Local News

Midsummer Place shopping centre has confirmed it will welcome the American chicken chain, Wingstop to its newly refurbished Boulevard. It will be located in the former Burger King unit next to Pret A Manger and will occupy the last remaining vacant location to fully complete The Boulevard food court, which offers national brands LEON and Starbucks as well as eight independent street food outlets such as Panda Woo, House of Sliders and Nero Pizza. The Central Milton Keynes location has been confirmed as one of several sites that Lemon Pepper Holdings, the UK franchisee of US brand Wingstop, is planning to open in 2024, which also includes: Croydon, Essex, Dudley, and Leeds. The brand, which makes wings, tenders, burgers, and sides cooked to order, currently operates over 40 UK branches. Simon Martin, General Manager at Midsummer Place said: “It is wonderful to announce the confirmation that Wingstop will join Midsummer..

The Parks Trust are seeking an artist to create a brand-new outdoor art piece for the Education Centre at Howe Park Wood. Artist submissions are to create a piece that raises awareness of the significance of pollination and/or pollinators which are under threat, as well as the relevant features found at Howe Park Wood. This ancient woodland located in the southwest of Milton Keynes is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to it being home to over 200 plant species some of which are extremely rare. Public art celebrates the identity of a place – its heritage, biodiversity, cultures, and communities – to make spaces distinctive, memorable, and interesting. This newly designed artwork should be for the enjoyment and engagement of the public, who are mostly local residents, including dog walkers, families, and school groups. Howe Park Wood attracts visitors from across Milton Keynes as it..

Milton Keynes resident Hope Russell was born prematurely after a road traffic accident caused her mother, Maxine, to go into early labour. Just a few months later Maxine was told her newborn baby had kidney disease that would progress info full renal failure by the time she was five. Now, 25 years later, the pair are ten months post-transplant surgery and on track to raise over £1,400 for Kidney Research UK through a 13.2 mile walk with nearly 50 friends and family. “A couple of months after the transplant I decided to challenge myself,” Hope said. “I’m able to walk and I really wanted to raise money for Kidney Research UK so it seemed like the most accessible way to do that. It was only me, Mum and my auntie to begin with but now loads of my friends and family are joining in. It’s going to be a great..

National Walking Day (today, 3rd April) is the perfect time to announce the annual Walking Festival returning to city parks in May, packed full of outdoor activities! Organised by The Parks Trust, the charity caring for the MK’s green spaces, this year’s four-day festival provides more variety than ever - from forest bathing to barefoot running. Here’s a round-up of special events to enjoy: Introduction to Forest Bathing. Thursday 9 May, 1.30pm at Shenley Wood. Connect with the natural world on a relaxing walk through the ancient woodland, engaging Forest Bathing techniques. Developed in 1980’s Japan, these have been found to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve memory and concentration - nature is a powerful healer! Booking essential, suitable for ages 12+. Introduction to Singletrack with Trek. Thursday 9 May, 6pm at Campbell Park. A great way to explore the city on Redways, bridle paths, and leisure routes –..

It’s the news that thrill-seekers wanted to hear – Aqua Parcs is bringing its giant ‘Mammoth’ obstacle back for the 2024 season, which starts on Saturday 4 May. Introduced to the 450-metre-long inflatable water park last year, the ‘Mammoth’ stands at 30ft tall and features a daring 20ft ‘cliff jump’ – making it ones of the biggest attractions in Milton Keynes. Awarded MK’s Top Attraction 2023 at the MK Food & Leisure Awards, Aqua Parcs enters its 7th year at Willen Lake and will bring new features to the park for 2024. Split over three unique sections: Union, Aqua Glide and Airspace, visitors get a different experience at each area – all included in the one-hour session. Aqua Parcs has also taken over the Open Water Swimming operations at Willen Lake that invites people to join a community of swimmers that take to the lake on Saturday mornings with Sunday..

Namji Restaurant has swept the board at the eighth annual Asian Food & Restaurant Awards (AFRA) for the third year running. The Punjabi eatery – which has branches in Xscape in Central Milton Keynes and in Wolverton – took a hat trick of awards, including Best Restaurant in Buckinghamshire. Owner Naseem Khan also retained her title of the UK's Curry Queen: “To say I am thrilled is something of an understatement,” she smiled, “It is such a hotly contested award and I was over the moon to receive the title the first time around. When it was announced I had been awarded it again? I was staggered! “The past 12 months have been as challenging as they have been rewarding, and I take nothing for granted. Both the restaurant award and the Curry Queen title prove that we are doing right by our customers – and that is always at..

This Easter holiday, prepare for a double dose of cartoon character cuteness at Midsummer Place as the centre welcomes kids’ favourites Bluey and Chase! On Friday 5 April, the lovable character Bluey will be visiting the centre for some fantastic  personal appearances at intervals starting at 11.30am. This FREE event is a chance to meet everyone’s favourite Blue Heeler in person, give Bluey a high five and there will be lots of opportunities to take photos. Then, on Thursday 11 April, PAW Patrol’s Chase is on the scene and ready to meet his paw-some fans. Children can catch up with the heroic pup at Midsummer Place at intervals between 11.30am and 4pm. This event is again free for all to attend and provides families with a fun, budget-friendly day out, where children can pose for photos with their favourite police canine. The time slots for both appearances are below and..

On Sunday 17th March, Milton Keynes Mayor Mick Legg took part in a half marathon to raise money for Harry’s Rainbow. The Mayor proudly completed his 13.1 mile run in around 2 hours 30 minutes alongside charity CEO Odette Mould, after six months of training. Harry’s Rainbow have been supporting bereaved children in Milton Keynes since 2011 and aims to give bereaved children a brighter tomorrow by providing range of bereavement support services such as support groups, activities, trips, and short breaks, as well as key information and guidance through its social networking sites, website and podcast. 87 runners took part in the event for the charity, with the team raising £15,000 collectively. Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor Mick Legg, said: “I’m feeling very proud and blown away after running my first half marathon in support of our wonderful charity. It was great to see such a huge turnout with over 87 runners..

