The Bedfordshire Walking Festival 2012 has been hailed as the most successful in the event’s four-year history.

It had the biggest programme of walks, the most support from volunteers and the largest turn out of would-be Ramblers ever.

Learning from past experiences and delivering a varied programme of walks which were suitable for all – including dog walkers, long distance walkers and families – the event attracted not only people from the county but those from outside the area too.

The nine days of activity, which consisted of more than 70 different walks, concluded at the weekend with the arrival of the R U 4 The Challenge Walkers who had rambled the 40 miles of the Greensand Ridge in two days.

Festival organiser and Ramblers area chairman for Bedfordshire, Barry Ingram, said: “I would like to take this opportunity of thanking everyone who helped to make the 2012 walking festival the most successful to date.

“All the walk leaders did an excellent job. They were the front people not only representing our groups but representing both Bedfordshire Ramblers and Ramblers everywhere.

“Thanks has also got to go to the members who attended walks, came to events to promote their groups and the festival as well and also to the members who put up posters and who talked to people and handed out programmes.

“The festival and all the events leading up to it helped raise awareness not only of The Ramblers but about using footpaths, getting out in the countryside and generally about getting involved.”

Planning for the Bedfordshire Walking Festival 2013, which has support from more than a dozen other interested environmental and countryside groups, starts in October.

Are you interested in becoming a Rambler? The Ramblers is Britain’s Walking Charity and organises more than 38,000 walks every year.

There are more than 115,000 members across the country

Membership costs just £3 a month and includes a host of benefits

To join today go to: www.ramblers.org.uk/join and quote reference U12Y2A.

Alarm bells are ringing over an initiative that aims to encourage people in Leighton-Linslade to travel by bike rather than car – after the condition of cycle routes has been declared “poor”.

Friday saw the official launch of a Travel Choices project from Central Bedfordshire Council, which will ensure 8,000 households in Leighton are given advice about their travel options by providing them with a wider choice for their journeys that is economically friendly.

To achieve successful sustainable travel the number of journeys made by foot, bike and public transport needs to be increased, which the council believe can be achieved in Leighton with the help of experts guiding the public.

However, councillors have voiced their concerns over the public’s safety if they are being encouraged to cycle on roads with potholes and sunken drains.

Councillor Gordon Perham said: “When riding a bicycle you are unfortunately between the devil and the deep blue sea.

“It is safer to ride approximately one metre away from the gutter as most of the potholes are there and cars that are passing have to give you more room.

“Some cars get too close and force you closer to the pavement – that is when you end up on the floor and lucky if you don`t get run over.”

In response to the plans, Councillor Steve Cotter said that Leighton would have to be updated to improve its abilities, even though it is meant to be a cycling town.

Mr Cotter said: “I don’t know what a cycle town looks like to be honest.

“The condition of the roads is, I think, very poor.

“The roads need sprucing up and maintained because it is very dangerous.”

At the launch, businesses and transport providers were introduced to the Personal Journey Planners who are visiting 8,000 households in Leighton Buzzard over the next few months, offering information on the travel options in their area.

Welcoming the project, Councillor Nigel Young, spokesman for sustainable communities, strategic planning and economic development, said: “This project fits in with our bigger vision to boost economic activity and growth in Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable and Houghton Regis. By reducing congestion and offering better options for travel, we will improve access to jobs and education.”

> What do you think of the cycling facilities? Have your say, our contact details are on page 2.

“Just because I’m telling you this story... doesn’t mean I’m alive at the end of it.”

Oliver Stone blasts back onto the big screen with this brutal, visceral and beautiful tale of drugs, violence and relationships.

And that means you can step out of the UK autumn drizzle and into a sun-drenched world of drug lords, Santa Muerte masks, grim beheadings and heavy-duty gunplay, all underpinned with a relationship love triangle. Strong stuff.

Savages tells the tale of attractive young beach bum weed-heads O (Blake Lively), Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch).

These three sexy as hell youngsters share a bed, run their own weed growing/selling business and generally enjoy the good life.

