trust which, in October 2018, celebrated its 70th birthday with a reception to thank the 120 plus volunteers who keep the wheels turning.
'70 Not Out' follows the publication of 'A Lifeboat Moored in Harpenden', written by former chairman Reg Davis at the time of the Trust's 50th Anniversary. That book covered the years to 1990. The new book, by local author and writer Pamela Mann, picks up the story from then and, interspersed with recollections from former chairmen, covers the past 18 years. And what a story it is.
Charting the way the Trust has adapted to the changing needs of families and individuals and taken advantage of opportunities to expand its role, the book explains why the Trust converted to a limited company; how, in the year of its 60th anniversary, it came to earn the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, and how receipt of the Abbeyfield Benefaction enabled it to extend its help to local community groups.
Readers will be left in no doubt that the Trust's slogan 'Helping Harpenden People in Need', is as valid today as it was in 1948. The book, together with a free copy of the reprinted earlier story, is available for £5 at the Trust Centre in Southdown Road, News 4U newsagent in Station Road and the Town Council offices in Leyton Road, Harpenden.
31 October 2019