From favourite places to visit to hidden gems, Bedford Borough Council is shouting about what’s great where we all live in a regular feature.
Every councillor is being invited to answer questions about their ward, to reveal the best places to shop, socialise or spend a lazy Sunday, and to share facts that you might not know or dates that you should put in your diary.
This week it’s Councillor Ben Foley, who represents Greyfriars ward.
Describe Greyfriars in five words.
Great diversity and opportunities, amid deprivation.
What’s your favourite place to shop in Greyfriars and why?
Fabric World by the Bus Station. When I moved to my current town centre flat a year ago, I was able to order the bespoke curtains I wanted for less than they would have been if I’d bought them online, and in the process I got to support one of the small local speciality businesses that helps make Bedford unique.
Where is your favourite place to eat in Greyfriars and why?
Crispy Dosa on Allhallows – I grew to love the Kerala cuisine when working in Leicester and have been enjoying opportunities to get it in Bedford.
Where is your favourite place to go for a drink in Greyfriars and why?
The best of many good options is Esquires – it’s one of the country’s top independent music venues. I’ve also heard good things about Dom Polski’s DJ nights with the Remedy Collective, but the steps up to the entrance put me off investigating!
Tell us a great place for a family to visit in Greyfriars?
The riverside is a great place for a family walk/wheel or cycle ride. I can remember going on rides with my children that took in Greyfriars’ riverside, before they went off to university, and we still quite often go down there when they come back for visits.
What is a hidden gem in Greyfriars?
Priory Primary School, which achieves incredible results and creates a great, integrated, community that benefits the ward massively. Outsiders might imagine that a school in an area with a lot of deprivation where children have so many different first languages would struggle; in fact, due to the dedication of the staff, and so many of the parents valuing education, it thrives, giving brilliant education.
What is a great club or group in Greyfriars?
The Polish British Integration Centre do so much to help people settle in, adjust to life here and overcome problems. Greyfriars has a lot of new arrivals and PBIC is a great group providing a great service that’s really handy.
What has been your favourite change that you have seen in Greyfriars in recent years?
Getting the alleyway between Costin Street and Maitland Street gated; an alleyway that was used for drug dealing and as a toilet is now a quiet space for enjoyment by the residents living around it. Looking forward, I’ll be really glad when the old police station site is redeveloped - I’m hoping we can have a high-quality mixed development with at least half being social housing and lots of family-size homes that encourage families to stay in Greyfriars.
Tell us something most people won’t know about Greyfriars.
Greyfriars has wonderful, vibrant, diversity – certainly over 30 languages here. The school illustrates how those of British heritage can integrate with those of Bangaldeshi, other south Asian, African, and eastern European heritages to produce a brilliant harmonious community.
Name one thing that you’d like to see come to Greyfriars.
A really good bus and cycle network that links the town centre with the employment areas scattered around the edge of Bedford, so that residents can get to and from work without being forced to pay more than they can afford for motor cars that clog up our streets and cause pollution that is damaging the lungs of Greyfriars residents.