Local News

Last week the UK marked 100 years since the first women gained the right to vote by celebrating Parliament week. Schools across Milton Keynes took part in activities to find out more about our democracy. One school received a special guest. On Friday (16th Nov) Giffard Park Primary School hosted the Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds MP. The Secretary of State was given a tour by two members of the School Council. He joined few classes to see their Parliament Week activities which included voting on whether ‘it was fair to be given homework’ a shock result saw the class agree it was! He was then joined by local MP Mark Lancaster taking questions from year 6 students. Mark said: “I was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to Giffard Park Primary School. We were both incredibly impressed with how students were engaging with our Parliament and..

The Parks Trust, the self-financing charity that looks after over 6,000 acres of green space across Milton Keynes, wants to encourage people to get out and explore the city’s parkland this National Tree Week, which runs from Saturday 24th November to Sunday 2nd December 2018. To celebrate the many varied and beautiful trees that feature across the Milton Keynes landscape, The Parks Trust has devised a series of activities for people of all ages to enjoy. A route for a self-guided walk has been created, which covers several of the central parks, including Campbell Park, Newlands and the Tree Cathedral. The route details which trees walkers should look out for, including the majestic oak in Campbell Park and the poplars along the Canal Broadwalk. It is approximately three miles in length and should take around an hour to complete. Further self-guided walks, covering other areas of Milton Keynes, will shortly..

Leading Milton Keynes magazine MK Pulse has been nominated in the ‘Best Customer Service’ category as part of the highly prestigious SME MK & Buckinghamshire Business Awards. In a category decided purely by a public vote, the winning business will ensure it exceeds customers’ expectations before, during and after using their services, invest in building long term relationships and provide a service that is consistently outstanding. Kerry Lewis-Stevenson, MK Pulse magazine’s editor, said: “We pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service, so to be nominated in this category is absolutely fantastic. Especially as one of our customer’s entered us for the award and it wasn’t something we consciously signed up for as a business.” A trusted companion to those living locally, MK Pulse is dedicated to Milton Keynes and its surrounding villages. Engaging and relevant content of local news, features and stories combine to create a much-loved magazine that's as..

The Willen Hospice annual Christmas service of remembrance, Lights of Love, will return to The Ridgeway Centre in Wolverton Mill on Saturday 1 December. The event, which starts at 3pm, is a poignant opportunity for people who have lost someone close, to reflect on and celebrate their life. Visitors are invited to mark the occasion by adding their loved one’s names into the Hospice Books of Remembrance. Children are invited to decorate stars to hang on the Hospice Christmas trees, or take home to treasure. The service will be conducted by the Hospice’s new Chaplain, Martha McInnes, and will include Christmas carols and a Christmas lights switch on. The service takes place against a backdrop of Christmas stalls, local choirs and MK Brass who will provide a festive ambience. Sarah Sweet-Rowley, Head of Fundraising and Events at Willen Hospice, said “Our popular Lights of Love service offers great comfort and..

Santa Dash, the iconic Willen Hospice festive fundraiser is set to return on Sunday 16 December. The event will see hundreds of people dressed as Father Christmas flock to Willen Lake to walk, jog or sprint the 1.2 mile Santa Dash. Starting outside the Hospice at 10.30am, (off Willen Lake North) the event is open people of all ages, and dogs are welcome to take part too. Sarah Sweet-Rowley, Head of Events and Community Fundraising at Willen Hospice, said “Our Santa Dash has become an annual favourite; a really special event that we know our community looks forward to each year. For some, it’s become a staple in their Christmas routine as a great way to mark the start of their festivities. Besides being a hugely important fundraiser for us, it’s a whole lot of fun for families who enjoy dressing up and getting involved in supporting their local Hospice.”..

This year’s city centre Christmas Light Switch On will take place on Saturday 17th November and is set to follow previous years by spectacularly lighting up the city for the festive period and marking the start of the official countdown to Christmas. The free event will take place at the front of intu Milton Keynes from 4pm with the switch on happening at 5pm. Ivan and Emma from Heart Breakfast will be hosting the event which will feature live entertainment as they build up to the big countdown. We’re promised Father Christmas will make a quick stop in MK from his busy pre-Christmas schedule to do the honours. Look out for the three giant Kings lit on the roof of Christ the Cornerstone Church as well as the sparkling parcels and trees along Midsummer Boulevard bursting into festive life. After the switch on a huge pyrotechnic and laser show will..

Milton Keynes Play Association (MKPA) are renown for selling unwanted items from their Scrapstore in Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes. Their philosophy is to avoid waste and recycle and repurpose wherever possible. No surprise then to discover that MKPA have successfully rehomed their own ‘waste’ product, the spare pumpkins left over from their half-term play sessions. Pumpkins were donated to the volunteers who cook for The Bus Shelter MK, the bus for the homeless. Instead of being composted, or going to landfill, they will be used to provide much needed meals. Michele Clark, Play Coordinator, MKPA said, ‘We were very keen not to waste something that can be put to good use and for such a good cause’. Slated Row school have also received some pumpkins to enable them to raise funds for the bus. Paul Gowin, Manager of The Bus Shelter MK said, ‘I’d like to thank Milton Keynes Play..

Local people are being invited to take advantage of a free will writing service during November as Willen Hospice Will Month returns. Eleven legal firms have teamed up to support the charity by writing Wills in return for a donation to the Hospice. The service is available for anyone who would like to create a new will or change an existing Will. Lisa Kinrade, Project and Partnership Development at Willen Hospice, said “Leaving a gift in your Will can really make a difference in helping support patient and family care at Willen Hospice. Your donation, no matter how big or small, will help us deliver our promise to always be there to care. “We’d like to thank all the solicitors taking part, for their incredible generosity in supporting Willen Hospice during Will Month.” The solicitors will also be on hand to discuss any legacies that people may wish to leave...