Milton Keynes Brick Festival is rolling into town on Monday 6th May, and it's gearing up to be a brick-tastic celebration for LEGO lovers of all ages! Immerse yourself in a world of creativity and fun as families, collectors, adult builders, and every LEGO-fanatic imaginable come together for a day of brick-filled bliss! Over 40 years ago Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, as Centre:MK was known back then, hosted the first ever LEGO themed event “LEGO World”. This was the first time the UK had ever seen an incredible collection of LEGO models, alongside fun-filled brick based activities which included a World Record breaking Tallest Tower at over 13m, with plenty of LEGO items available to buy and take home too. Over 4 decades later, the Milton Keynes Brick Festival is bringing all of that nostalgic fun back home to Centre:MK. This event will bring MILLIONS of LEGO bricks into the..

Visitors to centre:mk will be in for a real treat this Easter school holiday as the Easter Fair - complete with giant inflatable maze, appearances from the Easter Bunny, balloon modelling, face painting, Easter Egg Hunt, and Circus Club - all make their way to the heart of the Milton Keynes based shopping and leisure destination. The Easter Fair, which will be held in Middleton Hall – outside John Lewis from 29th March to 11th April, has many free areas for families to enjoy – with an 8ft high, huge inflatable maze! Further free activities for the children include arts & crafts, meeting the Easter Bunny, balloon modelling, and face painting*. There will also be ticketed rides to enjoy - including the teacups, an inflatable train, trampoline bungees and crazy mini-golf. (*please see below times). The very popular free Circus Club is also back for the holidays; hosted by performing..

Formed in 2022, the MK Breakers lifted the National Cup in only their second ever season making basketball history in the process, beating Division One table toppers Reading Rockets 95-85 in the showpiece event at Manchester’s National Basketball Performance Centre on the 21st January. The win means the Breakers are the first team ever from outside NBL Division One to win the NBL National Cup. For those unfamiliar with the basketball pyramid - it’s the equivalent of MK Dons winning The FA Cup. Almost 500 fans made the journey from Milton Keynes to Manchester to support Coach Billy Beddow’s side, and completely overshadowed their rival Reading fans - as their “sea of red” roared the team to their historic triumph. While every member of the team contributed, it was local Milton Keynes player,  Jordan Spencer who earned MVP accolades for his performance - 38 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists...

Record Store Day is an annual event where independent record shops come together to celebrate people's love of music with limited releases. This year Record Store Day will be on Saturday 20th April and Off The Record, located in Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes has been selected to be part of this worldwide event. Off the Record is a specially curated shop by Willen Hospice, selling pre-loved and new vinyl records to raise funds for the charity. They will be celebrating the day by selling limited releases and live music in store. The centre will open at 6am if people want to arrive early and the shop will open from 8am. The shop will be managing the queue and admittance will be limited to ensure people have space to browse. Each customer will be allowed to buy one copy of each LP and a list of stock will be updated throughout..

Loved by canines and their families for over a decade, the Big Doggie Do is paws-itively the city’s favourite annual celebration of all-things dog. The free event organised by The Parks Trust, the charity caring for MK’s parks, returns to Willen Lake on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May - midday ‘til 5pm on both days. This year’s two-day event promises to have more fun than you can throw (and fetch) a stick at, including: Doggie displays Showing classes Flyball Pet supplies Delicious treats (for pooches and people!) Local charities And new for 2024, a Talks Tent programme of tutorials & demonstrations Julie Dawes, Events & Community Engagement Manager at The Parks Trust says “We’re so thrilled to provide local dog owners with a chance to come together with their pets and have fun, whilst picking up tips about how to care for them responsibly”. Big Doggie Do is one..

This Friday 22nd March, acclaimed chef Dipna Anand will launch her new restaurant, Dipna Anand Kitchen & Bar, situated inside the new multi-functional venue Unity Place, in Milton Keynes. Dipna’s involvement will see a new, 150-cover restaurant open under her stewardship, with its very own microbrewery from Toast Brewing. Dipna will be offering her authentic Punjabi and South Indian cuisine alongside a selection of traditional favourites using locally sourced seasonal ingredients for a flavour-rich, planet-friendly experience. Bright, modern and glass-fronted, the restaurant is a step in a new direction for Dipna, with the menu comprising of revisited classics on small plates; her well-loved and familiar curries alongside some new and unexpected menu items; and a grill that will serve tandoori lamb chops, salmon, chicken and paneer tikka, as well as lamb seekh kebab. The restaurant will also serve traditional thalis and biryanis, with plant-based dishes and the best cuts of..

Milton Keynes has unveiled a thrilling opportunity for dancers and choreographers, with the commencement of applications for the Helen Parlor Dance Bursary. Established to commemorate the legacy of the esteemed dance advocate Helen Parlor, this bursary is designed to offer crucial support and resources to burgeoning talents within the local dance community. Open to residents and workers of Milton Keynes, the Helen Parlor Dance Bursary aims to prioritise individuals rooted in the city, though applications from those proposing to engage in dance-related activities within MK will also be considered. While funding rounds are anticipated to be open and un-themed, they may occasionally align with significant city celebrations, such as hosting world-class sporting events or commemorating milestones like MK's birthday. Applicants, regardless of age or background, may be dancers or choreographers. Submissions for the bursary will be evaluated based on criteria including residency and work in MK, demonstration of career progression..