Local News

An act of kindness by staff at local accounting firm RSM UK will mean that those working at Willen Hospice over the festive period will be gifted a Christmas meal when on shifts.  The company raised more than £600 by holding a dress down day before the pandemic. The money will more than cover the cost of a festive meal, with the extra donated will help fund vital Hospice services. While most people look forward to a break over the Christmas period, Willen Hospice nurses, catering, and other vital members of staff will be working ‘business-as-usual’, caring for patients with life-limiting illnesses and at the end of their lives, while supporting their families to make sure they can enjoy precious time together at Christmas.  Tracy Priest, RSM UK Tax Manager, and Willen Hospice Ambassador, said: “Willen Hospice can only support the local community with the fantastic work they do if,..

A generous gift of six Christmas trees for schools in the Kingsbridge Educational Trust by local supermarket, Waitrose, was gratefully received by the pupils and staff of Kents Hill Park, Middleton, Monkston and Oakgrove primary and secondary schools. Staff in the schools have worked extremely hard this festive season to ensure that the traditional school celebrations still went ahead in the run up to Christmas and the delivery of the real Christmas trees were extremely warmly welcomed, as the children were able to enjoy the full experience of making decorations and embellishing the trees. Thanking Waitrose for their kind support, Kingsbridge Educational Trust’s CEO, Peter Barnes said: “It is fantastic that in the spirit of Christmas Waitrose gifted our schools beautiful 6ft Christmas trees for the children to decorate and enjoy every day. It has been a real delight seeing the trees in the receptions of our schools adding to..

for continuing to help children and young people with cancer during the pandemic. Whilst many charities have seen a downturn in funds this year, MK charity Supershoes will also remember 2020 for an unprecedented upturn in demand. Children and young people who are in treatment for cancer and in need of a boost to their wellbeing, are referred to the charity by health professionals from all over the country, for the unique gift of Supershoes: personalised hand-painted shoes. During periods of 2020 they have seen demand soar, coupled with difficulties in the supply chain, and some very challenging times. It’s down to the charity’s extraordinary volunteer team that Supershoes’ mission has been able to continue despite all the challenges. CEO Sarah White comments: “The 300+ strong volunteer team has worked flat out to help them deal with the rising numbers and sourcing shoes when supply was strained. I simply can’t..

A Milton Keynes woman is urging the public to support Willen Hospice as they launch their 2020 Christmas appeal. Lorraine Jolly has thrown her support behind the charity’s Christmas fundraiser by sharing her story of how the Hospice cared for her husband Mark, who sadly died in June this year at the height of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. A dad of three, Mark was just 49. Lorraine, who says the care Mark and their family received from the Hospice was outstanding, is supporting the charity to help spread the word about the unique care they provide.  Mark became involved with the Hospice when he was first diagnosed with neck and kidney cancer two years ago. He received a range of services including complementary therapies for pain management, physio and care at home. This summer he spent his last days in the Hospice, with Lorraine by his side. ..

A new 350-page book puts the Milton Keynes music scene in the spotlight A new book released this week promises to be the perfect stocking filler for music lovers across Milton Keynes and beyond. 'Milton Keynes - Wired For Sound' cuts through the foundations of the new town and talks to many of those responsible for building music into its fabric. The book digs beneath the concrete and explores some of the music makers and risk takers who have made Milton Keynes a more colourful place. Step back to the early days of rock 'n' roll and the famous Wilton Hall dances, learn more about the jazz stars who poured their passion into a music venue here, and join some of the National Bowl headliners as they recall standing on the world-famous stage. The book is an opportunity to learn more about the Father of Loud, Jim Marshall, and the pages..

Time-lapse footage showing the Campbell Wharf Marina being built has been released. The new marina forms an integral part of Campbell Wharf, an exciting new canal-side destination being developed by Crest Nicholson with Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP) in Milton Keynes and opened to the public in May 2019. The impressive 111 berth marina, which has been acquired by the Parks Trust, provides a whole new offering for Milton Keynes, creating a destination for boaters and canal users with its direct access onto the Grand Union Canal. The time-lapse, which spans over 45 weeks, reveals how the 110,000m³ of Oxford clayexcavated from the housing side of the development was used to shape the marina, shows the 500 metres of sheet piling being installed and later 25,000 cubic metres of water from the Grand Union Canal is used to fill the marina. A new Milton Keynes community trip boat, to be run by the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterways Trust..

Boxx Communications, a specialist provider of telephony and internet connectivity services, is working in partnership with CityFibre as a City Champion for Milton Keynes. Boxx will be working together to ensure all businesses and service organisations in the town are aware of, and have access to, the full fibre network that has been built by CityFibre. A 5Gbps CityFibre connection has already been installed at Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) to support the digital transformation of services, provide fast internet access to more than 5,500 staff and ensure that future plans to extend services can be implemented. Boxx is now ready to help other businesses and services in Milton Keynes take advantage of CityFibre’s full fibre speeds. Dean Burgin, Co-Owner of Boxx, believes that this is an ideal time to invest in modern, future-proof internet connectivity. “The last few months have been a challenge for everyone, but the potential for..

