Sport

30th Aug 2023

Last chance to sign up for Willen Hospice Cycle Sportive

The weather is looking promising for the Willen Hospice Cycle Sportive, which takes place this Sunday (3rd September). Keen cyclists looking to get their miles in while the sun shining still have time to sign up online, or they can register on the day. There are three new routes to choose from; 35 miles (starts 10am), 65 miles (starts 9am), and 100 miles (starts 8am). Each route begins and finishes from The Good Gym MK, in Kiln Farm, heading out into the countryside, passing through the beautiful villages surrounding Milton Keynes. Volunteers from The Rotary Club of Milton Keynes Grand Union will signpost the route, and GPX files will be available to download onto bike computers. The Cycle Sportive is open to individual cyclists or teams wishing to ride together. There will be food and water stations on all routes to keep cyclists energised and hydrated. Corley Cycles will be providing mechanical support at the..

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11th Aug 2023

Don’t miss the Willen Hospice Cycle Sportive this September

Willen Hospice is inviting cycling enthusiasts to take part in their popular Cycle Sportive on Sunday 3rd September. The event is kindly sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and supported by Broughton Cycling Group (BCG). This year there are three new routes to choose from; 35 miles, 65 miles, and a 100 miler. Each route starts from The Good Gym MK, in Kiln Farm, heading out into the countryside, passing through the beautiful areas surrounding Milton Keynes. The Cycle Sportive is open to individual cyclists or teams wishing to ride together. There will be food and water stations on all routes to keep cyclists energised and hydrated. Corley Cycles will be providing mechanical support at the start/finish, as well as support vehicles along the routes. Every participant will receive an exclusive Willen Hospice Sportive finisher’s medal on the day, and a volunteer photographer will be there on the day to take..

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13th Oct 2022

Willen Hospice calls on local runners to apply for 2023 TCS London Marathon charity places

Willen Hospice are encouraging local runners who have entered the ballot for the 2023 London Marathon to apply for one of their charity places. Around 36,000 runners take part every year in the London Marathon every year. This year the in-demand event will take place on Sunday 23rd April 2023, and Milton Keynes’ runners can increase their chances of being a part of it by applying for a charity place with Willen Hospice. A charity place is a guaranteed place in an organised event in return for a minimum fundraising ask. Runners who are successful in gaining a place for Willen Hospice in the London Marathon are asked to raise £2,500 for the charity. This can be achieved with additional fundraising events, like bingo and quiz nights, as well as donations for running the marathon itself. The charity offers support with fundraising and training to help marathon runners achieve their..

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24th Jun 2020

Welcome back to Willen Lake

We’re pleased to announce our plans to reopen on Saturday 4th July. Having successfully restarted Wakeboarding and open water swimming, we’re now able to safely resume some of our other watersport courses and our high ropes course, Treetop Extreme. We have been working hard behind the scenes with the relevant national governing bodies to adapt our operations, ensuring we have a safe and fun experience for our visitors. Our sessions have been adapted and we’ve reduced capacities to support social distancing. There will be an enhanced cleaning regime in place for equipment, and multiple points for our customers to access hand wash or hand sanitisation stations. From July you’ll be able to take part in our Discover sessions and sailing courses. Our Discover sessions are instructor led courses created to introduce participants to specific watersports. In each session our expert coaches will give you tuition in the basic skills you..

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28th Sep 2019

Medal Haul for GB Cycling Sensation

It has been a superb summer cycling season for Bedford Girls’ School (BGS) Upper Sixth student Sophie Lewis, who recently produced magnificent results on the track. Representing the Great Britain Cycling Team, Sophie bagged gold and silver medals at the U23 and Junior European Track Championships (9th-14th July) in Ghent, Belgium and silver and bronze medals at the UCI Track Junior World Championships (14th-18th August) in Frankfurt, Germany. This was an incredible achievement as she competed against the very best riders across the globe in the team pursuit and multiple different bunch races. Sophie, who also represents Cycle Team OnForm said: “At the start of the summer I competed in the European Track Championships in Ghent, Belgium. This was a very tiring but successful week at my first major championships representing Team GB. I was delighted to kick-start the week with a silver medal in the team pursuit. On the..