But everything changes when a very nasty drug cartel makes them an offer – as in an offer which they can’t really refuse if they know what’s good for them – to take over their operation.

O is the siren nymph who shares her two lovers – Ben is the gentle, Zen one who sorts out all the science of growing, and who uses his funds to help save African children, while Chon is a hard as nails former special forces type who weighs in on the rare occasion that their happy customers fail to pay up for goods received.

When the evil Baja cartel led by Elena Sanchez (Salma Hayek) – who has a penchant for decapitating anyone who crosses her – want a cut of their business, the trio decide to cash in their ill gotten gains and run.

But the Baja enforcer is a seriously nasty piece of work named Lado, played by Benicio del Toro, who won’t let them go and kidnaps O.

Throw John Travolta’s corrupt DEA agent into the mix and things get messy.

There are some excellent action scenes, the stand out of which sees Chon get some of his army pals in to help them take down a Baja drugs money drop – complete with IEDs, rocket launchers and copious amounts of gunfire.

Another unforgettable scene see Ben and Chon’s sweaty highway trip to try and deliver a van loaded with grass against the clock but desperately trying to avoid the cops.

Savages tries to show the situation from both sides of the story but you can’t help but root for the good looking trio of ‘heroes’ – they do look absolutely amazing.

In fact if you can stand the serious violence, the eye candy, both male and female, is off the scale hot.

Good job Mr Stone, more like this please!

Whipsnade Zoo’s pachyderm Picasso has picked up a paintbrush to show off her artistic talents to mark Elephant Appreciation Weekend.

Fourteen-year-old Asian elephant Karishma has been using her trunk to decorate wooden elephants with colourful splashes of paint in the run up to the weekend (September 22-23) – which raised vital funds for the zoo’s worldwide elephant conservation and research projects.

Elephant keeper Elizabeth Becker said: “Karishma really enjoys painting, and she’s very talented at it.

“It demonstrates just how dexterous elephant’s trunks really are and we think the end results are pretty amazing, if a little abstract!”

Karishma’s works of art were on display at the zoo during Elephant Appreciation Weekend alongside nine wooden elephants which have been created and decorated by students from Central Bedforshire College to represent each of Whipsnade’s nine elephants.

The public is being asked to back a blueprint outlining the provision of pitches for gipsies and travellers over the next 19 years.

Central Beds Council’s new Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan will include new policies outlining how planning applications for pitches will be assessed as well as identifying new sites.

Once specific proposals have been identified, the draft plans will go to a full public consultation in May next year. One area that was initially identified as a possible site was Black Barn off Mentmore Road, Linslade.

Councillor Nigel Young said: “We know that this plan will be of interest to both the settled and gypsy and traveller communities and are committed to having a full and transparent consultation with everyone concerned and giving people greater input from the outset.”

The plan can be downloaded from the council’s website at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/strategic-planning under the ‘planning news and consultation’ section.

The public can comment on the plans online or by getting paper feedback forms from council offices and libraries. Comments must be received by 5pm on Monday, October 29.

Nine people involved in a sham marriage scam master-minded by a Luton businessman appeared in Luton Crown Court for sentencing today.

They are all charged with conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration laws, and the case centres on Gyash Uddin of Ivy Road, Luton who used his restaurant Moja in Leighton Buzzard, as a cover for the scam.

Polish women, who worked in the Mill Road restaurant or pretended to work there, arranged to marry Bangladeshi men to secure them residency in the UK.

Luton residents and Polish nationals Mariusz Rohde, 28, of Hitchin Road, Dorota Wysocka, 45, of Studley Road; Katarzyna Potrykus, 40, of Cowper Road; Aneta Szczepanik, 35, of Kingsland Road; and Kamila Drozdowska, 28, of Bute Street, and Bangladeshi-British man Tera Miah, 58, of Hitchin Road, pleaded guilty to the charge at an earlier hearing.

Uddin and Bangladeshi nationals Mohammed Razul Miah, 35, of Mill Road, Leighton Buzzard, and Mohammed Dolon Miah, 35, of Spencer Road, Luton, were found guilty after a five week trial at Luton Crown Court.

