Local News

The tragic loss of his son to knife crime devastated Kevin King, but now the Milton Keynes man is launching a new initiative in a bid to stop others having to suffer as he has. Kevin spoke with Pulse Magazine’s Sammy Jones about his plans for STAK... It is an incomprehensible horror; a dad finding out about the passing of his son through that most modern of ways, a Facebook post. And yet, in 2016 that was the awful reality for Kevin. “It was the worst possible way to find out,” he said, “I spent time panicking, trying to contact others, trying to find out if it was even real, or just some awful rumour.” Tom Webb was just 22 years old when he was attacked during a night out with friends in his adopted home of Derby. He was stabbed in the heart by 16-year-old Haris Mohammed. Father and..

By Milton Keynes Council... Milton Keynes City Council wants to make Milton Keynes a thriving, progressive and sustainable city for everyone. Families living here should be able to lead heathy and happy lives. This year, as part of our work delivering hundreds of vital services, we hope to make progress on three major projects that will help us achieve that aim and I wanted to provide an update below. Regenerating the Lakes Estate A major regeneration programme of Serpentine Court in the Lakes Estate has been given the green light, following years of engagement with the local community. Since 2017, the City Council has been working with residents to determine the best approach for regeneration, and 93% of voters sought to demolish Serpentine Court and redevelop the estate. That is exactly what we seek to do, with plans to build almost 200 new council homes, a nursery, community centre and..

The countdown to awards night for the inaugural MK STEM Awards continues and the judges have drawn up their shortlist of finalists in the 11 categories. The much-anticipated inaugural MK STEM Awards, has announced its finalists after a detailed judging process from a panel of STEM leaders and professionals. The MK STEM Awards will focus and connect the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths community across the city and surrounding areas, recognising, celebrating and promoting the region’s STEM specialists. The winners, chosen by a judging panel of leading STEM professionals and advocates, will be announced at a glittering gala ceremony taking place at Unity Place, the new home in central Milton Keynes of banking giant Santander, on February 29. Awards host Meena Chander, founder of events company Events Together, said: “Our panel of judges have reviewed each submission and selected finalists that are helping to shape a more diverse and inclusive..

The voting period for last year's Christmas Tree Festival concluded on Christmas Eve and the winners were awarded their prize this week. A total of 8,429 votes were collected since the 18 November and the winners of Midsummer Place’s Christmas Tree Festival 2023 are: 1st Place: Slimming World Milton Keynes with Jane, supporting Alzheimer's Research – 1603 Votes. £2,250 prize 2nd Place: Medical Detection Dogs – 1190 Votes. £1,350 prize 3rd Place: Two Flags Limited, supporting Emily's Star – 774 Votes. £900 prize. The winning charities received their prize on Monday 8 January, marking a fantastic way to kick off a new year, Kirsty McGiff, Marketing Manager at Midsummer Place said: “The Festival received an incredible response, with shoppers expressing numerous positive comments and kind words that we have both seen and heard.” “I would like to truly thank all of our local sponsors for their support and for our..

Willen Hospice are doing a final call ahead of their annual Christmas Tree Collection this weekend. The service is available for people living in postcodes MK1 to MK19, MK43, MK46, LU7 and NN12 with collections taking place between January 5 - 7 2024. All residents need to do is head to the Willen Hospice website and find ‘Christmas tree collection’. Then book a collection for a suggested donation of £12, then on 5 January they just need to leave their Christmas tree outside ready for it to be collected. The trees will be given a second life as wood chip to be used as mulch on public and farm land. The Willen Hospice Tree Collection service has been running for a number of years now, and last year it helped to raise over £20,000 for the charity. Nikki Poole, Willen Hospice Community Fundraising & Events Manager, said “It’s our pleasure..

As part of their ‘Rise to the Challenge’ month, Willen Hospice is encouraging local people to take on a challenge in 2024 in a bid to raise vital funds for the charity. Challenges are a great way to raise money for charity while having incredible ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experiences. To help people feel inspired, Willen Hospice are offering a range of incredible opportunities. These includes going overseas with an Iceland Trek (an information evening is being held at the Hospice on 7 February) and MK to Paris cycle challenge. Or for those after an adrenaline rush, take to skies with a Wing Walk, or a skydive! Fitness fanatics looking to reach new goals can apply for charity places in multiple running events from the Great North Run to the Berlin Marathon! Keen swimmers and social groups are also encouraged to sign up for the annual MK Rotary Swimathon which takes place on..

Shrove Tuesday 13 February 2024 marks the next historic Olney Pancake Race as the women of the town prepare for the 415-yard course, from the Market Place, down the High Street, to the race finish outside St Peter and St Paul’s Church. The runners, dressed in a skirt and head scarf and clutching their frying pan and pancake, will be following a great tradition; the race is reputed to have taken place since 1445 and has certainly run every year since 1948, except for 2021. There is another cause for celebration – it’s 75 years since the race became an international event when the town of Liberal in Kansas, USA issued a challenge to Olney. In a spirit of international goodwill and friendship, the two towns now compete annually and prizes are exchanged. Both races are run on a timed basis and the winner is declared after times are compared..

Students at Thornton College have recently won a number of significant national and regional competitions across a range of subject areas and age groups - from winning the Music for Youth Nationals and singing at the Royal Albert Hall to winning the National Bebras Computational Challenge, Thornton students are definitely on a winning streak! Most recently, Molly a Year 5 student scored the highest score possible in the 8 – 10 years age group category and ranked 1st in the country out of 20,445 entrants in the Bebras Computational Challenge – a competition of computational thinking! On 2nd December, the Thornton Equestrian team took part in the NSEA event at Bury Farm and won making them school Regional Champions!  Charlotte, Year 11 student is also first in the country for the 90cm eventing category in terms of points accrued with the NSEA – an incredible achievement. On Friday 1st December..