Willen Hospice is delighted to announce the opening of its brand new shop on Station Road in Woburn Sands. The shop stocks new and pre-loved men’s and women’s clothing, including brand names; new decorative garden and homeware, books, shoes and jewellery. As a specialist offering, the shop will also stock music LPs on vinyl alongside their vintage and locally upcycled guitars. Work is also underway to bring a coffee shop and garden to the store in the coming weeks. This will provide a social space for local people to meet over a cuppa and piece of cake. The opening brings the total number of Hospice shops to 11 in Milton Keynes and surrounding towns. Mark Rawlins,Willen Hospice Associate Director of Commercial said “We are exceptionally proud of our achievement in opening this shop despite the Covid-19 disruptions. Our boutique-style shop in Woburn Sands gives customers a great selection of pre-loved..

Hannah Ingram-Moore, the daughter of Captain Sir Tom Moore, is set to be the guest of honour at a virtual ‘Audience With…’ event hosted by Willen Hospice on 25 August. Hannah, who supported her father throughout his amazing lockdown challenge, will be providing an exclusive ‘behind the lens’ insight into the biggest charity success story of our time. Hannah and her husband Colin, who are long term supporters of the hospice, are offering the inside story exclusively to the charity, as a way to support them through the pandemic, the effects of which have resulted in a drastic loss in fundraising income over the summer. Speaking on behalf of her family, Hannah has promised a private look into how their simple proposition became the story the whole world was talking about. Captain Sir Tom, who has since been given the honorary title of Colonel, resolved to walk a hundred lengths..

Patients on Ward 3 at Milton Keynes University Hospital now have access to their very own courtyard garden thanks to a project funded by Milton Keynes Hospital Charity.   For many years the courtyard, which is overlooked by the ward, was an unusable space, but with help of grant funding and volunteer support, two years ago it was made into a beautiful area within the hospital site.   The hospital’s charity has now been able to go a step further and help provide access to the space directly from the ward, transforming it into a fantastic welcoming area for patients and staff to use.   Tracy Davis, Senior Sister on Ward 3 said: “A lot of patients on the ward have dementia or delirium and they can get restless, so having a courtyard that they can access to go for a walk, get some air and sunshine, or sit and have a chat..

Willen Hospice is calling on local people to join their All New Moo 2020 on 12 September. The event, which is sponsored by Specsavers MK, has been launched in place of the popular Midnight Moo walk and Moo Night Run, which can no longer take place in their usual format due to the social distancing restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus. The All New Moo is open to everyone, including families, and invites people to walk, run or even scoot a route of their choice from their own homes. Participants can take on 5 or 10 miles, or even max their miles and go further. Organisers are asking those who take part to gather sponsorship for their Moo. This will make a huge difference to the Hospice, which is facing a staggering loss in fundraising income due to the cancellation of their usual summer events and activities. The team behind the..

As the remaining stores begin to re-open in line with the easing of Government restrictions, centre:mk looks forward to welcoming back shoppers from the 15th June 2020. With stores such as Primark, Next, M&S, John Lewis, TK Maxx and many more scheduled to fully re-open over the next few weeks, the centre is looking forward to shoppers reuniting with their favourite brands. centre:mk has been planning its phased re-opening for a number of weeks while working closely with the 190 retailers in the centre to put a health and wellbeing protocol in place, which reminds shoppers to ‘play your part’. The ‘play your part’ guidance focuses on more than just social distancing. As the number of customers entering the centre is set to increase from the 15th June, the ‘play your part’ guidance includes a range of measures targeted at ensuring customers can return with confidence. These measures are an..

The importance of access to greenspace and parks have been and continue to be more important than ever during the coronavirus outbreak. The Parks Trust have been working hard to keep the parks safe and protect the beautiful greenspaces of Milton Keynes so that everyone can enjoy them safely and reap the benefits to their physical and mental wellbeing.  However, sadly we are seeing a huge increase in those dropping and leaving their litter in the parks, putting additional financial strain on the organisation to try and keep on top of all the additional waste as well as depleting the resources of our operations team and The Parks Trust’s Rangers. This week alone, our rangers and contractors have collected over 800 bags of litter from across our parks. In recent weeks, especially due to the nice weather, we are finding greater numbers of people ‘considerately littering’ by leaving their rubbish..

To mark Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), the Milton Keynes Rose has unveiled a new pillar dedicated to just that. At a time when volunteers have been needed more than ever and have quite literally saved lives, Milton Keynes has honoured its volunteers who have worked not just in the last few weeks but for decades. On 1st June, The Mayor of Milton Keynes Cllr Andrew Geary unveiled the new Pillar at the Milton Keynes Rose to mark this annual week. The pillar inscribed with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi says, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. In his speech the Mayor said “Volunteers have never been more needed; they underpin our society, in these unprecedented times there is no more appropriate time to be unveiling a pillar to celebrate volunteers and at the beginning of Volunteers’ Week” The Mayor was joined..

Everyone at The Brooklands Centre in Newport Pagnell is delighted to announce that the Centre has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), which is the equivalent to an MBE for voluntary groups. This prestigious award is the highest of its kind in the UK and recognises exceptional contributions made to local communities by groups of volunteers who devote their time for the benefit of others. The Brooklands Centre is an independent, self-financing registered charity, managed and run by volunteers. It has been providing services for older people in the Newport Pagnell area since the 1950s. Its aim is to help people retain their independence, live in their own homes and remain in the local community. It helps to maintain and improve people’s physical and mental well-being, reduce social isolation and support those living with dementia. With its motto of ‘FOOD, FUN, FRIENDS for the over-55s’, Brooklands is..