Canoeing used to be a hobby of mine and when I worked at RAE(B) there certainly used to be a very good canoe club in Bedford. There's an artificial whitewater course out on a flood relief channel in the country park out at Cardington as well that we used to do slalom racing on also.
I've not been there for years, but it used to be on the river just out of the centre of town in a redbrick building with a sort of cafe arrangement on the top floor. Presumably they'll be in some kind of local directory. Presumably they'll do beginners courses - it doesn't take all that long to be reasonably competent in charge of an open Canadian.
I had some very happy evenings paddling on the Bedford Ouse after a hard day's wind tunnel testing out at Thurleigh.
G