Features & Offers

Maggie Procopi

‘I try to support as many like-minded causes as I can’

Maggie Procopi uses her professional experience in organising arts events to support initiatives such as BerkoBeerFest and local environmental campaigns. Bringing people together for a great experience has always fascinated Maggie Procopi. ‘I think I first got the bug when I had a holiday job at Cornwall’s Trelissick Garden. We hosted a variety of outdoor […]

Clare O'Connell

‘The concerts are serious but also fun’

When cellist Clare O’Connell staged the first Behind the Mirror concert in Berkhamsted in 2011, she had little idea it would grow into one of the town’s most enduring cultural success stories. Here, we find out more about her and her music. Fifteen years since the first concerts, Clare O’Connell’s Behind the Mirror series has […]

Joanne Franceschini

‘I immediately fell in love with the town’

Former Berkhamsted resident Joanne Franceschini describes how she made her home here, before moving to France and helping UK citizens enjoy the French way of life. Brexit has not diminished people’s desire to own a home in France or spend extended periods there, according to former Berkhamsted resident, Joanne Franceschini. Joanne’s work in the French […]

Martin Hicks, Tring's Green Man

Tring’s Green Man

Martin Hicks is Tring’s very own Green Man, but his commitment to the natural environment and local rural tradition goes way beyond donning a costume for special events… Martin Hicks has spent nearly four decades immersed in the life, landscapes and traditions of Tring. Originally from Walthamstow in northeast London, on the edge of Epping […]

Jude Gray with Sir Richard Eyre (left) and Adrian Noble

A life in the wings

Jude Gray has lived a life at the very heart of British theatre. Now retired, and living in a town centre cottage with her husband, she reflects on a career that placed her alongside some of the industry’s most celebrated names. ‘I’ve been in Berkhamsted for 46 years now,’ she says. ‘But I didn’t grow […]

Batford Marquis by Steve Collins

Head to Harpenden

Looking for somewhere different nearby for a day out? Harpenden has a wealth of green spaces, walks and events, as well as independent shops, cafes and restaurants. Half an hour’s drive from Berkhamsted is the town of Harpenden. The parks and green spaces of Harpenden are hugely important to local wildlife and biodiversity. Wander to […]

Tring Chamber Music in concert

Chamber music strikes a chord

The 12 years that Tring Living Magazine publisher Lyn Drummond spent in Hungary sparked her admiration for the country’s music, particularly that of Hungarian composers, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály. Hence her attendance at the most recent concert, Seriously Hungarian, performed by Tring Chamber Music, where she learned about an unexpected musical connection with Bartók […]

Treasure Island 2022

Drama group filled gap in education system

Spirit Youth Group is the inspiring result of how three Cheddington residents decided to fill a hole in an education system, which they believed had neglected the importance of drama for school children’s development. The three – Vi Malcolm, Jenny Booth (now Winfield) and Colin Bryer – all had children at primary and secondary schools, […]

Cheetah vet at work

Get out of your comfort zone

Berkophile Harry McGrath explains how volunteers can get involved with wildlife projects in South Africa. Not so strange strangers – under that banner, each summer we at Hamba Africa are joined by and have the privilege of hosting many volunteers from around the world in aid of the Wildlife Conservation Projects we operate in South […]

Women resting their abdomen on yoga or pilates wheel at the gym. Happy women doing pilates workout at the gym.

Is Pilates right for me?

Long-time Pilates user Beth Roberts’ answer is a definite yes. ‘Pilates is designed to be adapted for anyone, but choosing the right studio for you deserves a little thought,’ the Tring resident says. Joseph Pilates developed his groundbreaking method during WW1 to support the rehabilitation of injured soldiers. After the war he settled in New […]

Attractive fitness woman with eyes closed practicing yoga in living room. Beautiful female in sports wear sitting crossed legs with eyes closed and hands joined at home.

Take a pause

Yoga teacher Carmen Karady explains why learning how to resist the urge to act on impulse or reflex can help us be the best version of ourselves. Being the best version of ourselves doesn’t imply being perfect, always kind, or invincible. Rather, it is that split moment of awareness when we resist the impulse to […]