The Frederick Ray Trust Charity was established by the will, dated 29th September 1944, of the late Frederick Ray in memory of his first son, Lt Frederick Lee Ray of the Bedfordshire Regiment, who was killed in action in May 1918 in Northern France.

Frederick Ray was a self-made businessman in Bedford who wanted to provide dwellings for his retired former-employees after he died and the Charity was established primarily with this motive. By the 1980s, there were none of these former employees left, so the Charity broadened its remit, but kept its geographic constraints.

Derick Ray, son of the founder (Frederick Ray) and half brother to Frederick Lee Ray was a founding Trustee and remained so until his death in 1996. Under the terms of the Charity, the Trustees were empowered to purchase land in or near Kempston, Bedford for the erection of cottages to house aged, poor or infirm persons, living in rural Kempston, Stagsden or Bedford.

Following the creation of the Charity, a suitable site was acquired in the south of Bedford off the Cardington Road. The site is now named Ray’s Close and 18 bungalows have been erected to date.

Christopher Ray (grandson of Frederick Ray) has been a Trustee since around 1984 and it is an important obligation (although not a Trust requirement) of the family that there should be at least one representative at all times as a Trustee.