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04th Aug 2019

“There are still massive things for us to do”...

Taking a book on holiday is hardly exceptional. Millions of us pack an engrossing page-turner to enjoy during some downtime spent on the beach, or poolside. Pete Winkelman is no different, and during his recent summer break he worked his way through five books. But there wasn't a fluffy work of fiction, or an autobiography in sight. His chosen subject matter? Physics. “Quite a few years back, on a visit to the OU in Milton Keynes, the late Colin Pillinger and his team talked to me about physics in a way I'd never thought about before,” Pete remembers, “Ever since then I've been hugely interested. They were all books about quantum mechanics and the holographic universe...” Milton Keynes was never far from his mind though – even the restaurant they chose to eat in had a loose connection: “One of the disappointments of recent years is the closing of the..

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27th Jun 2019

London Marathon runners raise over £51k for Willen Hospice

Local runners who represented Willen Hospice in the Virgin London Marathon have raised more than £51k for the local charity. This week, some of the Team Willen members met at the Hospice to celebrate their success and find out how much they had collectively raised. Dawn Clark, Challenges Fundraiser at Willen Hospice said “Our London Marathon runners this year were a real team, supporting each other through their running journey, offering each other support at their various fundraising events. We are delighted to share with them the grand total raised, and know this will inspire others to take up this unique and prestigious challenge. Please contact us if this has inspired you!” The team was made up of 12 Gold Bond runners plus four runners with ballot places. They all raised fantastic amounts with some individual achievements of over £10 000. The London Marathon is one of the events that..

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02nd May 2019

MK DONS ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH MILTON KEYNES BASED STORM OFFICE SOLUTIONS

MK Dons announced their latest Club partnership today, as they continue to build the relationship with Milton Keynes based STORM Office Solutions. The partnership will be focused on streamlining, optimising and reducing the costs of the MK Dons office and IT operations, so the club can redirect important spend and funds on to other areas to help with its growth. Sam Bendall, Managing Director of STORM says, “We feel excited to be partnering and supporting MK Dons. Both STORM and MK Dons have a lot of similarities; we're both professional organisations, striving for excellence in our respective fields, we're both building a critical mass of supporters & customers and are, of course, local to each other. Our dream would be to look back in 30 years time and feel proud of the impact the MK Dons & STORM partnership has had to each other and to Milton Keynes as a..

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08th Jan 2019

The Premier League Trophy comes to intu Milton Keynes

Whether you’re a Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool or MK Dons fan, on Saturday 19 January shoppers can get up close to the real Barclays Premier League trophy, at Barclays Bank in intu Milton Keynes. The most sought-after piece of silverware in English football will be on display from 10am until   4pm inside Barclays Bank and all shoppers are invited to have a photo taken with the historic trophy. “This is a free event for anyone to experience,” said Kirsty McGiff, marketing manager at intu Milton Keynes. “The Premier League is especially exciting at the top of the table this season and the pressure is on for the title holders, Man City, to retain their title. Seeing the Premier League Trophy in real life is a great opportunity for children and adults and guaranteed to put a smile on any football fan’s face.” The trophy stands 3ft 5in (104cm) tall and 2ft..

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24th May 2018

Making a difference spurs you on in the MK Marathon

Local charity Age UK Milton Keynes says a huge thank you to ten fantastic runners whose efforts on a scorching Bank Holiday Monday have raised a magnificent £3,671.38.  And for the fifth year running 38 enthusiastic Age UK Milton Keynes volunteers turned out on Monday 7th May to man the three-mile water station, providing a vital service to thousands of runners taking part on the hottest day of the year at the time. An extra loud cheer was raised for Ana Chaplin and her team of “Runner Beans” who fielded six runners. Ana and her brother Alex were running in memory of their mother Gloria Chaplin who collapsed and died after helping at the water station at the 2017 MK Marathon. Gloria had been a tireless fundraiser and volunteer for Age UK Milton Keynes for over 25 years and her family felt the most fitting way to honour her memory..

