Bedford Clanger - April 2025

April 2025

The Cellar Bar BEDFORD

A Unique Underground Entertainment Experience Open Until Late

craft beers ~ hand made cocktails ~ live entertainment APRIL ~ MAY ~ JUNE 2025 EVENTS FRI 4 APR NEW CLASSICS/HEIDI BROWNE SAT 5 APR SOUL FACTORY/CAMEO/FIVE FIVE SIX SUN 6 APR DANNY GRACELAND FRI 11 APR THE SOUL MAN SAT 12 APR HIGHSTONE SUN 13 APR 80’S DAYTIME DISCO/OPEN MIC FRI 18 APR WORKSHOP BOYS SAT 19 APR MEGAPINT? SUN 20 APR JUNIOR OPEN MIC/OPEN MIC FRI 25 APR GENERATION 5PAN SAT 26 APR NEW HARMONY SUN 27 APR SOUL FACTORY/OPEN MIC FRI 2 MAY THE KRAKENS SAT 3 MAY SOUL FACTORY/CAMEO/FIVE FIVE SIX SUN 4 MAY WORKSHOP BOYS/OPEN MIC FRI 9 MAY JENNY JOY/CHEAP THRILLS SAT 10 MAY DANNY BARTON/MAD MODS & ENGLISHMEN SUN 11 MAY 80’S DAYTIME DISCO/OPEN MIC FRI 16 MAY SOPHIA SOUL SAT 17 MAY WORLD ON FIRE SUN 18 MAY JUNIOR OPEN MIC/OPEN MIC FRI 23 MAY BAZOOKA JOE/CAMEO SAT 24 MAY MEGAPINT? SUN 25 MAY SOUL FACTORY/OPEN MIC FRI 30 MAY SAMANTHA/KYRI SAT 31 MAY WORKSHOP BOYS SUN 1 JUN SOPHIA SOUL/OPEN MIC FRI 6 JUN HIGHSTONE SAT 7 JUN SOUL FACTORY/CAMEO/FIVE FIVE SIX SUN 8 JUN 80’S DAYTIME DISCO/OPEN MIC FRI 13 JUN KATHERINE SEFTON/TIE ONE ON SAT 14 JUN MEGAPINT? SUN 15 JUN JUNIOR OPEN MIC/OPEN MIC FRI 20 JUN SAMANTHA HUGHES/ THE DANNY BARTON BAND SAT 21 JUN BAD HOMBRE SUN 22 JUN SOUL FACTORY/OPEN MIC FRI 27 JUN GENERATION 5PAN SAT 28 JUN NEW HARMONY

FREE LIVE MUSIC ~ DRAG SHOWS ~ DAYTIME DISCO ~ SPEED QUIZ ~ KARAOKE ~ OPEN MIC ~ SOUL FACTORY ~ COCKTAIL MASTERCLASS ~ BOTTOMLESS AFTERNOON TEA 1ST/2ND/4TH WEDNESDAY SPEED QUIZZING ~ 3RD WEDNESDAY DRAG KARAOKE WITH FANNY BURNS ~ EVERY THURSDAY KARAOKE & THE DRINKS EXCHANGE opening times monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday sunday

75 HIGH STREET, BEDFORD, MK40 1NE, 01234 815115 WWW.THECELLARBARBEDFORD.CO.UK, INFO@THECELLARBAR.CO.UK

closed closed 7pm - LATE 6pm - LATE 6pm - LATE 6pm - LATE 3pm - 11pm

CONTENTS

INDIE FILM FESTIVAL | 4

THEATRE | 8

FOOD & DRINK | 13

Lights, camera, action: Bedford’s first Independent film festival

The best of this month’s theatre

The Prince of Wales Pub

BEDFORD FILM SOCIETY | 5

FILM | 10

HOMETOWN TOURIST | 14

75 years of Bedford Film Society

Film forever

Take a stroll off the beaten track...

WHAT’S ON | 6

LIVE MUSIC | 11

GREAT BEDFORDIAN | 15

Diaries at the ready

Bring the noise

All eyes on Poonam Shah of Humphriss & Burgess Opticians

As well as lighter evenings and better weather (we hope), April also welcomes the return of Bedford Flea and Record Store Day. Become a Hometown Tourist and explore both these events (details on page 14).

