River/ Flow/ Connect
A project which focuses on the themes of connectivity along the River Great Ouse and the values of local communities in Bedford.
Artists & Associates
River/ Flow/ Connect is a project delivered by Bedford Creative Arts that aims to develop resident engagement in the areas of Kempston, Queen’s Park, Kingsbrook & Cauldwell and Great Denham with the River Great Ouse on their doorstep through artistic installations and creative activity.
This long-term project aims to install a series of community co-commissioned, functional sculptures along the river that celebrate the community’s relationship with the River Great Ouse and encourage recreation along the riverbank.
Throughout the last few years Bedford Creative Arts (BCA) has delivered activity in Bedford that has engaged residents in Queen’s Park, Bedford Town Centre and local schools, and has identified the river as a key theme people have told us they want to explore.
Consultation delivered by BCA at The River Festival in 2022 identified that residents and visitors to Bedford valued the river and we received 76 reports from residents sharing poems, songs and ideas about the river they wished to explore. Queen’s Park Academy school have highlighted opportunities for the river topic to support their curriculum teaching.
During lockdown, many residents increased their engagement with the natural habitats on their doorstep but residents and community leaders we have consulted have stated that the stretch of the river between the well maintained and highly used Embankment and the wilder areas towards Bromham/Great Denham is less well used and maintained.
Through creative and artistic project delivery we hope to open up a trail of artworks between these points that make the area feel loved, ‘levelled up’, safe and respected so that residents can enjoy and feel proud of their part of the River Great Ouse.
On Saturday 29 June 2024 we held a community picnic in Kempston with residents to talk about the project and to invite families to get involved in free arts activities. We also had our own stall in the Arts & Culture Island at Bedford River Festival on Saturday 20 July – Sunday 21 July 2024. In both instances, locals were able to get crafty in sculptural clay workshops with our River/ Flow/ Connect artist Janet Reddy, exploring the concept of future sculptural artworks alongside the River Great Ouse.
We held another Community Consultation event on Saturday 14 September 2024, at Kempston Mill. It was another chance for locals to find out more about the project and the river, and get creative in free art workshops. Most recently, on Tuesday 29 October 2024, we were at Kempston Library. Artist Janet Reddy facilitated the making of clay sculptures and lanterns with river themes. We also collectively created a map of Kempston, with help from artist Paul Pibworth, representing the river, land and roads in different colours, envisioning where sculptural pieces might be located.
Love Kempston Light Walk
Through our River/Flow/Connect programme of activity, we worked with schools, families and communities in Kempston to provide residents the opportunity to re-engage with the river on their doorstep through a Light Walk. Leading up to the Love Kempston Light Walk, we held various workshops including lantern-making and clay sculpture making workshops with artist Janet Reddy, and a swan sculpture installation workshop with artist Paul Pibworth.
The Love Kempston Light Walk took place on Saturday 15 March 2025. We were pleased to see the arrival of 800 locals who came along to walk with us and take part in our various activities. We hosted lantern making workshops before the start of the walk, as well as arranging storytelling, live music and reflection points along the route. The route also featured artistic installations and sculptures hidden across the riverbank, from lit up trees to clay faces. It was exciting both for us and the walkers to discover these hidden treasures!
If you would like to be involved with our River/Flow/Connect project, let us know by emailing us at: info@bedfordcreativearts.org.uk.
Bedford River Festival 2024
This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the National Lottery Community Fund, Ashley Family Foundation and our ongoing supporters Arts Council England and The Harpur Trust. The project is supported by BMK Waterways, John Bunyan Community Boat and Cllrs Mohammed Nawaz and Caroline White.
Photo credit: Urban Judge 2023 & Andy Willsher 2024
