Local News

Willen Hospice is set to host its first live music event next month. Willen Live takes place on Friday 9 March at Ousedale School’s Olney Campus and will see four local bands come together to perform in support of the charity. Organisers are promising an eclectic mix of rock, country, indie and pop from loud and raw local talent: Zak & Dan, Secret Genius, Wait for Jude and Bite Me. Events Coordinator Tracey Jago, said: “We are so excited to be hosting Willen Live. It’s a first for us and we believe we have found a line-up that offers something for everyone. If you haven’t seen these bands before, they’re a must. We’re so grateful to them for their support and can’t wait to see as many people as possible on the night. “As well as a brilliant night for music lovers, the crowd will also be doing something amazing..

Willen Hospice is gearing up for its annual fundraising extravaganza, Blue Week, set to take place next week (5 -11 March). The charity’s army of staff and volunteers will hit the streets holding bucket collections in shopping areas, high streets and train stations across Milton Keynes and surrounding areas in a bid to raise vital funds to support the care provided by the Hospice. Blue Week organisers are calling on local people to support them by teaming up with family, friends or colleagues to become ‘Bucket Buddies’ and take part in collections. Slots are available for just an hour and half in various locations including Central Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Olney, Kingston and Bletchley. Allison Waterhouse from the Hospice’s Community Fundraising Team said: “Bucket collections are a great way for us to get out and about to meet the community and raise those extra pennies that will make..

Lakeview Lodge Care Home has a very special reason to feel extra proud today, as it was announced that they are one of the Top 20 most recommended homes in the South East of England! The awards, run by carehome.co.uk, the largest online directory for care homes in the UK, were made based on recommendations from families and residents at homes across the South East. Cheryl Rolt, Home Manager of Lakeview Lodge Care Home, said: “I am extremely pleased and proud that we have won this award. All our staff members are overwhelmed by this achievement and we will decide between the team how we would like to celebrate, although a good night out may be on the list. We pride ourselves on saying that Lakeview Lodge is first and foremost a home, and we do everything in our power to make it so. We are all one big family..

Thursday 15th February marked the first of a whole series of 250-year anniversaries for the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney as William Cowper, the renowned 18th Century poet, took up residence in the building that is now the museum in 1768. Joining the museum trustees to commemorate this event were local dignitaries including Milton Keynes Mayor, Councillor David Hopkins, Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher and Mayor of Newport Pagnell, Councillor Derek Eastman, plus representatives from local heritage organisations and Milton Keynes Council. The event also started a year-long project funded by a recent £93,800 Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the museum’s refurbishment programme. The ‘Our Heritage’ grant will cover almost 85% of the projected cost of £112,000, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. Milton Keynes Borough will contribute an additional £5,000, with the remainder to be met from the museum’s budget and local fundraising. The project..

Two new occupiers are to join the roll call of tenants within the popular Westcroft District Centre at Barnsdale Drive, just three miles outside of Milton Keynes city centre. Air Ambulance and Greggs have both signed new agreements to take space within the scheme and will open later this year.  They will be housed within the former library building, which has been taken back by the landlords of LCP Group at lease expiry and will be split to provide three new retailing opportunities. Simon Toseland, a Director of letting agent Prop-Search, said: “The Air Ambulance has agreed to lease approximately 1,285 sq ft for a term of 10 years for a new charity shop, whilst Greggs has committed to a unit of some 1,388 sq ft - and has already started its recruitment process.” “Both new occupiers will complement existing tenants within the scheme which include Costa Coffee, Thomas Cook,..

Dignity Action Day is an annual opportunity for health and social care workers, and members of the public to uphold people’s rights to dignity in care. The day was promoted across the UK on 1st February 2018. Friends, family and health care professionals were invited to come along to Lakeview Lodge Care Home in Newton Leys near Bletchley and across the UK to celebrate Dignity Action Day. Everyone was invited to join staff and residents for a cup of tea and see our Dignity Trees. “The idea of Dignity Action Day is to highlight a more respectful way of behaving towards vulnerable people. The day is a great way for our staff to proactively spread the message about dignity in care homes”. Explains Cheryl Rolt, Home Manager at Lakeview Lodge Care Home. Residents at Lakeview Lodge Care Home have been working on creating a Dignity-Tree. Residents decorated the tree with..

Life saving volunteers in Milton Keynes and Leighton Linslade are appealing for more people to join them. The area’s St John Ambulance adult units provide first aid at public events, such as MK Dons football, the Milton Keynes Marathon, and the Linslade Carnival, and help train other people in the community. The Milton Keynes unit meets every Monday evening in Bletchley and the Leighton Linslade unit (covering Leighton Buzzard) meets every Tuesday evening. Both groups would like more local people aged over 18 to get involved and become a volunteer first aider. No previous experience is needed, full training will be given free of charge, and volunteering is flexible so people can give time in a way that suits them. St John Ambulance Area Manager, David Grogan, said joining the first aid charity offers a wide range of opportunities: “It’s a chance to learn the skills that can be the..