Introduction Welcome to the April issue of the Bedford Clanger - your guide to the best of Bedford’s art, culture, live music, theatre, heritage and more this Spring.

Happy Easter!

Team Clanger

This month’s issue is a must-read for Bedford’s cinephiles, with details of the town’s first Independent Film Festival (page 4) and also the celebrations for Bedford Film Society’s 75th anniversary.

Even more events are included in our weekly What’s On Guide, published every Wednesday on our website at bedfordindependent.co.uk

Erica Roffe, Julia Course & Paul Hutchinson (Image: Two-D Photography)

We hope you like our Hitchcock/Saul Bass-inspired front cover by Ben Graham.

Editor

MEET THE CAST

The Bedford Clanger / April 2025

Commercial Director Design Food & Drink Theatre Publisher

ERICA ROFFE JULIA COURSE BEN GRAHAM PAUL HUTCHINSON PAULA WALKER PROGRESS PUBLISHING

/ clanger@bedfordindependent.co.uk / julia@bedfordindependent.co.uk / ben@twenty-sixstudios.co.uk Website: bedfordindependent.co.uk

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INDIE FILM FESTIVAL

Image: Bedford Independent Film Festival (BIFF)

Lights, camera, action for Bedford’s first Independent Film Festival Film fans are in luck this month, as the first Bedford Independent Film Festival launches at the Quarry Theatre.

Running from 11 - 13 April, the festival will feature a variety of independent feature films and a wide selection of shorts across an array of genres. It will showcase work from new and established filmmakers and also host thought-provoking seminars and industry networking. Whether you’re a filmmaker seeking inspiration, a film-lover looking for your next favourite or just curious about the world of indie cinema - this is the event for you.

Co-organiser, Andrew Gilbert, said: “Setting up a film festival in Bedford has been an aspiration of mine for many years and I can’t wait to bring the world of independent film to Bedford. BIFF will give filmmakers the chance to celebrate their success in an increasingly unforgiving industry and also offers Bedfordians a captivating alternative to the usual studio blockbusters.”

international filmmakers to our doorstep, is a very exciting journey to be on.

Fellow organiser, Leah Perkins

Ticket information

Day passes and weekend passes are available from the Quarry Theatre website, with tickets granting access to all screenings, seminars, and events for that day.

Festival Programme: bedfordindependentfilmfestival.co.uk/ programme2025

UFP Film Club presents Bedford Film Night There’s another treat for cinephiles in Bedford as a new film night launches at St Andrew’s Church. UFP Film Club’s Bedford Film Night takes place on the last Saturday of the month, and in April they are screening the Academy Award-winning Conclave.

The weekend kicks off on Friday, 11 April with a welcome drink and a ‘Best of Bedford’ opening screening, showcasing local filmmaking talent.

An awards ceremony on Saturday will recognise the festival’s standout films and talent, creating a sense of occasion while celebrating the hard work behind the scenes. The event will also be an opportunity to come together as a creative community and celebrate the art of filmmaking and the filmmakers that work tirelessly to bring their visions to life.

In its inaugural year, BIFF is partnering with sponsors including Bedford Radio, Bedford College and Harrison & Simmonds and they are fundraising for the charity Medicinema.

I love Bedford and being able to celebrate local talented filmmakers, as well as bringing 4

Conclave

Organiser Martin de Graft said, “We showcase independent films, host unique events, and provide filmmakers with opportunities to reach broader audiences. Through both virtual and in-person screenings, workshops, and discussions, UFP Film Club creates spaces where filmmakers and audiences can connect, learn, and celebrate the art of cinema.”

For more details about the Conclave screening see page 10.

What do you call a pony with a cough? A little horse.

BEDFORD FILM SOCIETY

75 years of Bedford Film Society 2025 sees Bedford Film Society celebrating its 75th anniversary and they are marking the occasion with a special free screening on Tuesday, 15 April of the first film the society showed back in 1950.

The society was originally set up to “encourage the appreciation and enjoyment of film as an artform” and for some time in the 1950s members also made their own documentaries. 75 years on, the aims of Bedford Film Society remain unchanged and it has outlasted most of the cinemas in the town.

