Local News

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, local independent adoption agency St. Francis’ Children’s Society (SFCS) will once again be joining other agencies across England to celebrate Big Adoption Day, on Wednesday 29th March. That day, independent adoption agencies across England will be opening their doors simultaneously to enquiring adopters, and hosting a national adoption information evening. Big Adoption Day events are open to anyone who may be considering building a family through adoption - regardless of age, race, cultural background, religion, marital status or sexual orientation. The special information event at SFCS will enable prospective adopters to gain a better understanding of the adoption process, and the particular needs of the children who are in care awaiting adoption. Attendees will also hear about real adoption experiences from an existing SFCS adopter, and learn about the extensive range of support services SFCS provide to help children thrive and families..

A Milton Keynes married couple have been among the specially invited guests at Buckingham Palace for the start of the Queen’s Baton Relay for next year’s Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast. Duncan Mackay and Sarah Bowron own insidethegames.biz, the cutting-edge sports news website which is based at the MK:TWO Business Centre in Bletchley. Sarah, the company’s Managing Director, said: “I am a huge fan of the Royal Family so this it was a great honour for me and for insidethegames.biz to be there for the start of the Queen’s Baton Relay. It is also a sign that the Commonwealth Games Federation, who organisers the Games, recognise that we are the only sports news organisation in the world to report on their news and events 365 days of the year.” The Queen’s Baton Relay is similar to the Olympic Torch Relay. It takes a message from the Queen, who is..

Campbell Park may be one of the finest urban parks in the country but visitors and locals alike find it lacking amenities such as public toilets and a café. Now, all that is set to change. CMK Town Council has submitted a planning application for a striking new pavilion in Campbell Park to attract more visitors and provide CMK’s growing population with a new community centre. The £4.5m building is a joint development between CMK Town Council and The Parks Trust. It has been designed by Stirling prize-winning architects Stanton Williams to follow the sweeping curve of the amphitheatre, sitting between it and the events plateau. The pavilion, featuring natural timber and rainwater gardens, will blend into the landscape while offering superb views. Dedicated parking will be provided, as part of the scheme, off Avebury Boulevard. “This will be an exciting new place for the residents of CMK, wider MK,..

Central Milton Keynes will become a Business Improvement District (BID) in June 2017 after local businesses voted in favour of ambitious plans to boost trade and tackle key local issues. Eligible businesses in Central Milton Keynes were asked to vote on whether to implement a wide-ranging business plan for their area, which will be funded by businesses themselves through a modest levy.  BID proposers MKCCM consulted with businesses for over nine months to ensure a strong business plan relevant to the needs of Central Milton Keynes. The final ballot result was 80 per cent in favour.  The result makes the Amazing CMK BID the fourth largest BID outside London. Melanie Beck, City Centre Manager and Chief Executive of the Amazing CMK BID said: “After 28 days of voting, MKCCM are delighted to see a successful outcome to the Amazing CMK BID ballot.  We are happy with the overwhelmingly positive mandate..

The full size replica Victorian steam locomotive, officially Number 1009 Wolverton, but universally known as the ‘Bloomer,’ has found a permanent home at Milton Keynes Museum in Wolverton. Bill Griffiths, curator of Milton Keynes Museum, officially received the ‘Bloomer’ on Friday 3 March following its slow but sure move by road from the Knorr-Bremse RailServices Wolverton rail facility. For twenty one years the full-sized replica, commissioned by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation and built by Manpower Forum apprentices, stood outside Central Milton Keynes Station but was moved when the station was redeveloped. However, there has always been a local desire to see the ‘Bloomer’ return to display in Wolverton where the original was built. The last few years has seen the superb replica loco carefully stored in the Wolverton rail facility operated by Knorr-Bremse RailServices. The company funded all the costs and organised the transportation and the preparation of the..

A new community 7aside football league is starting in Milton Keynes on a Sunday Evening between 3:00pm and 5:00pm at Sir Herbert Leon Academy and is sure to be popular with local residents. Soccersixes are the UK’s leading provider of small sided FA affiliated football leagues so the popularity of this new football league will be very high.  The league is FA affiliated and each game is officiated by qualified officials. Soccersixes also provide all the equipment so teams only need to worry about who’s going to play in their team each week. A flexiable squad system is also used so teams can use as many players as they wish in their squad. Most squads will be made up of players that are friends, family and work colleagues.  Everyone is welcome, whatever standard, whatever age as long as they are over 16 they qualify to play in the Soccersixes. Soccersixes do however..

Since The Casino MK, owned and operated by Aspers Group, opened in 2013 it has run an initiative named CARG (Community Action for Responsible Gaming) which seeks to constructively address problem gambling issues within the local community. It is a voluntary, not-for-profit group, working as a partnership between local community based interest groups such as local churches, the police, GamCare, local authorities, community representatives and Town Centre Managers alongside Aspers management. The group meets quarterly and in February, the focus was on dangers of gaming by young people. Lee Willows of the Young Gamblers Education Trust conducted a seminar aimed at invited educational and youth workers to help them better understand the sometimes very complex issues involved. CARG acts as pro-active signpost to those external agencies that can help and intervene at an early stage, such as addiction counsellors and health professionals. Aspers Group recently won the ‘Socially Responsible Operator..

