Leisure

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 category. Cheryl Rolt, Home Manager of Lakeview Lodge Care Home, said: “We were delighted to host our Dog Show last weekend. We had a wonderful response from families & friends of the home, as well as lots of engagement from the Newton Leys community. We had 25 in total, but..

Visitors to Wellingborough can bag a bargain thanks to a new app that signposts savvy shoppers to the latest cut price deals and special offers. The LoyalFree app lets shoppers know about up-to-the-minute discounts from a range of retailers, cafes, pubs and attractions, ensuring town centre visitors never miss out on the chance to save money while supporting local businesses. It has been commissioned by Discover Wellingborough, the town’s Business Improvement District (BID), which is paid for by town centre businesses. The app also features a local ‘what’s on’ guide to make sure nobody misses out on the latest events going on in the town, the latest local weather forecast, a guide to parking and a list of retailers. John Cable, Executive Director of the Wellingborough BID, said: “We all love to get our hands on a bargain and this app helps to make sure shoppers never miss out on..

This morning, on what is considered ‘Blue Monday’ and the most depressing day of the year, Whitespace Yoga & Wellbeing Studio took to Stony Stratford High Street to spread kindness by handing out envelopes containing £10 to passers by.  Recipients were asked to spend the £10 to make a small act of kindness - a good deed such as paying for someone else’s parking, buying a stranger a coffee, donating to a charity or buying a meal for someone homeless.  It’s during this post-Christmas period that we often feel the weight and pressures of everyday life, and it’s easy to forget about doing something nice for others. However, it is scientifically proven that good deeds not only make us feel good, but have a significant health benefit, both physically and mentally. Deborah Berryman, Yoga Teacher and Founder of Whitespace Studio comments: “Random acts of kindness are important to our wellbeing and happiness,..

Get ready to jingle all the way to Christmas Day and get Christmassing with intu Milton Keynes! With everything shoppers need to fill their stockings, sparkle at the office party and ‘wow’ on Christmas Day, the festive season at intu Milton Keynes starts and ends with surprise and delight. Here’s a roundup of Christmas this year at intu. The festive season kicks off in true ‘spirit’ – literally – as THOR’S tipi bar comes to the centre on Friday 10 November. The giant 30ft high tipi with pop up bar will open in Oak Court, complete with an atmospheric fire pit, cosy faux furs and a cocktail list to die for, stop by for a festive tipple, open daily from 10am until late! From the 10 November, little ones can jump into a sea of snow and throw snowballs in the free ‘Snow Garden’ plus letter writing to Santa opens..

Europe’s first shopping centre robot is one of seven new technologies being tested at UK shopping centres over the next month A revolutionary robotic retail assistant was unveiled at intu Milton Keynes over the weekend to test shoppers and retailer’s reactions.  Bo, Europe’s first ever shopping centre robot, interacted with shoppers at intu Milton Keynes this weekend, directed them to different parts of the centre and collected feedback about their shopping experience. It also told shoppers about special offers they could take up at Starbucks and Pret A Manger, designed to test the potential of the technology to drive shoppers to stores and other locations.  Robot specialist BotsAndUs, the brains behind the one-meter-high ‘shop-bot’, is one of seven start-up businesses collaborating with intu to test new retail technology at its shopping centres and online at intu.co.uk. The robots have been used in the hospitality sector before but this is the..

The Parks Trust is asking the people of Milton Keynes to pull on their wellies, wrap up warm and lend a hand on its annual Make a Difference Day, which will be held on Sunday 22nd October 2017. This year, help is needed to tidy up Linford Lakes Nature Reserve. Tasks will include planting holly bushes to secure the far boundary, cleaning the bird hides and feeders, clearing the paths and clearing scrub from the butterfly grass bank to encourage the rich diversity of grasses and flowers for insects to feed on. Those keen to take part should meet staff from The Parks Trust at the Reserve at 10am. Free parking is available onsite – Linford Lakes Nature Reserve Education Centre, Wolverton Road, Great Linford MK14 5AH. Volunteers are asked to dress for messy, outside work with relevant footwear, and bring gardening gloves, an outside broom or brush and a..

Cycle September is a free competition between workplaces to see who can get the most staff riding a bike and pedalling the most miles. Supported by Milton Keynes Council, Get Smarter Travel and Love to Ride, Cycle September encourages everyone to give cycling a go. Participants can win some fantastic prizes by accumulating miles, including trips to Brighton, Berlin, Italy and San Francisco, as well as bikes, gear, vouchers and more. You only need to sign up and cycle for 10 minutes to be entered into the competition, but the more you cycle the greater your chances are of winning. Points are awarded for encouraging others to join as well as riding and workplaces can see how they’re doing on local and national leader boards. Leader of Milton Keynes Council, Peter Marland said: “This is a fantastic initiative that I hope will get more people discovering Milton Keynes by bike...

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..

