Bedford Players Trust

Tastes Like Home
2024-02-25 12:30 - 17:00 UTC | The Place Bedford, Bradgate Road, Bedford, MK40 3DE, United Kingdom
Embarking on a flavour-packed adventure in Bedford, Tastes Like Home is a culinary journey spanning Winter and Spring 2023/24. Generously flavoured with funding by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to the awesome National Lottery players, and heaped with a generous portion of funding from Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone for Bedford.
Meet the Chefs:
Radhika Aggarwal, our London-based Creative Producer, is a true artist in the kitchen of creativity—she’s into theatre-making, sound artistry, music, and activism. Stirring things up with her devised, ensemble-led work, she founded Echo Chamber Audio, a hub for aural storytelling and sound.
Alex Levene, our Bedford-based sous-chef, who’s been orchestrating activities at The Place Bedford from 2017-2023 and is now leading WordSetFree, where performance meets spoken word, games, civic engagement, and publishing.
Project Tasting Notes:
Tastes Like Home is on a mission to uncover and share the delicious memories of food and drink ingrained in the taste buds of Bedford and its residents. Picture this: we’re hunting for stories spiced up with flavours from old restaurants, markets, stores, and corner shops. And guess what? We’re cooking up a storm with local independent establishments to engage all sorts of taste buds and unravel memories tied to the universal feast that binds us together—nourishment.
We invite you to become co-creators in this heritage arts project, utilising storytelling, shared food, and music to delve into the concepts of ‘home,’ ‘place,’ and ‘heritage,’ exploring their personal significance. We believe that food and drink are the secret ingredient for stirring the mixing pot of cultural heritage, fermenting social identity, and a brewing sense of belonging. Often overlooked in the historical narrative, the transient nature of shops, markets, and restaurants has concealed significant portions of Bedford’s story, particularly the contributions of working-class communities who have chosen to make their homes here in Bedford over the years.
Exploring Bedford’s High Street & Town Centre, known for its diverse dining options, we aim to lay out the historical links between the changing use of our buildings & the changing role of food in our identity & culture. With its smorgasbord of restaurants & mini-markets catering to diaspora communities, we hope to lift the lid on the diverse palette of Bedford and share the ingredients list of food & drink that have formed Bedford’s Cultural Identity in the 21st Century. Exploring Bedford’s High Street & Town Centre, known for its diverse dining options, we aim to lay out the historical links between the changing use of our buildings & the changing role of food in our identity & culture. With its smorgasbord of restaurants & mini-markets catering to diaspora communities, we hope to lift the lid on the diverse palette of Bedford and share the ingredients list of food & drink that have formed Bedford’s Cultural Identity in the 21st Century. Our project seeks to engage people from all backgrounds, with a focus on our more seasoned residents which includes our Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Italian, African and Polish communities, seen non homogeneously to include all the shared heritage Bedford offers.
Ready for the Culinary Quest? Join Us! This project is our secret recipe to map and savour our ‘semi-intangible’ cultural heritage. We’re stirring up stories of migration, settlement, and the crucial role of food and drink in British history. We want to hear your tales—like, what’s the first restaurant you remember filling your belly in Bedford? Which old cafes & pubs are etched in your memory on the High Street? Where did you take your first-date on a South Asian flavour adventure? Spill the beans on your childhood market escapades. Where did Momma’s secret Hot Sauce ingredient really come from? Where was Bedford’s first Polish mini-market to stuff your face with Kiełbasa? Which restaurant added the first dash of Italian spice to Bedford? Etc
What’s On The Menu?
During 2024, participants & the local public will contribute to creating a map of sites of “intangible heritage,” weaving together stories into an evolving web of cultural significance. These vital cultural landmarks will form a digital map available online.
Tastes Like Home supports local participants to craft written material—songs, poems, short stories, dialogues—inspired by crucial food heritage locations in Bedford. These narratives aim to ground individuals in experiences, offering a glimpse into diverse rituals and relationships surrounding food.
Collaborators producing content for the trail will be compensated for their time to attend workshops that will help develop their stories and at the end of the workshops participants will be offered the choice of narrating their own contributions, or working with local performers to give voice to these stories. After which they will be blended together by Radhika & her audio wizard team at Echo Chamber, adding their own special audio ingredients, to create an aural feast for the ears on a story trail throughout Bedford Town Centre.
This Audio Trail will be available to the public through the Overhear mobile app as they walk around the town, with each story tied to a relevant point on the map.
We will be hosting a project launch event during February Half-Term at The Place Bedford. This will feature some of the recorded stories, as well as live performances & activities. Stay tuned for the delicious details in January 2024.
This Audio Trail isn’t just a quick bite—it’s a full meal deal! It’ll be active until December 2024, and to spice things up, WordSetFree is organising four guided meetups during Easter holidays 2024. Join us for a tasty adventure, learn more about the stories, and let’s shine a spotlight on local food-related businesses. Get ready to spice up your calendar!

