Thank you

It takes an improbable amount of people to make an event like this happen.

We want to take the time to say thank you to:-

Amy Jane Cahalane without whom this festival would not exist. We need more people like you in local councils! Anna Louise Walsh and the Creative Bedfordshire network, we salute you too.

Nigel Faircloth and Amar Dosanjh for having the foresight to see the value in an event like this, we hope it does the trick. Thanks to the many at Bedford Borough Council who have helped.

Andy Pigeon for early practical support and later moral support.

David Freer at CDP for your open-minded enthusiasm. Thank you for your trust.

The Mayor, Dave Hodgson for your support.

Alom at The Riverside Grill, you have been an enabler in both a practical and personal sense.

Cat Moore, thank you for bringing calmness and efficiency to the proceedings. We needed you on the team. Thanks.

Jane Edden for being a fabulous artist and a practical problem solver extraordinaire. We appreciate your generous spirit. Even if you did abandon us for turtles.

Charlotte Tenneson for your hard-graft-attention-to-detail-straight-talking-cake-making ways.

Kristian Purcell for your curator’s eye, fabulous hair and dedication (despite having no computer)!

Olindo Piombino, we could thank you for your hard work and dedication but really we want to thank you for your ‘pea-head’. Genius.

Linda Boy, a champion of local crafters. We salute your principles and the time you spent helping us and managing the craftspace. We will do everything we can to support Bedford Handmade Market.

Christine Gallagher, Phil Gallagher and Jacqueline Haddock and all the artists you represent at the Eagle Gallery and Infinite 29. Your management of the POP t’ART gallery has been invaluable, and the responsibility you have taken has been significant and wholly appreciated.

Thanks for the wood Woodchuck Recycling! (try saying that after a glass of wine)

Kendall and Steve at Lady K’s thank you for your practical support and enthusiasm – you have been vital to the event. Thanks to your beautiful burlesque models too for adding a touch of naughtiness to the whole event.

Stuart Runham, what would we have done without you? Your MOD training put you in good stead for our H&S requirements and your photography and film support has been invaluable.

Laura Baker, a woman of considerable professional standing but happy to spend weekends stuffing envelopes, and painting breeze blocks and writing web articles for the cause! You are a life-saver.

Rebecca & Rob Taylor – I told you labels were hard! Thank you.

Rob and Pete we are so happy that esquires are bringing the talent, and so glad you are building the stage! Thanks to all who are playing.

Tim and the Ouse Valley Singles Club, thank you for taking part and giving us a ride in the Bedford Rascal 😉

John from the Blue Glass, the wine tasting is a generous contribution and one we will be partaking off! Thank you.

Gemma Hutton, Victoria Partridge & Tom Perrett, the support the museum and gallery has given this event is second to none. From lending us chairs, to tweeting furiously in our support, to hosting two of the key events, we couldn’t have done this without you. Braps to the Cecil Higgins Museum and Bedford Gallery.

Anne Godwin your miles and miles of bunting will transform the craft space into something altogether more beautiful.

Annie and Danny Stijelja between you you have given us so much help. The stencils worked a treat, and hand delivered! Danny thank you for your ideas and patience in the early days of our identity. And let’s not forget the donuts.

Jason, Mic, Andrew and Steve at Bonfire – you made us beautiful! We gave you grey hair! The design work has really taken this event to another level. Thank you.

Kevin at K4 thanks for doing us a deal on the print of the flyers and posters.

Graffit, Fons, we are looking forward to seeing those vinyls – they’ll add class and coherence to our otherwise handmade project.

Mark Astle at Spark Creative. You are not even from Bedford and you stepped in when you saw we were struggling with our website. We have a beer or two lined up for you.

Max from reestore and Lisa from uoldbag!, not only have you added a touch of glamour and celebrity to the whole show you have worked bloomin’ hard to make your Junk Quay design shop great. The workshops will be fab.

Abbey you did our minutes! and we are going to keep you really busy xx

Mario from Someone Once Told Me thank you for taking time to visit Bedfordshire for the second time. People are so excited to meet you.

Marcus and your mobile portrait machine we are really looking forward to welcoming you and your the ‘unlikeness’ project

John Hegley – the star of the show – you don’t know it yet but you are funding our balloons. Thanks for coming to our event!

Maria from Pensieri, not only have you given us cake, you have been an unwavering and friendly supporter and we really appreciate it. And our feral kids love you too.

Andrew Keen from The Swan who has supported us and added to our event by offering special offers and an extra exhibition. You also do the best salmon salad we have ever eaten but that’s besides the point.