The only sham marriage which went ahead was that of Wysocka and Razul Miah at Leighton Buzzard Register Office on February 19 2011, despite Wysocka being in a long-term relationship with Rohde.

Rohde acted as an interpreter for Wysocka during the marriage process, but when officers visited Wysocka’s address, they found her in bed with him.

Video footage from a mobile phone showed Rohde interpreting as he, Wysocka and Uddin discussed the sham marriage.

The UK Border Agency launched an investigation after registrars expressed concern about the wedding of Wysocka and Razul Miah, as there was a clear language barrier between the bride and groom and they did not interact with each other.

After the marriage, Razul Miah’s application for UK residency, based solely on his marriage, was not successful.

During his immigration appeal hearing, the judge said: “This was the the clearest case of a sham marriage that it is possible to envisage. This is an absolute disgrace and was a marriage intended to drive a coach and horses through effective immigration control in this country.”

Luton Crown Court heard how a £200 wedding dress bought from a shop in Luton was intended to be used in all the marriages, but the planned marriages of Drozdowska and Dolon Miah, and Potrykus and a Bangladeshi man did not go ahead.

Potrykus lived with her Polish partner and children in Cowper Street, Luton. She arranged to marry a Bangladeshi national for a payment of £7000 but changed her mind.

British citizen Tera Miah was going to marry Uddin’s sister-in-law Salma Begum but was denied the certificate of application. Salma Begum arrived in the UK just a few weeks before the marriage application, and is still at large in the UK.

Andy Radcliffe from the UK Border Agency said: “Uddin took advantage of his position as a restaurateur to sponsor people to enter the UK, knowing full well that they never planned to go home.

“At every turn, our investigators found his fingerprints all over the case, with the evidence pinpointing him as the main player. He acted as an interpreter at some of the weddings and money went to the EU nationals direct from his account. He also staged a reception for one of the weddings at Moja, the façade of a happy marriage undermined when both the bride and groom went back to work in the kitchens just half an hour into the celebration.

“By bringing Uddin and his accomplices to justice, we have destroyed their criminal business and shown just how seriously we take abuse of the immigration system.”

The nine defendants sat in the dock with two interpreters, to hear prosecutor Will Nobel read his opening statement.

The case continues.

Young footballers at Leighton Town FC will be backed by a different kind of sub after the club teamed up with a local business.

Subway in Leighton High Street will be making a 10p donation to the football club on purchases of specially selected menu choices throughout the 2012/13 football season.

Subway has more than 30,000 outlets globally and each one is a franchise owned by individuals from the community and staffed by local people.

One of its aims is to support local young people, many of whom are its customers, and the business has opted to help football clubs because it sees sport as a popular and important part of many neighbourhoods.

All the 10 pences raised will help finance budding young footballers at the club.

Amit Patel, owner of the Leighton’s Subway, said: “Sport plays an essential part in our community and we hope to help these young players get the things they need with everyone’s support.

“Whatever we raise will go straight to the club, so the more support we get, the better it is for the kids.”

Richard Graham, chairman of Leighton Town added “We’re so pleased that the store will be donating money to our club.

“We’ll be using the funds to get new training equipment for the squads.

“Leighton Town FC is the focus for all the youth teams in and around Leighton Buzzard and Linslade to aspire to, and will really benefit from the support the Leighton community gives us.” 

HUNDREDS of friends turned out to pay tribute to Martin Nurton at his funeral today (Monday).

The 33-year-old motorcycle instructor was killed in an accident on Friday September 7.

As a mark of respect, hundreds of his friends and family attended his funeral, meeting first at the Horizon Rider Training centre, at the National Bowl, where he worked, to form a convoy behind the hearse as it journeyed to Crownhill Crematorium.

There was a celebration of his life back at The Bowl after the funeral.

Police chief are set to rubber stamp plans to cut 98 senior roles, 100 police officers and 56 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) at Bedfordshire Police over the next four years.