Their anniversary screening is of “Quattro Passi fra le Nuvole” (Four Steps in the Clouds), a 1942 Italian comedy-drama that tells the story of a married man who agrees to act as the husband of a young pregnant woman who has been abandoned by her boyfriend.

All members past and present are invited to the screening on Tuesday, 15 April at the University of Bedfordshire and guests

Four Steps in the Clouds

are welcome too. From 7pm there will be a celebratory glass of wine, with the film starting at 8pm.

This will be the final film of this season before they take their annual summer break, but we’ll be sharing their 2025/26 programme in the Autumn. bedfordfilmsociety.org.uk/

EASTER HOLIDAY FAMILY ACTIVITIES OUR PLANET From Tuesday 8 – Friday 17 April Inspired by Earth Day, families can join in with fun activities that encourage recycling, reuse and waste reduction and understand the science of landfill.

Workshops will include making collage badges, bee hotels, origami flowers, bees and sea creatures all out of unwanted materials. Sessions last for an hour and are suitable for a range of ages.

Scan the QR code or see our website for further details and to book places www.thehigginsbedford.org.uk

The Bedford Clanger / April 2025

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WHAT’S ON Easter holiday workshops - Our Planet

8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 April The Higgins Bedford | £5.50/child | Booking essential

Ouse Muse presents Jonathan Davidson Tuesday, 1 April Eagle Bookshop, St Peter’s Street @ 8pm

Inspired by Earth Day, families can join local artists and providers in activities that reduce waste, encourage recycling, reuse materials and promote planting. From upcycled origami flowers to badge making, bee hotels to junk modelling, book your place at the Higgins website.

Jonathan Davidson is a poet of the English Midlands whose most recent books are A Commonplace - Apples, Bricks & Other People’s Poems and Downland - a collaboration with the visual artist Anna Dillon. His poetry memoir, On Poetry Jonathan Davidson, continues to divide opinion. All welcome.

Poetry and Spoken Word: Read Poets Society

higginsbedford.org.uk

Easter Bunny flies into Shuttleworth

Sunday, 20 and Monday, 21 April Shuttleworth Aerodronme, Alder Drive, Bedfordshire SG18 9DT | Tickets: from £12.50

Sunday, 6 April The Eagle Bookshop @ 7pm | Tickets: Free but please book via The Place Theatre website

Join the Read Poets Society for an interesting evening of poetry and prose. This month’s theme is “ Quaffing and Drinking will undo you!”

The Friends of The Higgins lecture on Paula Rego as a printmaker by Paul Coldwell Tuesday, 15 April St Andrew’s Church Hall, Kimbolton Rd @ 7.30pm

Professor Paul Coldwell discusses collaborating with the Portuguese visual artist, Paula Rego, widely considered the preeminent woman artist of the late 20th and early 21st century.

In this talk for the Friends of the Higgins he explores the role of printmaking in her work.

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Shuttleworth’s annual Easter event sees the Easter Bunny take to the skies to arrive in style at Shuttleworth Aerodrome.

Following their arrival, children can enjoy a classic egg hunt around the stunning nine-acre regency Swiss Garden, before meeting the Bunny in person and receiving their very own chocolate egg to take home.

New for 2025, this year’s event will also include a fun fair, magic shows and balloonmodelling so that families can make the most of their day. Visitors will have the entire Shuttleworth site to explore, including all six hangars of their renowned collection of airworthy vintage aircraft and veteran vehicles. Families can also hop aboard one of Shuttleworth’s iconic vintage buses and enjoy a trip to Shuttleworth House, which will be open to the public across both days. shuttleworth.org

What did one hat say to the other? You wait here, I’ll go on a head.

Sloop Groggy Dogs in Concert – An Evening of Shanties, Sea Songs and Laughter!

Ahoy there, Shipmates!

Friday, 25 April Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm | Tickets: £20/VIP £40

Channel your inner Captain Jack Sparrow, Blackbeard or Admiral Nelson at this fundraising concert by Sloop Groggy Dogs, possibly the oldest ‘Boy Band’ in the world. These salty sea dogs will be singing shanties, sea songs and other crowd-pleasers all in aid of the Road Victims Trust and the RNLI. You are guaranteed an evening of great singing, audience involvement and laughter. Parrots, wooden legs and eye patches are optional but prizes will be awarded to those who attend in fancy dress!