Diana Moss for your hard work in bringing images of Bedford from the Bedford Camera Club to The Swan.

Angelo, your café wasn’t even open yet and we were banging on your door asking for help, thanks for hosting our pre event party. Best of luck with your business, we think you’ve picked a great spot.

Jo from the  School of Craft – your pop up post office is adding fun for the kids and is an ingenius way to include people who can’t make the event.

Chip! Tea from your camper van was just what we needed, and your skills with a spray can (and subsequent brain damage from the fumes) are appreciated!

Marisa and Jack, thank you for painting breeze blocks and making millions of posters and being generally very helpful smiley lovely people to have around.

Bedford Modern, thank you for lending us both your junior choir (thanks Hazel) and providing us with lazer cut wooden signs and plastic stencils.

Bedford Bid, thank for the sponsorship – the programmes wouldn’t have been printed without you, and Caryl you have gone above and beyond the call of duty in all the support you have given us.

Rajapack – thanks for the boxes! Our signage looks fantastic and we can use it again so sustainable too.

SDC you were so generous with your paints and rollers, you helped turn empty places into artistic spaces.

Nicola and Cherry at John Bunyan Museum, you were generous with your time and space and have added a lot of value to the event.

Ian McEwen, Mike Shelvon and Mark Steinhart, our wordsmiths, thank you for putting yourselves forward and for taking the plunge together.

Jane Perrone, Kathy Brown and the Transition Bedford team, thank you for adding some greenery to the weekend.

Tom Barwood, as ever up for anything, thanks for being John Dimbleby to our Question times.

Thanks to the Hemlock Morris Dancers, and Andrew in particular for agreeing to dance for us.

Thank you to all our buskers, young and old and to Heather at Cambridge County Council for helping us find them!

Our local Papers the Times & Citizen and The Beds on Sunday, you got behind us! It means a lot.

Thanks to Crown Paints for their offer of paint.

Thanks to Joanne Moore and Emily Williams at the Tourist Information Centre for supporting our event

Thanks to Trevor and the team at The Bedford Association of Tour guides and Anna at Albion Archaeology for adding some local history to the weekend.

Thanks to James Pharaoh at Bedfringe for the invaluable support

Thanks to Ray & Alex Levene at The Place Theatre

Bedford Creative Arts and the Konvertible Project, thanks for letting us speak at your workshop and for attending.

Thanks to all the vendors, crafters and makers and to the artists exhibiting their work. May you sell everything! To all the musicians, choirs, buskers, bands, thank you all.

Thanks to Bedford College, in particular Sue Blackman, for your support. Bedford College Fine Art Students Ros, Kaya, Kaylee, Heather, Klaus, you  have taken on a great responsibility and we hope you enjoy every minute.

Thanks to the RSA – where this all started! Special thanks to Judith Woodhead for your support, and to Alex and the panel for agreeing to fund us and for your support throughout.

Thank you Dan Thompson and your marvellous Empty Shop Network

Bedford Corn exchange for your support and selling our tickets.

Emily – you pioneer you – you paved the way, thanks for helping us and may Bedford Burlesque go from strength to strength!

Sarah Dunn you are so positive and have shouted about us from the rafters, thank you. Best of luck with your 4th Time Around Curiosity Shop

Meanwhile space, and A Thin Place, Hightown art for all good to speak with you and see the good work you are doing.

Carol Atkinson of Books by Carol thank you so much for quietly helping without fuss nor bother – your contribution is really appreciated.

Richard Hull, your data skills were invaluable.

Castle Lower School thanks you for the lend of the tables!

Chris Barratt from Brandon Hire, you are a total star.

Kristina Bullen for letting us use your images in the early days.

Tony Chris Somervell, for your poster distribution, guest blogging and enthusiasm.

Shaz Buns! thanks for being part of it and helping paint the units.

Poster distributors everywhere – thank you!

Anyone who has tweeted or blogged about us thank you

Little Monkey Murals – thanks for the balloons.

Deborah Shrimpton at Pride in Bedford – thanks for the t shirts!

Shaun Keaveny from 6music for flirting with Erica live on air.

To all the volunteers on the day – thank you.

Our biggest fear, after bad weather and any kind of damage to anything precious including property, artwork or small children is forgetting to say thank you to someone who has helped us. So if you have got this far and not seen your name then please  please please tell us. We appreciate everyone, and we mean e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e who has helped us. It has meant the world.

Thank you.