This week, the Bedford Borough Community Safety Partnership will be running a ‘Week of Action’ in the Midland Road and Tavistock Street areas.
Every day from Monday 1st - Saturday 6th October, Bedford Borough Council, Bedfordshire Police, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service will be working in partnership with the local community to concentrate on ways to help improve the two areas and this will include activities and events that local residents and businesses can be involved in.
There will be opportunities for local residents and businesses to get advice about loan-sharks, money lending and legal issues, and speak to people from organisations including the Borough Council, Police, Fire & Rescue, Community Safety, Credit Union, Neighbourhood Watch, Path 2 Recovery, BPHA, the Victims Hub and local councillors. They will work in partnership with organisations including ACCM UK, Prebend Day Centre, local schools, residents’ groups, the Salvation Army and others.
Ward councillors, police and the community safety team will be holding a number of Help and Advice sessions. There will also be coffee mornings at ACCM UK on Woburn Road, and free wellbeing checks. There is also the chance to try a free taster ‘Silver Stetson Line Dancing’ session at Tavistock Community Centre, a free gym taster session at Samson’s Gym in Midland Road, or take part in a free football session for under 18s at the Commercial Road sports pitch. Community litter picks will also be held in both Midland Road and Tavistock Street areas during the week, with all volunteers welcome.
Cllr Colleen Atkins, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety said, “The Community Safety Partnership has listened to the concerns of these two communities and the Week of Action is an opportunity for everyone to work closely together to find and deliver solutions that will bring benefit to both these areas well into the future. So if you would like to talk with someone from the partnership, hear more about the work of everyone involved, speak with Credit Union about your money worries, get some free legal advice, or just get to know more about your local area please do come along.”
Inspector Paul Ayling from Bedfordshire Police said “This initiative is aiming to address issues raised to us by our residents. We often run Operation Highgate, which focuses on tackling street drinking, homelessness and begging as this is a prevalent concern affecting the Midland Road and Tavistock Street areas of Bedford. This week of action showcases how we are working with our partners to tackle the problems in these hotspot areas.”
Station Commander Stefan Gardner-Potter, Fire Safety South Area Office, added: “It’s important that we continue to work closely with professional partners and the local community in looking to resolve issues of anti-social behaviour in area such as Midland Road and Tavistock Street. These issues won’t be solved overnight but in listening to the local community and with their support, we can look to address issues and solve them together. This is an excellent opportunity for the residential and business communities in the area to seek advice and guidance on Fire Safety from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. We will be working with our partner agencies to promote safety, wellbeing and compliance. These events need community participation to succeed and all our advice is free of charge, so please support the event by coming to talk to us.”
Local residents and business of the Tavistock Street and Midland Road areas will have received a timetable of the planned events for the week, with dates, times and location through their letterbox, and this is available online at www.bedford.gov.uk
For updates on activities during the week, you can follow the Bedford Borough Community Safety Partnership on twitter at @safer_Bedford, and Bedford Borough Council on twitter at @bedfordtweets and on facebook at @bedfordboroughcouncil
