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.

Charity cycling challenge passed through Bedford this week set to raise over £50,000

Charity cyclist Ewan McCulloch, 52, from Edinburgh, is cycling from Cumbria to the south coast of England over 10 days and 1,300km in a bid to raise more than £50,000 for charities…

Bedfordshire palliative coordination service reaches national HSJ award finals

The Bedfordshire palliative coordination service, bringing together Sue Ryder St John's Hospice, Keech Hospice, and local NHS teams, has been shortlisted for a national HSJ Award...

SEVA Trust UK pledges continued homelessness support as Prebend Centre closes

Bedford charity SEVA Trust UK has pledged to continue providing staple food and daily essentials to people experiencing homelessness, despite news that Prebend Street Day Care Centre will close...

SMART CJS announces closure of the Prebend Day Centre

A Bedford-based charity supporting people facing homelessness has announced that it will be closing its popular day centre on Prebend Street. SMART CJS has announced that the...

Bedford Internship Scheme helps Sophie turn placement into permanent role

A 20-year-old from Bedford has secured a permanent job at the John Bunyan Sports and Fitness centre after taking part in its supported internship programme. Sophie Plummer completed a...

Get involved with the instant hit of Wixams junior parkrun

On Sunday, 12 July, Wixams hosted its first junior parkrun, with runners and families labelling it an "instant hit", allowing it to to return every Sunday morning as a weekly fixture of the community...

Charity staff take on 81-mile ‘Pilgrim’s Reckoning’ fundraising challenge

Members of staff from a charity in Bedford are taking on a 24-hour ultra marathon to raise vital funds and inspire others to support people rebuilding their lives. Stuart McCaw and Luck Clements...

Dachshund owners to gather in Tempsford for summer sausage dog social

Scores of sausage dogs and their owners are set to gather in Tempsford this August for a community celebration featuring dog shows, expert advice, and a special reunion for rescue dachshunds...

Burnaby Arms leads summer of fundraising for life-saving Black Tom defibrillator

Inspired by the experiences of one of their regulars, the Burnaby Arms in Black Tom is organising a range of events throughout the summer to fundraise for a community defibrillator...

Bedford railway apprentice to cycle 400 miles from Edinburgh to London for Cancer Research UK

A railway engineering apprentice from Bedford is set to pedal more than 400 miles in seven days to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK. Declan Kiely, who lives in Bedford, will team...