On Wednesday I took part in the 'topping out' ceremony for the new main school building at Bedford Academy. The academy was formerly John Bunyan Upper School, where I was Chair of Governors, and I spoke at the ceremony about how important the new facilities are not only for the staff and students, but also for the local community.
So, River Festival Weekend has arrived. After numerous bouts of torrential rain this week, it appears that the weather may be ready to concede that it cannot defeat the Bedford River Festival, with the sun set to come out, particularly on Sunday. Both days will feature a huge range of activities for all the family, so do get along and enjoy the best of Bedford this weekend.
This month has seen numerous shops in Bedford High Street and neighbouring streets take part in a 'Best Dressed Window' competition. A tremendous number of local businesses have taken part, including 25 independent retailers. It's a reminder of how fortunate we are to have many local retailers who make a real effort to attract people to their stores and in turn make our town centre more attractive and inviting for visitors.
Looking back at last weekend's River Festival, what a fantastic showcase it was for Bedford. It is estimated that over 300,000 people came out to join in the fun over the weekend. The arrival of the summer was excellently timed and no doubt encouraged many people to come out and enjoy the vast array of entertainment on offer.
I've enjoyed following the fortunes of Team GB's athletes in the Olympics coverage I've been able to catch so far, and am obviously looking forward to seeing the medals tally rise. In addition to Team GB, there's another team whose exploits I'll be keeping an eye out for, and that's the Maldives, whose Olympic squad stayed here in Bedford for a number of weeks for their Pre-Games Training Camp.
On Friday I was pleased to mark the unveiling of the artwork which has transformed the first of two passageways to be improved as part of the Bedford High Street heritage regeneration scheme. 'Passage 101', which is off the northern section of the High Street and is a common link between the High Street and Lurke Street Car Park, has been transformed through the Townscape Heritage Initiative through a range of improvements. Most notable amongst these improvements, which included repairs to the paving, lighting, brickwork, drainage, the installation of CCTV and a deep clean, is the artwork which was designed by Bedford College Student Michelle Crowther.