Over the last 18 months Destination Milton Keynes (DMK), the official tourism and marketing organisation, has embarked on in-depth research to determine the value of the vitally important ‘Visitor Economy’ to the city. Working with partners, Dynamic Concepts Consultancy and Milton Keynes Council, the research study looked into the overall value of the Visitor Economy, the quality of the consumer experience and the usefulness of Destination Milton Keynes as a tourism service provider. With the results now in, the value of the Visitor Economy has been announced at             £232 million per year up over 34% from when it was last measured in 2007. The average spend per head by visitors has also risen by 22% up to £62.59 per person. A separate result also showed that 25% of visitors to Milton Keynes would return more frequently based on the strength of their experience within the city. The research also looked..

Companies, clubs and organisations from across the region have been getting their teams together and signing up to take part in this year’s eagerly anticipated Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival in aid of Age UK Milton Keynes. The Festival takes place at Willen Lake on Sunday 25th June and there’s still plenty of time to raise a team and get involved! The Dragon Boat Festival attracts up to 60 companies each year - a complete mix of new and returning crews and all with the same aim in mind - to enjoy a fabulous day out with colleagues and friends and make a difference in their community. One of the new entrants to take up the challenge this year is Blum UK. Based in Kingston, Milton Keynes, Blum delivers kitchen fittings all over the country and has grown substantially over the last five years, with now well over 50 employees...

RedEye, a marketing software and services company based in Shenley Pavilions, have been fundraising for Alzheimer’s Society for the past 12 months. The whole company has relished the opportunity to find new and fun ways to raise money for this important cause. Throughout the year RedEye have jumped out of planes, tackled the three peaks, held cake sales and car washes, driven across Europe in a banger rally, organised sweepstakes and raffles and much much more! RedEye have counted every penny raised from across the business and are pleased to announce that the final figure raised for Alzheimer’s Society is £30,679.04. £11,046 could pay for the running of a Dementia Café for an entire year, giving up to 45 people the opportunity to share their personal experiences and feel less isolated. So the amount RedEye have raised is clearly going to have a big impact. Aimee Maguet, Senior Corporate Partnership..

A motorbike enthusiast has donated a fully working miniature of a Vespa scooter to Milton Keynes Museum’s transport collection. Made by the Chinese, it is believed to be the only one in the UK. Howard Bradley says he has never forgotten what a fantastic opportunity the museum gave him when he was 17 years old and doing work experience, and wanted to give something back. At the end of last year he donated a working replica of the 1910 Boardtrack racer – forerunner of the first racing motorbikes – to MK Museum. This latest donation, the miniature Vespa, is in immaculate condition, having never been used. It runs on two stroke mix and is capable of speeds up to 50mph. Said Howard: “Having been a resident of Milton Keynes for over 40 years we have both grown up together – although Milton Keynes is wearing better than I am! “I..

A Milton Keynes based photography retail company has once again proven to be a “cut above the rest” by scooping a top prize for its customer service. Calumet Photographic, which has its head office located at Bradbourne Drive in Tilbrook, Milton Keynes was presented with the Gold Service award at the Amateur Photography (AP) Awards ceremony in London. The firm, which has an online shop and eight stores across the country selling and renting photography and imaging equipment, and running photographic workshops and seminars was voted for by the readers of the industry magazine. Comedian Tim Clarke, who co- presented the glittering awards ceremony at London’s Gladstone Library, presented the Calumet team with the glass trophy. He said: “The Good Service Awards were established to recognise and reward outstanding retailers. “They are voted for by AP readers. By displaying the Good Service Award in your store or on your website,..

Property landlords and investors gathered in Milton Keynes for a day of networking and blue sky thinking… including an exciting new plan to help solve the city’s housing crisis. The second Landlord and Investor Summit, held at Stadium MK on Friday, February 10, was held to help property owners and investors to develop their businesses. Neil Briggs is co-founder of the summit and Managing Director of the event’s sponsors, MK-based Inspired Sales and Letting. He said: “It was great to see so many people looking for information about the local property market. There are some very exciting opportunities and solutions. It is all about making valuable connections, which this summit does brilliantly. “The summit provided the perfect platform for companies to get their ideas out to a wider audience. There were many interesting ideas, including a plan to bring some of the 300 unoccupied homes back into use.” Conference-goers were..

Over 200 people braved the winter chill and attended the planting of a new woodland area with the Forest of Marston Vale at the weekend. The Charity began planting their new woodland site in Cranfield, which will be known as Waypost Wood, on Sunday 12th February and was delighted with the public support on the day. Local residents were joined by people who travelled from across the county and even as far afield as Suffolk and Manchester and planted over 2000 trees on the day. The new woodland is part of the creation of the Forest of Marston Vale – a community forest spanning 61 square miles between Bedford and Milton Keynes. The Charity has already planted over 1 million trees since the early 1990s, transforming this area which had been scarred by industry into a thriving landscape where people are proud to live, work and play. There is still..

Milton Keynes Council is reminding dog owners to keep their pets on a lead when walking along paths and leisure routes, especially when near livestock pastures. As we approach springtime, livestock will soon be returning to grazing areas in Milton Keynes, such as Campbell Park, Floodplain Forest and Ouse Valley Park. To avoid livestock worrying and attacks, always double check if your dog needs to stay on its lead and that the area is clear before letting your dog off. There have been several cases of livestock worrying and dog attacks over the last few years, so please be mindful when walking through pasture areas. Research by SheepWatch UK shows that more than 15,000 sheep and unborn lambs were killed in 2016, with many more injured. The figures also showed 49 dogs were destroyed as a result of attacks on livestock last year. Much of our rural landscape is maintained..