Northwood

SCHOOL children in Northwood delved into the lives of dragons, monsters and wild beasts as part of events to mark World Book Day.

Almost 250 girls from Little St Helen's School joined in the country's biggest annual celebration of reading on Thursday (3) by spending the day with renowned author and illustrator, Chris Wormell.

Wormell (pictured right) who has created a series of animal-themed titles, including George and The Dragon, One Smart Fish and The Sea Monster, read aloud before sketching a 'mixed up animal', with suggestions from the girls.

RESIDENTS can meet with their local beat officers at a series of forthcoming events in Northwood.

Northwood Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) will host a drop-in surgery at Northwood Library in Green Lane on Wednesday, March 23 from 11am - 12.30pm.

THE history of Northwood Headquarters will be on the agenda at the Northwood Residents Association (NRA)'s 45th annual general meeting.

Staff from the NATO base will be guest speakers at the event, which takes place at Oaklands Gate Methodist Church on Tuesday, March 15.

NORTHWOOD Choral Society will host its annual spring concert this Saturday (12) at 7.30pm.

The Society will perform Vivaldi's Gloria; The Last Night of the Proms; Albinoni's Oboe Concerto and Telemann's Trumpet Concerto.

The event takes place at Holy Trinity Church in Rickmansworth Road.

Tickets cost £12 (£6 for students) and are available on the door or in advance by emailing sallyrogers01@aol.com or calling 01923 827752.

PUPILS from a Northwood school have been given the royal stamp of approval after winning a writing contest.

Three boys from St Martin's School, in Moor Park Road, were crowned best in the London region of the Royal Mail Young Letter Writer Competition.

Entrants were asked to write a letter in response to a novel of their choice.

Year five student Oskar Ford (pictured centre), who was inspired by Anthony Horowitz's Eagle Strike, will be immortalised on a set of Smilers stamps after winning the top prize in the capital.

A DEBT-RIDDEN landlord from Northwood has been fined £20,000 after six people had a lucky escape from a 'serious' fire which destroyed two flats above a restaurant.

Hitesh Mashru, of The Fairway, admitted breaching four fire safety regulations after the blaze, above the Thai Sunset in Bushey High Street, near Watford, on April 24 last year.

An electrical fault from a down lighter sparked the fire, which ripped through the upstairs flats, and took 50 firefighters more than 12 hours to extinguish.

Mashru, a 49-year-old property developer who is £66,000 in debt, admitted endangering life by failing to carry out a risk assessment and ensure the safety of the electrical supply.

ROADSIDE trees in Three Rivers are being inspected to see whether they could obstruct motorists.

Trees in Northwood, Eastbury, Moor Park, Rickmansworth and Croxley Green which are diseased or have overhanging branches will be pruned or removed as a last resort, by Hertfordshire Highways.

THREE leafy streets in Northwood can boast some of the most expensive homes in the country, according to a survey published today.

Astons Road came top in the east of England region for the highest average house prices, in a list compiled by property website, Mouseprice.com.

The survey, based on Land Registry sale price statistics, shows homes in the road, which has been nick-named 'Millionaires Row for Indians', cost £2,228,900 on average.

CHILDREN were given a backstage pass into the glamorous life of a pop singer after five reality TV stars hosted a music masterclass in Northwood.

The famous five - Rikki Loney, Anthony Kavanagh, Shaun Smith, Stacey McLean and Emma Beard, all familiar faces from the X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Grease is the Word and Pop stars: The Rivals - performed songs from hit television series, Glee, delighting dozens of excited youngsters.

A WHOLE host of relaxing and revitalising beauty treatments will be on offer at a pampering event in aid of Michael Sobell House hospice.

The annual Feel Good and Look Good therapy day, which takes place on March 20, will raise vital funds for the hospice, based at Mount Vernon Hospital, which needs £1.2million every year to maintain its vital palliative care services.

Professional therapists will be on hand to help visitors relax and unwind with massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, reflexology and more.