MARCH 2019
YOUR FREE COPY — PRICELESS
EVERY SUNDAY S Starts soon!
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2 HOURS FREE CAR PARKING HITS A WALL
INSIDE: OUT AND ABOUT n SPORT n AROUND YOUR CLUBS n LOCAL NEWS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
FooTFAll in Bedford town centre in 2018 fell by 710,000 compared to 2017. This is despite projections of increased activity from the Riverside North development.
At a Full Council meeting on February 6, 2019, the Conservative Group on the council proposed a fully costed amendment to the proposed 2019/20 budget which would have introduced two hours free parking every day in the town centre – for a trial period.
Cllr David Fletcher commenting said: “The recently announced closure of Marks & Spencer and the threat to other big stores this seems like common sense to me.” “Given that people in Bedford have been advocating more free parking for years, the adoption of this policy would have been a big vote winner for the Mayor!” Bedford town centre would be given a ‘huge boost’ under plans from the Council’s Conservatives to provide two hours free parking every day. The proposals would provide: l Two hours free car parking every day in the Council’s multi-storey car parks.
l A subsidy for sixth form pupils’ school transport, reducing the cost of an annual bus pass from £890 to £500. The sixth form school transport subsidy was removed in September 2017. This saw the cost of a bus pass rise by 133% from £381 to £890. Decreasing the cost of a bus pass to £500 a year would make bus travel far more affordable and as a result reduce pollution and congestion with fewer cars. The Mayor’s office was contacted regarding the reasoning behind the rejection of the two amendments to the budget but no answer was received at the time of going to press.
Two in prestigious TES awards
A DynAMiC duo from The Bedford College Group have been shortlisted in the prestigious Times Educational Supplement (TES) Awards. Finance Director Pat Jones (left) and Samantha Jones (right) will be joining the cream of the crop in the educational sector at a glittering ceremony on March 22nd at The Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. Last year The Bedford College Group was bathed in glory when Keith Jones won the top prize in the apprenticeship training category. The Group provides training for
more than 2,000 apprentices each year across Bedfordshire and northamptonshire. Keith is based at Tresham College which became part of the group in August 2017. “Winning awards is second nature to staff from the Bedford College Group who have a trophy cabinet of glittering prizes to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their expertise in education. To be short-listed in this national forum is recognition in itself of the quality of these two key staff members,” said Principal and CEO ian Pryce CBE. Since Pat Jones has been
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£4400 raised for ‘Beads of Courage’
Left to right: Rebecca Bedford (Complex Health Nurse); Tracey Nuttycombe (Specialst Community Nursery Nurse; Samantha Williamson (Cancer Research Local Fund Raising Manager); Gary Ingerson (President AFC Kempston and Bedford College); Michaela Martindale, (FACE); Maria Nowshadi (Team Leader CCN Team Leader); and Mags Hirst (Play Specialist).
AFC Kempston and Bedford College held a Gala Charity Ball last October to raise money in memory of Mick Birch. President of AFC Kempston, Gary ingerson and Michaela Martindale were the driving forces behind the event. The sum of over £4,400 was raised, split equally between Cancer Research and the ‘Beads’. Mick Birch and Gary served in the RAF together. Laterly he worked at the CCS nHS trust who felt passionately about the Beads after meeting some of the children, seeing their Beads and hearing their stories. He committed to fundraising to
establish the Bead programme for Bedfordshire but sadly suddenly passed away before this could happen. His friends and family have stepped in to ensure that his plans could come to fruition and it will be a wonderful Legacy to Mick that the programme will be running from end of March. The Beads of Courage programme provides children with chronic and life limiting conditions with Beads that recognise their journey. The Beads help to decrease illness related distress, increases the use of positive coping strategies.