Bedfordshire Open Door

17/07/2026

Back in February we were realy lucky to have Robin Boot's Rockomedy compere and perform at our 30th Anniversary Ball. So we are excited to hear he is back in town this month at The Quarry Theatre as part of this year's Bedfringe line-up.

Tickets are still available for his show on Wednesday 22 July - so don't miss your chance to see Robin and his guitar in action 🎸🎤🤘

The harbinger of rock ‘n’ drole returns to Bedford to preview his 10th Edinburgh Fringe show, “Pun to the Hills”.   Jam-packed with…

16/07/2026

14/07/2026

A reminder from Jude, our super scorer and national treasure, that we all need someone to talk to and to listen … good luck England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

22/06/2026

At Bedfordshire Open Door, we’re a small charity supporting young people with free, confidential counselling. We don’t make headlines. We don’t have endless resources. But every single day, we make a difference that’s real and lasting.

🌱 A young person who finally feels heard
🌱 Parents and families who feel supported
🌱 A teenager who finds hope after a dark time
🌱 A life that shifts direction because someone listened at the right moment

That’s the impact of a small charity – quiet and consistent.

Small charities are often the first to notice when something isn’t right, the first to respond, and the last to give up. We’re embedded in our communities, trusted by the people we support, and driven by purpose rather than profit.

But we can only do this because of the people who support *us* — funders, partners, volunteers, supporters, and everyone who believes that young people deserve somewhere safe where they can be seen and heard. Small charities create big impact - but that impact only happens when communities back us.

If you’re able to support a small charity this week — with time, funding, partnership or simply by sharing their message — it genuinely makes a difference.

07/06/2026

As Volunteers Week comes to a close I would like to say a personal thank you to the Trustees at Bedfordshire Open Door.

We have a dynamic and motivated Board of trustees who volunteer their time and offer their expertise and guidance at a strategic level.🌟Alongside that they offer support and encouragement and a willingness to champion young people and their mental health at every opportunity. 🌟

A special thank you goes to Sam, our Chair of the Board, for being the driving force behind positive change and development whilst also co-ordinating our first ever Charity Ball, supporting our social media and promoting us at local events and activities! 🌟What a super star! 🌟

We are truly fortunate to have such awesome, dedicated volunteers! Thank you one and all!

05/06/2026

We've had some wonderful news to round off Volunteers Week and to get us smiling ready for the weekend 😀

We are very proud to have been shortlisted in the Youth Charity category of the upcoming Youth TV Aspire Awards, sponsored by The Harpur Trust

When a charity is powered by volunteers, this kind of recognition is so welcome. We can't wait to spend the evening with the other nominees later this month, and celebrate all the many ways we are all making Bedfordshire a better place for the young people in our community.

Keep everything crossed for us - we'd love to see BOD's name up in lights! 🤞

04/06/2026

This morning we were back at the East Bedford Pcn coffee morning at Christ The King Church Hall in Bedford.

If you have ever received a text from your doctors surgery saying they are holding a coffee morning and wondered what it was all about - this is it! A chance to chat to local charities and support organisations, including Citizens Advice Bureau, all in an informal setting under one roof once a month. With tea and biscuits thrown in for good measure!

We had Tea & Biscuit goody bags to give away, with a little reminder that you matter and it's important to look after yourself 💙

03/06/2026

Consider the board of a private company and the eye-watering salaries those people will be earning 💷

Then consider the board of a charity - a group of individuals with similar experience in Finance, HR, Marketing, Communications, Strategic Management, Governance, Operations, Senior Leadership, Equality and Diversity and Service Delivery - all volunteering their time and putting those skills to use for no financial reward whatsoever.

Welcome to the world of the charity trustee!

We have a great team of trustees at BOD, who generously share their knowledge and expertise all for the good of our organisation. Volunteering on a charity board is a voluntary role that comes with a lot of responsibility - but which provides a lot of 'job' satisfaction.

02/06/2026

Sometimes volunteering can be for the pure and simple reason of giving back to your local community.

When the world feels loud, chaotic and out of your control, a good way to balance this is to concentrate on where you live and what you can do for the people in your street, your neighbourhood or your town.

01/06/2026

Every week is Volunteers Week at Bedfordshire Open Door - because we simply couldn't run our service without them.

When BOD was founded over 30 years ago, everyone who worked for the organisation was a volunteer. Today, the majority of our 1:1 counselling sessions are still delivered by volunteer counsellors alongside some funded part-time counsellors and student counsellors.

The bedrock of our organisation is a strong voluntary ethos and the generosity of the local counselling community. These can be people relatively new to counselling, looking to gain experience, or very experienced professionals, wanting to give something back.

One week out of 52 just isn’t enough to let them know how much we appreciate the time and the care they give. But this Volunteers Week we *will* thank and celebrate them.💙