What has the Bedford Park Festival done for us?
Festival Archive
The Festival was launched in June 1967 by the then vicar of St Michael & All Angels, with the enthusiastic support of the Bedford Park Society and its patron John Betjeman.
Its purpose was to rekindle a sense of community, celebrate the arts and raise money for urgent repairs to the church. But it also helped preserve the area from demolition, laying the foundations for Bedford Park’s current prosperity. In the Sixties, property developers (including the council) were knocking down houses to build blocks of flats. The first Festival included an exhibition demonstrating the architectural importance of Bedford Park, the world's first garden suburb. Within a month, 365 houses had been listed and soon it was declared a conservation area by Ealing and Hounslow Councils (the full story is in Bevis Hillier’s John Betjeman: The Biography).
“The best day after Christmas Day!”
The Festival has taken place every June since then and is now the largest community event in Chiswick, attracting thousands of people on Green Days weekend. It is the centrepiece of St Michaels’ work in the community and raises money for charities as well as the upkeep and outreach of the church.
It helped raise £500,000 for the rebuilding of the Parish Hall in 2000, and to pay for the recent repair and refurbishment of the church. It has supported local charities, such as St Mary’s Convent & Nursing Home, the Upper Room, the Microloan Foundation, and Musequality, as well as Unicef, Brain Tumour Research and the Study of Infant Deaths.
It can also lift the spirits. One mother told us her son thinks Green Days is “the best day after Christmas Day”. One email read: ”I just wanted to drop you a quick line to express my personal appreciation of all the fantastic work that has gone into making this year’s Festival such a huge success. Apart from the religious, cultural and fun aspects of the Festival, I think it plays a very important role in helping to bind our community together...” So please don’t miss it!