Being able to claim that I was born and raised in London before landing in this town was once a bragging right. But now that I’ve spent the majority of my life here, I proudly claim to be a Bedfordian.

I moved here as a preteen, and at first I loved the town for its quaintness and calmness, which was a great contrast to growing up in North and East London in the 2000s and 2010s. However, the novelty quickly wore off.

Finding something to do was hard, and it became easy to get stuck on Facebook and ‘chainmail’, which was basically the brain rot of that time. Saturdays would consistently consist of loitering around the town centre, with a quick trip to Primark and some window shopping in New Look, River Island and JD. That part has never really changed. Or, on those special weekends where the pocket money stretched far enough, Cineworld and a Maccies, or Pizza Hut if it was someone’s birthday.

Now I’m in my mid-twenties, and I still find myself struggling to figure out what to do without travelling out of town.

But I love my town. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else or starting my family anywhere else, so I’ve decided I want to fall back in love with it.

With Universal Studios on its way, it’s proven that our town has great potential, even if many residents can’t necessarily see that just from walking through it.

So, I’d love to shine a light on Bedford’s nightlife, food, upcoming spots, social events, and the history and stories behind places throughout Bedford and its surrounding villages.

I’ve spent most of my life here, but I still feel like there’s so much of Bedford I haven’t experienced. So maybe it’s time to actually explore what’s been on my doorstep this whole time.

Did I forget to introduce myself? My name is 8, and come explore with me.