Bedford Borough Council
The Borough Council has set up a Community Hub to support anyone who needs help during the current situation.
We are working hard to support residents who are in self-isolation with no family or friends to help. We have set up a Community Hub to deliver basic food parcels, collect and deliver essential prescriptions and offer a friendly link with the outside world.
If you need help: if you have no family or friends to help and you need food or prescriptions, you can ask the Community Hub for help.
If you can offer help: if you and others in your household are healthy and you want to help us support residents who have no other support network, then we would love to hear from you.
St James Church
St James Church, which serves Great Denham & Biddenham, is working with parish councillors and local volunteers to support people across Great Denham. A lot of wonderful work is being done and there is a great deal of support we can, as neighbours, give each other over the next few months.
This can be anything from a friendly call to help with shopping to tips on how to solve unexpected problems. The church, led by Rev Eric Lomax, is also offering pastoral support and friendly chats to anyone in need of some phone company, especially as they self-isolate.
Helpline and help email: There is a helpline 01234 815393 for anyone needing local support from their neighbours throughout Great Denham and Biddenham. The telephone line is manned by church and other local volunteers 8am-6pm with an out of hours ansaphone service. If you can’t get through, leave a message on the ansaphone. All ansaphone messages go automatically to a central email help@biddenham.org.uk which is monitored by more volunteers. If you have any general questions about help in the Great Denham & Biddenham areas, you can email help@biddenham.org.uk
The phoneline is funded by Biddenham Parish Council but open to everyone in the St James Church parish which runs from Great Denham up to St Andrews & St Marys estates north of the Bromham Road.
Pastoral support and friendly calls: St James Church vicar Rev Eric Lomax is available for a friendly chat and pastoral support. Please contact Eric on 01234 852241 or 07805 879537 or email him on: rev.ejlomax@gmail.com Eric is supported by Kate Smith who has a team of volunteers happy to spend time chatting to people on the phone. If you would like a call, email katesmith278@btinternet.com or ring the helpline on 01234 815393
Great Denham Community Volunteers
A network of volunteers is being built for every street in Great Denham to provide support to their neighbours and to share ideas, solve problems and swap tips. This is simply for tasks neighbours can safely carry out for each other such as shopping or a friendly call. Most streets are now covered. If you have not had a flyer & could lead co-ordination in your street, or simply want to know you can turn to on your street either contact the Great Denham Community Volunteers on their Facebook page or ring the helpline on 01234 815393.
Great Denham Community Volunteers