Your Support, Your Community
Bedford House has supported the community since 1946 and is a registered charity.
You can support Bedford House through actions at no cost to yourself, or through financial donations.
Bedford House needs to raise a minimum of £70,000 per annum, and sometimes almost £100,000 depending on operational expenditure in that year. All our courses are subsidised by over 30%.
Bedford House needs your support to exist year on year as it is independent and receives no funding from Essex County Council (ECC) or government. ECC offers Bedford House the use of the property and some Landlord type maintenance.
Bedford House is a creative and dynamic hub with over 300 students attending courses every week and a weekly site footfall of over 500 people. Our key demographic is aged 55+ with an average student age of 60+. It is not unusual to find students aged over 80 with our oldest recent student being a seated dancer aged 103. It is a friendly and sociable learning environment with much laughter emanating from classrooms. Over time Bedford House has had over 35,000 annual memberships.
Bedford House has fantastic tutors who are professional and passionate artists in their own right, who understand the students’ requirements and adapt their teaching methods to their cohorts. This may include working with a range of disabilities such as sight impairments, mild to moderate dementia, and mobility issues. Bedford House also offers much needed opportunities for respite for carers. Our tutors are keen to engage students and include all skills levels and abilities.
“I'm so glad there's a place like Bedford House. These kind of community serving institutions are few and far between. It provides much needed activities to keep people active and motivated.”
