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2020 has been a year that no one could have ever imagined.
But in a year filled with ups and downs, there has been plenty to make us smile too.
Here we take a look back at 12 stories that featured in the Hertfordshire Mercury this year.
January
Proposals to redevelop the playground in Hartham Common, Hertford, were unanimously approved in early January.
The Hertford Playground Alliance (HPA), comprising of mums Jodi Bayliss, Carolyn Groombridge and Kalin Margetts, tirelessly raised more than £26,000 the previous year after noticing how run down and outdated the playground was.
HPA, with the help of East Herts District Council and Groundwork East, drew up the design for the playground which aims to create a fun and varied play area with inclusive equipment and landscapes that capture the imagination.
New equipment will include ladders, net bridges, balancing ropes, a firefighter’s pole, a slide and ramps and will be connected to a nested tree house to create a one-of-a-kind playground.
Planning permission was needed for part of the playground’s twin tree-top which will reach four metres high. Work on site is now underway.
February
It was announced that The Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon had been saved from closure.
The local community and campaigners – including Friends of Lowewood Museum and The Hoddesdon Society – rallied to save the popular attraction after Broxbourne Council announced that unfortunately, it could no longer commit to the additional funding required to run it.
After months of searching for possible solutions, it emerged that the council and Friends of Lowewood Museum had identified a viable way to keep the facility up and running.
A trust formed to enable a team of volunteers to keep the museum open.
March
Wedding anniversaries are a special day for many couples, but for Wendy Rose and Kevin Fouache theirs will certainly be one to remember.
In early March the Mercury reported that the couple from Leighton Buzzard had tied the knot in a leap year – February 29 – wedding at Hertford Castle.
To make the day even more special, Wendy and Kevin chose a traditional Tudor-themed wedding within the historic grounds.
Wendy’s outfit drew on inspiration from Elizabeth I with a dress handmade locally, her hair in a traditional plait hairstyle, completed with French hood and ruff.
April
Rainbows were popping up in the windows of homes across Hertfordshire in hope of spreading some much-needed cheer.
Schools across the country were encouraging pupils to paint, draw or make collages of rainbows and hang it up in their windows as the county, like the rest of Britain, were in lockdown amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Some rainbow pictures were accompanied by uplifting messages including “everything will be OK!”, “stay at home, stay safe,” and messages of support to NHS staff and key workers.
May
Events to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day were a little different to what had been planned but that did not stop Hertfordshire from remembering its war heroes.
On Bank Holiday Friday, residents across the county unfolded their deck chairs, honed their baking skills and dressed their houses in Union Jack bunting to remember those who served our country in World War II.
June
Artists raised nearly £40,000 for the NHS and charities by spreading messages of hope during the coronavirus outbreak. The project run by Brothership Studio in Hertford brought together artists who had created prints and original artwork to raise vital funds for local causes.
Money went towards creating wellbeing areas for staff on the frontline via East and North Hertfordshire Hospital charities and helped Isabel Hospice in Welwyn Garden City rebuild its kitchen after a fire.
Funds were also given to Garden House Hospice and family support charity Chexs.
Bright and colourful pieces by Hertford artist Ceri Shipton contained inspiring messages to celebrate NHS workers, love and unity. The NHS Heroes prints and original pieces were featured on the Lorraine programme.
July
Paradise Wildlife Park announced the birth of an adorable baby monkey.
A pygmy marmoset, which is known to be the smallest monkey species in the world and usually only weigh around 100g, even when fully grown.
At the time, the Broxbourne-based zoo said: “Mum Bella is happy and healthy and bonding very well with her new fluffy bundle of joy. Dad Nippet is also faring well and enjoying his new role as a proud dad.”
Paradise Wildlife Park opened The Land of the Tigers habitat – a first of its kind in the UK this year.
August
A green-fingered dad whose four-year-old son asked him to grow a sunflower “as tall as the house” ended up with a 20-foot high monster plant.
Douglas Smith was left needing to use a ladder to tend to the lofty giant outside his home in Stanstead Abbotts, which he first planted at the end of March and tended to throughout the first lockdown.
Douglas, dad to four-year-old Stellan, could not have guessed that his gardening project would creep all the way up to reach the apex of the roof of his house.
September
A group of campaigners saved Beane Marshes – a wildlife spot near Hertford North station – from being sold and it is now owned by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT).
It came following a huge fundraising effort by the local community who raised more than £135,000, including a generous grant of £30,000 from Hertford Town Council.
The community began to rally to preserve the wildlife spot for future generations in 2019 after it emerged that the land by the River Beane was one of five lots going up for auction.
The five-acre site is one of Hertfordshire’s rare chalk streams and is home to a variety of wildlife including butterflies and dragonflies, as well as rare marshy plants and endangered water voles.
October
PC Joshua Darton has been nominated for a national police bravery award.
PC Darton rescued a young a vulnerable missing woman found in a river, clinging to a steep bank in Hertford.
PC Darton and PC Andy Hendley, using their local knowledge, located the woman, and after carrying out first aid at the side of the river, PC Darton, who went down the steep bank, removed his fleece to try and keep the woman warm.
He then carried her in a fireman’s lift for around a mile across marshland to ensure she could receive medical treatment since the area was only accessible on foot.
The award ceremony is due to take place on July 15, 2021.
November
Elves, polar bears and even The Grinch were among the knitted characters to pop up on post boxes around Hertford and Ware.
The Secret Society of Hertford Crafters (SSOHC) once again yarnbombed 40 Royal Mail post boxes with festive toppers including 27 in Hertford; 11 in Ware, plus one shop; one in Watton-at-Stone and one in Van Hage Garden Centre.
The project – which had an average 524 hours spent on each tree – is raising funds for Carers in Herts and Citizens Advice East Herts which have both been continuing their valuable community work throughout Covid-19.
To donate visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/YarnBomberXmas.
December
A Hertfordshire home has pulled out all the stops this Christmas – and it is all for a good cause.
The Christmas Palace in Hare Street, Buntingford, is lit up to the nines with fairy lights and lifesize unicorns.
The front garden is full of unicorns and sparkly pink Christmas trees, while the house is draped in hundreds of stunning fairy lights.
The decorations have been put up to help raise money for The Children’s Society, a charity which supports children, young people and families whose lives are affected by drugs and alcohol.
Collection buckets are located outside the house for people to donate.
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