Join Us in Building a Community Where No One Faces Winter Alone
The Winter Nightshelter opened 2 years ago in response to the plight of rough sleepers on the streets in Bedford. Since then, we have supported over 200 individuals and provided well over 3000 bedspaces in the harshest months of the year.
We open at 7.45pm for guests to come in for a hot home cooked meal, spend time with volunteers and each other playing games or chatting, and then everyone in bed for 11pm. Up for breakfast at 7am and on their way by 8am with a packed lunch and any support in place they might need for the day.
The Winter Nightshelter is a free, warm, safe, clean environment with good food, good company, and this whole operation works because we have a brilliant volunteer team to cook delicious meals, clean and tidy, work the morning and evening shifts, and an outreach team who support guests during the day.
King’s Arms Project is rising to meet this challenge once again, by opening our doors with a renewed focus on wrap-around support for the homeless in Bedford. This year the Winter Night Shelter isn’t just a home for tonight, it’s hope for tomorrow.
Volunteer Roles at the Winter Night Shelter
All roles at 56 Harpur Street, Bedford, MK40 2QT
Evening Volunteer:
7pm – 10.30/11pm
To support the shift leader in running a welcoming and safe space for rough sleepers seeking shelter for the night.
- Welcome guests
- Help prepare sleeping area
- Help heat up food
- Serve guests warm food and drinks
- Help maintain a calm and friendly environment
- Play games, have chat with guests
- Help settle guests for sleeping
Morning Volunteer:
7am - 8.30am
To assist the shift leader in providing breakfast and preparing guests for the day.
- Serve breakfast to guests
- Help maintain a friendly and calm environment
- Help guests prepare for the day
- Help clear up sleeping area and kitchen
- Cleaning and hoovering to prepare the building for it’s daytime usage once the guests have departed
- Help strip and remake the beds
Help our Guests in Other Ways
COOK AND DELIVER OR CONTRIBUTE FOOD
- Cook and deliver a meal for 20 adults
- Donate and deliver cakes, puddings or sweet treats
- Donate and deliver provisions for packed lunches (sandwich fillings, bread, chocolate bars, fruit, crisps)
HouseKeeping
- Help clean, make beds, hoover once guests have left
- Help prepare toiletries packs and clothing donations ready for distribution
Creating Change for Bedford’s Homeless
As we prepare to reopen at Harpur Street on 1st December 2025, we are committed to providing shelter, support, and hope to our guests through to 16th March 2026 with particular focus on long term wrap-around support.
This vital initiative is made possible through our close partnership with Bedford Borough Council, together transforming lives and ensuring that no one in our community has to endure the winter nights alone.
Homelessness can’t always be prevented — but no one should face it without somewhere safe to stay, someone to listen to, and the support to build a better future.
This winter, we’re opening our doors again. Not just as a place to sleep, but as a place to begin again.
When someone comes to us, we don’t ask why — we ask who. People matter more than circumstances.
In Partnership With
Be part of a better story
With the learnings and experience of the last two years, we saw how providing a bed and a warm meal was not just a basic necessity, but a crucial step to transforming lives.
During the day, we will be introducing our guests to a longer-term plan as well as aiming to provide a range of vital services to uplift the wellbeing of our guests. This will be made possible through a powerful collaboration with local agencies, uniting the community to make a real difference.
Wrap-Around Support: A Pathway to Transformation
A Safe Bed for the Night
Not just shelter, but safety, dignity, and rest.
Home-Cooked Food
Every meal made and shared with love — because good food feeds the soul, too.
A Warm Community
Guests, volunteers, support workers — we’re in this together, creating a space where people feel seen, supported, and valued.
Expert Outreach & Casework
Our team works with guests to build personalised plans, access essential services, and move towards long-term solutions.
Onsite Support Services
From healthcare and podiatry to Citizens Advice and employment coaching — we aim to bring help to where it’s needed most.
A Partnership Across Bedford
We work closely with Bedford Borough Council, local agencies, and YOU — the community — to make all this possible.
Together, WE Can Do This
But we can’t do it alone – we need YOU. Your support can turn this vision into reality.
Help us create a place that’s more than a shelter; help us build a community that gives hope for tomorrow.
