- About postgraduate study
- Part-time study
- Courses
- Order a Prospectus
- Faculties & Departments
- UK students
- EU students
- International Students
- How to apply for your course
- Handy Hints
- Open Events
- Student Recruitment
- Money Matters
- About Us
17 Mar 2011 13:43:53
Little did a mature student at the University of Bedfordshire realise a throwaway remark on Facebook would lead to a whole weekend of activities in her home town.
Kayte Judge is the joint organiser of the Castle Quay Weekender in Bedford which is running this Saturday (10am-4pm) and Sunday (10am-3pm).
She is currently nearing the end of a part-time Masters course in Managing Business Creativity and Innovation, which involves spending some of her Saturdays in the delightful surroundings of the Putteridge Bury campus.
Kayte, who lives in Goldington Road in Bedford, also runs Goodthingsltd, her own creative consultancy mainly working with several local schools, and has a three-year-old son called Jimmy.
The 32 year old only met joint organiser Erica Rothe for the first time in November when her comment on Facebook about wanting to organise an event prompted an immediate positive response. The two had mutual friends on the social networking site and soon made contact to form We Are Bedford which in turn created the Castle Quay Weekender.
Kayte applied for a £2,000 grant from the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) of which she is a member and received half that amount to kick-start proceedings.
Seven vacant shops, five owned by Bedford Borough Council and two privately owned, in the Castle Quay area were secured for the weekend’s activities and the planning could start in earnest.
Kayte said: “It’s been so quick to get it done in time for March as we applied for a winter festival; there’s lots of things on in the summer and Bedford does summer quite well.
“It’s been very time consuming and pushed us both to the limit. But Bedford’s empty shops were getting me down and we’re really committed to this event and it feels really important to us.
“Some of the units have been let now and this is down to this event I’m sure which has generated some interest in the area.”
Some of the highlights of the Castle Quay Weekender are:
Kayte said: “Some of the exhibitors are as young as eight and our volunteers are all ages from twentysomethings upwards. We now just want as many people as possible to come and enjoy the weekend.”
A full list of events and times can be found at www.wearebedford.co.uk
If you are interested in volunteering, contact wearebedford@goodthingsltd.com
Latest news» 2011» March» Time to Judge for yourself at Castle Quay Weekender
