Leisure

Willen Hospice has teamed up with Milton Keynes Rugby Football Club (MKRUFC) to launch the Men’s MK Midday Moo walk; a brand new event exclusively for men. It takes place on Saturday 22 June 2019 at 12 noon and follows a seven-mile route from the Hospice to the Rugby Club in Emerson Valley. The introduction of the Men’s Moo follows the success of the Hospice’s longstanding MK Midnight Moo, held for ladies each summer. The men’s event comes in response to requests from dads, husbands and boyfriends for a similar fundraiser. Sarah Sweet-Rowley, Associate Director of Community Development said: “Move over girls - the roles have been reversed and at last the men get a chance to Moo! Every year men ask if they can walk the Moo and this year we’ve made that happen by giving them an event of their own. You don’t need to be sporty to..

Mark Davies from Milton Keynes is taking on this year’s London Marathon to raise money for leading cancer charity, Penny Brohn UK. Mark, who has never run a competitive race further than 5k, decided to run the London Marathon for Penny Brohn UK in memory of his friend, Abby Webb, who was supported by the charity when she was diagnosed with an aggressive lung cancer. To help raise sponsorship, Mark is organising an event with Buckingham Ladies Hockey club on the 23 March when he plans to run from his old hockey club in Milton Keynes to Buckingham Ladies Clubhouse, which is roughly 19 miles. People will be able to place bets on when he will arrive through the door and Mark will be available via live feed during his run to take requests to speed up or slow down. Abby played for the hockey club and many of her..

Rutland Cycling, the multi-award-winning Midlands-based independent bike shop, announces the further growth of its store network with the acquisition of Giant Store Newport Pagnell, in Milton Keynes. This is Rutland’s third Giant Store, and will be followed in Summer 2019 by the opening of a new Rutland Cycling multi-brand store in the city centre, at the re-developed Lloyds Court shopping mall.  The take-over of the Giant Store Newport Pagnell follows the retirement of local business man Roy Pink.   The Giant Brand Store will be stocking the latest 2019 models from Giant and Liv, covering all disciplines.  The store is the go-to shop for all cyclists’ needs, with a dedicated E-Bike department for those looking to get on board with the recent technological revolution in cycling and featuring ARX the brand-new lightweight children’s bike.  All products can be ordered to click & collect from rutlandcycling.com. The Giant Store also features a full Cytech workshop, for..

Share your training highs for the chance to win a #MyMarathonMoment prize Organisers behind the Rightmove Milton Keynes Marathon Weekend have launched an exciting competition to showcase the beauty of Milton Keynes and other cities to the world of running! The 12,000 participants are being asked to post photos of their training runs on social media, using #MyMarathonMoment to document the sights and scenery they come across when out clocking up the miles. All entries will be entered into a competition, with the best photos winning a prize, including a night stay at the Holiday Inn in Central Milton Keynes, plus a meal for two in the hotel’s brand-new Marco Pierre White restaurant. The Milton Keynes Marathon Weekend has become one of the city’s biggest community events, attracting athletes from across the world. So, whether you’re a Milton Keynesian pounding the pavements near the Peace Pagoda, an out-of-town Londoner leaping..

Twelve new electric car charging points have gone live this week at intu Milton Keynes’ newly refurbished multi-storey car park. Shoppers with electric vehicles can now shop to their hearts’ content knowing their car is safely charging in one of the 12 super-wide bays on Level 2 of the well-lit car park.  intu Milton Keynes is committed to encouraging the use of electric vehicles, and has appointed POLAR to manage and operate its charging stations. As the UK’s largest provider of charging points, electric vehicle owners will know that they pay a £7.85/month fee to use any of POLAR’s 6,500+ locations. Shelley Peppard, General Manager of intu Milton Keynes, said: “We are delighted to announce that our electric charging points are now live. intu Milton Keynes is committed to furthering the use of electric vehicles and to doing what we can to help reduce emissions in Milton Keynes. We look..

On the run up party season, millions of women were on the hunt for their “perfect” outfit. And I was one of them. Dashing from shop to shop, loving the clothes hanging on the rail or tailored to the mannequin, (who's definitely not the same size or shape as me), but not loving the look when I was in the tiniest changing room staring back at the mirror. And then, in a sweaty cloud of frustration I had to undress and redress once more.  Hours are spent and miles walked traipsing from store to store on the hunt for that dream outfit, hoping against hope that it will magically appear and will be the right size, colour and fit…. or are you one of the increasing number of shoppers who buy online and play the shoppers lottery – praying clothes will fit and suit your figure, only to end up..

Team England’s HQ, the National Badminton Centre, will host its first international event on its courts, welcoming spectators to each of the six ties, staged between 7-9 December. Five time champions England have selected the strongest possible squad for the qualification rounds as they look to book their place in Denmark for the Championship finals in February. Olympians Chris Langridge, Marcus Ellis, the Adcocks, Rajiv Ouseph and Lauren headline the squad whilst national champions Chloe Birch, Jess Pugh also feature. England programme players Ben Lane, Toby Penty and Sean Vendy alongside Jenny Moore and Abigail Holden complete England’s 12. England open their campaign on Friday 7 December (6:30pm) when they face Italy. The full schedule is below: Fri 7 Dec @ 10:00 | Hungary vs Belgium Fri 7 Dec @ 18:30 | England vs Italy Sat 8 Dec@ 10:00 | Belgium vs Italy Sat 8 Dec @ 14:00 | England..

centre:mk, one of the UK’s top 10 shopping destinations, is celebrating the start of the festive season with the return of its popular Santa’s Parade & Grotto On November 9th 2018, centre:mk will be hosting a Christmas extravaganza, starting in Queens Court from 5pm where Santa will make a magical rooftop entrance. Heart FM presenters Ivan and Emma will join special guests from this year’s Pantomime (Robin Hood) on stage to welcome Santa and switch on the centre’s lights. Guests can then watch Santa and friends make their way to the Grotto in the great Christmas parade through Midsummer Arcade as they wave and greet guests lining either side of the mall. Finally Santa will stop at his home for the next six weeks – his magical Grotto in Middleton Hall. A visit to the Grotto until 24th December* is a must to get into the Christmas spirit with children...