A Celebration of the Caribbean Community in Bedford Friday, 25 April The Place Theatre @ 2pm | Tickets: £5

C.R.I.S.S, LOWD and The Higgins Bedford present a celebration of the Caribbean Community in Bedford.

Experience a day of celebration including exhibits, interviews, discussions, live music, poetry, drama, comedy, fashion and keynote speaker Lydia Saul. Plus much much more!

For more details and a full schedule of events visit theplacebedford.org

The Bedford Clanger / April 2025

Cultural Roots Weekender- A Reggae Sound System Story Saturday 26 April The Place Theatre @ 2pm | Tickets: £5

Day two of The Cultural Roots Weekender is all about the Reggae Sound System Story. A whole day jam-packed with debates, interviews, Q&A, live music, Sound System displays and demos, plus a pre-amp display.

Featuring the following: Lloyd Coxsone (Coxsone Outernational), Quakercity Sound, King Earthquake, Luv Injection Ft Winston Mexican, Saxon Sound Ft Mini Muscle, Iration Steppas, Cultural Roots Sound and Light, Mark Mostec (pre-amp Builder), Kutty “QSS” Qualitex Sound Builder, Robert Fearon aka RIBS (Unity / Fatman).

The Circus of Illustration: Drink and Draw Tuesday, 29 April The Park pub @ 7.30pm

If you want to flex your creative muscles, then what better place that the monthly Drink and Draw events hosted by The Circus of Illustration at The Park pub.

You’ll meet like-minded people and all materials are provided.

Keep an eye on the Circus’ social media channels to find out this month’s theme.

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THEATRE Comedy: Ignacio Lopez: Señor Self- Destruct Friday, 25 April 2025 8pm | Tickets: £20

At the Quarry Theatre this month…

Children’s Theatre: The Worst Princess Saturday, 5 April 2025 11.30am & 2pm | Tickets: from £8

Spain’s Best Export™ Ignacio Lopez is on a mission to destroy himself and build a better version: Leaner. Smarter. Funnier.

Join the star of Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, The Now Show and more, for a riotously funny exploration of vices, decadence, and self improvement.

Feisty Sue is not your everyday fairy tale superstar, in fact she’s The Worst Princess. After being rescued by her twit of a prince she’s ready to start her happy end. But first she’ll have to make friends with a dragon, escape from a tower and set the Prince’s pants on fire with her new fire-breathing bestie. Will Sue find her happily ever after?

At The Place Theatre this month…

Theatre: Alas! Poor Yorrick Saturday, 12 April 2025 7.30pm | Tickets: from £16

Comedy: Castle Comedy 13th Birthday Special Thursday, 10 April 2025 8pm | Tickets: £18

Castle Comedy celebrates its 13th Birthday with an all star line up headlined by Seann Walsh. Also on the bill is New Zealand comic, ​​Javier Jarquin, and Brummie Jules O’Brian.

If the Two Ronnies were cast as the Gravediggers in Shakespeare’s Hamlet re-written by Samuel Beckett you might have something like Alas! Poor Yorick. A modern, hilarious, and philosophical reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy—a compelling exploration of life and death through the eyes of the gravediggers.

Children’s Theatre: The Mystery of The Quarry Theatre

Theatre: The Lost Lionesses

Calling all trainee detectives! Join us for The Mystery of The Quarry Theatre, a brand new, board-game style theatre show where your skills are needed to solve this thrilling murder mystery. Team up with super sleuth Danyah Miller to examine evidence, inspect video footage, and interrogate suspects, every clue bringing you closer to the truth.

Based on true events, The Lost Lionesses tells the story of a Bedfordshire-based team of pioneering young women who travel to Mexico to play in the 1971 women’s football world cup in front of 90,000 people. After a run of sold out shows in London the team head home to Bedfordshire to share their story. Catch them while you can!

Friday, 11 April 2025 The Quarry @ 2.30pm | Tickets: from £11

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Tuesday, 15 April - Saturday, 19 April 2025 7.30pm | Tickets: from £16

Why do we tell actors to ‘break a leg’? Because every play has a cast.