Bedfordshire Police Authority, which oversees policing across the county, meet today (Tuesday September 25) to consider a report by Chief Constable Alf Hitchcock.

Under the government’s comprehensive spending review, Beds Police is required to trim £19million from its budget by 2014/15, and a further £14million is likely to be needed by 2017/18.

Removing 100 police officer posts and 56 PCSO roles is expected to save £7million.

The senior roles set to be cut include two chief superintendents, seven superintendents, five chief inspectors, 16 inspectors, 20 sergeants and 48 constables.

The report says: “Bedfordshire Police has already demonstrated its ability to improve performance with fewer resources; meeting dramatic funding cuts and delivering fundamental structural change.

“The police authority can therefore take assurance that the force will be able to deliver further savings without reversing the substantial performance improvements achieved over the last year-and-a-half.”

According to a new report to be presented to the police authority, Bedfordshire Police will shed up to 100 more police officers, 56 PCSOs, together with 30 police cars, and deploy all shifts from either the Kempston HQ or Luton, to make £7million of savings.

> What do you think? Comment below or email editorial@timesandcitizen.co.uk

THE demon drink gets more than its fair share of bad press these days, so it’s always good to hear about research that redresses the balance a bit.

Most of us cling to maxims about Guinness being good for you, red wine helping your heart and a good slug of Scotch being a folk remedy for most everyday ailments even when the experts tut about the number of units we continue to pour down our necks, and for good reason: We like a drink, and we like being told that we can keep on doing it.

So let’s crack open a bottle to celebrate research from New Zealand that tells us that couples who share a bottle of wine at least once a week enjoy marital life far more than those who steer clear of alcohol.

Women are four times more likely to be happy if they drink at least once a week with their partner than if they never do, they say.

What’s more, men are more than three times happier with their lot.

Contentment drops with every heavy-drinking partner added to a relationship.

And unhappiest of all are those who never share a drink even though one half of the pair knocks back more than their share.

I can see where they are coming from, but the important word here is share, as I know from my many years of matrimony.

And in the Dee household, sharing a bottle of wine is fraught with unspoken tensions.

First up, red or white? I like to savour the darker end of the wine spectrum, while Mrs Dee is a white girl pretty much all the way.

I’m a sipper, and I like to know what I’m sipping – I’m particular about grape types, country of origin, all that sort of stuff. I’m not an obsessive, I don’t guess the year or whitter on about bramble fruits and old teacloths on the nose or any of that nonsense, but I like to connect with whoever grew the stuff and salute him or her as I raise a considered elbow.

The main question that concerns Mrs Dee, apart from a distaste for the Chardonnay grape and a preference for wines at the dry end of the scale, is whether it’s a cork or a screwtop.

Then comes the tricky subject of drinking speed.

She does like to glug, bless her. If there’s liquid in the glass, it won’t be there long. Not a criticism, you understand, just a fact of life, it’s the way she’s made.

But if we’re in a restaurant and one of those over-attentive waiters is topping up the glasses, she’ll easily end up with the bulk of the bottle on her side of the table.

This can rankle, to be honest, particularly if you carefully selected the bottle and you know that your partner doesn’t really care about the complexities of the wine in question as long as it leaves enamel on the teeth and doesn’t produce a stonking headache in the morning.

Still. if you’re regularly having a drink together these are minor specks of cork floating in the glass of life.

One thing I would insist on, though, is that it’s all very well to share a bottle of wine but it should be considered a danger sign if you’re sharing it in the open air, passing it between the two of you and swigging it by the neck. You know it makes sense.

A restaurateur who acted as a ‘Mr Fix It’ in a sham marriage scam was jailed for four years at Luton Crown Court on Monday.

Gyash Uddin of Ivy Road, Luton, master-minded sham marriages between Polish women, some of whom worked in his Leighton Buzzard restaurant Moja, and his Bangladeshi relatives, in order to secure the Bangladeshis’ residence in the UK.

Nine people - brides, grooms and associates, appeared before the court charged with conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration laws.

