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Original poster

Is anyone out there??

75 replies

thisisnotwhoyouthink · 07/04/2010 18:12

Hi All

I have just moved to the area and am looking for people to meet and chat/have coffee with whilst the kids go loony

Is anyone around this area?

I have a 3 and 4 year old and one on the way. Happy to meet up at parks/cafes/house etc.

Would ideally love to get a group of us together to regularly meet up?

OP posts:
Treeesa · 21/06/2010 17:27

JennyC Are you still coming up to check out the area or have you made a final decision?

It's Letchworth Festival next week so another relatively lively weekend. If you come next Saturday then wear a mini skirt and join in the dancing..! :-)

JennyC · 22/06/2010 22:48

Gawd, me in a mini-skirt...

DH going to Glastonbury this wknd, so I might take DD and come have a look.

We have put an offer on a house, but I don't want to say anything else about it and jinx it...

ksmum · 02/07/2010 17:41

Hello - have read all the comments about moving. We are in W London and thinking of moving to Hitchin v soon. And v scared about it too!

I am not that bothered about shops as I actually buy huge amounts online even now and sadly restaurants and bars are less of a featur with 2 small children (though I like to know they are there).

my concern is will it feel too sort of small towny ??? Hard to explain what I mean.

Am hoping though I can leave the snootiness of where we are now behind!!

ksmum · 02/07/2010 17:42

Woops forgot important question

SCHOOLS AND MOVING
we are currently in W London and are thinking of moving to Hitchin- a big move to enable me not to have to go back to work.

My daughter is in reception currently and would be going into year 1 - there may be places at Purwell, Highbury and St Thomas More in Letchworth.

Obviously there is Ofsted but just wondered if anybody has any experience of these schools/advice to give. if you don't want to reply publicly let me know and I can send a PM or something?

FortunateHamster · 09/08/2010 00:02

How's everyone doing? My little one is a month old now so I'd probably be able to manage to get out of the house if anyone did want to do a meet-up anywhere :)

auburnlizzy78 · 09/08/2010 17:15

Hi Fortunate (and everyone else!)
I am about to go on maternity leave so will be around every day, with six weeks to go before I have the baby. So, if you're sure it's not too hard to get out with a 1 month old, it might be nice to meet in Letchworth town centre for a coffee sometime after 18th??

Finty5 · 12/08/2010 14:02

Hi, I would be interested in meeting up , I am 22 weeks (new mum and v.excited) and live on Beds/Herts border, 15mins to Hitchin. Don't know too may people in this area.

PoppyCat1 · 18/08/2010 13:29

Hi,

New here! I hope you don't mind me butting in!

I moved down here from further North about 13 years ago after uni. We have lived in Hatfield, Stevenage and Hitchin. I really liked hitchin, we now live in a little village (just over the border into Beds) and really like it, but Hitchin is our nearest 'town'. Milton Keynes is the best for shopping though! I also work in Letchworth, it can be quiet but I really like it! It's pretty and there are a couple of nice coffee shops!

Hitchin is definately more lively but we lived in a bad area and were able to get much more for our money moving slightly out of it.

PoppyCat1 · 18/08/2010 13:34

Sorry, didn't see this first time.

ksmum, I teach in a Letchworth primary school, think Highbury has a good reputation and Purwell but don't know an awful lot about them. St Thomas Moore is a good school, quite religious so it depends on your views. Hope that helps a bit. I would say go and have a look round, you get a 'feel' for schools. Go with your instinct.

FortunateHamster · 23/08/2010 17:06

Hi all :)

Unfortunately it's a bit hard for me to get to places other than Letchworth right now (I don't drive), so I'm going to say I'm mostly up for meets there, though would definitely try to get to other ones.

With that in mind, does anyone fancy meeting up in Letchworth over the next couple of weeks, or is that too close to your due date, auburnlizzy? I go to a breastfeeding support group Mondays and sometimes health centre on Tues, so any time Weds-Fri (or even weekend) is probably best for me. I don't mind where we meet so long as I can bf if DS needs it. As I'm fairly new to the town I still don't really know where the best places are - anyone else?

PoppyCat1 - I'm from up North originally (Merseyside actually), but have lived down south in one place or another for the last 12 years, and in Herts for the last five years.

auburnlizzy78 · 25/08/2010 00:03

Hi folks

Worried I'm gonna do a SamCam and have baby three weeks early - but if not, next week would be great Fortunate, PoppyCat, Finty and anyone else? I don't drive either so Letchworth best for me too.

How about Thurs 2 Sept in Costa Coffee in the precinct - opposite Iceland. 3pm?