Theatre: Whole

Theatre: Stage Write

Whole is a show about two people – one of them is on stage, the other isn’t. Emma has been looking for a way to fill the gaping hole her identical twin sister’s death has left behind. So, she thought she would make a show for them. Only it’s proving a little tricky because Emma doesn’t like doing things on her own.

Every night a volunteer from the audience will join Emma on stage to assist her in performing the show.

StageWrite is a hothouse for the development of new writing for theatre, designed to help plays grow from page to performance. It supports writers in the process of getting their work up on its feet and in front of an audience for the very first time. Every time StageWrite happens, it’s different – the nature of profiling brand new work!

Wednesday, 23 April 2025 7.30pm | Tickets: from £16

The Bedford Clanger / April 2025

Sunday, 27 April 2025 7.30pm | Tickets: from £5

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FILM Maria

Thursday, 10 April

Bedford Film Society

Angelina Jolie plays the iconic Maria Callas as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye.

Alfie

Stevington Village Hall, Court Lane, Stevington, MK43 7QT stevingtoncinemaclub.uk

Set in postwar London, ‘Alfie’ features Michael Caine as a chauffeur who impregnates his girlfriend and then takes off. A misfortune strikes and Alfie is forced to face the product of his ways.

Bedford Film Night Conclave

University of Bedfordshire @ 7.30pm | Tickets: £5 / members free

Tuesday, 1 April

Saturday, 26 April @ 7pm | Tickets: £5

Bedford Film Society, University of Bedfordshire, Polhill Avenue, MK41 9EA / bedfordfilmsociety.org.uk

Stevington Cinema Club

Stevington Village Hall | times and prices vary

Royal Opera House presents: Turandot Tuesday, 1 April

Puccini’s captivating opera of a cold-hearted princess and her mysterious suitor. Featuring the ever-popular ‘Nessun dorma’, this opera of love and revenge is brought to life in a dazzling production.

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Based on the best-seller by Thomas Harris, this Oscar awardwinning political thriller follows Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) as he organises a conclave to elect the next pope and finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about the major candidates.

St Andrew’s Church, Kimbolton Road, Bedford, MK40 2PF

What do you call an apology written in dots and dashes? A Re-Morse code.

LIVE MUSIC Danny Graceland - Elvis Tribute Sunday, 6 April The Cellar Bar @ 5pm | Free entry

Reggae: David Rodigan

Friday, 4 April Bedford Esquires @ 8pm | Tickets: £25

For over 35 years, David Rodigan has been the top dog in the ganja-scented, bass-heavy atmosphere of Britain’s reggae dance halls and this month he is coming to Bedford as part of Esquire’s 35th anniversary year.

Danny Graceland is an international, multi-award winning Elvis tribute artist bringing an authentic homage to the undisputed King of Rock’n’Roll.

FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR WINDOW COVERINGS

BOOK YOUR FREE HOME DESIGN CONSULTATION

Contact Ben, your local expert: 01234 731 146 bedford@shuttercraft.co.uk shuttercraft.co.uk

Bedford Clanger / April 2025 dford Print The V1.indd 1

03/10/2024 13:34:22

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Man/Woman/Chainsaw

Staying true to their roots and enduring all tests of time, GBH are English punk originals putting on an old (s)cool authentic punk rock show with irresistible high energy and jolly tribal camaraderie. Guest support comes from East Northants’ finest Sick on the Bus with an opening set from Bedford’s very own The Tendons.

Friday, 11 April Bedord Esquires @ 7.30pm | £12.50

Generation 5pan

Friday, 25 April The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm | Free entry Generation 5pan are back at The Cellar Bar playing a mix of rock/pop and blues covers from the 50s to the modern day.

Soul Factory - Sunday Afternoon Chillout with DJ Rocky & Guests Sunday, 27 April 2025 The Cellar Bar @ 3pm | Free entry Esquires’ 35th anniversary celebrations continue with the hotter-than-hot young British art-punk five-piece Man/Woman/ Chainsaw. This precociously talented band from London recently celebrated their 100th gig and are both joyous and raucous in equal measures.

The Soul Man

An afternoon of soul, RnB, Northern Soul, Motown vibes with Soul Factory. Happy Hour is also from 3pm now on a Sunday.

