Get comfortable and start talking about mental health
Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation. It’s a day for friends, families, communities and workplaces to come together to talk, listen and change lives. Time to Talk Day is taking place 6th February 2025 and is run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness in England, in partnership with Co-op.
They want everyone to feel comfortable talking about mental health. The day is all about creating supportive communities by having conversations with family, friends, or colleagues about mental health. We all have mental health and by talking about it we can support ourselves and others
You can find out more by visiting the Time to Talk Day website here. Or you can view more via our PDF below.
Time to Talk Day 2025
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Community
OCT 14, 2025
Our latest volunteering
Watling View For the third year running, eleven colleagues from across the Society visited Watling View School in St Albans for a day this summer to help give their facilities a spruce up ahead of the new term in September. Watling View is a special school catering for over 100 pupils aged 2-19 with a wide range of complex and profound learning difficulties. Their focus is helping students develop individual social lives, independence and communication skills, ensuring they're prepared for tackling in the wider world. Even during our short visits while the hallways are empty, we can see what a wide range of support is provided by their staff to their pupils, with specialist resources including a hydrotherapy pool, sensory and dark rooms, soft play facilities and a studio flat where older pupils can practice key life skills. In time-honoured fashion, most of us set about giving a few classrooms and corridors a fresh lick of paint (trying hard to get more paint on the walls than ourselves!). Elsewhere a team gave the Watling School café a refresh both inside and out; the café is one of many examples of how Watling View provides a safe environment for its pupils to develop practical skills which they can bring forward into adulthood. As always, Mark and the rest of the Watling View Facilities team were excellent hosts, providing our painting tools making sure we didn't get too lost around the school! Watling View's guiding vision is to support their pupils to "Be kind, Be responsible, Be the Best You Can", and we were delighted to lend a small hand in helping them to achieve this goal. When work was finished, the team decamped to the local pub for a much deserved refreshment. We look forward to continuing our tradition and visiting Watling View once again next year! Sunnyside Rural Trust On June 3rd, four of our colleagues volunteered at Sunnyside Rural Trust in Hemel Hempstead. Our team were given the task of clearing and tidying polytunnel 5 alongside trainees on-site for the day. Jobs included sorting out plant pots into sizes and discarding any broken pots not fit for use. We also sorted plastic plant trays into piles and helped the general organising of the polytunnel. Luckily, the British weather played its part which meant it wasn't too hot working in the tunnel. This was our fourth year in a row where we have spent a day volunteering at Sunnyside. The team had a great time, and as usual a very rewarding day was had helping out such a fantastic project. If any of our members get a chance, we definitely recommend a visit. About Sunnyside Rural Trust Sunnyside Rural Trust was founded in 1990 as a small, horticultural project for young people and adults with learning disabilities. It is now a thriving charity and social enterprise, offering training and work experience for over 170 vulnerable people in the local community. Sunnyside train people with learning disabilities to acquire skills in a number of rural and retail activities. These include beekeeping, looking after chickens, growing a wide range of plants and produce, landscaping, garden maintenance and working in on-site cafés and farm shops. Their training and work experience takes place across Dacorum in Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Northchurch in a range of tranquil settings. In total, Sunnyside employs 36 staff and has 37 volunteers. Hemel Food Garden Hemel Food Garden (HFG) is one of four Sunnyside sites. Here the team grow produce such as fruit, vegetables and salads. They also engage in poultry and beekeeping, PAT testing, gardening design and maintenance, allotment makeovers, and growing and selling a wide range of plants. On site, HFG have a farm shop (open Monday to Saturday 10am until 3pm) where Sunnyside produce is sold (fresh eggs, honey, jam and vegetables). It champions local food and promotes local organic and fair-trade food. They also have a range of zero waste and plastic free products. Adjacent to the farm shop is the Sunnyside Up café. The café has a relaxing atmosphere and is situated in a sunny spot, making the seating area in the garden a popular destination for passers-by along the canal. The café provides trainees the opportunity to learn all the skills required to run a café, such as customer service, handling money, barista, cooking and stock control.
