She’s been an icon of the town centre for almost five decades but this weekend marks the end of an era as Bedford’s ‘Dinky Donuts Lady’ has decided to hang up her apron.
Lina Ognissanti has been serving Bedfordians in the town with doughnuts and ice cream since the 1970s and through tears she told the Bedford Independent that, now she’s decided to close her Midland Road stand, she will miss “everyone”.
“I’ll miss everyone, the children, and their parents, who I knew as children. I’ll miss them all,” she said.
Today (Saturday) her loyal customers young and old, some also in tears themselves, were stopping by her stand on Midland Road to give her presents and wish her well, some even took photos with her.
She said she’s also sold more boxes of 25 doughnuts, her largest serving size, today than ever before.
One customer told her, “I used to get doughnuts from you when I was little and I love that my daughter now has the same memories.”
Recognition
Lina was recognised for her impact on daily Bedford life in 2018 after an online petition called for her to be officially awarded for her importance to the Borough.
The then Mayor of Bedford, Dave Hodgson (Liberal Democrats), invited Lina and her family for afternoon tea and to present her with an award.
Speaking to the BBC at the time, Mr Hodgson said, “Lina has a special status in Bedford, and her stand is an institution in the town centre.”
She has also been described as part of the very fabric of Bedford, with the eating of her doughnuts included in the Bedford Independent’s 2019 list of things that make someone ‘truly Bedfordian’.
Read: Are you even a Bedfordian if you haven’t done at least 20 of these?
Marta Plizga also immortalised Lina in the Circus of Illustration’s ‘Drawing Bedford Together’ project, which commissioned experienced and aspiring artists linked to Bedford to create a collection of illustrations inspired by Bedford’s High Street.
So, what’s next for Lina? She told us she might even get another job. “You can’t stay at home all the time,” she says.
Whatever she decides, Lina will continue to have a special place in the hearts of many Bedfordians and will remain a major part of Bedford’s history forever.
