Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire was delighted to welcome more than 300 visitors to our annual Festival for Older People at The Rufus Centre in Flitwick on Friday 2nd October 2026.

Now in its 13th year, the popular event brought together local residents, community organisations and health and care services for a day dedicated to celebrating and supporting older people across Central Bedfordshire.

This year’s theme, ‘Building Belonging: Celebrating the Power of Our Social Connections’, highlighted the importance of staying connected and building strong relationships to help us live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives as we get older.

Visitors enjoyed a fantastic range of free health and wellbeing opportunities throughout the day, including flu vaccinations, hearing tests and blood pressure checks. There were also relaxing hand massages, wellbeing advice and plenty of opportunities to find out more about the support and services available locally.

Alongside the health and wellbeing activities, guests could browse and purchase locally made goods, enjoy free refreshments and lunch, and support the Macmillan Cake Stall. Most importantly, the Festival provided a welcoming space for people to meet, chat, make connections and enjoy time together.

The event was once again a wonderful celebration of community spirit, demonstrating the value of bringing people together and helping older residents feel informed, supported and connected.

A huge thank you to everyone who made the Festival possible, including our generous sponsors, dedicated stallholders, staff and wonderful volunteers who gave up their time to help make the day such a success.

Most importantly, thank you to the more than 300 visitors who joined us. Your support, enthusiasm and smiles helped make this year’s Festival so special.

We look forward to seeing you all in 2027!