Jailing Uddin, Judge David Farrell QC told him: “You Gyash Uddin were at the centre of this scam. You were the Mr Fix It.”

The only sham marriage which went ahead was that of Dorota Wysocka and Razul Miah at Leighton Buzzard Register Office on February 19 2011, despite Wysocka being in a relationship with Mariusz Rohde.

Rohde acted as an interpreter for Wysocka during the marriage process, but when officers visited Wysocka’s address, they found her in bed with him. Video footage from a mobile phone showed Rohde interpreting as he, Wysocka and Uddin discussed the sham marriage.

Bangladeshi nationals Mohammed Razul Miah, 35, of Mill Road, Leighton Buzzard, and Mohammed Dolon Miah, 35, of Spencer Road, Luton, were each sentenced to two years and six months in jail.

Six Luton residents were also jailed, Polish nationals Rohde, 28, of Hitchin Road for 13 months, Wysocka, 45, of Studley Road for 16 months, Katarzyna Potrykus, 40, of Cowper Road for 12 months, Aneta Szczepanik, 35, of Kingsland Road for 12 months, Kamila Drozdowska, 28, of Bute Street for 13 months and British man Tera Miah, 58, of Hitchin Road for 8 months.

Andy Radcliffe, from the UK Border Agency, said: “This was an organised criminal conspiracy and at its head was Gyash Uddin. His public face was that of a respectable restaurateur, but behind the scenes Uddin was plotting a shameless and persistent abuse of the UK’s immigration laws.

“His actions were those of a man who thought he was above the law, of a man who thought he would not be caught. He was wrong on both counts.

“I hope that today’s convictions send a clear message that we will pursue those who facilitate sham marriages and hold them accountable for their actions.”

It really is a true saying that it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all, writes Amanda Devlin.

For me, the true love I had to let go last week is going on to become an assistance dog for disabled people and inexplicably transform someone’s life.

Last Monday saw the end of a 15-month journey that my family and I had been on after we waved goodbye to our special boy, Chipper.

On June 13 of last year, the black Labrador bounced into our lives, quite literally, at just under four months old as we became his Puppy Parents and endeavoured to begin his training.

Since becoming volunteers for Canine Partners in February 2009, my family have had the pleasure to send three incredible dogs off to advanced training, knowing they are destined for greatness.

Through the provision of specially trained dogs for the disabled, the charity helps those to enjoy a greater independence and a better quality of life, with Puppy Parents being responsible for their basic training and socialising usually from eight weeks to 15 months.

From an early age Chipper has been opening doors, picking up dropped items, bringing my dad the post, handing him the TV remote control and pulling clothes out of the washing machine.

These are taught with commands that teach the dog to help with reaching for high and low items that someone in a wheelchair might struggle to retrieve – and the puppies are more than willing to lend a paw to help.

It is incredible to imagine the effect these dogs have on those eligible to have a Canine Partner because alongside everyday practical help, Chipper will provide psychological and social benefits to his new owner in the future.

At the moment, Chipper is at Canine Partners HQ in West Sussex where he is being assessed for a three-week period and if he passes, will then move onto his advanced training and eventually be partnered with someone who requires the skills he can provide – and who is sure to become his new best friend.

Before he left, we were in the supermarket shopping and after being asked, Chipper jumped up to the till and passed over my purse to the cashier who was amazed at his ability and asked ‘How can you let him go?’

The simple answer is that as difficult as it has been to say goodbye, I know that Chipper is in the best of hands and although I love him, I do not need him like his future partner does.

Instead I can be incredibly proud of my part in his journey and look forward to hearing about the impact he has made on a very lucky person’s day-to-day activities after he has undoubtedly transformed their life for the better.

If you would like to be a Puppy Parent like me, Canine Partners would love to hear from you. The nearest satellite training centre is in Clapham, where you can meet other volunteers for training classes once a week, so contact Lorraine Lotan on 07787 114447.

