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.

This is our opportunity to shine a light on Bedford's silver linings.

That's why in 2008 we got together with Bedford Borough Council to launch the inaugural Pride In Bedford awards. What a fantastic celebration that was. It gave the town focus on what's fantastic about living here, we celebrated many special people and groups who had gone out of their way to make their community a better place.

This year we hope to build on the success of last years campaign, and in doing so we have enhanced our ten categories, which you can find more details of on our categories page.

We're looking for nominations now, and you've got until Friday 27th March to let us know who deserves to win one of the 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 continue to make Pride an important date in the town's calendar.

Last year Bedford took up this challenge and we would like it to continue this year, as there is so much to celebrate about the town. So please 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