Local News

Willen Hospice has teamed up with the MK Dons football team to appeal to local people to show them some love this October, as they prepare to take part in national Hospice Care Week. The theme of the week is ‘Heart my Hospice’ and the charity is looking for volunteers to help them by holding bucket collections across MK and surrounding areas between 8 – 14 October. Slots are available for just an hour and half in various easily accessible locations including Central Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Olney, Kingston, Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley. Dean Lewington from MK Dons said: “We are all aware of the fantastic care that Willen Hospice provides to people in and around Milton Keynes. We never know when someone close to us might one day need that care and that’s why we’re backing their campaign and asking people to hold a bucket collection.” Nikki..

This month, a national campaign was launched by the British Toilet Association to ask restaurants, pubs, bars and local businesses to welcome the public to freely use their toilet facilities.  Milton Keynes has been named as one of a few places in the UK that doesn’t have a single free public toilet, making the need for local business participation even greater.  Maaya Indian Kitchen & Bar in The Hub has become the first business in Milton Keynes and one of the first in the UK to sign up to the campaign and display its sticker.  “We’re an independent business in central Milton Keynes and the community is at the heart of everything we do,” says Manager and Joint Owner, Mo Abdul. He added: “Going to the toilet is a human right and we have never refused anyone away for wanting to use our facilities, and now, thanks to this campaign,..

The heat was on this Tuesday when local chain of launderettes, Bubbles Laundromat held a sponsored Iron-A-Thon at their Wolverton branch, raising £510 for its local charity, The Bus Shelter MK. Fun was had by all as three of the Bubblettes went head to head to iron as many items as possible in two hours. Elaine Watt, from Bletchley store was crowned the ironing champion, pressing a whopping total of 70 items in the allocated two-hour slot. Jacqui Brown from Wolverton & Pat Punter who represented the Northampton store both pressed 50 items each.  Donna-Lee Andrews, owner of Bubbles Laundromat comments: “We are extremely pleased with how many people backed our fundraiser and are overwhelmed with the generosity of people giving away clothing or donating to The Bus Shelter. The local charity does such a fantastic job supporting those who have found themselves homeless and we’re proud to support their..

Local chain of laundrettes, Bubbles Laundromat has announced it will be hosting a sponsored Iron-A-Thon to raise much needed funds for its local charity, The Bus Shelter MK. On Tuesday 31st July, between 1-3pm a Bubblette from each store will be going head to head to iron as many items of clothing as they can in 2 hours. They are appealing to residents and businesses to back their local Bubblette by donating what they can online to raise money to support the work The Bus Shelter MK do to help people experiencing street homelessness. During a 12 week programme Bus Shelter residents sleep on a converted double decker bus and are helped to access medical services and find sustainable work and housing.  The laundromat is asking for locals to get involved for ‘National Give Something Away Day’ on July 15th, by donating unwanted smart/business attire for the challenge. These will..

Self-financing charity The Parks Trust has won two prestigious national awards at the 2018 Horticulture Week Custodian Awards. The Parks Trust was the winner of the Best Visitor Initiative award for its events programme and the Best Volunteer Initiative award for its volunteer strategy. It also received ‘Highly Commended’ in the Best Community Initiative category for its Youth Explorers initiative. This year was the first time the Trust has entered the Horticulture Week awards and comes hot on the heels of the charity’s success earlier in the year at the 2018 Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards, where it won the Leisure Entertainment & Arts award. David Foster, Chief Executive of The Parks Trust, commented: “It’s a real honour to be recognised by industry bible Horticulture Week for the work we carry out across the city. “It is brilliant to get this national recognition from experts in the parks and horticulture..

Iain Stewart MP today visited UK Mail, part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, in Milton Keynes to tour operations and discuss the company’s recent growth and contribution to the local community.  Iain Stewart MP visited the UK Mail depot in his constituency in Milton Keynes South to meet over 195 people working on site and delivering parcels in the local area. The UK Mail depot provides a vital service for local businesses and constituents who rely on UK Mail for e-commerce deliveries and collections. It also hosts the UK Mail contact centre offering customers services to the South of England and dealing with all social media enquiries.   The 102,524 sq ft site opened to serve the Milton Keynes constituency and surrounding postcodes in November 2017 with an investment of £11.8m and handles up to 19,000 parcels a day.  Peter Fuller, CEO, UK Mail said: “We are delighted Iain Stewart has..

