What's On

Over 1,500 festival goers enjoyed the sunshine, food and entertainment at the revived Swanbourne Music Festival last Sunday, 27th August. Hosted for the first time by Swanbourne’s local pub, The Betsey Wynne, (www.TheBetseyWynne.co.uk),  #SwanMusicFest marked its re-opening last Monday (21st August), following a major five-week refurbishment and glass-fronted extension by the award winning pub group, Oakman Inns. The happy crowd - a great family mix from toddlers to grandparents with families and friends - chilled out and sunbathed on an assortment of beach towels, rugs, and pop up seating and were entertained throughout the afternoon and into the evening by..

For the second year in a row, Maaya Indian Kitchen & Bar in The Hub has been officially ‘nominated’ for the most prestigious Indian restaurant awards in the UK, the British Curry Awards. Last year, Maaya was nominated and shortlisted as the Best Newcomer, and this year customers have nominated the independent restaurant under the Best in the Region category. Nomination is the first stage - only a few restaurants are nominated from thousands of entries – and then, if successful, Maaya will be shortlisted.  “It is such an honour to receive a nomination for the second year in a..

A new eBook has been created by Kids Play Childcare following a recent Kids Play survey revealing huge confusion concerning the new 30-hour education grant for Pre-School children, starting on 1st September 2017. Addressing the knowledge shortfall from the survey, the childcare group’s eBook outlines the eligibility criteria for 30 hours, accessing the 30 hours and the deadlines in place to register. The feedback from nearly 200 parents with children 4 or under in the Milton Keynes and Bury St Edmunds area (where Kids Play Day Nurseries & Pre-Schools are located) and whilst 90% of their survey were aware of..

Milton Keynes launches MK Lit Fest - from Friday 22 to Tuesday 26 September 2017 - bringing five days of the finest contemporary writing and everything book-related for bibliophiles and word-lovers: Young Adult fiction, the psychology of thrillers, poets, literature in translation, children's events, local historians and archivists, fantasy, romance, game-based writing, illustration… it's all here. Highlights include: a Launch Event performance by legendary British-Jamaican reggae poet and recording artist Linton Kwesi Johnson two events with Michael Rosen - one for his world-famous work for children, and a second (for adults) to accompany his recently published book about French author,..

He’s one of the nation’s best-loved comedy characters. TV star John Challis is best known for his role as Boycie in BBC’s Only Fools And Horses – and in recent years he has returned to the screen to play Captain Peacock in BBC’s Are You Being Served and Monty in ITV’s smash hit comedy Benidorm. Now he plans to reveal the secrets of what goes on behind the scenes when he hits the road with Only Fools And Boycie. Fans can look forward to an intimate evening, during which Mr Challis will talk about his relationships with Only Fools stars like David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst. He will also talk about his work..

Bletchley Park today honoured the achievements of key codebreaker Bill Tutte by unveiling a bust of the renowned mathematician. Created by sculptor Gabriella Bollobás, who has donated the artwork to the museum, it sits on display in the exhibition ‘Bill Tutte: Mathematician + Codebreaker’, which opened in April to coincide with the centenary of his birth. Tutte played a significant role in breaking Lorenz, the cipher that was used by the German High Command, and after World War Two became one of the most eminent mathematicians working in combinatorics and graph theory. Gabriella Bollobás knew Tutte, who passed away in..

92.3% of students achieved A* to C/9 to 4 grades in five or more subjects including English and Maths, up an impressive 17% on last year’s GCSE results Students at The Webber Independent School performed extremely well across all subjects, with stand-out results in Chemistry, Physics, English, Maths, French, Italian, Spanish, History, Music and Physical Education, where 100% of students gained A* to C/9 to 4 grades. With the top three students achieving thirty A*to A/9 to 8 grades between them. Charlie deGorter found good reason to smile about the number nine, he achieved a hat trick in English Language, English Literature..

