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.
Tonight sees another 'Pints in the Parishes,' this time in Turvey, and there's a twist. As explained on the Pints in the Parishes page on this website, the venues for these sessions are determined via rural Parish Councils, to all of whom I wrote out and asked if they would like to nominate a local pub for me to visit for Pints in the Parishes. In the case of Turvey, the Parish Council said they would like me to visit both pubs in the village, so it's an evening of two halves! First, I'll be in Ye Three Fyshes from 7pm, and then I'll move on to The Three Cranes at around 8.30pm. So, if you're in the area please do come along and raise any issues of concern, interest or anything else you want to discuss.
On Tuesday evening I was delighted to welcome local businesses which had taken part in July's Best-Dressed Window competition for stores in and around the High Street area of Bedford Town Centre to the Mayor's Parlour in the Old Town Hall. I presented the prizes to the winners, who were chosen by a public vote. More than 1,200 voted, which was tremendous, and gives just a small illustration of how much people care about their local stores and their town centre. The winners in each category (including a runner-up in the Independent Retailer category due to the impressively large number of entries) were as follows:
It was my very great pleasure to cut the ribbon at the opening of Bedford's brand new Waitrose store yesterday morning. Those who live nearby or who travel past the new store off Goldington Road (on the site of the former Courts building) will know how swiftly the building work has taken place in recent weeks. The new store is great news for Bedford, bringing new choice and competition for local shoppers, not to mention significant investment and new jobs for the local economy. The store employs 140 staff, and is even taking on a small number of apprentices, which is fantastic.