Tourism and information organisation, Destination Milton Keynes (DMK), has had a productive few months with no fewer than seven new companies joining up and discovering the benefits of being members. The new members are an eclectic mix of companies covering different aspects of the tourism and leisure offer in the city. Brewhouse & Kitchen and Popworld both recently opened in 12th Street and they could both see the value of joining DMK to spread the word of their offer to the wider MK population since their opening. Stantonbury Theatre and Ride High Equestrian Centre are both long-standing organisations in Milton Keynes but wanted to raise their profile both locally and regionally, and DMK membership does this via reach through the website and their vast social media channels. Orcars is a new App-based taxi firm taking MK by storm, and whether its clients are residents or visitors, DMK membership is helping..

A staggering 50 per cent of businesses in Milton Keynes say they could only cope for up to 30 minutes without internet, according to new research.  The survey, commissioned by infrastructure provider CityFibre, lays bare how vulnerable many companies are to a loss of digital connectivity and how little it would take to bring the city’s business ecosystem grinding to a halt.  According to CityFibre, the findings make a clear case for bringing an end to the country’s dependence on its aging, capacity-constrained copper infrastructure and supporting an accelerated rollout of a full fibre alternative – which can currently only be accessed by less than 4 per cent of the UK.  The research shows that most businesses thought that better connectivity would equal improved productivity and improved customer service (both 54%). Other perceived benefits included less time spent travelling (40%), more use of remote working (39%) and better collaboration (32%),..

A team of four Conservative Councillors are taking on 72 Holes of Golf - more than 22 miles of walking - in one day to support the new Cancer Centre Appeal for Milton Keynes Hospital Charity.  On Friday 13 July the four golfing heroes will spend their entire day at the Abbey Hill Golf Centre raising funds and playing four rounds of golf for the charity – which amounts to over 15 hours with no buggies allowed.  The plan to raise more than £1,000 leading up to and on the day.  The Cancer Centre Appeal is raising £2.5 million for a new cancer centre – based at Milton Keynes University Hospital.  The new cancer centre will mean that the hospital can better support each and every cancer patient. It will be a purpose-built, dedicated space offering treatment, information and support services to anyone affected by cancer, in a more spacious,..

Willen Hospice is calling on local people to join their band of community volunteers this summer. The opportunity is not only a chance to make a difference to charity, but is a great chance to gain valuable experience, boost your CV, or make the most of the summer break from college or university. No experience is necessary, just a willingness to get involved and have fun. Anyone interested is invited to an informal open evening between 7-9pm on Wednesday 27 June, at Emerson Valley Sports Pavilion. The evening will give potential volunteers the chance to meet the Willen Hospice Community team and find out what they do and about the help they need. The team will showcase the fun activities they take around MK such as the Willen Wheel of Fortune, pop a cup and buzzer game. There will also be an opportunity to hear from current volunteers about the..

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..

Last week, Lakeview Lodge Care Home in Newton Leys took great pleasure in taking part in Dementia Action Week 2018. The home, on Jersey Drive in Newton Leys, had lots of visitors and took part in lots of wonderful, thought provoking activities and tried their hardest to educate local people on dementia and dispel any myths and misunderstandings common amongst people who haven’t been affected by the condition. Dementia is set to be the 21st century's biggest killer. But awareness and understanding remains low and many families are facing it alone. Diagnosis is a difficult time for someone and it can feel that people have nowhere to go and no one to support them.  That’s why, throughout the week of 21st-25th, Lakeview Lodge encouraged all local people to come together and act. The week at Lakeview Lodge kicked off with walks around Little Willow Lak, feeding the ducks, and seeing the newly born..

A hog roast held by the Greyhound pub in Haversham has raised more than £1,200 for Willen Hospice.  Landlord David Evans and his team of volunteers began the now annual event in 2016 as a way to raise money after the Hospice cared for his mum, Izzy. Since then, they have raised an impressive £4,000 through the event.   David, aged 47, became poorly himself in January 2017, after suffering two brain aneurysms. The success of this year’s hog roast was made even sweeter by the fact that he could make a return to the bar and serve drinks at the event after making strides in his rehabilitation.  During David’s illness, his Dad Barrie, 79, and a team of local volunteers worked tirelessly to keep the pub open during his time in hospital. They were also the driving force behind the hog roast events.  Sharon Lowther, one of six volunteers behind..

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..

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..