Innovative stem cell donor recruitment campaign results in almost 50% increase in diverse ethnic donors from Luton on the national register

Luton Swab Week, held between 23-27 January, was a UK first for town-wide stem cell donor recruitment, organised in partnership with Luton Council, Luton Rising, Luton Sixth Form College, the University of Bedfordshire, Anthony Nolan, the National BAME Transplant Alliance, Cricket East, Wicketz, Streets and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Mediators resolve heated disputes

The skill of a mediator is to be able to see both sides of situation or conflict and take a neutral position. It’s not to impose solutions but to help the parties involved find their own.

Luton Mediation has been offering this free service in Luton since 1993, and so plays a vital role in helping keep harmony and avoiding discord within the community – often between neighbours.

Environmental charity transforms lives and places

If you’re unemployed and struggling to get back into work, you may be feeling low on confidence. You may want to improve your skills and even gain new qualifications. One of the organisations that helps in Luton is the environmental charity Groundwork East, which works with communities challenged by deprivation to transform places and lives.

Ben’s passport to a new career on the Luton DART

Ben Scott had enjoyed various jobs since graduating from the University of Hertfordshire with a degree in maths and computer studies. Still, he had a hankering to find a longer-term career path – and soon he found it on our pioneering Luton DART construction scheme.

Going the extra mile to help children with autism thrive

Teenager Jen* became aware that she was different to her friends and that they no longer wished to hang around with her. She was socially awkward and no longer seemed to fit in.

When her mum discovered Autism Bedfordshire and its evening social group Wanted Fun, she described it as “a godsend”.