The staff at centre:mk have been busy collating items donated by staff and retailers for families of children who are facing their first Christmas following the bereavement of a parent or sibling. In addition to the 30 family visits to this years’ ‘The Snowman™’ themed grotto in Middleton Hall that have been gifted by the centre, some of the most recently bereaved families the charity are supporting, will also be getting special Christmas Hampers from staff who want to bring a little extra joy in what can be a particularly hard time of year for those that are grieving. Kevin Duffy, Director of centre:mk, commented: “Our staff and retailers have been incredibly generous with donations this year and we are so proud to be supporting the families at Harry’s Rainbow in this way with hampers and Grotto visits. "We know how nostalgic the centre:mk at Christmas is to so many..

Xscape Milton Keynes is the leading entertainment and leisure destination in the region, and this festive season they’re giving visitors the chance to win prizes worth over £1,300 as they invite you to experience ‘Your Kind of Christmas’. What type of Christmas personality are you? The Party Enthusiast, The Memory Maker, The Activity Seeker or maybe The Flavour Finder…whichever best suits you, Xscape can help your kind of Christmas become a reality. In the build up to the big day, head over to their Instagram channel for the chance to win some amazing prize bundles from brands such as Volcano Falls, The Casino MK, Cineworld and new the Casa Cento Italian restaurant. Xscape Milton Keynes have also teamed up with Heart FM to offer an additional festive competition where you can win £500 worth of gift cards, that can be used across various Xscape brands. Head over to the Heart..

Willen Hospice is thrilled to announce the opening of its newest charity shop, Willen Hospice Select, located at The Point in Central Milton Keynes. The shop brings a touch of pre-loved luxury and uniqueness to the community, showcasing a stunning collection of designer, unique, and antique preloved items, providing an opportunity for shoppers to discover one-of-a-kind treasures while supporting hospice care. Willen Hospice Select is also an enticing ‘shop front’ for our online shops, where customers can collect items purchased online as well as browse and buy items within the shop and from our vast online selection. Customers can shop online in-store, or in the comfort of their own home via Willen Hospice Shop | eBay Stores, DepopOnlineShop, and VestiaireCollectiveOnlineShop By choosing to shop at Select, customers not only acquire distinctive items but also contribute to a meaningful cause. All proceeds from the shop directly support Willen Hospice and the..

To celebrate #NationalTreeWeek it’s the perfect time to wrap up and head outdoors to take a closer look at MK’s tree population. From Ash to Oak, Milton Keynes is home to a host of tree species, residing in ancient woodlands, meadow forests, nature reserves, and alongside boulevards, as well as the city’s unique Tree Cathedral. It may be a special location, personal memory, or the colour of the leaves that make one particular tree stand out to you. It could be the age, or bark, the shape of the branches, or maybe the creatures that call it home. But when you work for the charity caring for over 6,000 acres of parkland (and a lot of trees) how do you select just one favourite? For this year’s #NationalTreeWeek some of the team at The Parks Trust have been asked to identify a tree that they’re most fond of. You can..

Local charity, Willen Hospice are delighted to have MyMiltonKeynes as this year’s Santa Dash sponsor once again. The Santa Dash is Milton Keynes’ biggest festive fundraiser, taking place on Sunday 17 December. The event sees hundreds of people walk, run or jog just over a mile around Willen’s North Lake dressed in Santa suits to raise vital funds for the charity. MyMiltonKeynes is a non-profit organisation fully funded by businesses in Central Milton Keynes. They have been operating since June 2017 and deliver much valued projects including the Christmas lights and switch-on event, landscaping of the public walkways, and important crime and safety initiatives. They are all about promoting the area and celebrating the great things Milton Keynes City Centre has to offer. Jill Farnsworth, MyMiltonKeynes CEO said, “We’re pleased to be able to support this incredible event again this year and can’t wait to see the hundreds of Santas..

Leicester’s award-winning independent children’s publisher, Sweet Cherry Publishing, is delighted by the success of a recent school visit with debut author Red, the creative mind behind Ho Ho Ho! A Pirate’s Christmas for Me. All images courtesy of Steph Loake Photography This engaging event took place at Hanslope Primary School, Milton Keynes, and captivated students in years 1 to 4 with an author talk, a reading and even an interactive activity! The visit was particularly special for Red, who remembers running through those very halls when she herself was a Hanslope pupil. Now a published author, she was honoured to have brought the joy of reading (and the spirit of the season) to the school. When asked about the event, Red said: “It was wonderful to return to Hanslope – it really felt like going home. Lots of things were still the same, but it was also fabulous to see..

The city’s unique and inspiring Tree Cathedral at Newlands will be bursting with festivity when the spectacular open-air carolling service returns, on Sunday 10th December. Carols, immersive story-telling, and live performances from MK Brass and DD Powers Trio, will fill the beautifully lit tree nave, spire and chapels with Christmas spirit from 2pm until 5pm. Willen Hospice will warm vocal chords with hot drinks, mulled wine and soup for sale, and Camphill MK Communities will keep tummy’s from rumbling with delightful cakes and pastries available. Plus, as it’s the season of giving, an MK Food Bank donation point hopes to collect tinned and dry goods. Organised by The Parks Trust, the charity that cares for over 6,000 acres of the city’s green space, Carols at the Cathedral is free to attend and perfect for a memorable family afternoon outing. Yule (seriously) not want to miss this fantastic opportunity to come..