FortunateHamster · 25/08/2010 18:00

I'm up for that :). I really need to start getting out more with the baby. Just have to hope he doesn't scream the place down!

auburnlizzy78 · 26/08/2010 13:52

Cool - unless I go into labour super-early I shall see you there.... I'll check back here regularly in case you can't make it for some reason.

If it helps, I'm 31, 5'8", long brown hair, enormous bump - you should recognise me! Grin Hopefully I can spot you too - would be so embarrassing going up to other new mums asking "are you FortunateHamster by any chance?" They'd have me committed!

Anyone else wanna join us?

FortunateHamster · 29/08/2010 14:22

Will be looking for the bump! I'm 30, mousy-brown shoulder-length hair, glasses, with baby (potentially crying) in pram :)

And would be lovely to see others too if they're still about!

dancemummy · 02/09/2010 22:26

Hi Guys, I am also looking at moving into the area and would appreciate any info on schools (have three children that fall in each category age wise, aged nearly 5, 8 and 11) so interested in both primary and secondary schools.

I'm moving from a 3 tier system, (lower/middle and upper schools) but I lived in Hertfordshire as a child so like the 2 tier (primary/secondary) system as what I know.

Have heard great things about Knights Templar, but have struggled to find the catchment areas? Is it purely Baldock or does Letchowrth count too?

Baldock is a bit more expensive than Letchworth and Hitchin, but I like all the areas, so looking for pro's and cons to each area when looking to buy a house. Thanks guys Smile x

auburnlizzy78 · 03/09/2010 09:12

dancemummy - I've been in Letchworth five years (first baby due this month). We live in the north of Letchworth and the schools closest to us are apparently (according to OFSTED reports) not to the standard I was used to where I grew up in Sutton, Surrey. I think we will have to move elsewhere in Letchworth to stand a better chance of getting into a decent school.
But I will happily be corrected by anyone who actually has a child in the Letchworth area school system.

I've already done a bit of research by going on rightmove.co.uk and finding houses I liked in the Letchworth, Hitchin and Baldock areas. You can click on a map for a particular property to show the nearest primary and secondary schools. then you can click on a link to get the latest OFSTED report for that school. I found that the ones to the south west of Letchworth, and central/south Hitchin seemed to be better - meaning a 1 or a 2 grading by OFSTED.

I believe (though am not sure) that you would have to live in Baldock to get into Knights Templar - it is a very good school. I would imagine it's oversubscribed so they wouldn't need to attract pupils from further afield.

Hopefully someone else will come along who has actual experience of the schools, I would also be interested!

FortunateHamster · 03/09/2010 23:17

I know nothing about schools but am also interested as have a baby who will one day be attending one near us :). I think there's a school bus for Knight's Templar that runs through Letchworth so they must have some pupils from outside its immediate area, but no idea on how they get them.

It was lovely to meet you yesterday auburnlizzy78, we'll have to drag out a few more people next time we do a MN catch-up.

auburnlizzy78 · 07/09/2010 11:13

Great to meet you too FH! Your little boy is gorgeous. I'll be back in touch when I've had mine if not before.

If we're going to establish a full-on Letchworth coven we're gonna need some more mums. Come on ladies, where are you all? Smile

Finty5 · 16/09/2010 14:38

I didn't realise you were meeting up- would def have gone if I'd known!I would love to come next time!

auburnlizzy78 · 16/09/2010 16:42

Good to hear from you Finty5 - sorry you missed us making plans above!

I am very close to due date now and probably not fit for another meet-up at the moment, but please go ahead without me if anyone's around and hopefully I will be able to join you in a few weeks Smile

Finty5 · 23/09/2010 21:20

All the best! xxx

PoppyCat1 · 26/09/2010 23:44

Hi, as far as I know Knights Templar catchment is just Baldock. I have known parents to move house because they want their child to go to that school so much (we are a Primary). It's probably due to the fact that they never have any problem filling it! Smile

All the best for your birh auburnlizzy!

auburnlizzy78 · 27/09/2010 08:52

Thanks folks! Two days overdue now and am on the raspberry tea and curry to see if that gets things moving.....

FortunateHamster · 28/09/2010 23:17

Hi Finty - I'm definitely up for more meets so whenever, whereever :)

Good luck auburnlizzy, am hoping you're well on your way to meeting your son right now

auburnlizzy78 · 30/09/2010 16:15

He's STILL in there Fortunate.... am having a sweep tomorrow...

Was convinced that the 12 star jumps I did a couple of days ago would get things moving - but the only physical effect was that I had to sit down for ten minutes to get my breath back and to stop the room spinning!

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