BEDFORD WHO CHARITY CON 6
Saturday 10th April 2021
(Rescheduled from 2020)
10.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
The King's House, Ampthill Road, Bedford MK42 9AZ
"The best one day event I've ever done"
- COLIN BAKER on Bedford Who Charity Con 4
"Of all the conventions I have attended over the years, Bedford is way up there with the best. I love the personal touches, the atmosphere and the generosity of spirit that abounded." - Louise Jameson
"Bedford is a chilled, fun convention" - Janet Fielding
"Truly lovely day" - Sophie Aldred
facebook.com/bedfordwhocharitycon
email info@bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk
So what sort of convention is it?
Some conventions these days are primarily commercial affairs; they're designed for people to buy merchandise from stallholders, and to buy autographs and photos. Bedford Who Charity Cons are more traditional in style; they're non-commercial, and are run by fans for fans. There's a mixture of on stage interviews, performances (including sketches!) by the actors, signing sessions, the opportunity to meet the guests, get their autographs, and have your photo taken with them.
We want to make sure you have a fun, relaxed and enjoyable day... and to raise a lot of money for charity!
TICKETS
Adults: £42.50
14-18 year olds / full time students: £22.50
Under 14s: £15
Family tickets:
1 adult and 1 child: £50
1 adult and 2 children: £55
2 adults and 1 child: £80
Additional children under 14: £8 each
Please note that children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
How to order: Please send a cheque made payable to Bedford Who Charity Con to the organiser, Simon Danes, at 20 Close Road, Pavenham MK43 7PP.
If you would like to add the price of a stamp (65p!), please do; it means we can increase the amount we eventually pass on to the charity.
To pay by PayPal or BACS, please email Simon for details on info@bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk
THE VIDEOS!
Sketches and performances are a key part of Bedford Who Charity Cons...
Here are some tasters of some past glories...
The Time Lord Song
Soloist: Colin Baker
Backing: The Whobettes (including Sophie Aldred and Elen Thomas)
(From BWCC 4)
The Doctor Who Fan Accreditation Sketch
Cast:
The Accreditor: John Leeson
A Fan: Sophie Aldred
(From BWCC 4)
Sketch:
The Master in the Psychiatrist's Chair
Cast:
The Psychiatrist: Maureen O'Brien
The Master: Geoffrey Beevers
(From BWCC 3)
The Companions' Reunion Party Sketch
Cast:
Steven: Peter Purves
Vicki: Maureen O'Brien
Sarah: Sarah-Louise Madison
(From BWCC 3)
The Doctor gets a phone call...
Cast:
The Doctor: Sylvester McCoy
Woman: Louise Jameson
(From BWCC 5)
The Second Companions' Reunion Party Sketch
Cast:
Leela: Louise Jameson
Ace: Sophie Aldred
Tegan: Janet Fielding
Susan: Carole Ann Ford
(From BWCC 5)
That Colin Baker quote in full:
"This has been the best one day event I've ever done. It's small, it's perfect, it's different, we've all had a chance to meet and chat... and it's just fun. It's such fun. So whoever you get next year is a lucky person. Thank you very much, and thank you all for coming."
BEDFORD WHO CHARITY CON 6
Saturday 10th April 2021
THE GUESTS
confirmed so far...
SARAH SUTTON
Nyssa
ROGER MURRAY-LEACH
Designer
BHAVNISHA PARMAR
Sonya Khan in the Jodie Whittaker series
PAUL MARC DAVIS
The Trickster, SJA
Corakinus, Class
Futurekind Chieftan, Utopia
ANDREW BURFORD
Stuntman and Cyberman
DAVID HANKINSON
Dalek Operator
We're hugely grateful to our sponsors
for Bedford Who Charity Con 6:
Elstow Ceramic Tiles
M&DH Insurance
Kimm and Miller
Parrott Construction
The Pavenham Charitable Trust
Coronavirus and the convention: update
I’m very sorry about this – but it’s become clear that the national situation won’t be anything like back to normal by October, our revised date for the con, so we’ve had to reschedule.
Bedford Who Charity Con 6 will now take place on Saturday 10th April 2021; the venue will be The King’s House conference centre in Ampthill Road, Bedford.
Obviously, we can’t be absolutely certain that all will be well by next April. Even so, the signs are that the country will be in much better shape by then; the vaccine trials (particularly the Oxford one) are doing well and are pretty far advanced. It’s impossible to be sure, but it does look as though the new date will work. Rest assured that we’ll only go ahead if it’s safe to do so.
The guests are all being invited back for April 10th. We’ll keep you posted here and on our Facebook page about who’s coming.
If you already have tickets, they’ll still be valid for the new date; if you’d prefer to have a refund, that’s fine, of course.
I’m sincerely grateful to everyone for their support. It's humbling to have so many audience members opting to keep their tickets: it's a huge vote of confidence for us.
Bear in mind that the guest list at the moment is more tentative than usual. Film, TV and theatre production is on hold and peoples' schedules are much more fluid than they were before the pandemic. If anyone does have to cancel, though, we'll do our best to ensure we get a replacement (and equally exciting!) guest.
In the meantime, keep well! And look forward to seeing you in April!
Best wishes,
Simon
Organiser, Bedford Who Charity Con 6
Bedford Who Charity Con 6
Saturday 10th April 2021
The King's House, Bedford MK42 9AZ
Welcoming, friendly, relaxed, informal...
Enormous fun!
A small scale Doctor Who convention where you get to meet and chat to the guests...
Now in their sixth year, Bedford Who Charity Cons are hugely popular with audiences. Why not come along and see what all the fuss is about?
Is it going to be any good? Here's some feedback on previous Bedford Who Charity Cons...
"This was by far the best convention we have been to. It is my hope to return next year."
