Saturday 18th March 2023
10.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
The King's House, Ampthill Road,
Bedford MK42 9AZ
"Of all the conventions I have attended over the years, Bedford is way up there with the best" Louise Jameson
"Bedford is a chilled, fun convention"
Janet Fielding
facebook.com/bedfordwhocharitycon
email info@bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk
The website will be fully updated soon; this is a temporary update to get the date of the next convention out there!
Hope you can make it. Tickets will go on sale soon.
Thanks to everyone who came to Bedford Who Charity Con 7, which raised over £10,000 for Bedford Foodbank. This brings the total raised for them by Who events in Bedford to just under £40,000. An amazing figure and we can't thank you enough.
Meanwhile, to get the flavour of the convention, have a look at our highlights reel
from Bedford Who Charity Con 7 (2022): just two minutes long.
Just click on the photo / video link thing on the right (or below if you're
reading this on your mobile):
And here are some pics as well. Yes, that really is Jo Martin. And a little bit of
Who history was made because this was the first time Julian Bleach and Terry
Molloy (below!) had ever met. Two Davroses (Terry thought it should be "Davri"!)
Sincere thanks to the guests for coming, and sincere thanks to those who made it
possible for them to be there.
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.
Every month, they provide emergency food to some 1400 local children and adults in crisis.
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
Prices tba
To pay by PayPal or BACS, please email Simon for details on info@bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk
We're aware that the pandemic has caused severe financial problems for many people. We have a number of tickets reserved for fans in this situation. Please contact Simon on the email address above, in confidence, if this applies to you.
THE VIDEOS!
Sketches and performances are a key part of Bedford Who Charity Cons...
You can find them and us on the Bedford Who Charity Con - Doctor Who convention YouTube channel.
Click on this link to go to the channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbdFv3UKQC8jpFs3LvuI5Q
And the channel includes:
And if you want to watch only one, have a look at Colin Baker and the Dalek Invasion of Bedford sketch. Just click on the photo below.
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 8 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.
Group photos with the guests are free, though we ask for a donation to the charity bucket in exchange.
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
Bedford Who Charity Con 8
Saturday 18th March 2023 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...
Bedford Who Charity Cons are hugely popular with our 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...
"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."
"What really stands out is the intimacy, the sense of delight in the presence of people whatever they’re doing on stage or off. It’s not just the usual Sylv and Sophie double act that comes amongst the public; the stage is close, the guests are confident to come up to the audience because they are treated well, and the happy crowd is not intimidating. People listen well and hang on every word or pregnant pause. And all go home feeling they’re part of something good."
- thedoctorwhocompanion.com
"I loved it... The costumes, the beaming crowd and the warm energy in the place in combination with the event itself were just fantastic... The genuine compassion for those in desperate need came through and it is so important at this time. The gathering of the likeminded souls today was so varied in content and so interesting and funny. However, it was also incredibly inclusive, calm and most respectful of everyone who shares a love of Doctor Who... Bedford stands out by virtue of a genuine intimacy between audience and guests... A really brilliant day."
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
Bedford Who Charity Con 6, 2021: £6643
Bedford Who Charity Con 7, 2022: £10,383
TOTAL: £38,886
THANK YOU FOR YOUR STAGGERING GENEROSITY!
And sincere thanks to those local business who have supported the Foundation's events. Please do support them with your custom! They are:
Thanks too to the charitable trusts and agencies who have supported our events. They are:
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: