Local News

Business people from across Milton Keynes swapped their suits for walking gear on Friday to trek The Parks Trust Challenge, raising over £5k for the brand new ‘City Fund,’ created to raise money and awareness of homelessness throughout the City. The idea to walk the 25 mile long Parks Trust Challenge, was born when Nicholas Mann, MD of full service marketing agency Interdirect, jokingly suggested it during his summing up of a talk given by David Foster, the Chief Executive of The Parks Trust. The 25 Mile Challenge Walk was created by The Parks Trust to mark the 50th anniversary of the City and links together some of the city’s finest parks and lakes. Nick’s throwaway comment was ceased upon by Simon deMaid of Howes Percival who offered his immediate support, and the duo quickly drafted in Milton Keynes College to help with the marathon task of organising the event...

Milton Keynes Council’s Procurement and Commissioning Committee has approved the tender process for a higher education (HE) partner to lead the implementation of MK:U, making the new multi-million pound technology university for Milton Keynes one step closer. MK:U is designed to make the most of collaborations between business, public and higher education organisations using the city as a ‘living laboratory’.  As a result, it will offer different ways of learning to other universities, with far more integration with business to produce highly skilled and employable graduates. The aim is for MK:U to have around 10,000 students, with smart cities, technology, engineering and intelligent mobility its main areas of specialism.  Students could work directly on smart city and intelligent mobility projects already in development in MK, such as driverless pods and urban sensors to manage the flow of traffic and utilities. The lead HE partner, once appointed, will assume responsibility for all..

Hard to believe, as The Casino MK is an integral part of the Milton Keynes entertainment scene now, but it celebrated its 4th birthday this month. The venue opened back in September 2013 and since then customers have been racking up some huge numbers as they enjoy the hospitality and gaming experiences the casino offers 24/7. Here’s how the numbers stack up: 1,910,028 visitors since it opened The roulette wheels have been spun over 5 million times Over £2,873,436 won on their slots jackpots 185,441 pints of Fosters have been pulled 8,023 steaks served in the restaurant Their giant TV screen has been on for over 34,000 hours, non-stop Recently, The Casino MK relaunched their loyalty scheme which has over 37,000 members. The new ‘Aspers World’* scheme allows customers to access a range of instant discounts of food and drink, invitations to special events and, for a limited time, a..

The delivery today of 11 microscopes at Denbigh School, donated by Trajan Scientific and Medical, will mean students will be able to gain a better understanding of the fascinating biological study of cells and tissues. The microscopes were purchased as part of a £1500 award made to Denbigh by Trajan, following the School’s successful trialling of the Crownhill based company’s smartphone adapter for microscopes - the MiPlatform.   Trajan supply a broad range of quality laboratory products across disciplines including histology, haematology, microbiology, chromatography and general consumables.  MiPlatform is a smartphone adapter, which combines the comfort of microscope navigation and smartphone camera lens, thereby, enabling scientists and clinicians to study quality images quickly and ergonomically. It maintains microscope-like navigation to fully utilise the advantages of microscope slides in both clinical and training settings.  During the trial in 2015, Denbigh’s Head of Science, Anthony Brown, found that the adapter enabled the..

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 row, especially as this is done so by our customers and then reviewed by the judges”, said Mo Abdul, General Manager and Owner at Maaya. He adds: “Last year we were shortlisted and went to the awards to represent Milton Keynes and show the rest of the UK that we..

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 the grant, a staggering 51% didn’t know the eligibility criteria, 71% didn’t know there was a deadline for the September grant and 64% were unaware they needed to apply for it and how. Said Sharon Elliott, Childcare Director of Kids Play “We were quite surprised by the results and quickly..

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 2002, through her husband Béla Bollobás, himself a renowned mathematician. Tutte had sat for the Hungarian artist in his later years, but the new bronze depicts him as a younger man in his 20s, as he would have looked when he worked at Bletchley Park. “I had only a few..

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 and Maths, in addition to five A* grades and three A grades (including further Maths). “I can’t quite believe it! Three nines in the new grading system, wow – I’m blown away. I’m so happy, and I can’t thank my teachers enough for their support in preparing me for the..

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! This year’s categories include, the ‘World Class Customer Service Award’, the ‘Womenswear Retailer of the Year Award’, the ‘Menswear Retailer of the Year Award’, the ‘Footwear Retailer of the Year Award’, the ‘Jewellery & Accessories Retailer of the Year Award’, the ‘Health & Beauty Retailer of the Year’, the ‘Food..

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 meal and a bed and breakfast to around 15 guests per night. Volunteers interact with the guests throughout their stay, engaging them in a range of activities including games, films and quizzes. Since the charity started five years ago, it has hosted 320 guests, provided 3,587 bed nights, served 7,174..

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 entry. Local expert, Andy Howard of the Heritage Fruit Company, will be talking about Heritage Apples and identifying the variety of any apples brought in by visitors. Local Little Horwood Community Orchard will be pressing apples from 11am to 3pm. Visitors are welcome to bring their own apples or can..

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 eating ice cream is one of the top ten things that make people in and around Milton Keynes happiest in the summer. Kirsty McGiff, marketing manager at  intu Milton Keynes, comments: “We’re delighted to have created what we believe is the world’s smallest ice cream van but the real win..

Cotels Serviced Apartments celebrated the history and future of Milton Keynes at 701 South Fifth Street by burying a time capsule, filled with 2017 Milton Keynes memorabilia.  The ceremony, attended by The Mayor of Milton Keynes, Cllr David Hopkins and Destination Milton Keynes, is in celebration of Cotels’ new serviced apartment concept 7Zero1, set to launch in October 2017. Marcia Gomez, Managing Director of Cotels said: “7Zero1 is a huge milestone for us and set to be a flagship for the business.  “We are proud to be launching 7Zero1 in such a key year for the city, with Milton Keynes celebrating its 50th year. To commemorate this momentous occasion and special year, we wanted to capture a snapshot of 2017 for future generations to uncover.” The Mayor, Cllr David Hopkins, commented: “I welcome the fact that the team have selected Milton Keynes for the latest Cotels development and as their Corporate..

Students at The Webber Independent School have shown that their dedication and hard work has resulted in excellent results, with particular success in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths.  With students securing places at top UK universities to study a number of Science, Technology and Business related degrees. Sophie Fretwell was elated with her confirmed place at Imperial College London, one of the world’s top universities. “I am so delighted with my results and securing my first choice university. I am off to study Molecular Bioengineering and I can’t wait to start my degree at such a prestigious university. I’ve really appreciated the personalised style of tuition at The Webber Independent Sixth Form, and I want to say a big thank you to all of my tutors who have worked with me and supported me.” Mrs Fretwell, said: “I am over the moon for both of my children, Sophie and..

The build-up to exam results day can be extremely stressful as young people think the worst and worry about what the future holds.  So, with exam results now just days away and stress levels rising, NHS Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is reminding students in Milton Keynes that help is at hand and not to keep their concerns to themselves.  While it isn’t possible to change the outcome of the exam results, it is possible to reduce the amount of anxiety or stress that young people are feeling by taking the following steps:  •           Relaxation techniques •           Distraction, such as a family meal or board game •           Exercise – stress can produce toxins which exercise helps reduce •           Less coffee or other sources of caffeine •           Less alcohol  Dr Nicola Smith, GP and Chair from NHS Milton Keynes CCG gives this advice: “When we are anxious, we are likely..