Café Connect Queens Park
Working in partnership with Bedford Borough Council Family Hubs, Faith in Queens Park, and Queens Park Community Centre, bpha has reopened Café Connect.
The café can be found at Queen’s Park Community Centre, 52 Marlborough Road, Bedford, MK40 4LF and includes free hot drinks and biscuits, low-cost home-cooked food and activities for adults and children under the age of five.
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Hub reopens due to popular demand
Open fortnightly during term time, the café offers residents, parents, carers and families access to information and key services in a community setting where local people can come together to build relationships with each other. More information on the opening times can be found here.
Many local services attend the café on a regular basis including:
- Advice on parenting, local childcare options, infant feeding and supporting children’s development from the ECP Children’s Centre team
- Help to find work or training opportunities with links to local Job Centre Plus offices and training providers, developing maths and IT skills with Multiply and Bedford Rural Communities Charity
- Health services, offering advice on general health, mental health, dental care, and stroke awareness
- Financial advice from services such as Citizens Advice
- Advice for parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) from SENDIASS and the Bedford Parent Carer Forum.
Café volunteer, Yasmin said: “As a volunteer for Café Connect Queens Park, I’m passionate about this amazing set up which is very much needed in our diverse community. I feel really rewarded giving up my time and dedication when I see the smiles on people’s faces. I hope Café Connect will serve residents for a long time.”
Café volunteer, Aliya said: “Café Connect means a lot to me even though it’s very hard work cooking and running the café. I enjoy making food for the community and serving them. It makes me feel good knowing I’m bringing the community together, through food and chatting and meeting new people and making new friends. “
Café Connect is one of a number of bpha community-led hubs that offer a space for people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds to come together and feel included and valued. It provides key support for bpha customers and the local community with an open door for anyone who needs advice and or support.
Bedford Borough Council, Family Hubs Co-ordinator, Ruth Preece, said:
“It’s lovely to see and meet so many local people coming together at Café Connect Queens Park to share food, meet friends and local services. I really hope that in the weeks and months to come it will continue to grow and become a real hub in Queens Park, fostering a sense of community and strengthening local ties.”