Community
OCT 09, 2025
Our latest grants
Harpenden Hopper HBS Grant £4,000 The Harpenden Hopper is a community minibus service that has become much more than just a means of getting from A to B. The Hopper is a lifeline for many within Harpenden and a vehicle of inclusion and independence. Read more about our grant to Harpenden Hopper South Side Studios HBS Grant £3,000 South Side activate vacant and underused buildings in the centre of Leighton Buzzard, transforming them into accessible, affordable spaces for artists, micro-businesses, and community groups. Read more about our grant to South Side Studios Citizens Advice HBS Grant £4,930 Citizens Advice St Albans District is a local advice charity. The charity provide free advice and practical support that is confidential, impartial and independent to help people deal with a wide variety of problems. Read more about our grant to Citzens Advice
Community
JUL 19, 2025
HBS 2025 grants update
Harpenden Hopper HBS grant: £4,000 The Harpenden Hopper community minibus service continues to go from strength to strength. The Hopper minibus serves the residents of Harpenden providing a much needed link for many people who no longer drive or feel vulnerable taking their cars into the busy town centre and trying to find a parking space. The service runs 5 days a week to a timetable and follows a dedicated route through the main Harpenden residential areas - areas that are not directly served by the main bus services. The service is run by a team of 22 volunteer drivers who cheerfully collect a wide range of passengers throughout the town and are proud to be part of such an essential service. Over the years the passengers have become a community. Many have made new friends and now look out for each other. The number of passenger journeys each week now regularly exceeds 200 and it continues to rise. In recent years the Hopper drivers have laid on an annual summer tea party for the passengers at St Nicholas church hall which includes home-made cakes made by some of the drivers. At the last tea-party in August 2024 some 70-80 passengers came along. The Hopper team also provide private hire of the minibus for local church, social and charity groups. This is also a growing part of the service. Wheathampstead Wanderers Football Club Pavilion Project HBS grant: £10,000 On Friday 25th April, Wheathampstead Wanderers Football Club (WWFC) officially opened their pavilion. Everyone who was involved with the project was invited down to mark the opening ceremony. After being shown around the facilities, various speeches were made about the history of the club and the project itself. It was clear to see how much it meant to everyone associated with WWFC that after years of meetings and hard work, the project was finally complete. After the speeches, we were invited outside to watch the mayor cut the ribbon and officially open the pavilion. The pavilion includes changing facilities, a club training room, toilets (with disabled access) and a kitchen, for serving hot and cold refreshments on match days. The outside parking area has also been redesigned to accommodate 130 spaces (an increase from 100 spaces). The facilities looked amazing and will certainly provide a huge boost for such a fantastic community club. A lot of hard work has gone into the project from many people, and it was great to see so many happy faces. WWFC were beyond grateful for the support Harpenden provided for this project. The Rotary Club of Leighton Linslade - "Yes We Can" HBS grant: £3,000 The Rotary Club of Leighton Linslade "Yes We Can" program has recently been able to expand its commitment to support Disability Groups in the local area through its Outreach initiative. Inserting sports coaches into disability support groups, like Tibbs Dementia, Mencap, and Parkinson's normal settings is an innovative approach to ensure that exercise connected to sport is open to a wider audience and doesn't require individuals to attend a separate sports evening when for some this would be difficult. In addition, coaches are able to deliver a variety of sports related activities that are designed to appeal to a diverse group. So it's not always one sport, which minimises the risk of disengagement. This initiative has also encouraged the more active to consider attending an additional sport session. The overall "Yes We Can" program now provides opportunities to participate in Football, Cricket, Croquet, Golf, Hockey, Sailing, Swimming and Tennis. As "Yes We Can" approaches its eighth birthday, it's very special to see those with a disability enjoying sporting opportunities that many in the community take for granted. Citizen's Advice Money Management Advice for Young People HBS grant: £4,718.75Current funding has now run out after workshops were delivered to 581 pupils in a total of eight primary schools within the local community. This represented amazing value for money, working out at less than £10 per child. There is a waiting list of schools that would like Citizen's Advice to deliver these workshops to their pupils. The team are keen to deliver more in the future so that the younger generation are receiving meaningful financial education. Further applications for funding are currently being pursued to enable the programme to run again. Juan, who will lead the programme going forward recently appeared on Mix 92.6 FM to talk about the workshops with interviewer Elly O' Meara. Feedback from a teacher at one of the primary schools where a session was delivered. "Thank you so much for this afternoon! The children had such an amazing experience and really learned so much! The activities were brilliant in helping them understand important skills of money management - I particularly liked playing 'Black Jack' with them and the children loved listening to Rich Ricky!"
Community
JUN 24, 2025
2025 Charity of the Year – Keech Hospice update
Keech Hospice is the Harpenden Building Society Charity of the Year for 2025. Keech Hospice is a registered hospice charity that provides free specialist end-of-life care for people of all ages. Caring and supporting adults, children and their families across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes with life-limiting conditions. This support can be provided at home, over the phone, in a hospice, or wherever it's required the most. Keech Hospice is one of only few hospices in the country offering both adult and children's care services. Their approach is non judgemental and non-discriminatory, ensuring equal access for all. The mission is to lead the way in providing excellent care, supporting adults and children with life-limiting conditions, helping them to live well and make every day count. This support extends to loved ones and is free to all who need it. Keech has been supporting the local community for over 30 years. Making the difference when it matters most. Their support begins as soon as it is needed, whether that is at the point of diagnosis, or when a symptom or support need arises. Over 70% of Keech's funding is raised through extremely generous donations from the local community and the sale of donated goods in their shops. In addition, the NHS and local authorities make a funding contribution too which is always vital. From humble beginnings in 1986 to becoming one of the UK's leading hospice providers, Keech's journey is a testament to the power of a shared vision and community spirit. Here at Harpenden, we are thrilled to be supporting such an incredible charity and look forward to working with Keech throughout the year. Colleague support for Keech Volunteering In February, five of our colleagues volunteered at a Keech Hospice charity shop in Harpenden. Keech have charity shops all over Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire which provides much needed income to provide nursing care for patients. The main assignment for the day for our colleagues was sorting through donated clothes, shoes, toys, books and other items and keeping the stock that was of good enough quality to be sold in the shop. Additionally, our team were also tasked with adding price labels to the stock, so it was all ready to be displayed. An enjoyable day was had by our team, especially knowing the difference this can make. More volunteering days at Keech will be scheduled throughout the year. Bake Sale In March our colleagues got their aprons on and took part in a bake sale to help raise funds for Keech Hospice. From chocolate brownies and sausage rolls to banana bread and Victoria sponge. In total, we managed to raise a fantastic £342. We love our sweet treats here at Harpenden; therefore another bake sale will take place later in the year. Easter raffles Our Harpenden, Radlett and Tring branches conducted Easter raffles in April to raise money for Keech. As can be viewed in the pictures some great hampers were put together by our branch colleagues. Throughout the three branches we managed to raise £453. All winners were informed just before the Easter break. All were thrilled with their hampers which was great to see. Annual General Meeting Our AGM took place on Friday 25th April at Rothamsted Research Centre. We would like to thank our members for the overwhelming support you gave to the Board's recommendations. This year 1175 members voted and as a direct result of your participation, the Society has made a charitable donation of £2,350 to Keech Hospice.