Shoppers turned up in their droves just to visit the third Etsy market at intu Milton Keynes on Saturday 29 September. Increasing in popularity with each visit, the independent retailer market saw record numbers visit and support local business, making Saturday’s market the most successful yet! With over 40 sellers taking part, it was also the biggest to date and featured local traders selling upcycled, handmade and vintage items to suit all budget and tastes. Kirsty McGiff, marketing manager at intu Milton Keynes said, “We are delighted with how well Saturday’s market went and it was great to see so many smiling faces. It’s important for us to support local and independent businesses and give them a platform to talk to and reach new customers. The market grows in popularity with each visit and it’s the Christmas one next.” The next market at intu Milton Keynes will be the much-anticipated..

Absolutely Leisure, the charity organisation which provides affordable leisure and entertainment pursuits such as Go Karting, Laser Combat, and gyms, has partnered with its latest go-karting venue in Milton Keynes which will enable the company to spread its community work further across the county. The organisation will be working in partnership with Formula Fast, a multi-award winning, family-founded go-karting company and home to one of the biggest single-level indoor circuits in the UK. Formula Fast are also sole hosts of the British Rental Kart Championship – the official UK qualifying series for the Kart World Championship. David Brind, Group Manager at Absolutely Leisure said, “We’re really excited to be adding this venue to our portfolio of Absolutely Leisure partnerships. Formula Fast are well established as one of the UK’s top operators, and the team have a great reputation for delivering a warm and professional service. Their first-class facility in Milton..

Construction will begin shortly on a new 35m footbridge which will cross the Grand Union Canal and link the two sides of Crest Nicholson’s Campbell Wharf mixed use development. The footbridge will be the centrepiece of the new community, providing access for pedestrians and cyclists between the 111 berth marina complex and the public house and the 383 new homes, as well as joining the canal towpaths. Knight Architects and specialist engineers COWI, who have considerable experience in creating innovative infrastructure across the world, are the designers of the new footbridge. The parapets of the bridge have been designed to reflect the reeds and rushes typically found along the banks of the canal. The component parts of the bridge are being built off-site, and the full bridge will be installed in December and an official opening ceremony will be held in Summer 2019. Martin Knight Director at Knight Architects, said:..

Age UK’s ‘Penny the inflatable piggy bank’ came to the Central Milton Keynes railway station on Tuesday 18th September to highlight the urgent need for more funding for social care. With the latest data suggesting 1.4m older people go without the care and support they need, and that the social care crisis is costing the NHS over £500 per minute, this summer 'Penny’ has been taking to the road across England to bring attention to the need for the Government to provide more funding. Chief Executive of Age UK Milton Keynes Jane Palmer said: “Due to the #Carecrisis in England, too many older people have their discharge from hospital delayed due to a lack of care provision when they return home. We don’t think this is acceptable and want to see the Government solve the #Carecrisis as soon as possible.” Visitors and commuters using the Central Milton Keynes railways station..

A survey by The Parks Trust, the self-financing charity that manages and maintains over 6,000 acres of green space across Milton Keynes, has revealed that nearly five tonnes of litter was left in the city’s parkland in one week this summer. This equates to 817 bags of rubbish, with Willen Lake generating the most; 492.5 bags and 2.49 tonnes. Rob Riekie, Landscape and Operations Director for The Parks Trust, commented: “While we are pleased that so many people have enjoyed time out in the parks this summer, the huge amount of litter left behind has been very disappointing. “A lot of park users may not realise that we are a self-financing charity and don’t receive any funding from local or central government. Clearing up rubbish costs us approximately £350,000 a year and this is money that we then cannot spend on new facilities or activities for everyone to enjoy.” Rob..

Pupils, parents and staff gathered recently to recognise the efforts and achievements of Key Stage 4 pupils during the 2017/18 Academic year. The awards were presented by motivational speaker Tola Adeliyi, a teacher of Science, a Youth Impact Coach and a Motivational Speaker. During his entertaining speech Tola gave examples of famous people including Einstein, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Oprah Winfrey who had been earmarked as low achievers at school and told they would never amount to anything. Tola described how their perseverance had paid off as they all went on to achieve fantastic careers. He told our students that they should never be discouraged but should find what makes them special and persevere with their studies. Pupils were rewarded for outstanding achievement in subject areas, for setting an example as a year leader and for exceptional contributions to the school community. Jo-Anne Hoarty, Headteacher at St Paul’s, said:..

Staff, residents and families at Lakeview Lodge Care Home in Milton Keynes are delighted with their recent CQC report, rating them as ‘Outstanding’ for responsiveness and overall ‘Good’. The report stated that “Staff went the extra mile to find out about people's individual backgrounds, hobbies and interests, to accommodate activities that were person centred, meaningful and engaging.” “The staff team here at Lakeview Lodge Care Home go the extra mile every day to deliver fantastic care and meaningful opportunities for our residents”. said Alykhan Kachra, Managing Director of Country Court Care. “Home Manager Cheryl and her team have created a warm, friendly and happy home with outstanding person-centered care. Lakeview Lodge is a shining example of best practice and a model for care homes across the Country Court Care group” The care home in Newton Leys, Milton Keynes has been open for just over a year and offers residential care..