If that isn’t for you, why not Adopt a Puppy instead and receive regular updates throughout the puppy’s training and be updated once the puppy has been partnered with one of our disabled applicants. For more information visit www.caninepartners.org.uk

You can also follow Canine partners on Twitter @canine_partners or on Facebook www.facebook.com/caninepartners.

> Get in touch with your views and contact LBO reporter Amanda Devlin:

Follow: {http://twitter.com/LBOAmanda|@LBOAmanda|@LBOAmanda}

Email: {mailto:amanda.devlin@jpress.co.uk|amanda.devlin@jpress.co.uk|amanda.devlin@jpress.co.uk}

Direct Line: 01582798512

One of the consolations of getting on a bit is that weddings no longer clutter the calendar. The few splicings that I get invited to these days tend to be second or even third time around affairs, and fairly sedate ones at that.

But I well remember those frantic years when it seemed every other weekend was blocked out to go and watch someone else walk down the aisle, and later avoid the dance floor until Cliff’s Congratulations had been given its obligatory spin.

So I feel for today’s wedding generation – whether they’re planning their own big day or expected to turn up to see someone else make with the vows – now that the whole process has gone 24 hours like everything else in the world.

Up until this month, you couldn’t get married outside the hours of 8am and 6pm.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me, but after 176 years that restriction has been scrapped, and all in the name of increased choice.

That’s a familiar cop-out from those who reckon they can make a quid or two from regulations being ripped up, and it’s nonsense.

One of the first venues to grasp the opportunity is that sacred temple of eternal human fidelity, Blackpool Tower.

If you want to get hitched at our shabby take on Las Vegas, you can now make a reservation for sunrise, sunset or even midnight.

But for pity’s sake, have they thought this through?

Up until now it’s always been the case that friends and relatives could be expected to travel half way across the country in their best bib and tucker to be part of the celebration, and if on the rare occasion that you got invitations for the same day everyone accepted that you couldn’t be in two places at once.

Not any more. What’s to stop your cousin in Cornwall arranging a dawn ceremony on the beach and your nephew in Newcastle going for a late-night ceremony in the shadow of the Angel of the North on the very same day?

Of course you can make it to both, you’ll just have to drive around the clock so that you don’t let either of them down.

And spare a thought to all those poor people who depend on weddings for a living, from balloon modellers and cake makers to flower arrangers, DJs, and the sundry staff who make sure the reception goes with a swing.

They could be expected to work around the clock at peak season, and I don’t think anyone should be forced to endure more than one wedding a day.

It seems that weddings are following in the path set by supermarkets, and now that the hours are de-regulated who’s to say that the next step will not be the ‘order online and we’ll deliver it’ wedding – you will be able to pick out the cake, the dress, the assorted accessories and everything else on a website, and they’ll all be stuck in a van and brought round to your door by a driver who also just happens to be licensed to sort out the service. You’ll be able to get married at the time of your choice, without bothering to leave home.

And if you then find that it doesn’t really suit, or you could have got it cheaper elsewhere, you can just send it all back....

A man has died following a car crash in Wing after it is thought he was taken ill at the wheel.

Police were called to the incident at 7.30am this morning to reports a red Peugeot 207 had left the carriageway of the A418 Leighton Road.

The road was consequently closed for over two hours while investigators examined the scene.

The driver, 50, of Cheddington, was taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital, where he died a short time later.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: “The road was closed to allow collision investigators to examine the scene and the car to be recovered but was reopened at 9.45am.

“At this stage, it appears the man may have suffered a medical episode which caused him to crash and subsequently die.”

A motocross track in Stanbridge is calling for a change in planning restrictions to enable it to expand its business.

Dunstable Motocross, which has a site in Billington Road, wants to operate the track all year around and boost the number of riders using the course at any one time from seven to 30.

The site first opened in 1995 and strict rules were imposed to limit its use to prevent noise nuisance. Now organiser Steve Brooks is looking to vary the conditions after, he claims, improvements have taken place within the industry.

He has applied to Central Beds Council to run the track throughout the year arguing that during winter weather neighbours would be less likely to have windows open or use their gardens and to alter session times to accommodate training, practise and corporate days.