Community
JUN 13, 2025
Keech sponsored cycle
To help raise funds for our charity of the year Keech Hospice, 18 of our colleagues are taking part in a sponsored cycle throughout the month of June. Our target is to cycle the distance between Keech Hospice in Luton, Keech's Bedford Living Well Centre and the 38 Keech charity shops across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes. If you would like to sponsor our team, please visit our dedicated fundraising page here. Any sponsorship would be hugely appreciated. We look forward to sharing how we get on in due course.
Community
MAY 23, 2025
Harpenden Building Society raise £2,350 for Keech Hospice
As part of the Society's commitment to supporting local charities, we have so far raised £2,350 for Keech Hospice, our charity of the year for 2025. At the end of each year, employees are provided the opportunity to nominate a charity to support for the forthcoming year, before a selected committee make their decision from all nominations received. We are delighted to support Keech Hospice this year. A strong local heritage means community support is the heart and soul of the Society - and we have a proud history and relationship with supporting local charities. Tracie Pearce, CEO, Harpenden Building Society, "We are delighted to support Keech Hospice as our charity of the year. We strive to make a difference to our local communities, and it brings me tremendous pride to see the fantastic amount we have raised for such an incredible charity. We want to make a long-lasting impact to help the Hospice and £2,350 is the just the start, we aim to raise even more for the remainder of the year. And thank you to our members for their contributions as well". We donated £2 for each of the 1,175 members who voted as part of our Annual General Meeting in April - raising £2,350. But it doesn't stop there…events and fundraising activities have also occurred throughout the year and will continue to help raise funds. From bake sales to Easter raffles - currently an additional £790 has also been raised by staff and it's still ongoing…it has been non-stop within the Society and fully embraced by head office and all four of our high street branches in Harpenden, Radlett, Tring and Leighton Buzzard. Employees also have the opportunity to volunteer and many have spent some time at the Keech Hospice charity shop in Harpenden. This involved sorting through donated clothes, shoes, toys, books and other items and keeping the stock that was of good enough quality to be priced and sold. We look forward to sharing how much we raise in total at the end of the year!
Community
MAY 19, 2025
Open Door volunteering
Across two days in March, colleagues from our Operations and Commercial teams visited Open Door in Berkhamsted, a community garden and café, to visit the amazing volunteers, learn more about the positive impact they are having on the local community and get stuck into some gardening! This was a great opportunity for our colleagues to spend time with the volunteers and see first-hand the hard work that goes into creating and upholding this strong community space. Our teams were put to good use and the volunteers were hugely grateful for all our efforts throughout both days. Open Door is a community centre where the goal is to help tackle social inequality and isolation by creating a space where everyone is welcome to connect and contribute, for their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the wider community. There is a café on site where all members of the community are encouraged to meet friends (new and old!). Our colleagues got the chance to sample the tea and cake within the café during their wellearned lunch break. There is also a community pantry open 24/7 encouraging the community to "take what they need and leave what they can", a great initiative especially during the ongoing cost of living crisis. The Open Door 'Wellbeing through Food' project focuses on promoting social connections through food and the benefits that cooking, sharing and appreciating food can bring to wellbeing, often using produce directly from the community garden! Last year, Harpenden Building Society donated £7,200 to Open Door. It has been amazing to support this positive influence on our wider community. The opportunity to visit the centre and meet and thank the volunteers was fantastic. We look forward to visiting again soon!
Community
MAY 16, 2025
Finding a community near you
Wanting to get involved in a community and don't know where to start? We understand it can be difficult and daunting at the same time. There are plenty of excellent places to look when you're trying to find a community near you. You can: check your local council website contact community Facebook groups search for local sports clubs or classes search volunteering websites ask at your local library talk to your neighbours check notices in local shops and cafés Identify your interests and what you enjoy doing. Do some research and explore what is out there for you. From sports activities, to book clubs and volunteering... there are endless possibilities for you to dive into and find community. We all need community... what's yours?