"The very best fan convention."
"One of the best [Doctor Who] events I have been to. Warm and relaxed atmosphere, amazing guests and fascinating panels."
"A 'must attend' event if you live anywhere nearby. Or if you just live anywhere, actually. Just make sure you get there for a traditional style convention on a small and intimate scale that allows you the feeling of being up close and personal with the guests. In a good way."
-- thedoctorwhocompanion.com
As you can see, you can have a group photo taken with the guests! No fee, but we do ask for a donation to the charity bucket!
Once we have paid our costs, everything we make will be donated to Bedford Foodbank.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, they were providing emergency food for around 650 children and adults in crisis in the local area, every month. This has risen considerably since the start of the pandemic.
Bedford Who Charity Con 5 raised an amazing £8172 for them.
Enormous thanks to everyone!
And the audiences said...
"Such a superb day."
"It was such a lovely event... Really enjoyed the whole day. The guests were so friendly and willing to chat and it made the event feel very personal."
"What a Doctor Who con should be like. Friendly, informal, a great atmosphere."
"We're already looking forward to the next one!"
"It's absolutely bloody brilliant."
"Was a fabulous con! Relaxed and fun! Hope you made lots of money and can do another one!"
"This event just gets better every year, mainly because you don't allow yourself to lose sight of what made it work so beautifully from day one. You could so easily make it bigger, noisier and more commercial... the beauty of the event is that it feels like a gathering of friends."
"Another amazing day. Thank you! And see you at the next one!"
"Does it get any better? Really well done and thank you so much to Simon and the organisers who put in so much hard work to pull it together... My daughter and I had a fantastic day out."
"Always a brilliant day! Lovely family friendly atmosphere!"
"A great day. My first involving getting autographs and talking to the guests rather than staring at them from afar and pointing and giggling! Well organised show."
"Really fun performances and the guests all seemed really happy to be there."
"Had a truly wonderful day at the convention. From start to finish, it was flawless... Everyone was so friendly and accommodating and the guests were engaging and entertaining. A truly unique convention and one not to be missed in the future!"
"Great day... again!"
"The very best fan convention. Fun, friendly... all about raising money, not making money. The guests took time to talk to and get to know the fans. Amazing costumes and great talks."
"Thanks to everyone involved for organising, appearing at, working on and / or contributing to such an excellent convention. I had a great day."
"We had a fantastic time as always!"
"It was our first convention. We all had a great day!"
"It was brilliant!"
"Excellent. Very friendly!"
"Nice relaxed atmosphere."
"A very successful day. Thank you for organising it!"
"What really struck me was how informal the whole thing was, and how down to earth the guests were. Lovely people, a great day..."
"Brilliant event. Really, really enjoyed it."
"Brilliant day again."
"A lovely day, as always" -- Mike Tucker
"Truly lovely day. Thanks to all who came and all who worked so hard to create a great atmosphere" -- Sophie Aldred
"A delightful day" -- Anneke Wills
Bedford Who Charity Con 6 is an independent Doctor Who convention run by and for fans of Doctor Who; it is not endorsed by the BBC. Doctor Who is copyright to the BBC and characters and aliens are copyright to their respective writers.
Please be aware that guests can occasionally be called away for filming et al.
This is a charity convention; the organisers are unpaid. All profits are donated to Bedford Foodbank. Fundraising is undertaken to keep ticket prices steady and we are grateful for donations given by companies and individuals to help with our costs.
Group photos with the guests are free, though we ask for a donation to the charity bucket in exchange.
An Evening with Mat Irvine, 2016: £115
Bedford Who Charity Con 3, 2017: £2700
Bedford Who Charity Con 4, 2018: £2278
Bedford Who Charity Con 5, 2019: £8172
TOTAL: £21, 847
THANK YOU FOR YOUR STAGGERING GENEROSITY!
THE TOBIAS VAUGHN
PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION
The Foundation runs Doctor Who events in
Bedford for the delectation of Doctor Who fans,
and to raise money for Bedford Foodbank.
Inspired by the spirit of Tobias Vaughn, the
Foundation is dedicated to the advancement of
mankind.
Here's what we've raised in the past:
Bedford Who Charity Con 1, 2015: £1195
An Evening with Mike Tucker, 2015: £280
Bedford Who Charity Con 2, 2016: £2592
The Great Bedford Foodbank Sponsored
Dalek Push, 2016
Patrons: Sophie Aldred and Katie Manning: £4515
We're also grateful to the companies who have donated Doctor Who merchandise for us to auction at Bedford Who Charity Cons. Please do support them, too, with your custom! They are:
- Big Finish
- Underground Toys
- The Monster Factory
- Silva Screen Records
- Character Options
- Reeltime Pictures
- Eaglemoss
- Lovarzi
- Santa Pod Raceway
And sincere thanks to those local business who have supported the Foundation's events. Please do support them with your custom! They are:
- Elstow Ceramic Tiles (who have sponsored every convention since the first one!)
- The Colour Shop (printers), Castle Road
- The Swan Hotel
- H C B Solicitors
- Sharman Law Solicitors
- Rice Thai Restaurant, St Cuthbert's Street
- William Rutter Motors
- The Jaffa Orchard, Castle Road
- The Picture Gallery, High Street
- All Ears, High Street
- Limes, Lime Street
- The Eagle Bookshop, St Peter's Street
- Price Wallace Letting Agents
- Emmott Snell Solicitors
- THSP: The Health and Safety People
- emc design ltd
- Deo Volente Solicitors
- Kimm and Miller
- Robson King
- 1st Choice Staff Recruitment Ltd
Thanks too to the charitable trusts and agencies who have supported our events. They are:
- The Pavenham Charitable Trust
- Bedford Lions
- The Rotary Club of Bedford Park