Harpenden · Southdown · BatfordTuesday, 8 September 2026Free · Independent
The Harpenden Times
An independent local newspaper for Harpenden and the villages around it. · The Morning Briefing, every three days at 08:00
From The Harpenden Times
The Morning Briefing
Tuesday, 8 September 2026

Good morning

A quieter few days on the wires, but two useful guides for families and a clutch of new food businesses to note. Nothing dramatic, nothing to worry about — just the sort of practical detail this paper exists to keep on file.

In brief

The full list of baby and toddler groups in Harpenden

Free rhyme time at the library on the High Street, a £1.50 baby group at Southdown Family Centre, and nine independent church- and community-run toddler sessions across town, including the Kangaroo Club, which has been going for more than 40 years. Useful if you've just moved here or had a baby and don't know where to start. READ →

Harpenden has its own baby swimming lessons — you don't need to leave town

Harpenden Leisure Centre on Leyton Road runs Everyone Active's Learn to Swim from four months old, year-round. Aldwickbury School's pool hosts Stevie's Swim School at weekends, now with an extra Sunday afternoon slot. A third option, Baby Loves Swimming, is listed in a directory but not yet confirmed directly with the operator. READ →

Openings & closings

Four new food businesses register in Harpenden

Three home bakers — Anita's Cake Bakery, Selma's Little Bakery and Jessy's Dream Bakes — and a mobile caterer, Festive Sips, have newly registered with the local authority and are awaiting their first hygiene inspection, a sign they are just starting out rather than already trading under rating. READ →

The Harpenden Times