What's On

‘I believe in the passion of the British public’ Celebrated singer Will Young is also an Olivier Award nominated actor, and a passionate advocate for animal rights, and his latest ‘role’ is one of his most important. It’s not enough for him to simply put his name to a campaign – the committed activist has launched a petition demanding an end to any form of testing on animals in the UK, most specifically our four legged friends. He spoke to Pulse’s Sammy Jones about his very special cause... “I think dogs, and our pets in general are our confidantes,” Will..

Recognised as one of the founding fathers of the punk era, Eddie & The Hot Rods have been playing loud, fast, in your face Rock n Roll since the ‘70s. They preferred that attack rather than ‘bad mouthing the Queen or fermenting anarchy,’ and even without that middle finger in play they struck a chord – their single Do Anything You Wanna Do was eventually withdrawn by Island Records after sales of more than 475,000 kept it in the charts for the whole of the summer of ‘77. Punks loved their attitude and energy, and everyone else was smitten by..

Students at Thornton College have recently won a number of significant national and regional competitions across a range of subject areas and age groups - from winning the Music for Youth Nationals and singing at the Royal Albert Hall to winning the National Bebras Computational Challenge, Thornton students are definitely on a winning streak! Most recently, Molly a Year 5 student scored the highest score possible in the 8 – 10 years age group category and ranked 1st in the country out of 20,445 entrants in the Bebras Computational Challenge – a competition of computational thinking! On 2nd December, the..

The staff at centre:mk have been busy collating items donated by staff and retailers for families of children who are facing their first Christmas following the bereavement of a parent or sibling. In addition to the 30 family visits to this years’ ‘The Snowman™’ themed grotto in Middleton Hall that have been gifted by the centre, some of the most recently bereaved families the charity are supporting, will also be getting special Christmas Hampers from staff who want to bring a little extra joy in what can be a particularly hard time of year for those that are grieving. Kevin..

Brian Conley will be donning his familiar Buttons costume and spending Christmas at Milton Keynes Theatre in this year’s pantomime, Cinderella, and he’ll be joined by a very familiar face this time - his daughter Lucy will be making wishes come true in the production. They both sat down with Pulse’s Sammy Jones for a chat at Chicheley Hall... Brian is the king of British Pantomime in our opinion, and we’ve seen enough of them to know. Mind you, he’s had plenty of practice when it comes to honing his craft in the seasonal spectaculars – he’s added the giggles..

Xscape Milton Keynes is the leading entertainment and leisure destination in the region, and this festive season they’re giving visitors the chance to win prizes worth over £1,300 as they invite you to experience ‘Your Kind of Christmas’. What type of Christmas personality are you? The Party Enthusiast, The Memory Maker, The Activity Seeker or maybe The Flavour Finder…whichever best suits you, Xscape can help your kind of Christmas become a reality. In the build up to the big day, head over to their Instagram channel for the chance to win some amazing prize bundles from brands such as Volcano..

Willen Hospice is thrilled to announce the opening of its newest charity shop, Willen Hospice Select, located at The Point in Central Milton Keynes. The shop brings a touch of pre-loved luxury and uniqueness to the community, showcasing a stunning collection of designer, unique, and antique preloved items, providing an opportunity for shoppers to discover one-of-a-kind treasures while supporting hospice care. Willen Hospice Select is also an enticing ‘shop front’ for our online shops, where customers can collect items purchased online as well as browse and buy items within the shop and from our vast online selection. Customers can shop..

To celebrate #NationalTreeWeek it’s the perfect time to wrap up and head outdoors to take a closer look at MK’s tree population. From Ash to Oak, Milton Keynes is home to a host of tree species, residing in ancient woodlands, meadow forests, nature reserves, and alongside boulevards, as well as the city’s unique Tree Cathedral. It may be a special location, personal memory, or the colour of the leaves that make one particular tree stand out to you. It could be the age, or bark, the shape of the branches, or maybe the creatures that call it home. But when..