Cafe Danube Cellar Sessions

Sunday, 27 April 2025 The Quarry Theatre @ 6.30pm | Tickets from £10 (under 18s free)

Friday, 11 April The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm | Free entry One of the most well-known and loved local artists, The Soul Man (aka Peter Symphorien) performs soul classics from artists such as Barry White, Luther Vandross, George Benson, The Temptations, The Drifters and many more, with a few Reggae faves too.

CVC & Guests

Saturday, 12 April Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm | Tickets: £15 Inspired by the cellar at the Red Hedgehog Tavern in Vienna prepare to laugh, yell and maybe shed a tear with music from Bach and Johann Strauss to Donna Summer and Taylor Swift.

At the cellar, boundaries between genres become blurry as people are immersed in each other’s sound worlds. Here, as wine glasses set their own rhythms, the night invites distortions of time, and composers from the past meet composers from the future.

Legend – The Music of Bob Marley

Saturday 12 April Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm. Tickets: £32

The six-piece musical collective are influenced by Snoop Dogg, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Super Furry Animals and Red Hot Chili Peppers with a universal message of “peace and love and good times, stay real, stay true and that’s it.”

GBH + Sick On The Bus + The Tendons Friday, 11 April Bedford Esquires @ 7:30pm / £15

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When you think reggae, only one name comes to mind. Direct from a sell-out show at London’s Adelphi Theatre, Legend – the Music of Bob Marley is an unforgettable evening celebrating this musical icon in one fantastic stage show.

Combining his superb, distinctive vocals with flawless musicianship, a supremely talented cast recreate the timeless hits “Could You Be Loved”, “Is This Love”, “One Love”, “No Woman No Cry”, “Three Little Birds”, “Jammin’”, “Buffalo Soldier”, “Get Up Stand Up”, “I Shot the Sheriff” and many more reggae classics.

What do cows say when they hear a bad joke? I’m not amoosed.

THE PRINCE OF WALES

The Prince of Wales Pub / Image: The Prince of Wales

A taste of Nepal comes to Bromham Tucked away in the heart of Bromham, The Prince of Wales pub is bringing something new to the table - an authentic Nepalese dining experience alongside its much-loved traditional pub atmosphere.

This isn’t just any new venture. The team behind The Prince of Wales are seasoned pros, with eight pubs under their belt, all run by a group of five friends passionate about great food, drink, and hospitality. And the Bromham community has already given them a warm welcome, proving that this new chapter is off to a fantastic start.

Authentic Nepalese flavours in a classic pub setting The menu at The Prince of Wales offers a carefully crafted selection of Nepalese dishes, staying true to the authentic flavours you’d find in Nepal itself. The team say their rich, aromatic curries are perfectly spiced traditional dishes, and a chance for food lovers to explore a new world of taste without leaving Bedford Borough.

But don’t worry if you’re a fan of the pub’s classic offerings Sunday roasts and traditional lunches are staying firmly on the menu. In fact, the team told the Clanger they’re working on an exciting fusion menu, allowing diners to enjoy the best of both worlds.

A pub for all occasions Whether you’re after a casual pint, a hearty Sunday roast, or an evening of Nepalese cuisine, The Prince of Wales has it covered.

While they may have only been in place for a month, the team is looking at the long-term and are already planning live music nights, summer barbecues, and monthly quiz nights, ensuring there’s always something happening for the local community and beyond.

The Prince of Wales can be found at 8 Northampton Rd, Bedford MK43 8PE Monday – Sunday: 12pm – 11pm Lunch: 12pm – 3pm Evening: 5pm – 10pm Sunday Roast: 12pm – 4pm Bookings can be made via phone 01234 822447 or through their website princeofwalesbromham.com, walk-ins are always welcome.

For those who prefer to enjoy restaurant-quality food at home, The Prince of Wales also offers takeaway, with a 10% discount on collections.

Image: The Prince of Wales

The Bedford Clanger / April 2025

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HOMETOWN TOURIST

Slow down, take a step off the beaten track and become a Hometown Tourist this month…

Record Store Day

Saturday, 12 April @ 8am Slide Record Shop, The Old Arcade Record Store Day is here again, celebrating indie record shops and all things record shop culture. As ever, Slide Record Shop will be throwing a party with limited edition records, the legends from Roll Your Own Records on the decks and damn good vibes.

