Local News

Aerial Extreme, the popular high ropes course at Willen Lake, is rebranding to Treetop Extreme from today 1st November 2017. Throughout the autumn and winter, Treetop Extreme will run morning and afternoon sessions every weekend until February half term, when weekday sessions will also be available. There are three difficulty levels to choose from at Treetop Extreme, with four zip-wires and over 50 obstacles. The highlight of the course for many is the 13m freefall simulation. Customers can turn up on the day but booking in advance is advised; this is available through www.willenlake.org.uk Aerial Extreme has been rebranded to Treetop Extreme because Willen Lake, which is run by The Parks Trust, has taken over direct management of the attraction. Rob Wood, General Manager of Willen Lake, commented: “We’re very pleased to be adding Treetop Extreme to our portfolio of activities. It is already a popular attraction at Willen Lake..

Ana Pearson, a 12-year-old from Buckingham has been announced the winner in the girls’ nett category of an annual golfing competition run by The Daily Telegraph in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Ana, a Year 8 student from Akeley Wood School, took up golf just two years ago, following in the footsteps of her older brothers and now plays for the County. One of the youngest competitors, Ana has won a coaching trip to the Quinta do Lago course in Portugal as well as a golf kit Ana’s win has been the results of a great deal of dedication and hard work as her mother Emma explains: ‘After school most days Ana either plays at the golf course or the driving range and she has regular lessons too. We’re extremely proud of her achievement, particularly as she’s one of the youngest taking part. ‘We had to wait until the end of September for..

Milton Keynes Hospital Charity is launching ‘The Big Christmas Give’ appeal today, with the aim of raising £10,000 to buy items that will make a huge difference to patients and visitors at the hospital.  Every year the public, local businesses and schools dig deep and bring a huge amount of presents to Milton Keynes University Hospital. This year, the charity is asking those kind donors to donate to their Christmas appeal instead – to help fund specific items on a wish list that will create a lasting impact for patients and their families.  Three areas have been chosen to benefit from the appeal this year: the children’s wards; cancer services and dementia services.  Head of fundraising, Vanessa Holmes said: “We’re asking people to donate to our Big Christmas Give and help make a lasting difference to patients and their families.  “Over Christmas, we get a lot of presents donated to..

A team of more than 65 volunteers from local legal firm EMW Law in Knowlhill swapped their usual jobs for overalls last week when they spent a day sprucing up some of the council’s facilities for children, older people and people with learning difficulties. EMW's Real Estate team visited Petworth House in Great Holm, Whaddon Day Centre in Bletchley, Playzone Day Nursery at Hedgerows Family Centre in Netherfield and Windmill Children’s Centre in New Bradwell. The team building exercise saw them paint tired walls, improve outdoor areas, revamp seating, plant shrubs, and decorate and renovate areas to give them a new lease of life. The team provided new furniture, soft furnishings, plants and equipment to make the centres more homely and welcoming. They even turned their hands to baking to create afternoon tea for the residents of Petworth House. Aimee Barrable, Principal at EMW said: “It was easily the most..

This week, Mayor David Hopkins and the Mayoress were given a lesson in piercing out intricate designs on metal by Cartier London trained, Glenn Chapman and son, Paul Chapman. The Mayor and Mayoress applied their knowledge by taking part in the making of a limited edition coin to commemorate Milton Keynes’ 50th birthday.  The special coin was designed and hand-crafted by The Goldsmithy, based in Stony Stratford for its charity fundraising evening on Thursday 19 October. The coin, along with five other specially made pieces will be auctioned to raise money for Willen Hospice.  The Goldsmiths and Watchmakers, will host two ticket times at their workshop in O’dells Yard – one from 6pm – 7.30pm, and another from 7.45pm – 9.15pm. Tickets are limited and will cost £5, all of which will be donated to Willen Hospice.   Guests will enjoy a glass of bubbly on arrival as they explore some of..

50 years ago when Milton Keynes was envisioned and built, a 40 acre site was designated for use as a riding school. The idea was that local residents could enjoy horses and green space right in the heart of the town. That space is in Loughton and after many years of neglect the charity, Ride High, has taken over a 30-year lease of the site and a commitment to turn it into a thriving riding school that everyone can enjoy. The Ride High Equestrian Centre is in Loughton just 10 minutes walk from the train station and the heart of Milton Keynes Rachel Medill MBE, Founder and CEO of Ride High said: “This huge green oasis of land sits in the heart of Milton Keynes but is almost unknown.  It was intended to be a space where local people could enjoy the countryside and the gentle beauty of horses but..

Country Court Care was delighted to welcome local dignitaries and business people to the Grand Opening of their state-of-the-art Care Home, Lakeview Lodge in Newton Leys, near Bletchley. Lakeview Lodge Care Home provides residential and essential specialist dementia care in a beautiful, homely environment tailored to fulfill the needs of the residents. With 66 tastefully decorated ensuite rooms, the stunning Lakeview Lodge Care Home boasts a beauty and hairdressing salon, a private dining room, a family room, a relaxation spa, a bar named the “Enigma Lounge”, a shop and cinema to entertain residents and their families. Spacious lounges and dining rooms overlook the beautiful Little Willow Lake and a variety of events and activities offer residents the opportunity to socialise and make new friends. Mayor of Milton Keynes, Cllr David Hopkins and Country Court Care’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Abdul Kachra performed the ribbon cutting whilst guests toasted the opening..

