Leisure

Would you like to find out more about the acres of glorious parkland in Milton Keynes and the many ways you can enjoy what it has to offer from walking to music festivals to watersports…. Join us for our Annual Public Meeting to find out more about our charity and what we offer for the community of Milton Keynes. The meeting will be held on Thursday 18th July 2019 between 6-8pm at the Pavilion in the scenic setting of Campbell Park. The Trust’s Chief Executive, David Foster will give an update on 2018/19 and talk about the Charity’s exciting plans. Highlights this year include; The Trust planting over 32,000 trees and shrubs, launching a brand new 111 berth marina and commencing a four-year National Lottery Heritage funded project to ‘Restore, Reveal and Revive’ the historic Great Linford Manor Park. Speakers at this year’s meeting also include; Zoe Raven, Vice Chair..

Milton Keynes is in the running for Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood 2019, as the Ramblers reveals their final shortlist of the ten most walkable urban areas across England, Scotland and Wales. At a time when more than a third of people are still not meeting recommended activity levels1 and concerns about air pollution levels hit the headlines on a weekly basis, the Ramblers is calling on local authorities to help tackle these problems by creating towns and cities designed for walking. Their annual award celebrates areas where positive steps have been taken to create green, welcoming and walkable neighbourhoods that put people - rather than cars - at their heart, leading to increased activity, and the health, social and economic benefits this brings to individuals and communities, while also combatting poor air quality. The ‘new town’ of Milton Keynes, designed and developed in the 1960s, owes its place on the..

Congratulations to everyone who took part! It was a record-breaking weekend for the Rightmove MK Marathon Weekend 2019, with more people than ever running, and the biggest crowds the event has ever seen! The whole weekend was a roaring success, with 10,000 runners coming from far and wide to take part in one (or more) of the five races across Sunday 5 and Monday 6 May. Andy Hully Race Director and Founder – who ran in his own event for the first time ever this year – said: “This has absolutely been the best MK Marathon Weekend in our eight-year history! The atmosphere was electric all Bank Holiday weekend. I’m euphoric and want to say a huge well done to all the runners – you did it!” The runners were joined by 700 volunteers, 150 race staff and crowds of around 20,000 who spent two days cheering, clapping and supporting..

Willen Hospice has again joined forces with Specsavers Milton Keynes for this year’s MK Midnight Moo, which takes place on Saturday 13 July. With less than three months to go, organisers are appealing to local ladies to sign up and join them to walk the 10 mile Moo, or shorter Half Moo route, on what it the charity’s biggest night of the year. Specsavers have again sponsored this year’s bespoke Moo vests, which will be worn by approximately 1,000 women during their walk. The neon-green vests go perfectly with this year’s disco theme. Ladies are encouraged to join in the party vibe and accessorise their outfits to bring even more fun to the midnight walk. Think big hairdos, flares, legwarmers and disco glamour. This week Steve Moore, Director of Specsavers Milton Keynes said: “It is great to link up once again with Willen Hospice for our third year supporting the..

The Parks Trust, the self-financing charity that looks after over 6,000 acres of green space across Milton Keynes, has launched its 2019 Photography Competition, for all keen amateur photographers. The competition is open to people of all ages, with youth and adult sections for each of the two categories; Wildlife and Landscape. The Parks Trust’s 2019 competition aims to highlight the beautiful and diverse landscapes, features and people of Milton Keynes. Images must be taken in the green space that is managed and maintained by The Parks Trust. The competition closes on Thursday 5th September 2019. The winners will be announced by Thursday 19thSeptember 2019. David Foster, Chief Executive of The Parks Trust, commented: “We are pleased to launch our 2019 photography competition and wish everyone who enters the best of luck. We received some incredible entries last year and enjoyed looking at so many different aspects of our parkland and..

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..