9 November 2026

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Community & Charity

All the latest community and charity news from across Bedford Borough. Everything you need to keep you up to date with what’s happening in Bedford Borough on your mobile or desktop via the Bedford Independent.

The Bedford Independent was founded to provide the people of Bedford Borough with a modern news desk that would give them easy access to genuine and unbiased Bedford news. We are independent in ownership and opinion.

Our mission is to inform and inspire the people of Bedford. To do this we will work hard to bring them the news that matters to them from our town centre to the most rural of the Borough’s villages.

Our editorial team are NCTJ trained and follows a standards code set out by the independent press regulator IMPRESS Standards.

Air ambulance teams and volunteers support major Bedford rail incident

Air ambulance charities and volunteers have revealed the scale of the response to the Bedford train collision, with specialist clinicians treating 30 seriously injured patients at the scene...

Fundraiser for Bedford man stuck in Greece after holiday accident

Friends of a Bedford man who was seriously injured while on holiday have started a fundraiser to bring him home to recover. 27-year-old Lewis was on holiday in Greece when the...

The Weight Men Carry: 21km challenge to raise awareness of men’s mental health

Two men from Bedford's Man Cave UK group are taking on a fundraising challenge that will literally and symbolically see them weighed down. '14 for the 14 - The Weight Men Carry' is a fundraising...

Bedford to get new Youth Hub as Government targets rising youth unemployment

Young people in Bedford are set to benefit from a new Government-backed Youth Hub bringing employment, education and wellbeing support together under one roof. The hub will be one of almost...

Bedford pair recognised in King’s Birthday Honours List 2026

A Bedford court service director and a Bedfordshire minister are among seven local recipients recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026. The honours recognise people who...

Obituary: Michael Brian Blackledge (1932-2026)

Michael Brian Blackledge was born in St Helens, Lancashire, on 1 November 1932, the son of an Irish mother, Winnifred O'Hara, and an English father, Richard Blackledge...

Monthly column: Young Carers in Bedford are doing too much, too young and they need your help now

Across Bedford, many children are caring for someone at home. A parent, a sibling, a loved one. They help with medication, they manage household tasks, and they carry emotional weight that most...

Charity grants available now as Wixams community run proves a hit

Runners of all ages were out in force through Wixams Town Park at the end of May, as the town celebrated its annual community fun run. And with the event raising money for local causes...

May was the busiest month ever for Bedfordshire air ambulance charity

The charity that provides the lifesaving Magpas Air Ambulance service in Bedfordshire says that last month was it's busiest on record. Throughout May, the air amublance was...

Monthly column: From Timor-Leste to Bedford: The community builder honoured by the King

When Azito Da Silva arrived in Bedford in 2016, he could never have imagined that less than a decade later, he would be attending a Royal Garden Party in recognition of his contribution...