Local News

Shortly before Christmas an interim report was published proposing that a Silicon Valley be created in Britain like that on America’s west coast, and that Milton Keynes should be its hub. The report’s author? – the new National Infrastructure Commission, established eighteen months ago by George Osborne to provide expert advice to the Government on the major infrastructure challenges facing the United Kingdom. The report argued that Britain possesses two of the finest universities in the world but that their future success is threatened by a chronic under supply of housing and poor east west transport links in what it describes as the Cambridge Milton Keynes Oxford knowledge arc. As a result staff are difficult to recruit and retain, and business costs rise. The Commission proposes that the existing plans for an East West Rail link should be taken forward urgently and that an Oxford Cambridge Expressway should be built...

The annual Christmas gift wrapping service at intu Milton Keynes has helped to raise thousands of pounds for local charities in what the centre has described as ‘selfless festive generosity’. Speaking about the Gift Wrapping service, Shelley Peppard, general manager at intu Milton Keynes said: “We are overwhelmed at how generous customers in and visiting Milton Keynes have been over the Christmas period, this is a huge boost to local charities and I can’t thank people enough for their support.” The station broke last year’s total and raised an amazing £9,641 which all goes to the eleven Charites involved. The gift-wrapping station which was in the centre from Black Friday, the 25 November, and was run by local charities from in and around Milton Keynes including Advantage Africa, Age UK Milton Keynes, Hope for Hollie, Citizens Advice and Willen Hospice. Customers were invited to bring their newly purchased Christmas gifts..

The Lions Young Ambassador Final took place at the Holiday Inn, Elstree on Sunday 15th January. Five very able young people sponsored by Lions Clubs along with family and supporters came together to enlighten the audience about their volunteering. An amazingly wide range of activities were undertaken by these candidates - helping at the  local Food Bank, Scouting, Army Cadets, Fire Brigade Cadets, Youth Parliament, Anti Bullying action, published author, international radio presenter, peer mentoring, public speaking, fundraising and Youth Work. Starting with three minute timed presentations to the assembled audience each candidate  then  had a 15 - 20 minute individual interview with our Judging Panel. The winner James Curtis sponsored by Stony Stratford won the £500 Bursary and now represents Stony Stratford in the national Final in February. James aged 16 has double cochlea implants and is a national advocate and mentor for deaf children, supporting  parents of newly..

Mercer & Hole Chartered Accountants’ Private Client Partner, Lisa Spearman was privileged to cut the official MK50 Birthday cake at the celebration for Milton Keynes’ 50th Birthday celebrations. The community of Milton Keynes marked the 50th anniversary of the Designation of the New Town over a Birthday Weekend celebrated from 20 to 23 January. The MK50 Birthday cake, created by Cake Artist, Karrin Simpson measured 6ft x 4ft and featured Milton Keynes’ landmarks. It was unveiled at Middleton Hall on Friday 20 January prior to the event on Sunday 22 January, at which the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Steve Coventry addressed the crowd and called Lisa to the stage to cut the cake. After a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ by The Rock Chorus Choir, slices of cake were handed out. Lisa, who lives and works in Milton Keynes, celebrated her own 50th Birthday over the same weekend and was honoured..

Local adoption agency St. Francis’ Children’s Society (SFCS), based in Woolstone, Milton Keynes, has come together with other adoption agencies in the region to help find loving families for vulnerable children. The new partnership is formed of ten local authority and independent adoption agencies across the East of England, covering Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk and Northamptonshire. This new Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) also includes two other MK adoption providers, Milton Keynes Council and AdoptionPlus. The initiative supports the Government’s drive to speed up the time it takes to find adopters for children waiting for a family. In the future, approved adoptive parents will be able to find out more quickly about children who are waiting for a family across the whole region rather than just in their local area. The agencies also hope it will help to recruit more adopters for children who often wait longer to be placed with..

MK – The Golden Years!  Just in you case you hadn’t heard Milton Keynes is celebrating its 50th birthday! A yearlong programme of events have been created to celebrate the birth of the “New Town” in 1967. Developed as an answer to alleviate the chronic housing situation in London, Milton Keynes became a truly ground-breaking initiative which has been able to attract over 260,000 people and encourage a wealth of recognised major international businesses.  Milton Keynes will be hosting a yearlong programme of exciting events and each household will be receiving a souvenir programme listing a wide variety of activities, in fact there is something that everyone can enjoy and share in this landmark birthday. Please visit http://www.mk50.co.uk/ and join the party!  Work tree – First Rung of the Ladder to Employment  In Milton Keynes we have established..

intu Milton Keynes and Milton Keynes Hospital have praised shoppers’ generosity as the total number of gifts donated for the Generosity Tree is revealed.  Last Christmas, intu Milton Keynes launched the Generosity Tree for customers to donate a present for someone less fortunate than themselves at Christmas.  Nearly 100 presents were donated by shoppers over the festive period that were handed out to patients at the hospital during Christmas. From colouring books to slippers and scarves, ‘the presents provided some much-needed joy for patients having to spend their time in hospital,” said Vanessa Holmes, head of fundraising at Milton Keynes Hospital Charity.  “We’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who donated presents, as well as all the staff at intu Milton Keynes who made this possible. A present for a patient at Christmas really can brighten their stay over the festive season – we look forward to working..