He is also asking to increase the number of bikes on the track. In a letter to the authority Mr Brooks, from Harlow, said: “We feel an increase in numbers of bikes will have a calming effect on noise. As with motorway noise, a less busy motorway is noisier due to sudden changes in levels whereas a busy motorway keeps a constant hum and is less noticeable.

“This works the same with a motocross track so we feel we will have few complaints in future with more bikes on the track at any one time.

“Noise levels of motocross bikes have dropped dramatically since 1995 when this clause was put in for safety reasons as the track wasn’t manned or maintained to the standard it is now with marshalls and first aiders at every practise session. Bikes have got a lot quieter and the db has lowered considerably since then.”

Innovation and entrepreneurship are a “matter of survival” for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) that want to succeed online, according to a university professor.

Professor Yanqing Duan, director of the Business and Information Systems Research Centre (BISC) at the University of Bedfordshire Business School, has researched why some SMEs are successful in electronic business, whilst others are left behind.

Giving the keynote speech at the International Conference on E-Business Technology and Strategy, in Tianjin, China, she said the key is to raise awareness on developing an entrepreneurial culture and to improve Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills.

Prof Duan said: “Development and deployment of emerging ICTs are providing new opportunities as well as challenges for e-business innovation and growth.”

BISC’s research has analysed factors affecting e-business success from several theoretical and practical perspectives.It has been involved in many projects worth some £1.5m over the past 10 years, mainly funded from the European Commission, supporting SMEs’ e-business adoption and innovation through knowledge transfer and ICT competence development.

Dr Sonal Minocha, Dean at the University of Bedfordshire Business School said: “It is our ambition to build an international practice-driven school engaging with global businesses, through research and consultancy that is beneficial for organisations is a core strand of our strategy.

“Yanqing’s research evidences the highly applied and relevant nature of our research activity and the impact it is generating.”

Students and teachers from two Leighton Buzzard schools will be taking part in a film festival that aims to educate children in the cinema experience – and you’d be a Muppet to miss out!

There will be 170 students from Heathwood Lower School and 65 pupils from Leedon Lower School visiting one of the 2,500 screenings at 570 cinemas across the UK this year as the world’s largest film festival for schools celebrates its 17th birthday.

The screenings of Mirror Mirror and The Muppets will be held at Leighton Buzzard Theatre on Lake Street next Tuesday as part of the National Schools Film Week that is running between October 15-26.

Carole Perham, centre facilitator of Leighton Buzzard Theatre, said: “The festival encourages young children to come along and get interested in film and I hope keeps the film industry alive for the future.

“It is much better seeing a film on the big screen. It can feel part of the actual film itself when the picture is enormous and the surround sound is great.”

The festival’s goal is to support classroom teaching by providing schools with a powerful experience for their students that links directly to elements of the curriculum – supported by an online library of resources related to individual films and more generic topics – essentially an extension of the classroom.

Last year saw 470,000 students and their teachers attend across the UK and in the average year, Film Education’s events such as these reach over two million school children aged four to 19 years.

The point behind the project is to reach all schoolchildren regardless of economic, cultural or social background and give teachers the tools to encourage students to explore and understand the film industry.

The screening of The Muppets is full, but there are still tickets left for the screening of Mirror Mirror.

If you are a teacher and want to book tickets, you can do so online at www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

Since the dawn of time the humble cocoa bean has been used for money, offered as food to the gods, and even hailed as a wonder-drug and aphrodisiac in certain circles.

For most of us, however, it is a chance to indulge in something delightfully sweet and exciting to the taste buds while curled up after a busy day. Not all chocolate is sweet and it would appear that the hidden health benefits may only apply to the dark varieties considered bitter by some.

Well, worry not, I thought... that is absolutely fine by me because I love it!

Imagine my delight when Creighton’s Chocolaterie, owned by Andrea Huntington, invited me along to experience one of its truffle-making workshops. Choccy-heaven indeed! I joined eight others on the workshop, all of us eager to savour the task ahead.

