What's On

It was a fabulous day at the Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival at Willen Lake last Saturday. MacIntyre was the official charity for this year’s event, and despite the team coming in last (out of 41 teams!), an incredible day was had by all taking part. Gable Events, the festival organisers have been working with MacIntyre over the past year to create another successful Dragon Boat Festival. Media partners, Business MK and MKFM have also been fantastic supporters of the event with MKFM being present on the day to broadcast from Willen Lake and try their hand at paddling. Special thanks..

Self-financing charity The Parks Trust has won two prestigious national awards at the 2018 Horticulture Week Custodian Awards. The Parks Trust was the winner of the Best Visitor Initiative award for its events programme and the Best Volunteer Initiative award for its volunteer strategy. It also received ‘Highly Commended’ in the Best Community Initiative category for its Youth Explorers initiative. This year was the first time the Trust has entered the Horticulture Week awards and comes hot on the heels of the charity’s success earlier in the year at the 2018 Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards, where it won the..

Iain Stewart MP today visited UK Mail, part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, in Milton Keynes to tour operations and discuss the company’s recent growth and contribution to the local community.  Iain Stewart MP visited the UK Mail depot in his constituency in Milton Keynes South to meet over 195 people working on site and delivering parcels in the local area. The UK Mail depot provides a vital service for local businesses and constituents who rely on UK Mail for e-commerce deliveries and collections. It also hosts the UK Mail contact centre offering customers services to the South of England..

Milton Keynes really comes to life in the summer, the city is at its greenest and each weekend is crammed with festivals and events – and this year there’s more than ever before. Clear your calendars because it’s going to be a busy one. If you think nothing ever happens in Milton Keynes, just carry on reading – you’ll be amazed!  6 -7 July – African Diaspora Day, Campbell Park- the Global Outreach Foundation with local African Community groups in Milton Keynes are coming together for its second African Diaspora Day to express their cultural heritage through dance, music, stories..

Tourism and information organisation, Destination Milton Keynes (DMK), has had a productive few months with no fewer than seven new companies joining up and discovering the benefits of being members. The new members are an eclectic mix of companies covering different aspects of the tourism and leisure offer in the city. Brewhouse & Kitchen and Popworld both recently opened in 12th Street and they could both see the value of joining DMK to spread the word of their offer to the wider MK population since their opening. Stantonbury Theatre and Ride High Equestrian Centre are both long-standing organisations in Milton..

A group of young fundraisers were treated to a special party at Safari MK on Thursday to say thank you for taking part in the Willen Hospice Mini Moo Scooterthon. The event, which took place in May, raised more than £12,000 for the charity. All children who raised more than £100 in scoot sponsorship were invited to the exclusive event where they were presented with certificates and prizes. They also had the chance to play together and meet mascots Florence the Cow and Charlie Monkey. The party was also a chance to launch the Hospice’s Summer Scooterthon, a brand new..

A staggering 50 per cent of businesses in Milton Keynes say they could only cope for up to 30 minutes without internet, according to new research.  The survey, commissioned by infrastructure provider CityFibre, lays bare how vulnerable many companies are to a loss of digital connectivity and how little it would take to bring the city’s business ecosystem grinding to a halt.  According to CityFibre, the findings make a clear case for bringing an end to the country’s dependence on its aging, capacity-constrained copper infrastructure and supporting an accelerated rollout of a full fibre alternative – which can currently only..

A mum is encouraging the people of Milton Keynes to join her for an incredi-bubble day out and support their local adult and children’s hospice in memory of her son.  Roman James, who died in 2017, when he was just five years old, was supported by Keech Hospice Care, which cares for children in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes and adults in Luton and south Bedfordshire.  His mum Scarlet, dad Ben, and brother Gabriel, as well as 22 family and friends, are asking everyone to join them and walk, run or dance their way through eight scented bubble stations at..

A team of four Conservative Councillors are taking on 72 Holes of Golf - more than 22 miles of walking - in one day to support the new Cancer Centre Appeal for Milton Keynes Hospital Charity.  On Friday 13 July the four golfing heroes will spend their entire day at the Abbey Hill Golf Centre raising funds and playing four rounds of golf for the charity – which amounts to over 15 hours with no buggies allowed.  The plan to raise more than £1,000 leading up to and on the day.  The Cancer Centre Appeal is raising £2.5 million for..

The Parks Trust, the self-financing charity that organises and enables over 500 events and activities in its parks each year, is delighted to welcome Quantum Theatre to Campbell Park on Sunday 1st July 2018 for an outstanding performance of The Reluctant Dragon. From the author of The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame, The Reluctant Dragon is a funny, touching and enchanting story of bravery, friendship and heroism. In this beloved classic story, a young boy befriends a poetry-loving dragon living in the Downs above his home. When the town-folk send for St. George to slay the dragon, the boy..

Willen Hospice is calling on local people to join their band of community volunteers this summer. The opportunity is not only a chance to make a difference to charity, but is a great chance to gain valuable experience, boost your CV, or make the most of the summer break from college or university. No experience is necessary, just a willingness to get involved and have fun. Anyone interested is invited to an informal open evening between 7-9pm on Wednesday 27 June, at Emerson Valley Sports Pavilion. The evening will give potential volunteers the chance to meet the Willen Hospice Community..

With the kick off of the most anticipating tournament of the summer, intu Milton Keynes has a treat that will put a smile on football fans faces across MK. The shopping centre has free official sticker albums to give away, so that they can start collecting stickers of their favourite teams and players from across the world, which is sure to bring joy to shoppers young and old. From Messi to Ronaldo, Kane to Salah, shoppers can collect their heroes from the game to complete their very own album. Also, intu Milton Keynes launches its ‘sticker swap shop’, where duplicates..

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..

The Animal Encounters Programme for this summer will be all the more exciting with the opening of the new Wildlife Zone. There will also be competitions and quiz trails, farm & nature trails, indoor and outdoor play, and farm to fork menus in the cafés.  New Wildlife Zone Opens! 1st August 2018 The Wildlife Zone will be welcoming summer holiday visitors from August 1st 2018, after a busy four months of preparations that included creating the huge enclosures, animal shelters and the central indoor display. The animal encounters programme will include the new wildlife, allowing visitors to get close to..

Willen Hospice is opening up its gardens to the public on Saturday 23 for their Summer Fair and Tea Dance. The event will bring all the fun of a traditional British summer fair to the Hospice, and will include fairground rides, Pimms and Strawberries, cream teas, a dog show, stalls selling a range of local goods including plants and local crafts, and live entertainment including magician, The Great Gappo! The afternoon will also incorporate a vintage tea dance led by professional dance teachers Adrian and Sara Marsh who will lead guests through the Quickstep, Waltz and Cha Cha Cha. The..