With Christmas fast approaching, it’s certainly not too early to start thinking about where you’ll get all your Christmas presents this year, and with Bedford full of brilliant independent businesses, we’ve pulled together the Bought in Bedford guide to help.
Bought in Bedford, or #BoughtInBedford for our £50 giveaway (more on that later), is an essential guide to finding the perfect gifts, experiences, food and drink this festive season.
Throughout its pages, sponsored by John Medhurst, you’ll find inspiration from some of the town’s best independent shops and businesses, as well as a what’s on guide so you don’t miss any of the festive fun in the run-up to Christmas.
We’ve also got a spotlight on Bedford’s seasonal markets, thanks to Bedford Flea, and the much-loved Christmas Tree Festival.
Plus, in the centre pages, you’ll find our ‘shop local’ map, sponsored by The Arc, to help you find just what you’re looking for in our town centre or off the beaten track.
If you’re coming from further afield, we’ve also got essential information about how to get here and where to park – you’ll be shopping like a local in no time!
Bought in Bedford is brought to you by the team behind the Bedford Clanger and the Bedford Independent.
We’re passionate about sharing our love for the town and its local businesses all year round and you don’t even have to log on to social media to find out what’s on, what’s happening or what’s new on your doorstep.
Just sign up for our daily email and you’ll have everything you need from the latest news and sport to what’s on and more sent to you directly each morning.
You can pick up your own copy of Bought in Bedford from many of the businesses featured on its pages and a few more, as well as at locations at libraries and villages across Bedford Borough. Or you can download a copy here.
Shop local and support Bedford Town Centre
According to community-led campaigners, Totally Locally, around 80% of each spend in an indie goes back into the local economy.
With chains it’s around 20-30p, with online-only multi-nationals it’s close to £0.
With that in mind, doing some or all of your Christmas shopping locally will make a huge difference to our local economy and encourage more businesses to open in Bedford.
Don’t forget to look out for our #BoughtInBedford window stickers too.
As part of our Bought in Bedford campaign, we have created stickers for our brilliant Bedford indies to display in their shop windows.
Be sure to pop into any shop or business that you see displaying the sticker throughout the festive season and beyond.
Remember, shopping local is for life, not just for Christmas.
Win a £50 voucher to spend at your favourite Bedford independent business
As the countdown to Christmas continues, it couldn’t be easier to enter our festive giveaway to win a £50 voucher to spend in your favourite Bedford independent business.
Whether you bought your dad a bottle of red from Flying Cork, your sister a candle from The Arc, or fuelled up on burgers at Brewpoint, we want to see your #BoughtInBedford purchases.
To be in with a chance to win, just follow these simple steps:
- Make a purchase from one of the brilliant Bedford independent businesses (whether it’s food, drink or gift items)
- Take a photo of what you’ve bought
- Share the photo on Instagram using the hashtag #BoughtInBedford by 11:59pm on Sunday, 15 December
That’s it.
The winner will be selected at random and will be able to choose the voucher of their choice to the value of £50.
The giveaway is open to Bedfordshire residents only and for readers aged 16 and over.
Winners will be contacted through Instagram and will need to acknowledge receipt of our message within 24 hours to claim their prize. Full terms and conditions can be found on our website.
Good luck.
All that remains is for us to wish all our readers a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