Chocoholics’ paradise soon unfolded as we watched Andrea melt pints of the brown-stuff for our challenge. The good news being – it was dark chocolate, Hooray! While the chocolate mountain melted in the microwave very slowly, we all got the chance to taste various types of chocolate from its original cocoa bean state to an 80 per cent plain chocolate button ready for its transformation into the works of art we buy.

It was time to put on our aprons and make our truffle mixture which was to be the centre of our creations. Mixing dark chocolate with double cream, and a splash of orange flavouring, my soft-centres were soon complete.

Some of the more daring among the group went for the alcoholic option, like rum and Pimms, but I’m not particularly fond so I stayed well clear.

We waited for our truffle mixture to set. To pass the time, more mouthfuls of white, milk and plain chocolate followed sourced from Venezuela, Ghana, and Trinidad. Simply scrummy!

Aromas were beginning to hit a high in the kitchen as the surprisingly calming fragrance of plain chocolate swirled in the air. Taste-buds whetted, we then watched Andrea ‘temper’ the liquid chocolate she had melted.

This involved emptying the entire contents of the jug onto a marble worktop and then with a special spatula she scooped and swirled the chocolate around to make sure the heat was dispelled. I am sure we were all stood there open-mouthed!

For those with a serious chocolate addiction, I imagined this could have been an ‘all too much’ moment and those affected would have either dived into the chocolate pool or fled from the room to fight their cravings!

Back in the jug, the chocolate was shared between us ready to coat our set truffle mixture.

Now it was our chance to dive in! Making truffles into perfectly round balls is a messy business – but someone’s got to do it.

Hands in, and before I knew it chocolate hand cream took on a whole new meaning as I attempted to make perfect spheres. It was easier said than done, but eventually I had 30 pieces of truffle to dip in yet more melted chocolate for the final, glossy finish – Oh, and incredibly sticky hands.

Reaching momentous chocolate overload by now, I resisted the temptation to lick my palms and headed for the sink to clean up. I returned to my workstation and proceeded to dip my truffles into the dark chocolate. This bit was surprisingly easy and soon enough, 30 little treasurers, sprinkled with white chocolate stars and a few cherries for good measure, were lined up on my tray. I placed them in bags and, voila!, tasty treats for my family and friends!

If you would like to make truffles for the festive season why not visit www.creightonschocolaterie.co.uk

An idea that could inspire the unemployed to start running their own successful business is in ongoing talks to get backing from others to make sure it doesn’t miss the mark.

Aidan Marnell, town centre and markets manager, has proposed to Leighton-Linslade Town Council that a series of seminars be introduced, which would be put under the banner of ‘so you want to be a market trader.’

The classes will be aimed at craftsmen, unemployed people or those who would like some extra income and will provide information about how to become a market trader, along with tips on marketing, display, pricing, legal requirements and more.

Aidan said: “It is aimed at people who either want to earn some extra pocket money or someone who would like to set themselves up with their own business. There is a lot of people who don’t think about what they need to put in place before they become a market trader.”

For more on this story, see the LBO on sale now!

If you have a view on this new venture, tweet your opinion to @LBOAmanda email amanda.devlin@jpress.co.uk or call 01582798512

Businesses lobby group the Bedfordshire Chamber has urged its member firms to support development plans to increase the capacity of the airport to 18 million passengers per year.

London Luton Airport Operations Limited has invited chamber members to fill in a survey before its own consultation on its vision for the future of the airport ends on Friday (October 12).

The Chamber, based in Kimpton Road, Luton, just a stone’s throw from the airport, believes the transport hub is ‘one of the region’s most important assets’. It is, the chamber says on its LinkedIn page, a ‘key economic growth driver for Bedfordshire and, indeed, the sub-region’.

Through approximately £100 million of proposed new investment, the operator intends to increase the capacity of the airport to 18 million passengers per year, which it believes will generate approximately £218 million in added annual value to the local economy, as well as create 4,500 additional jobs.

The airport intends to submit a planning application later in the year, and the chamber is strongly urge its members to take part in an online survey, which asks people who take part three questions.