Bid4Better funding

£15,000 is available for a project to make a difference to serious violence in the Bedford and Kempston area.

Have you got ideas for a project but haven't got the money to get a project off the ground?

Bedfordshire Police are giving up to £15,000 to the community to decide how it is spent. The money is to be used to support local groups to assist in reducing and preventing the impact of serious violence. The community will decide who wins the bid.

Online information sessions will be held on Wednesday 24 February and Monday 1 March, all at 18:00. Contact Bid4Better@gmail.com for the link to join a session.

Bids MUST have a connection to at least one of the following themes that will help reduce serious violence in the long run:

• Supporting Families
• Benefiting Young People
• Improving Communities

Members of the public, local groups and small charities can put in a bid for the money which has to be spent on either supporting families, improving communities or benefiting young people in reducing violence in the Bedford urban and Kempston urban areas.

Any community group or resident can bid for a share of the grant in order to address issues around serious violence within the Bedford urban and Kempston urban areas (which consists of the following wards: Harpur, De Parys, Brickhill, Putnoe, Goldington, Newnham, Castle, Bedford town centre, Queens Park, Kingsbrook, Cauldwell and Kempston urban).

The event is called Bid4Better and the final will be on Saturday 17th April at 14:00 online via zoom. Bidders will be asked to present their bid via a pre-recorded video to the community at the online event and members of the community shall vote on each bid as it is shown. The winning bid shall then receive the money that they bid for their project.

A bidding pack is available with all the details needed. If you don't wish to make a bid yourself but would like to be involved then please do come along on the day to vote and be part of the community having their say.

If you would like more information on how to do this then please email bid4better@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page @bid4better.