BRCC has been engaged to support the creation of a Town Plan in Houghton Regis. We are holding an event at Houghton Regis Town Council offices on Wednesday 14th July at 7.30pm.

For more information please contact Jemma McLean on 01234 832617 or at jemmam@bedsrcc.org.uk

BRCC has embarked on a new partnership with the British Red Cross in Bedfordshire to deliver care and support to people referred by the new One Call service.

One Call is an innovative project set-up by the Bedfordshire Primary Care Trust and East of England Ambulance Service. It organises for volunteers to visit vulnerable people who need assistance in their home in times of crisis, for example after an illness, accident or on their discharge from a hospital. It is currently for residents in the Ivel Valley and Horizon PCT catchment areas.

The service is delivered by a team of Red Cross staff and volunteers who visit clients referred to them by health and social care teams. The new partnership with the BRCC complements and expands the Red Cross provision by enabling people living in rural villages to benefit from visits by volunteers in their neighbourhood, referred through BRCC’s Good Neighbour and Village Care Scheme Network.

As well as social and emotional support, the volunteers will undertake shopping, collecting prescriptions, assisting with food preparation, transporting people home from A & E and sign-posting to longer-term help if required.

Since One Call was launched in December beneficiaries have found the service has been of immense value. A recent beneficiary of the service commented: “Having a link with the outside world, the time they give to me, even when it is just some form of contact with the outside world, interacting with another human, this alone helps me, makes me feel normal, to laugh as well, aids my recovery and keeps me sane”

The service is delivered 365 days a year and it is hoped to extend the project across Bedfordshire in the future. The British Red Cross is always keen to recruit new volunteers to the service, and enquiries about volunteering can be made to Meenha Badhan, Red Cross Service Manager on 07921 872415 / 01234 341503 or e-mail mbadhan@redcross.org.uk

Special train services are operating throughout the Bedford River Festival weekend (17th - 18th July) on the Marston Vale Line (Bedford to Bletchley). These have been arranged by the Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership (MVCRP). We are encouraging festival-goers to 'go green' and let the train take the strain. Train services (subject to final confirmation) are:

Saturday 17th July - normal hourly service operating throughout the day. (Hop off at the Official Festival Station Bedford St. Johns for the short walk along the river to the Festival Site.) Late Saturday 17th sees the special ‘Fireworks Flyer’ leaving Bedford Midland at 23:10 and Bedford St. Johns at 23:13, then calling at all stations to Bletchley, arriving at 23:53.

On Sunday 18th July – there's usually no Sunday service on the Bedford to Bletchley line but the MVCRPS has arranged a special hourly service from 11am (from Bletchley) throughout the day. Timings will be provided on the MVCRP website nearer the time.

Special Rate tickets for Families are available for families travelling by train - for example peak day return fare between Milton Keynes Central and Bedford (change at Bletchley) is just £6.50 with children between 5 and 15 travelling at £3.25 (under 5s go free). Even greater savings can be got with the London Midland GroupSave ticket for example four adults can travel for the price of two. And if kids are in the party, up to four children can travel with the group for just £1 each.

Further info and confirmation of times will be found nearer the festival date on the MVCRP website at www.marstonvalecommunityrail.org.uk or contact Stephen Sleight at BRCC - email stephens@bedsrcc.org.uk | tel: 01234 832645

Download the complete timetable here (340KB PDF)

The official River Festival website is: http://www.bedfordevents.co.uk/river_festival.asp

Garden Open Day will be held at Great Close Field, Church Farm, Church Street on Sunday 18 July – 2.00pm – 5.00pm

Come along and relax in the garden. Enjoy: fresh organic produce for sale, children’s activities, live music, a tour of the garden, and delicious refreshments

For more information please email Duntongarden@btinternet.com,
telephone 01767 313898, or visit www.duntoncommunitygarden.org

Central Bedfordshire Council has set up a new initiative where residents can sign up for notifications when the Council is consulting on specific issues and services. The Council considers the views of residents when making decisions about local services and wants to make it easier for you to know when they are consulting on issues that are important to you.

Just tell the Council which services and activities you are interested in and provide your contact details. The Council will contact you when they are consulting on issues that are important to you and let you know how you can get involved.

You can complete a registration form online at
www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultationregister
or you can telephone 0300 300 8162

(To find out more about Consultations at Central Bedfordshire Council, visit:
www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk and click on Consultations from the home page.)

This is a unique opportunity to increase Foundation East's own CLT assets working in partnership with local community groups, to facilitate the development of other local CLT's and to promote the CLT sector in the East of England region. To find out more about this position please download an application pack online at: www.foundationeast.org

Alternatively contact Katy Ford, Chief Executive. Telephone 0845 293 7751
or E-mail: katy.ford@foundationeast.org

Closing Date: Monday 26th July 2010 at 5pm.

Interviews will be held in Bury St Edmunds on Friday 6th August 2010
(Please note CVs alone will not be considered.)