The Parks Trust was proud to welcome The Duke of Cambridge to the Milton Keynes Rose in Campbell Park, as part of a special visit to celebrate the city’s 50th birthday. Richard Forman, Chairman, and Rob Riekie, Landscape and Operations Director, of The Parks Trust showed His Royal Highness around part of Campbell park and explained how the Trust manages over 6,000 acres of parks and landscape as a self-financing charity. They walked out to the Belvedere and Light Pyramid sculpture to see the view over the eastern half of Milton Keynes, which shows just how green the city is. The Duke was also introduced to David Foster, Chief Executive of The Parks Trust; Gordon Dundas, Landscape Officer; and Jools Kendall, Community Ranger. David commented: “We were delighted that The Duke visited Campbell Park, and that he was so interested in the Trust’s model for looking after green space.  Campbell..

Akeley Wood School, a leading private school in Milton Keynes, has welcomed a new Head and Deputy Head to the school. Georgina Masefield started at the school at the beginning of the new term and brings with her a wealth of experience. Teaching since the 1990’s, Georgina has assumed various roles including advisory and consultancy, school inspections and managing head teachers. Georgina explains: ‘I have enjoyed working in different roles in education, however my passion lies in teaching and I intend to use my experiences to benefit each child at Akeley Wood School. We believe in the potential of every child and in providing a committed, family friendly and safe community which nurtures individual self-worth, well-being and a sense of belonging while preparing children for a successful future outside education.’ Georgina joins the Senior School from Northbridge House in Hampstead, London. Kara Dowson is also a new addition to the..

Despite the apparent wealth of Milton Keynes, over the past eight years, the city has moved up 31 places on the list of the ‘most deprived’ local authorities in the country, with 21 areas inside Milton Keynes ranking amongst the 20% most deprived areas in England. The proportion of children living below the poverty line in Milton Keynes is 1 in 5.* Local charity, MK Money Lifeline, aims to help those who are struggling with debt, offering free, confidential debt advice to individuals and families. With a team of 12 volunteer highly-trained debt advisors, the Charity is able to help and support those in need, either over the phone, with a personal appointment or with a self-help pack, and they also offer local estate drop-in sessions across the city. MK Money Lifeline needs to raise valuable funds to ensure its work both continues and expands across the city, and will..

Popular womenswear retailer Coast in intu Milton Keynes will reopen this Thursday having been closed for two weeks for a refurbishment, and there are prizes to be won.  The first 100 guests will receive a goody bag AND three of these goody bags will have an added extra - a £100, a £200 and a £500 voucher in! The store is set to become a go-to-destination for occasion wear both in and around Milton Keynes.  The new concept space will be created to celebrate the DNA of the brand, complete with beautiful feminine handwriting around the store, a calm and intimate interior which will be made up of neutral tones and finished with luxurious textures. Enhancing the customer journey and the customer experience in the store will be key and this will be achieved by introducing new luxury fitting rooms.  Coast will stock one of the widest collections available, which..

Business people from across Milton Keynes swapped their suits for walking gear on Friday to trek The Parks Trust Challenge, raising over £5k for the brand new ‘City Fund,’ created to raise money and awareness of homelessness throughout the City. The idea to walk the 25 mile long Parks Trust Challenge, was born when Nicholas Mann, MD of full service marketing agency Interdirect, jokingly suggested it during his summing up of a talk given by David Foster, the Chief Executive of The Parks Trust. The 25 Mile Challenge Walk was created by The Parks Trust to mark the 50th anniversary of the City and links together some of the city’s finest parks and lakes. Nick’s throwaway comment was ceased upon by Simon deMaid of Howes Percival who offered his immediate support, and the duo quickly drafted in Milton Keynes College to help with the marathon task of organising the event...

Milton Keynes Council’s Procurement and Commissioning Committee has approved the tender process for a higher education (HE) partner to lead the implementation of MK:U, making the new multi-million pound technology university for Milton Keynes one step closer. MK:U is designed to make the most of collaborations between business, public and higher education organisations using the city as a ‘living laboratory’.  As a result, it will offer different ways of learning to other universities, with far more integration with business to produce highly skilled and employable graduates. The aim is for MK:U to have around 10,000 students, with smart cities, technology, engineering and intelligent mobility its main areas of specialism.  Students could work directly on smart city and intelligent mobility projects already in development in MK, such as driverless pods and urban sensors to manage the flow of traffic and utilities. The lead HE partner, once appointed, will assume responsibility for all..

Hard to believe, as The Casino MK is an integral part of the Milton Keynes entertainment scene now, but it celebrated its 4th birthday this month. The venue opened back in September 2013 and since then customers have been racking up some huge numbers as they enjoy the hospitality and gaming experiences the casino offers 24/7. Here’s how the numbers stack up: 1,910,028 visitors since it opened The roulette wheels have been spun over 5 million times Over £2,873,436 won on their slots jackpots 185,441 pints of Fosters have been pulled 8,023 steaks served in the restaurant Their giant TV screen has been on for over 34,000 hours, non-stop Recently, The Casino MK relaunched their loyalty scheme which has over 37,000 members. The new ‘Aspers World’* scheme allows customers to access a range of instant discounts of food and drink, invitations to special events and, for a limited time, a..

The delivery today of 11 microscopes at Denbigh School, donated by Trajan Scientific and Medical, will mean students will be able to gain a better understanding of the fascinating biological study of cells and tissues. The microscopes were purchased as part of a £1500 award made to Denbigh by Trajan, following the School’s successful trialling of the Crownhill based company’s smartphone adapter for microscopes - the MiPlatform.   Trajan supply a broad range of quality laboratory products across disciplines including histology, haematology, microbiology, chromatography and general consumables.  MiPlatform is a smartphone adapter, which combines the comfort of microscope navigation and smartphone camera lens, thereby, enabling scientists and clinicians to study quality images quickly and ergonomically. It maintains microscope-like navigation to fully utilise the advantages of microscope slides in both clinical and training settings.  During the trial in 2015, Denbigh’s Head of Science, Anthony Brown, found that the adapter enabled the..