PROJECT 41

Project 41 has been running community outreach from Woodside Church for several decades with the aim of reaching people in Bedford who are disadvantaged in a variety of ways. Various activities take place each week aiming to reach out to people in our local area, giving them a safe place to come and engage in a variety of activities.

Play People is a weekly playgroup offering parents and carers the opportunity to come together with their young children in a safe and friendly environment. The group currently runs on Monday and Tuesday mornings in term time, 10am - 11:15am. There is a cost of £1.50 per child and the cost of entrance includes Tea, Coffee, Squash, Biscuits and Fresh Fruit.

For more information contact Vicky Bentley here or visit our Facebook page.

Centre 41 Drop In is a place where people can drop in and spend time with volunteers in a safe, accepting environment. Running at our Building on Dover Crescent each Thursday morning, from 10am, we provide help with budgeting, benefits, and signposting to other appropriate services. We also also offer a basic computer course as part of Centre 41. At Centre 41 families or individuals in crisis can receive both pastoral and practical help in times of need. We work in partnership with other local organisations / charities by providing a Hub to support those in our local community who are in crisis or in need of advice and guidance. The Hub includes:-

• One Support (housing advice)
• BPHA (Housing advice by Bedford Pilgrim Housing Association)
• Two Social Prescribers offering referral routes and advice (Bedford Rural Communities Charity)
• Linking Lives Befriending Service
• Help Desk (Administration support and advice)

For more information contact Samuel Luak here.

On Thursday afternoons the Woodside Church building on Dover Crescent functions as a distribution centre for Bedford Foodbank, run by the Trussell Trust, a national charity, providing food for those in crisis.

For more informant about the Woodside distribution centre contact Samuel Luak here.

Our Connections group is aimed at those over the age of 50 in our community, providing somewhere that people can meet together for friendship, advice and support.

For more information contact Stuart and Carol O'Dell here.

Our Computer and Tablet Course is run at least once a year providing support to those struggling in an increasingly digital world. Digital Poverty is a big issue of our time and we seek to address this by providing training on using both computers and tablets.

For more information contact Samuel Luak here.

Bedford Linking Lives is our befrienders service aimed at isolated and lonely members of our community. Befrienders meet with their clients weekly to break the cycle of loneliness and help to link them with their local community. This service has been funded by a grant from The Harpur Trust.

For more information contact Cath Cameron here.