Have a go with Harpur
An estimated 4500 people turned out on Sunday for the second Have a go with Harpur event in Bedford Park, organised and paid for by The Harpur Trust.
We were joined by over 50 local charities, voluntary groups, sports clubs and businesses, all offering have a go sessions from parcour to pottery. Once again, we provided a number of activities including archery, a climbing wall, a potholing cave, zorbs, an inflatable assault course and a penalty shoot-out goal, all of which were provided free of charge to the public.
Local dance and music groups performed on stage throughout the day with everything from ballet and Bollywood dancing through to African drumming workshops. A number of choirs and singing groups performed including Fusion Youth Singers and Tibbs Dementia, both of which are supported by the Trust.
External Relations Manager Sarah Elam said “It was great to see so many people trying new activities and enjoying the entertainments in what felt like a really friendly, family, fun atmosphere. As well as raising awareness of our work as a charity here for Bedford, we see the Have a Go day as an opportunity to engage with our local community and to showcase the important work of the many other local charities and groups which we support through our grantmaking. We want people to have pride in their town and this event certainly brings people together to celebrate the many good things happening across the borough.”
Many of the exhibitors who took part have benefited from grant funding from The Harpur Trust including The Philharmonia Orchestra (who came along with their virtual reality headsets). A spokesperson for the orchestra said “It was fantastic to see The Harpur Trust’s transformative effect on Bedford first hand. Both from conversations with visitors waiting to try the VR headsets, and from seeing the Harpur-supported groups performing on stage, it was clear how much events like these foster a sense of community and belonging in Bedford”.
Other beneficiaries of the Trust’s grantmaking included The Higgins Bedford, John Bunyan museum, FACES, CHUMS Charity, Men in Sheds, Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, Bedford Homeless Partnership and Carers in Bedfordshire. The Trust’s three senior schools; Bedford School, Bedford Girls’ School and Bedford Modern School were also on hand to provide virtual rowing and canvas bag screen printing, whilst the Quarry Theatre entertained people with their smoke machines and lights.
For sports fans there were an array of activities to try out courtesy of Bedford Blues, Bedford Borough Council’s Sports Development unit, Spiral Freerun and Bedford Bowling Club, whilst local gym Smartfit35 offered free biometric health tests.
Next up we will be turning our minds to launching the third biennial Art Competition for schools, details of which will be going out to the Borough's schools later this summer.
A huge thank you to Cliff Harvey of Bedford Camera Club who came along and took photos, and to Asan Tu for supplying us with the Tibbs Dementia and Fusion photos, and to all the members of the public who have sent in their images.