When Bedford hits the national headlines, it’s not always for reasons that make our chests swell with pride.

But the Times & Citizen has always flown the flag for the town, because we know how much there is to celebrate here - achievements which don’t deserve to be over-shadowed by the ‘bad news’ that too often sticks to the town, even when it isn’t true.

We have decided to shine a light on Bedford's silver linings.

That’s why we’ve got together with Bedford Borough Council to launch the Pride In Bedford awards.

The awards will be held for the first time this year but we’re sure this inaugural event will be the start of something big.

Pride in Bedford will help give the town focus on what’s fantastic about living here, by celebrating the special people and groups who go out of their way to make their community a better place.

There are ten categories, backed by prominent local companies and organisations, so that we can salute as many of Bedford's heroes as we can.

You can find out more about the categories in the panel on the right.

We’re looking for nominations now, and you’ve got until Friday, April 11th to let us know who deserves to win one of the first Pride in Bedford awards.

You can nominate someone else, you can nominate yourself - but we want you to give the judges a real headache by making a case for as many of Bedford's shining stars as you can.

Lots of people complain that newspapers only report the bad things in life. That's never been true of the Times & Citizen, and it's one reason why we're keen to make Pride an important date in the town's calendar this year and every year.

But that will only happen if the town decides to take up the Pride challenge. There's so much to celebrate about Bedford - so tell us about the people, and the projects, who are making a difference and who deserve a pat on the back.

I look forward to hearing from you