Save the dates – the 2022 Shefford Community Festival will take place between Friday 16th September and Sunday 25th September. We look forward to seeing you!

When we started the Community Festival it was just an idea which a few people thought was a ” good idea” – it was certainly a new approach to supporting the way we all enjoy being in Shefford. It took a lot of work and a lot of talking (still does!) and we had to cancel in 2020, although signature events went ahead on their own – well done Lesley and Jo with the Garage Sale Trail and the Scarecrow Festival.

But understanding if the Festival is meeting its aim has always been difficult to judge – so it has been especially gratifying and helpful to receive positive and unsolicited, feedback – which has come my way in recent months.

So I want to say thank you to all the people who have gone out of their way to give that positive feedback – for example to the lady who expressed ” I want to congratulate you on what you have achieved with the Festival.”

With any project which depends on goodwill, there will always be a range of responses so it is really supportive to get the positive along with the negative – it makes all the effort worthwhile. I think it shows that in a very “community” way we, as a town are coming together to do something which makes life a bit more enjoyable.

I am very much looking forward to an even bigger/better program in September 2022 – so there are three ways that you can contribute:

• Be a participant – run an activity or event
• As a business, you can sponsor the festival
• Join the fun – be a visitor

Now is a great time to think of what you might do to participate – take a couple of months – then having created the intention and a “back of the envelope plan” please let me know by registering on the website here. If you would like to join our sponsors then please email or phone 07860 218334 – the more sponsorship we have then the more promotion we can do.

I popped into the STMA family/bouncy castle afternoon – and it was buzzing! So lovely to see an event being that successful, with so many kids and parents enjoying themselves.

Good luck with the Discos this evening and the movie afternoon at 3.30  tomorrow.

This week I have  been in the habit of taking a daily look at the Festival program, and yesterday evening that led me to the STMA pub quiz games event, along with an enthusiastic group of teams competing for the £50 cash prize. The STMA committee have recently completely refurbished the main hall and installed sound proofing, wall coverings and curtains for improved utility. So together with a low cost bar the venue is a very attractive centre for community activities.

What a good start to this year’s community festival – and a reminder that it really is a grassroots-up sort of thing – all the events are independent and come about because people in Shefford want them.

On Friday afternoon I enjoyed a cup of coffee at St Michaels Church cafe and then, like many others, we had an enjoyable evening at EAT feast in it’s new regular location. On Saturday I joined the steady stream of families walking around town with maps in hand to check out the Garage Sale Trail ( record numbers of stalls – yea! ) and the Scarecrow festival with it’s £50 prize.

The Family Fun Day at the Railway Steamer with it’s dog show and bouncey castle certainly went well on Saturday – and was still going in spirit when I visited for Sunday lunch the next day.

Events that all came together under the Festival banner because individuals made them happen – so I am hoping to get along this evening to the STMA at 7.00 for the Meppershall Players.

We are delighted that Rose Buds at Duck Lane have been inspired to create an amazing new Mars Shake in honour of the Festival – available just for festival week it is a marvellous concoction of delicious caramel chocolatey shake topped with whip cream, chocolate syrup, a dusting of chocolate powder & (most importantly) a mini mars!

It is great that EAT Feast are helping to launch the Shefford Community Festival this afternoon – so that the Beds Camera Club and the Scarecrow Festival people can get some wonderful street food at the end of their first day – along with the rest of us foodie enthusiasts!