Local Links to useful organisations

Web Link

Brief description of organisation

Bedford Advice Forum

(The Forum is currently investigating setting up a website)

Bedford Advice Forum promotes the provision and quality of advice services in Mid and North Bedfordshire.  Membership of the forum is open to organisations who provide advice is those areas.  

For further information about the forum, membership and dates of its quarterly meetings, please contact the Secretary: Len Simkins on 01234 360607.

Bedford Borough Council’s Community Welfare Unit

www.bedford.gov.uk/Default.aspx/Web/CommunityWelfare

The Community Welfare Unit site has been developed to give the residents of the borough easy access to information about the services which are provided. The Unit works to alleviate poverty and, as part of the Councils Anti Poverty Strategy, actively encourage applications from those who are entitled to receive benefit. You can find out where your nearest outreach session is or who to contact at the Town Hall to receive help with completing your application form for housing & council tax benefit.

 

Bedford Credit Union Ltd

www.bedfordcreditunion.co.uk 

Bedford Credit Union Ltd has been established since 1998 and has grown from a few interested people wanting to help others in their local community to a union of over 500 members who benefit from saving and borrowing money together.

The objectives of the credit union are:

  1. to encourage members to save regularly;

  2. to provide low cost loans to members;

  3. to encourage careful money management among members;

  4. to develop a sense of co-operation in the local community.

The aim is to increase awareness in our local community of the benefits that members can gain from saving together, re-cycling our money in our own community, helping each other and helping ourselves.

Bedfordshire Child Poverty Action Group

www.bedscpag.org.uk 

Bedfordshire CPAG is committed to campaigning to eradicate poverty affecting children and families in Bedfordshire.

The group's objectives are:

1.  to raise profile of local and national poverty issues through the full range of media

2.  to provide information and analysis about local and national poverty issues

3.  to give voice to children and families experiencing poverty

4.  to influence policy and practice of organisations and individuals where the policy and practice will effect the quality of life of children and families in poverty

5.  to monitor policy and practice which will effect the quality of life of children and families in poverty

6.  to alleviate, and then eradicate, poverty in Bedfordshire.

 
Bedfordshire County Council

www.bedfordshire.gov.uk

For information on the Council's work and services.

Bedford Information Zone

www.bedfordinfozone.org 

The Bedford Information Zone was developed in partnership with the Bedford Primary Care Trust and Bedford Healthy Living Initiative.

 

Bedfordshire Libraries

 www.bedfordshire.gov.uk   click libraries

Bedfordshire Libraries offers free services to all. Loans of books, spoken word cassettes, CDs DVDs, videos. Free use of computers, including "Meet the Computer" and "Silver surfers" training sessions. Online information
services, You and Your Community website, Virtual homework centre. Free non threatening buildings, newspapers, foreign language material. Basic skills
information including specialist staff who run drop in sessions.

Bedfordshire Funding Advice Bureau

www.bedfordshirefunding.org.uk

 Offers funding advice, and also support with applications

Bedfordshire Rural Affairs Forum

www.braf.org.uk 

There are many organisations and networks within Bedfordshire working to deliver rural services, provide support for rural communities and protect and promote the environment and countryside.  Bedfordshire Rural Affairs Forum (BRAF) has over 30 organisations in its membership, representing a wide range of rural interests, and aims to provide a single coordinated voice to speak up for Bedfordshire’s rural communities and environment. 

 

Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC)

www.bedsrcc.org.uk 

BRCC cares about the people who live and work in the rural parts of the county. BRCC employs a dedicated team who work with people both at a local level and through joint strategic alliances to ensure that the rural voice is heard.

 

Bedfordshire & Luton Compact

www.bedsandlutoncompact.org.uk

Information on how statutory sector and voluntary and  community groups have signed up to a working agreement to strengthen understanding and partnership working.

 

Bedfordshire & Luton Learning & Skills Council

www.lsc.gov.uk/regions/EastofEngland

 Includes information on funding for community projects with learning focus

Bedfordshire and  Hertfordshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (EEAC)

FREEPHONE: 0800 512 012 (if calling from within Bedfordshire or Hertfordshire)

Living in a cold, damp home is detrimental to health and can increase the risk of respiratory and cardio-vascular illnesses. Beds & Herts EEAC provides independent and impartial advice to help local residents to identify ways to save money on their heating bills; pointing them the right direction of any Government Grant or Discount scheme for loft and cavity wall insulation, and heating measures that are available.

  

Mid Bedfordshire Citizens Advice Bureau

www.midbedscab.org.uk

For information on accessing CAB services

Mid Bedfordshire Council for Voluntary Services

www.midbedscvs.org.uk

 Providing support and guidance for community and voluntary organisations in Mid Bedfordshire.

Mid Bedfordshire Credit Union (Development)

 

For information on the development of a Credit Union for Mid Bedfordshire, please click the following link

Mid Bedfordshire District Council

www.midbeds.gov.uk

 The new revamped site goes live in July – lots of new community info on it – links to community groups; Community Dev/Safety pages, etc
Voluntary Organisations Consortium

http://www.voluntaryworks.org.uk/Portal/FamilyNetwork.asp

 

The Voluntary Organisations Consortium (VOC) is a network of Voluntary and Community Sector organisations delivering services in and around Bedfordshire which support children, young people and families.

 

These organisations are positively working in partnership with each other and statutory and private agencies to ensure positive outcomes for children and young people, aiming to ensure they are aware of the opportunities available to them and have the support needed to utilise them – participating, learning, achieving and succeeding.

 

What do they do?

Disseminate important and relevant information.

Advocate on behalf of and for the benefit of the sector at all meetings.

Represent the Sector as and when necessary to ensure they are not excluded.

Encourage positive working relationships between the statutory and voluntary and community sector.

Support agencies to deliver on the 5 ECM outcomes to the best of their ability.

 

The VOC continually DARES to positively challenge issues that directly involve those working within the Voluntary and Community Sector in collaboration with all of the other locally established Voluntary and Community Sector infrastructure organisations.

 

 

If you would like to have a link to your organisation considered, please send details of your request to the following e-mail: 

webmaster@tacklingpoverty-beds.org.uk

Your request will then be considered at the next Tackling Poverty Together group meeting.