The Magic of Everyday - Orphan Pixel Co.
2023-12-02 08:00 - 2024-01-27 17:00 | To Be Announced
Look out for 2 locations hidden across the High Street popping up this Autumn & Winter.
This video installation project uses visual storytelling, embedded into High Street buildings that tell the hidden, every-day stories of the people & business owners that have lived & worked on the High Street as it changes and develops.
This project seeks to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, drawing on ideas of silent cinema to tell short stories through video.

Bedford È Bella
2023-09-30 11:00 - 15:00 | The Higgins Bedford
Join local artist Marisa Straccia for an interactive workshop celebrating Bedford’s Italian connections. Come and reimagine Bedford High Street using architectural elemnets from the Italian Renaissance. How would Bedford look remade in grand Italian marble with columns, arches and domes? Using drawing and photo collage to discover more about their famous buildings whilst transforming the High Street into an Italian fairy tale. All materials provided. Suitable for 6 to 12year olds. (Use promotional code HIGGINS30 to avoid any transaction fee when booking your place.)
Event organised by Dr Selena Daly (University College London) in conjunction with the Higgins Bedford, supported by High Street Heritage Action Zone, funded by Historic England through Bedford Borough Council.

Creating Together - Utopia MAS
2023-09-30 | The Higgins Bedford
Creating together is about bringing together and welcoming all abilities and ages to create special pieces of artwork that reflect iconic landmarks of Bedford High Street. Over two weekends in September 2023, Utopias Mas Uk will run drop-in workshops at the Higgins. Large scale circular structures as a canvas, will be decorated using traditional paint and colouring
materials as well as carnival art materials like gems, braids, sequin,
feathers, foils, etc,.

Growing up Italian - Selena Daly
2023-09-23 11:00 - 13:00 | The Higgins Bedford
Do you have Italian heritage or a connection to the Italian community of Bedford? Join us to share your memories and stories from the last 60 years! Please bring along any photographs or objects that you’d like to share.
Limited places are available. To book your place, please telephone 01234 718618 and ask to speak to Lydia Saul or email her

BCA The Vault Digital High Street game - Bedford Creative Arts
2023-09-01 - 2023-09-30 | Online
The Vault Game is an interactive puzzle that explores key landmarks and invites viewers to learn about the high street in a fun and interactive way. The game is based on a local urban myth that a bank vault is still buried underneath the site of the old bank. In 2021, Bedford Creative Arts commissioned Julian Beever, a world-renowned illusion artist, to create an illusionary 3D artwork at the site of the Old Bank in Bedford.
We are working with digital artist Clemance Debaig and her team of designers, in partnership with Bedford College and their students to create The Vault Game. The Vault Game invites users to explore key landmarks on Bedford High Street by uncovering clues and solving mysteries about Bedford High Street. To complete the game, users must collect all clues and return to The Vault.
Students from Bedford College will collect stories from residents and archives to populate the game with clues. The game will be available to download on Friday 1 September 2023.

Drawing Bedford Together - Circus of Illustration
2023-08-19 | Harpur Square, Harpur Square, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1AR, United Kingdom
The Circus of Illustration have commissioned a collection of new illustrations inspired by Bedford’s High Street for an exciting new zine titled Drawing Bedford Together. In pairing local experienced and aspiring artists together, the legacy of the project will be felt far beyond its completion and will culminate with a celebratory drawing event in the town centre for families.
The event will be on Saturday 19th August where copies of the zine will be available!
The Circus of Illustration are an informal collective of illustrators and creatives, dedicated to promoting drawing and illustration in Bedford and the surrounding area. We currently host a monthly Drink and Draw for anyone interested in drawing.