The Parks Trust, the charity that cares for Milton Keynes’ parks and green spaces, has planned a series of events and activities to celebrate the city’s 50th birthday, with exciting activities for people of all ages and interests to enjoy. A highlight of the year for many will be The Parks Trust’s partnership with Milton Keynes Council to offer a special programme of 50 led walks throughout 2017. These walks will be held at a wide variety of locations across the beautiful and inspiring city, offering people the chance to discover new areas and learn more about Milton Keynes. The most adventurous of all will be The Parks Trust’s 25 mile Challenge Walk, which will begin at Howe Park Wood. This will be a self-guided walk stretching across the city’s parkland, with a downloadable map available at www.theparkstrust.com This will be complemented by The Parks Trust’s definitive list of the..

Hermes Investment Management, the £28.6 billion manager focused on delivering superior, sustainable, risk adjusted returns to its clients – responsibly and AustralianSuper, co-owners of centre:mk, have today announced plans for a £60 million investment in the centre.  Over the next three years, the grade two-listed building will undergo a series of enhancements focused on re-imagining the iconic principles that led to the creation of one of the UK’s most dominant UK regional shopping centres. The £60 million investment programme includes the recently completed £10m refurbishment of Sunset Walk, designed by architecture and design company, Rawls. The next phase will see the development of new state of the art customer facilities on Deer Walk, including a customer service lounge, family facilities and WCs, together with work beginning this spring on a new 1,400 space multi–storey car park adjoining John Lewis.  Other initiatives will embrace the latest digital technology with a new..

The Bridgman & Bridgman story started back in the 1970s when horticulturalist Neil Bridgman and his wife relocated to Milton Keynes to work for the visionary Milton Keynes Development Corporation. Neil worked on the tree nursery at Milton Keynes Village and his young son, Chris, would soon join him in his passion for horticulture. From the age of about five Chris would spend weekends and school holidays working alongside his father: “Those childhood memories really inspired me to go and study horticulture after I left school.” After working together for numerous years, the father-and-son team made the decision to venture out on their own, establishing Bridgman & Bridgman LLP in 2006. Chris says it’s a pleasure to be based in his hometown of Milton Keynes: “It really is the city of trees, and the city is so well-maintained with green space and biodiversity being a top priority. It’s amazing how..

Willen Lake, Milton Keynes’ most popular park, is receiving an investment of over £2million from The Parks Trust in the first half of 2017. This money will be used to improve facilities for visitors, including the installation of a state of the art ‘Splash Park’. The ‘Splash Park’ will be joined by a new coffee and ice cream kiosk, with increased toilet facilities, and a new, surfaced car park offering an additional 300 spaces. Additional natural play features will be installed and grass areas within the site will be re-landscaped, improving the space available for play, picnics and events. Furthermore earth bunds will be formed to better screen the site from traffic noise from Brickhill Street. Initial tree and shrub clearing work has already begun in preparation for the earth moving and construction works which will start later this month. The development is expected to complete in its entirety by..

Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club would like to pass on its sincere thanks to all the members of the public who gave so generously to the club’s Santa Sleigh when it toured around northern Milton Keynes and local supermarkets during December. This year’s Santa Tour raised the magnificent total of £6,052, which will be distributed to various charities and local community organisations including Willen Hospice, Kids Out, Walnuts School, Tools for Self Reliance and the Alzheimer’s Society. Special thanks also go to all those who helped our members with the collections and to the management and staff of Budgens Stony Stratford, Tescos Wolverton and Sainsbury’s in Central Milton Keynes for kindly allowing us to collect at their stores. Information about Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club can be found at www.wolvertonandstonystratfordrotaryclub.co.uk

Parents and carers with children who are due to start school for the first time or transfer from infant to junior school in September 2017 are being reminded to apply for a school place in plenty of time before the deadline on Sunday 15 January 2017. The easiest way to make an application is by visiting the council’s website at  www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/schooladmissions  The process is quick and simple, and once it is started you can revisit your application and make amendments at any time before midnight on 15 January. Councillor Zoe Nolan, Lead Member for Children said: “There has never been a better time to be at school in Milton Keynes. Our schools are performing better than ever with the majority rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, and recent figures show that by the end of primary school, pupils are performing better than the national average. “With the festive season behind..

Willen Hospice held its Santa Dash on Sunday 18th December which took place around Willen North Lake, starting and finishing just outside the Willen Hospice gardens. Over 500 dashers attended and so far over £7000 has been raised to support the specialist care Willen Hospice provides. Currently it costs £7 per minute for Willen Hospice to provide the specialist end-of-life care for its patients and support for their loved ones –events such as the Santa Dash contribute greatly to helping raise those urgently needed funds. Sarah Sweet-Rowley, Events Manager at Willen Hospice said “We were delighted to see so many people take part in our Santa Dash. It was a wonderful morning for a festive run and was fantastic to see a big group of Santa’s from the community take part showing much needed support for the care we provide here at Willen Hospice. Thank you to everyone who took..

MK Gallery continues to progress with its ambitious expansion plans which will culminate in the delivery of a new multi-million pound arts centre for Milton Keynes and the wider region. The Gallery is working with renowned British practice, 6a architects, on its major renovation and expansion, with bar and café, auditorium for film, music and events, and dedicated community facilities. The Gallery has revised its original timescale as it seeks to deliver excellent value for money for the scheme. Capital works are due to begin during 2017. Earlier this year, MK Gallery was recognised for its work in Milton Keynes when the Gallery won in the Community Impact category at the 2016 Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards. The Gallery continues to contribute to Milton Keynes during the expansion planning and build phase with its popular learning and events programme, alongside projects such as City Club, which levered £750,000 of new..