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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.

Captain Dave Surtees stands proudly in his flight suit in front of one of the air ambulance helicopters he flew. Image: EAAA

East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot’s incredible 40-year journey comes in to land

After more than 40 years in the skies, one of the East Anglian Air Ambulance’s most experienced pilots has completed his final shift flying Helicopter Emergency Medical Services...
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Pat and friends by the river, preparing for a 900-mile charity bike ride in aid of Motor Neurone Disease

Bedford man launches 900-mile fundraising ride in memory of wife lost to MND

A Bedford man in his 80s is supporting an extraordinary cycling challenge this August in memory of his wife Jenny, who died from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in December 2023. Pat Wheeler, a...
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The icon mosaic celebrating the work of the Sisters of St Etheldreda

Dedication service celebrates legacy of St Etheldreda’s with icon unveiling at St Paul’s church

Over 100 people gathered at St Paul’s Church in Bedford on Sunday (15 June) for a moving dedication service led by the Bishop of Bedford, the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, marking the installation of...
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Aerial shot of the Bedford Kite and Motoring Festival in June 2025

Locals line the Great Ouse to welcome back the Bedford Kite and Motoring Festival

The people of Bedford and beyond descended on the Embankment at the weekend as the latest Bedford Kite and Motoring Festival came to the banks of the River Great Ouse...
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Guitars to the Stars 2024 Image: Living It Up/Ollie Monks

Bedford charity celebrates small charity week and calls for support

As Small Charity Week (23–28 June) gets underway, Bedford-based organisation Living It Up is joining the national campaign to celebrate the powerful impact small charities have in communities...
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Ukrainian Independence Day Bedford 2022 Image PBIC Facebook 1

Refugee Week: Bedford charity calls for compassion for those fleeing for their lives

Yesterday, Refugee Week 2025 came to a close (16–22 June). To help continue the awareness raised during this time, Beyond Detention is calling on everyone to remember the positive...
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Jesse Mumford and Luke Brown at Spiral HQ at the Harpur Centre.

‘A lifeline, not just a gym’, Spiral Freerun’s leap for survival

Bedford based parkour group is urgently calling on members of the public to help fundraise to keep the club open, stating that they are struggling and this is their final chance to survive....
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(l-r) David Steadman of the Harpur Trust and 2024 Volunteer of the Year Janet Dickinson.

Charities across East of England invited to trial new digital tool for volunteer recruitment

A new online platform aimed at helping charities recruit volunteers more easily is set to launch this autumn, with organisations in the East of England encouraged to sign up early...
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Piggybank savings money cash finance Image: Braňo/Unsplash

Small Charity Week highlights financial pressures facing Bedfordshire charities

Small Charity Week has prompted concerns about the financial resilience of small charities in Bedfordshire. 74% of them operate on less than £100,000 a year, with rising costs and falling...
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(l-r) Aileen and Stuart Minty at a proms event they are both smiling. Image: The Minty Family

“We need more time”, Bedford dad’s emotional plea for life-extending cancer treatment abroad

A Bedford father of four is urgently fundraising for life-extending cancer treatment in Germany, after being diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable form of stomach cancer...
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