Cycle September is a free competition between workplaces to see who can get the most staff riding a bike and pedalling the most miles. Supported by Milton Keynes Council, Get Smarter Travel and Love to Ride, Cycle September encourages everyone to give cycling a go. Participants can win some fantastic prizes by accumulating miles, including trips to Brighton, Berlin, Italy and San Francisco, as well as bikes, gear, vouchers and more. You only need to sign up and cycle for 10 minutes to be entered into the competition, but the more you cycle the greater your chances are of winning...

Which store gives the best customer service, who has gone the extra mile and who deserves to receive an award? You decide!  Cast your votes for the intu Milton Keynes Retailer Awards 2017 and even get a chance of winning a £250 Gift Card and other prizes.  This year’s Retailer Awards include 10 different categories, so every store within the centre has a great chance of picking up a prize, plus all the votes made by customers will count towards an entry into the draw to win £250 gift card and a night’s stay at Jurys Inn!  Voting has opened!..

We’re excited that television, musical theatre and pantomime legend Brian Conley is to compete for the ‘glitter ball trophy’ in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, before taking to the Milton Keynes Theatre stage for the spectacular family pantomime, CINDERELLA. In a career spanning four decades Brian has appeared in award-winning West End musicals and television sitcoms, presented his own chat shows, recorded three albums and completed numerous sell-out tours of the UK. On stage he has starred as Edna Turnblad in the hit West End musical Hairspray and the title role in the UK tour of Barnum, both of which..

MK Gallery is working with 6a architects, winner of a number of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards in 2017, including RIBA London Building of the Year and a RIBA National Award. Best known for their contemporary art galleries, educational buildings, artists’ studios and residential projects, 6a architects is amongst the shortlist for the coveted 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building.  This recognition of 6a’s exemplary work is very timely, as its design for the expansion of MK Gallery draws close to construction. Milton Keynes is an architectural set piece of the highest order and..

The Milton Keynes office of Mazars, the international accountancy and advisory firm, has raised £5,160 for Winter Night Shelter MK, with its inaugural charity quiz. The event, hosted by Match of the Day commentator Steve Wilson, was attended by 170 people at the MK Stadium on July 5th. The event is part of Mazars’ national commitment to supporting worthwhile causes and making a positive impact upon society. Winter Night Shelter MK provides warm, safe and friendly accommodation for homeless people in the coldest months of each year. The scheme runs annually between early December and mid-March, and provides a hot..

Building on the great success of last year’s food festival, this year’s MKFoodFest2017 will be bigger, better and even more fun for all the family. Once again the picturesque Linford Manor Park in Great Linford will come alive with the exciting vibe of the local food and drink scene. With all the stallholders coming from within a 20-mile radius of the venue, the event will showcase the best of local food and drink and will bring together street food vendors, artisan producers, farmers market stallholders and chefs for a one day, one location, not-to-be-missed food and drink shopping experience. Free..

We have 45 acres of gently rolling countryside laid out as paddocks, meadows and trails for visitors to stretch their legs, take in the view or just relax amongst our natural environment as we go into Autumn here at Green Dragon. This year we’ll be celebrating all things ‘apple’ on our third Apple Day since we opened and launching our new Outreach Programme for groups, schools and parties, as well as our new tailor-made exclusive encounters for visitors. Apple Day – Saturday 7th October 2017, 11am to 4pm Apple Day is a fun day out for all ages with free..

Mini ‘Nice Cream Van’ hands out hundreds of ice creams to happy shoppers at intu Milton Keynes  The world’s smallest ice cream van stopped off in Milton Keynes this week, delighting shoppers at intu Milton Keynes with free ice cream as part of its pledge to make customers smile. The ‘Nice Cream Van’ measures just 47 inches long and 39 inches high and made its way around the centre at a maximum speed of 12MPH. It is currently on a nationwide tour handing thousands of ice creams to intu shoppers. The tour of the tiny van follows research revealing that..