So whether you are an early bird queuer or a leisurely browser, head to the Old Arcade to celebrate.

Illustration by Katie Allen

Bedford Flea, Affordable Art and Local Produce Market Sunday, 13 April @ 10am - 3pm Harpur Square

It’s back and it’s what Sundays are made for! The first Bedford Flea, Affordable Art & Local Produce Market of the year takes place on Sunday, 13 April and this year, while St Paul’s Square gets some major TLC, the flea family is moving to Harpur Square.

The April market is the Flea’s Easter edition, so you’ll be able to stock up on a whole variety of treats for the bank holiday ahead, all while shopping small and supporting local. We’re hoping that the sun will shine so we can all browse and buy antiques, artwork, local produce, street food, refreshments and enjoy live music in some glorious spring weather.

Image: Bedford Flea

Ukrainian Folk Art and Heritage Exhibition Saturday, 12 April @ 11am The Higgins Bedford, Castle Lane

The Higgins is home to a new exhibition this month, featuring beautiful, colourful and regional antique costumes of Ukraine curated by a local Ukrainian artist.

The exhibition will showcase embroidered items including rushnyky (long embroidered cloths), serviettes and cushions plus stunning hand-decorated eggs and a chance to join an Easter egg hunt through the museum

Image: The Higgins Bedford

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What did the shark say when he ate the clownfish? This tastes a little funny.

GREAT BEDFORDIAN Best coffee or cuppa?

This month’s Great Bedfordian is Poonam Shah, the owner and optometrist at Humphriss & Burgess, a family-run opticians on Mill Street.

I tend to keep it local to work, so I either head to You for Coffee at The Arc, Frescoes or The Mill Yard Cafe. Always keen to support a fellow independent local business.

The practice has been part of Bedford’s community since 1946, with Deryck Humphriss and Fred Burgess first opening on Bedford High Street.

In 2012, Poonam and her husband, Rakesh (Raks) Shah, took over after moving to Bedford with their young children. Sadly, that same year, Raks was diagnosed with myelodysplasia (MDS), a rare blood cancer. Despite receiving a stem cell transplant in 2014, he passed away in December due to his advanced condition.

Since then, Poonam has been a passionate advocate for Anthony Nolan Trust, raising awareness and funds for stem cell donation.

Today, Poonam continues to lead Humphriss & Burgess, building lasting relationships with loyal patients and their families.

Name:

Poonam Shah

You For Coffee

Best gig you’ve seen in Bedford?

I love the summer concerts in Bedford Park, and local artist Alfie Templeman is definitely a favourite.

Ever read John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress?

No - a bit ashamed to say I haven’t but will add it to my list! Not sure it’s light light-hearted holiday reading though!?

Ever eaten a Bedfordshire Clanger?

Of course - and chocolate toothpaste! But I have to admit, I usually opt for more healthy options.

An off-the-beaten-track gem that everyone should know about?

Not sure it’s off the beaten track but I love walking or cycling to the Danish Camp. Also our little boat club in Oakley. Anywhere by the water really.

Best Bedfordian?

Poonam Shah / Image: Kelly Lambert

Fellow mum, businesswoman and all round lovely lady, Sophia Soul (Sophia Forrester).

Occupation:

Optometrist and owner of Humphriss & Burgess, Bedford’s oldest opticians based on Mill Street. I took over the business just over twelve years ago.

Born here or blow in?

Blew in, and I thank my stars every day that I did! My children and I have made life-long friends here.

Best breakfast in Bedford?

I don’t often have breakfast out but if I do, I’ll head down to Riverside Square to Bridges Espresso Bar or Albero Lounge.

Best boozer?

Image: Sophia Soul

Three words that best sum up Bedford?

Welcoming, home and hmm, ok it’s not one word or even three….

The most beautiful riverside location.

Hands down, it has to be Noble Rot! Humpriss & Burgess, 28a Mill Street, Bedford, MK40 3HD | 01234 354343 | humphrissandburgess.co.uk The Bedford Clanger / April 2025

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