A (Belated) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

You may have noticed this website has been a bit quiet in the last 10 days or so. Apologies for that - following the update of the site during the weekend before last, it was not possible to update it for a while. It's all up, running and fully functional now, allowing me a belated chance to offer everyone a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I wrote a short piece in the Times and Citizen Newspaper shortly before Christmas on what the Council was doing in the run-up to Christmas and on the importance of supporting our town centre in this period and throughout the year. For those who didn't catch it at the time, I have pasted it below:

I don't wish to alarm anyone who has yet to start their Christmas shopping, but the festive season is of course well and truly upon us. The run-up to Christmas has seen all sorts of events taking place across Bedford Borough. In our rural and urban communities, people have been joining together to enjoy carol concerts, fairs, parties and much more.

Meanwhile, the Council has put on a range of events to make sure Bedford is the place to be this Christmas. These events are a wonderful chance for people to come together and share in the Christmas spirit, while they also bring great benefits to the local economy, attracting more people into Bedford. The lights switch-on saw thousands of local residents, in particular families with children, braving extraordinarily cold weather to enjoy a spectacular show, while the expanded Victorian Fair last weekend added a real sense of fun and variety for Christmas shoppers.

Vandals have tried to dampen the festive spirit in town, firstly by breaking one of the town centre Christmas trees and then ripping the lights from another. I am pleased to say that the culprits were caught on CCTV as they ripped at the lights, while we replaced the damaged tree at the junction of Harpur Street and Lime Street almost immediately. We won't let the vandals spoil things for everyone else.

We are rallying behind local businesses this Christmas and throughout the year with our new 'Buy in Bedford' campaign, which I have launched to help raise awareness of the fantastic range of retailers we have across the Borough. By supporting our local businesses, we can all play our part in boosting the local economy, protecting the environment and helping to preserve the character and vitality of our communities.

Christmas is of course a time when we remember those less fortunate than ourselves. One of my chosen Mayor's Charities this year is Bedford Concern for the Homeless and Rootless, and I am supporting their excellent Christmas Relief in Bedford campaign as they seek to raise £30,000 for their work with the homeless and vulnerable in our community. Details are online at www.prebendcentre.org.uk

I wish you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy Christmas.