Local charity, Willen Hospice are delighted to have MyMiltonKeynes as this year’s Santa Dash sponsor once again. The Santa Dash is Milton Keynes’ biggest festive fundraiser, taking place on Sunday 17 December. The event sees hundreds of people walk, run or jog just over a mile around Willen’s North Lake dressed in Santa suits to raise vital funds for the charity. MyMiltonKeynes is a non-profit organisation fully funded by businesses in Central Milton Keynes. They have been operating since June 2017 and deliver much valued projects including the Christmas lights and switch-on event, landscaping of the public walkways, and important..

The city’s unique and inspiring Tree Cathedral at Newlands will be bursting with festivity when the spectacular open-air carolling service returns, on Sunday 10th December. Carols, immersive story-telling, and live performances from MK Brass and DD Powers Trio, will fill the beautifully lit tree nave, spire and chapels with Christmas spirit from 2pm until 5pm. Willen Hospice will warm vocal chords with hot drinks, mulled wine and soup for sale, and Camphill MK Communities will keep tummy’s from rumbling with delightful cakes and pastries available. Plus, as it’s the season of giving, an MK Food Bank donation point hopes to..

In response to the growing challenges faced by many people in our community, MK Community Foundation have launched its Cost of Living Winter Appeal on this year's Giving Tuesday. The appeal aims to address the rising costs faced by families as they navigate a post-covid, and now, cost of living crisis to provide basic needs such as heating and eating. Today, on Giving Tuesday, the Foundation invites individuals and businesses to join hands and support local people through Cost of Living Fund. This fund will support individuals with costs towards heating and food, the basic necessities. MK Community Foundation’s Chief..

It’s the news many shoppers have wished for this Christmas, Midsummer Place Shopping Centre is delighted to announce the highly anticipated return of Pret A Manger this November. After much anticipation, shoppers can once again savour the delicious freshly made offerings of Pret, located next to LEON in the new Boulevard food court. Pret is known for its commitment to freshly preparing sandwiches, salads, and wraps in on-site kitchen daily and offering organic coffees and teas to customers from skillfully trained Barista’s. The brand uses top-tier ingredients, aiming to cater to a diverse range of palates. At the end of..

Willen On Ice promises fun for families and friends alike, when the purpose-built ice rink with twinkling canopy opened on Friday, 17th November. Running at Willen Lake until 7th January, there’ll be a host of other treats too. Visitors can jump aboard a land train for a lakeside trip to the Observation Wheel or enjoy a mixture of fun rides and stalls such as Dodgems, Funhouse, Teacups, Tin Can Alley and more. Alongside the rink and rides, there’ll be a refreshing Apres Ski Bar serving mulled wine, beer and cider. Plus, festive feasting on trendy Yorkshire pudding wraps and bratwurst..

Early in November, as the nights were drawing in and the festive season approached, MK Pulse contributor Emma-Rose Norris was invited to an evening to remember at KiKi’s Café… If you haven’t already had a chance to visit Kiki’s Café – voted Milton Keynes Best Restaurant/Café at the MK Inspiration Awards – then I’m not sure where you’ve been! This family-run spot is a real gem nestled in MK’s bustling city centre. Whether you’re looking for a morning pick-me-up, a leisurely brunch, a cosy coffee date or even booking the place out for a private party, KiKi’s is the perfect..

The countdown to Christmas has officially started at Midsummer Place! On Saturday, the premium shopping centre unveiled its Christmas Tree Festival – 18 beautiful festive trees decorated by local companies in support of their chosen charities – and now voting has started! Everyone can vote here: www.midsummerplace.co.uk/events/christmas-tree-festival-2023 The winners will receive a prize donation for their nominated charity in January, the prizes will be: 1st place: £2,250 2nd place: £1,350 3rd place: £900 The sponsors and their charities are: Tree 1 - The Walnuts School supporting Friends of Walnuts Tree 2 - Source UK Hire & Sales supporting Samuel's Charity..