As part of Love Parks Week, Bedford Borough Council is spotlighting our parks, sites and volunteers who make our green open spaces wonderful.
Every year, Keep Britain Tidy highlights jam-packed park goodness across the country to promote communal spaces and bring people and nature together.
The spectacular annual bedding displays are already brightening up The Embankment and our town centres. While Music in the Meadows will return to the Mill Meadows bandstand on The Embankment this weekend, spotlighting local music talent every Sunday throughout August. Find out who will take to the bandstand this year.
Visitors can enjoy the best of Bedford Borough’s parks, four of which have retained the prestigious Green Flag Awards this year. Bedford Park, Addison Howard Park, Priory Country Park and Harrold-Odell Country Park have all reaffirmed their status as some of the best-managed green spaces in the country.
People can also get active and involved in outdoor sports in parks in the Borough, from tennis to mini golf in Russell Park, and local walking tree trails at Bedford Park and Addison Howard Park. And they can enjoy the dragonfly pond, outdoor gym and boardwalk in Harrold-Odell Country Park.
Three community Green Flag sites in the Borough have also retained their awards for 2026-27, including Mowsbury Hill Fort, Hill Rise Local Nature Reserve and Putnoe Woods.
With the help of dedicated volunteer teams, the Council manages these nature reserves and woods – from the stunning views of Greensand Ridge to beautiful wildflower meadows and magnificent woodlands.
These reserves offer visitors an oasis for wildlife across the Borough. Council officers and volunteers plant wildflower seeds to create meadows that are buzzing with activity. Find out more about the Council’s nature reserves here.
Bedford Borough Council has also reduced its grass cutting operations in bug and bee-designated areas to an annual cut, making planting more pollinator friendly. The Council achieved the Bees’ Needs Champion Award this year for its continued work to add new bug and bee-friendly habitat in parks and green spaces in Bedford Borough. Since 2020, the Council’s Bugs and Bees Project reviews maintenance regimes to better support such precious pollinators across the Borough.
Cllr Nicola Gribble, Portfolio Holder for Environment said; “Love Parks Week highlights all this is beautiful about our Borough – our parks, green spaces, sites and our dedicated officers and volunteers.
“But it doesn’t just stop at this week. Residents and visitors to Bedford Borough can continue to enjoy all that we have to offer here, all year round, from stunning floral displays to live music, outdoor sports and thriving wildflowers and wildlife.”
To find out more about pollinator friendly management in your area, email bugsandbees@bedford.gov.uk
If you’d like to get involved with volunteering at Bedford Borough parks and green sites, go to https://www.bedford.gov.uk/leisure-parks-and-sport/parks-and-open-spaces/get-involved/park-volunteer-groups