The Shared Lives Bedford team would like to say a big thank you to all our inspirational carers who open up their homes to support young people and adults who have support needs.

'Virtual' parties are taking place across the UK as part of Shared Lives week, organised by Shared Lives Plus, the UK charity, which is celebrating supporting more than 14,000 people with support needs who are matched with over 10,000 Shared Lives carers.

The latest weekly coronavirus snapshot for Bedford Borough has been published.

The figures show that in the seven days up to June 6th:

• 9,290 PCR tests were taken (319 more than the previous week)
• There were 273 Covid-19 cases (7 more than the previous week)
• The weekly positive cases per 100,000 population was 157.5 (up from 153.5 in the previous week)

Refugee Week is a nationwide initiative that celebrates the contributions of refugees to the UK and encourages better understanding between communities. This year, The Higgins Bedford are hosting free online events inspired by the theme 'We Cannot Walk Alone'.

The challenges of the past year have exposed deep inequalities, including in housing, income and access to healthcare, but the pandemic has also shown how interconnected each of us are. Refugee Week is an invitation to extend your hand to someone who is outside your current circle, has had an experience you haven't, or is fighting for a cause you aren't yet involved in.

Priory Country Park, a well-known and well-loved country park, has had its County Wildlife Site status extended.

County Wildlife Site status acknowledges a site's importance for wildlife, and sites of this nature contribute significantly to the richness and biodiversity of the countryside.

Priory Country Park's lakes and the stretch of the river that runs through it have had County Wildlife Site status for a number of years. Thanks to long-term careful management of the park, wildflowers have been encouraged to spread and flourish, creating a welcoming home for native wildlife.

First doses of the Pfizer vaccine are available to all Bedford Borough residents aged 18 and over, with no need to book this Saturday from 1pm to 7pm at the Guru Nanak Temple, 84 Ford End Road, Queens Park Bedford MK40 4JX.

Bedford Borough has one of the highest rates of infection in the country. Getting vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect each other and stop the virus spreading.

On Wednesday evening Bedford Borough Council Executive approved the next stage of consultation for the Local Plan 2040, which is set to begin later this month.

Local Plans set out where growth and development will take place- everything from homes and jobs to schools and infrastructure.

The Council is preparing a new Local Plan 2040 and will be asking for your views. Some Local Plan 2030 policies are being updated earlier than normal in order to keep them in line with national policies, for example related to the Government's new formula for housing growth, and the Oxford to Cambridge Arc.

For the past few weeks surge testing has been taking place in the Cauldwell, Kingsbrook and Queens Park areas of Bedford Borough, to identify as many positive cases as possible and break chains of transmission.

Bedford Borough Council would like to the thank residents in these areas who took up the offer of a free PCR test at either a Mobile Testing Unit site, a collect and drop off site or during the recent door-to-door distribution of testing kits. 3,785 people so far have taken a test at one of our special mobile testing units and more than 17,000 tests have been handed out as part of the surge testing programme. Residents who have yet to return their completed test can do so by dropping them at the Prebend Street or University of Bedfordshire testing sites, or by posting them in a priority post box.

A new bike storage shelter has now opened in Bedford town centre, near Harpur Square enhancing the bike racks that are currently there.

To access the shelter, cyclists just need to email Sustainable.Transport@bedford.gov.uk with their full name, address in Bedford Borough and phone number. They will then receive details on how to access the unit and will need to download the 'Okey Access' app on their smart phone.