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22nd Feb 2018

LISA CURTIN TAKES SILVER IN 2018 EUROPEAN U15 BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

On Sunday 18th February, after three days of intense play, Lisa Curtin walked away with a silver medal after representing England in the U15 European Badminton Championships. When asked about her achievement, Lisa enthused: “I was on the podium receiving my medal and the National Anthem started to play, it was in that moment that I realised what I’d accomplished and felt overcome with emotion. I’d trained so hard in the lead up to the tournament and gave it my all in the eight matches across the three days. I’m so happy that I’ve won a silver medal, and my parents are really proud too. I feel lucky to have such supportive parents, great coaches and a school that combines badminton with education.” Lisa’s Head Coach, Sara Sankey, ex England International, commented: “In the lead up to the European Championships Lisa has shown great mental strength, rising to every challenge,..

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25th Jul 2017

Junior footballers kick of season in new kits from Bellway

Three junior football teams in Newport Pagnell will be starting the season in brand new kits thanks to a donation from Bellway. Newport Pagnell Town FC’s three under 7 teams are in training for the new season and will officially kick off with their first matches in September. The club is based at The Pavilion in Willen Road, Newport Pagnell. Bellway sponsored the kits as part of its community programme linked to its Tickford Mews development in North Crawley Road. Julie Ford, a volunteer who oversees the club’s 29 youth teams, said: “We’re delighted that the children can start their first games all wearing their new kit. The under 7s have just left our Newport Kickers section which caters for four to six-year-olds. They played their first friendly matches against each other at a tournament last month and are looking forward to playing against other teams for the first time...

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16th Jul 2017

MCDONALD’S PREPARES FOR INAUGURAL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT IN AID OF RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OXFORD

Earlier this summer local McDonald’s franchise Kaizen Restaurants announced the first annual “Kaizen Football Tournament” in aid of Ronald McDonald House Oxford. Now, with just days to go, local teams are invited to take advantage of the last remaining spaces in a bid to win the inaugural Kaizen Trophy and raise vital funds for the charity. The tournament will take place on Tuesday 25 July at the well known Powerleague facility in Walnut Tree, kicking off at 10am and running through the day.  Refreshments will be available during the day and a charity auction will also take place in the afternoon. The event will raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Oxford, which acts as a home away from home for local families with children in the Oxford John Radcliffe Hospital.  Ronald McDonald Houses around the country give families the chance to stay just a stones’ throw away from the Children's..

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30th Jun 2017

First Rate Rugby at Olney 7s

The 2017 rugby sevens event at Olney turned out to be an absolute classic of a day in terms of both the quality of the rugby and the off field socialising. Helped by dry, but cooler weather than earlier in the week, the conditions were conducive to a display of excellent 7s rugby. Throughout the day first rate rugby was on display. The Brakspear Men's Open was won by Coventry Rugby Club who had had a close encounter with the Racing Club Academy on their way to the final. Coventry tore apart Ilkley, the 2016 winners, in the first half with three quick tries in succession. The Yorkshire side made a valiant come back in the second half to bring the score back to 26-38. Ilkley had previously seen off the Milton Keynes 7s winners, Apache Braves, in the semi-final. The Ladies Open final was won by Old Northamptonians who..

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20th Jun 2017

Enjoy rugby? This Saturday is a must…...

This Saturday, 24th June, is a must if you enjoy a good rugby day out.  The annual 7s tournament, now in its 11th year, includes both Men’s and Ladies events coupled with the celebrated off pitch social occasion. Why not arrive early and watch the Lions 1st Test match live in the clubhouse at 8.35? It will also be repeated again later in the day. From the first 7s games at 10.30 in the morning to the finals at 6.30 pm there will be nonstop rugby on all pitches.   Don’t plan to go home. The post 7s party with a marquee, Hog Roast and live band, GrooveStar, will continue late into the night. Look forward to some quality 7s in the Brakspear Men’s Open. Last year’s finalists Ilkley RFC and Coventry Rugby are back again along with previous winners Sherrards Assassins.   Providing further competition are a number of sides,..

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