Take to the Streets - Kaye Mahoney
2023-07-22 11:30 - 15:30 | Across Bedford Town Centre, Bedford
Join us for an afternoon of enjoyable entertainment as Bedford’s talented performers ‘take to the streets’ and perform at locations around the High Street. Featuring an exciting and eclectic mix of local acts from opera to circus to Bollywood, there will be something for everyone in this event celebrating Bedford and its people.
From 11.30am, by the ‘Reflections of Bedford’ statue in Silver Street
Opus 18 Community Choir – Opus 18 is a fun, friendly and welcoming adult community choir in Bedford. Our ethos is that everyone has a voice, everyone is valued and everyone is welcome. The choir is led by Evelyn Sutherland and accompanist Clare Sugars. Opus 18 Community Choir Bedford home page
Taeja & Elvis Veira, Soulful R&B – A Bedford based father & daughter duo, with Taeja having her first gig with her father at the age of 7 years old. Elvis has been singing since the age of 8 and in 1988 was signed by record company Beatbox International and had music pushed worldwide. https://freestylerecords.bandcamp.com/album/sexy-lady
From 1pm, next to Bedford Town Bridge, by the river, opposite the Market
Spikey Will, the Man of Danger – Will is a professional speciality act juggler, street performer and corporate entertainer. His variety of acts include his comedy street show, which makes him a loved regular street performer at Covent Garden, and which he will perform for ‘Take to the Streets.’ https://coventgardenentertainment.co.uk/performers/spikey-will/
Andrea Tweedale, Operatic Soprano – Local soprano Andrea, of Bedford based events company Castle Events, will sing some of Opera’s most beautiful arias. https://www.castleeventsbedford.com
From 2.30pm, in Harpur Square
Promethidion Polish Song & Dance – Promethidion is a children’s song and dance group whose main mission is promoting Polish culture and traditions in the local community. The group always performs in Poland’s colourful and vibrant national costumes – “Stroje Krakowskie”. Promethidion – PBIC Bedford
Nritham Dance Academy – Nritham Dance Academy, based in Bedford with 13 centres around East Anglia, has been teaching all forms of Indian Classical, Indian Folk and Bollywood dances for the past 15 years in the UK. We have been part of major events organised by various Councils like Bedford River Festival, Kettfest, Northampton Diwali, Cambridge Mela and Stevenage Day to name a few, and also conduct various workshops in and around schools. We are looking forward to bring a selection of dances to this show. Nritham Dance Academy – Home

BigFitParty - Luma
2023-07-08 08:00 - 17:00 | Harpur Square, Harpur Square, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1AR, United Kingdom
Luma Community brings a day of celebrating High Street Heritage and Culture with a range of fitness activities and musical demonstrations from community groups across areas of the Heritage Action Zone.
There will be open Indian percussion lessons led by our local teachers and students with opportunities for all to have a try. Harpur square will be full of energetic demonstrations from spiral free runners bringing a popular new dimension of fitness activities to the town. Finally there will be two opportunities to sign up for an outdoor Boxing fitness class led by our friends at Fightklub Bedford who will certainly be putting you through your paces with a fun high intensity workout!
Throughout the day there will be music promoting our vast array of ethnic diversity and culture across our High Street over the years. Join us for a day of fun and fitness, celebrating our towns Heritage and multicultural population.
10:00 – 11:00 – Spiral Free Runners Demonstration with DJ (Harpur Square)
11:00 – 12:00 – Dhol Demonstration and Try out with Public (The Faces)
12:00 – 13:00 – Fight Club Bedford Fitness Class with Band (Harpur Square)
13:30 – 14:30 – Spiral Free Runners Demonstration with DJ (Harpur Square)
14:30 – 15:30 – Dhol Demonstration and Try out with Public (The Faces)
15:30 – 16:30 – Fight Club Bedford Fitness Class with Band (Harpur Square

Memories of Mandela - Invisible Folk
2023-04-07 08:00 - 2024-03-31 17:00
On April 7th 2000 Nelson Mandela came to Bedford to rededicate the bust of his friend and mentor Trevor Huddleston who was born in Bedford in 1913. The visit lasted less than an hour but it made a lasting impression on everyone who was there. Invisible Folk tracked down some of those people and asked them for their memories, we collected them together to create this podcast. As well as talking to people who were on the streets of Bedford that day we also hear the story of how the visit actually came about.
During research we located a YouTube film with 10 minutes of television hightlights sourced from both ITV (Anglia) and BBC (East of England). Can you spot your younger self?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKHG4F0rBfI