Britain’s joint hottest summer on record may now have passed, but a giant 50-foot artificial sun is being installed at intu Milton Keynes on Tuesday 2 October in a bid to extend the summer and make people happier. The glowing, bright orange sphere which took 12 weeks to build, has a 15-metre circumference and shines as brightly as 12,000 lightbulbs. Its installation follows intu’s happiness survey, which reveals that four in five people in Milton Keynes (79 per cent) feel happier when it’s sunny. The artificial sun has been modelled on a photograph captured by NASA and will be shining inside intu Milton Keynes before going on a tour of 11 intu centres across the country as part of the shopping centre owner’s pledge to make shoppers smile. There will be a special ‘Sunny Spot’ at intu Milton Keynes people to sit back on deck chairs and bathe in the..

Who has put a smile on your Sunday, added some magic in your mocha or been totally terrific at the tills? It’s time to award retailers at intu Milton Keynes and the decision is yours! Voting for the annual intu Milton Keynes retailer awards is now live, and shoppers are being asked to cast their votes by voting online for their favourite stores. Plus, as a thank you for taking part, each voter will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 intu gift card! This year’s Retailer Awards include nine categories to ensure that every store in the centre has a great chance of picking up that all important trophy. The categories this year include; World Class Customer Service, Menswear Retailer of the Year, Womenswear Retailer of the Year, Jewellery and Accessories Retailer of the Year, Food and Drink Retailer or the Year, Footwear Retailer of the..

On Saturday 16th June, Lakeview Lodge Care Home ran their very own dog show, with over 25 dogs coming into enter the competition. Among the categories were happiest dog, waggiest tail, most obedient dog, veteran, prettiest dog and naughtiest dog. A mixture of families, residents, staff and members of the local community came along to enjoy the show and cheer on their canine family members. Fortunately, the weather stayed sunny and as a result, the event went off without a hitch. Lakeview Lodge appointed several their residents to sit on the judge’s panel, with three different resident’s judging for each category. Cheryl Rolt, Home Manager of Lakeview Lodge Care Home, said: “We were delighted to host our Dog Show last weekend. We had a wonderful response from families & friends of the home, as well as lots of engagement from the Newton Leys community. We had 25 in total, but..

Visitors to Wellingborough can bag a bargain thanks to a new app that signposts savvy shoppers to the latest cut price deals and special offers. The LoyalFree app lets shoppers know about up-to-the-minute discounts from a range of retailers, cafes, pubs and attractions, ensuring town centre visitors never miss out on the chance to save money while supporting local businesses. It has been commissioned by Discover Wellingborough, the town’s Business Improvement District (BID), which is paid for by town centre businesses. The app also features a local ‘what’s on’ guide to make sure nobody misses out on the latest events going on in the town, the latest local weather forecast, a guide to parking and a list of retailers. John Cable, Executive Director of the Wellingborough BID, said: “We all love to get our hands on a bargain and this app helps to make sure shoppers never miss out on..

This morning, on what is considered ‘Blue Monday’ and the most depressing day of the year, Whitespace Yoga & Wellbeing Studio took to Stony Stratford High Street to spread kindness by handing out envelopes containing £10 to passers by.  Recipients were asked to spend the £10 to make a small act of kindness - a good deed such as paying for someone else’s parking, buying a stranger a coffee, donating to a charity or buying a meal for someone homeless.  It’s during this post-Christmas period that we often feel the weight and pressures of everyday life, and it’s easy to forget about doing something nice for others. However, it is scientifically proven that good deeds not only make us feel good, but have a significant health benefit, both physically and mentally. Deborah Berryman, Yoga Teacher and Founder of Whitespace Studio comments: “Random acts of kindness are important to our wellbeing and happiness,..

Get ready to jingle all the way to Christmas Day and get Christmassing with intu Milton Keynes! With everything shoppers need to fill their stockings, sparkle at the office party and ‘wow’ on Christmas Day, the festive season at intu Milton Keynes starts and ends with surprise and delight. Here’s a roundup of Christmas this year at intu. The festive season kicks off in true ‘spirit’ – literally – as THOR’S tipi bar comes to the centre on Friday 10 November. The giant 30ft high tipi with pop up bar will open in Oak Court, complete with an atmospheric fire pit, cosy faux furs and a cocktail list to die for, stop by for a festive tipple, open daily from 10am until late! From the 10 November, little ones can jump into a sea of snow and throw snowballs in the free ‘Snow Garden’ plus letter writing to Santa opens..

Europe’s first shopping centre robot is one of seven new technologies being tested at UK shopping centres over the next month A revolutionary robotic retail assistant was unveiled at intu Milton Keynes over the weekend to test shoppers and retailer’s reactions.  Bo, Europe’s first ever shopping centre robot, interacted with shoppers at intu Milton Keynes this weekend, directed them to different parts of the centre and collected feedback about their shopping experience. It also told shoppers about special offers they could take up at Starbucks and Pret A Manger, designed to test the potential of the technology to drive shoppers to stores and other locations.  Robot specialist BotsAndUs, the brains behind the one-meter-high ‘shop-bot’, is one of seven start-up businesses collaborating with intu to test new retail technology at its shopping centres and online at intu.co.uk. The robots have been used in the hospitality sector before but this is the..