First leg of tour launches 50-day challenge to quit smoking to chime with MK’s 50th anniversary The 10-day MK tour provides smokers with the hard facts about e-cigarettes and highlights advice from UK public health groups  A new educational initiative The Science of Vaping Tour has launched in Milton Keynes in a bid to educate smokers about e-cigarettes in the face of growing evidence that the ‘95% less harmful’ message is not getting through to the public and government inaction is contributing to declining adoption of vaping products. The Science of Vaping Tour launches on Friday 23 June with a ribbon cutting by the Mayor of Milton Keynes and press briefing followed by a 10-day tobacco ‘Amnesty Shredder’ stunt in the Centre:MK and on Bletchley high street, which will invite smokers in Milton Keynes to shred their cigarettes and commit to a 50-day smoke free challenge to align with the city’s 50th..

Willen Lake, Milton Keynes’ most popular park, is excited to announce the latest details about its new splash park, Splash ‘n’ Play. Splash ‘n’ Play is due to open on Saturday 15th July 2017, in time for the summer holidays. It will cover 1000m², making it one of the UK’s largest outdoor splash parks, and considerably bigger than others in the local area. With over 60 unique water features, there will be plenty for children aged up to 13-years-old to enjoy. Highlights include a Super Splash, a large drench bucket; a water tunnel; eleven jets, a sail boat, water cannons and a Sea Serpent. In the special toddler play area there will be a bespoke water journey area called The Race to help stimulate their imagination and interactive social skills. Toddlers can also enjoy the magic mist, aqua dome and water bugs features. To ensure an enjoyable and safe experience..

Rushmere Country Park has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence. Now in its sixth year, the achievement celebrates hospitality businesses that have earned great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year. Certificate of Excellence recipients include accommodation, places to eat and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a quality customer experience. The park in Heath and Reach, near Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, is managed by the Greensand Trust on a not for profit basis and has been made available by the Trust and Central Bedfordshire Council working in partnership for the benefit of local people and wildlife. The Greensand Trusts’s Chief Executive Gill Welham said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded an internationally recognised standard of excellence, thanks to many visitors who’ve visited Rushmere Country Park posting highly positive reviews. We appreciate feedback from our visitors which helps us to improve our offer – as a..

A new fitness class has started at Teardrop Lakes, perfect for those looking to get into shape for the summer. Project Fitness is run by trainer Roland Patterson and is all focused on changing people’s mindsets in terms of training and eating. The bootcamp classes take place twice a day, three times a week with a variety of HIIT/Circuit style sessions. All abilities are welcome. Those interested in taking part should contact Roland on 07842 833354 or visit www.rolandpatterson.com This is the latest fitness class that can be enjoyed in Milton Keynes’ beautiful and inspiring parkland. The Parks Trust, the self-financing charity that manages and maintains over 6,000 acres of the city’s space, looks after the licences for these activities and always welcomes applications for similar groups. Other outdoor fitness classes include fitMK, which offers fitness and training classes for ages 16 and over run by Chief Instructor Simon Williams..

Forget about Tour De France, it’s Tour de Furzton Lake this June! Cycle4MK50 has organised a thrilling five mile bike ride led by qualified cycle leaders on Sunday 11 June at Furzton Lake, gearing up at 11.30am. Pouring into life in the 1980s, Furzton Lake has always been one of Milton Keynes best loved spots, so of course it had to be included in the MK50 celebrations. The epic Cycle4MK50 ride is open to anyone over the age of 14, with bikes provided by Santander Cycles MK. So no bike, no problem! Setting off from Furzton Lake car park, push those pedals down and explore MK’s stunning man-made lake. Zoom passed the Triple Star Head sculpture by Romanian artist Paul Neagu, see if you can spot the newly hatched birds on the banks, and ju-ju-jutter across the bumpy wooden bridge. You might even spot a heron flying overhead! To join..

As we approach the second May Bank Holiday and the school half term, The Parks Trust has calculated the true cost of dropping litter in the city’s many parks, woodlands and lakes. Litter is a major issue for The Parks Trust, which manages and maintains over 6,000 acres of green space in Milton Keynes. The self-financing charity can reveal that: During one week of the 2016 summer holidays, the Trust collected 848 bags of litter across its parks – this equates to 4.24 tonnes of rubbish in just one week The Parks Trust’s litter costs have escalated by £100,000 over the last three years and now stand at over £330,000 (exc. VAT) each year Over 15% of the Trust’s operations budget is now spent on cleansing of litter There have been 14 incidents since 2015 where litter-dropping offenders have been identified and spot fines administered or prosecutions sought The amount..

Willen Lake, Milton Keynes’ most popular park, is holding a special Water Safety Day this half term – the perfect opportunity for children to find out more about staying safe in the water this summer. The event will take place on Wednesday 31st May between 11am and 6pm, with a range of free outdoor games and activities for all. Organisations such as The Parks Trust and Bucks Fire will also have stands to provide advice about water safety. Between 11am and 2pm, visitors can enjoy free 30-minute dragon boat sessions, with free 30-minute instructor led stand up paddle-boarding sessions then available between 2pm and 6pm. Rob Wood, General Manager at Willen Lake, commented: “It’s vital that people stay safe when in and around water, and events such as these are a great opportunity to involve and engage the community on such an important issue. We hope that lots of people..