Local thrill seekers are being invited to take a giant leap for Willen Hospice this spring by taking part in their annual tandem skydive. The jump will be led by the professional skydiving team at Hinton in the Hedges airfield in Brackley on Sunday 13 May. Anyone thinking about signing up is invited to an information evening to find out more at Willen Hospice on Monday 5 February at 6pm. Sarah Sweet-Rowley, Events Manager at Willen Hospice, said: “Our skydive is the challenge of a lifetime. As well as being a truly unforgettable experience, it’s an incredibly brave way to raise vital funds to support the care we provide at Willen Hospice.” The skydive has become a popular part in the charity’s annual events calendar. Lia Christodoulou from MKFM’s Breakfast Show has previously taken part. She said: “I absolutely loved my skydive, it was a fantastic experience. The team from..

A new certified hydrotherapy centre for small animals is to open for business on Sunday 11th February with an open afternoon. Steve Hole, Ellie Croxford and dog Dexter in the hydrotherapy centre Based in Great Horwood, Crossroads Hydrotherapy Centre has a specially designed hydrotherapy pool, providing non-weight bearing exercise for pets in water heated between 30-32 degrees Celsius. The pool is custom built for small animals to swim in for physical exercise and mental stimulation, as well as rehabilitation. With external and internal ramps to allow easy access to and from the pool, and underwater cameras, Crossroads hydrotherapists are able to monitor how each animal uses their limbs. From 12pm – 3pm on Sunday 11th February, Crossroads Hydrotherapy is opening up its doors for an afternoon where pet owners can take a look at the impressive new facilities. Hydrotherapists will be on hand to talk through how swimming can benefit..

The Big Christmas Give Appeal, launched by Milton Keynes Hospital Charity in December 2017, has smashed its £10,000 target.  The target was met in January following several generous donations, including a gift of £3,146 from local company Green Star Energy.  The charity launched the Big Christmas Give in December 2017, asking kind people to make monetary donations rather than give Christmas presents and funding specific items on a wish list.  The three areas benefitting from the appeal were the children’s wards; cancer services and dementia services.  Head of fundraising Vanessa Holmes said: “We’re humbled by the generosity of the local individuals and companies who supported our appeal this Christmas. Reaching our target is totally down to them and we couldn’t be more grateful.  “What’s special about the Big Christmas Give is that it will create a lasting impact on patient experience. It means we can buy items that will benefit..

This week the intu Milton Keynes Green Gym volunteers were out around the city creating hedgehog houses for the prickly residents of Milton Keynes, as part of their weekly mission to get people exercising whilst out and about! Last year, the intu Milton Keynes Green Gym was launched in partnership with the shopping centre, intu Milton Keynes, and the Milton Keynes Council which has lead to dozens of volunteers giving up their time to take part. TCV, the community volunteering charity, have worked with intu for ten years to restore and enhance green spaces up and down the country through the Green Gym initiatives. The programme offers volunteers the chance to take part in practical nature conservation sessions whilst also improving their health and wellbeing. Emma Eteen, the Project Officer for the intu Milton Keynes Green Gym, has arranged some fantastic events so far which the community have loved getting..

A GP practice in Milton Keynes is celebrating breaking ground as their plans for expansion move a step closer to completion. Milton Keynes Village Practice has been providing healthcare services to residents living on the eastern flank of Milton Keynes since 1998. It has grown from a single handed practice to a partnership of six GPs and one Nurse Partner plus a number of other healthcare professionals. Work has now started on construction of a new 3,500 square foot clinical wing, which will create an additional six consulting rooms, a specialist treatment suite and further administrative space. The project will also enlarge the existing waiting area and provide an extra eight parking bays in the car park. The Practice welcomed the Chair of their Patient Participation Group, NHS Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group, Councillor Sam Crooks and a representative from their landlord, Primary Health Properties Plc (PHP), to a ceremony..

A group of adventurous fundraisers who embarked on a trek across Vietnam, raising more than £60k for Willen Hospice were officially thanked for their support this week. The 12 intrepid trekkers took on the eight day challenge in October 2017, following a route that saw them travel through the jungle, rural Thai villages, rice terraces and the Pu Luong range. It was the first of its kind organised by the Hospice. Peta Wilkinson, Willen Hospice Chief Executive, said: “We are so incredibly grateful and proud of our Vietnam team. This was our first overseas challenge and our trekkers gave their hearts and souls to make it a success. We cannot thank them enough. We saw some amazing fundraising from each and every one and I know they had an experience that they will never forget.” Willen Hospice needs to raise £3.6M a year, that’s £7 a minute, to continue to..

New Department of Education measures published this week rank Denbigh as the top performing school in MK, due to it scoring best on how much its students have progressed since Key Stage 2 and the students achievements at GCSE. The Progress 8 and Attainment 8 scores were introduced by the Government in 2016, as part of its accountability system and compares students’ results across England. The scores show how much progress has been made by all students between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 and in the student’s performance in qualifications, which include English, Mathematics, the Sciences, Geography and History. Denbigh were thrilled to receive confirmation that they are ranked first, out of the 10 secondary schools in MK. Headteacher, Andy Squires, said: “Denbigh School is firmly established in MK as being fully committed to providing an aspirational and supportive environment for all of its students, whatever their ability...

Kids and adults are taking on the challenge of walking over six feet of Lego bricks to raise money to support Milton Keynes’ children’s hospice.  Keech Hospice Care’s new Legowalk is the ultimate test of mind and body, with participants walking barefoot across colourful blocks of plastic.  Liz Searle, CEO at Keech Hospice Care, says Legowalk will be fun for all the family as children and adults battle it out to see who’s the toughest.  “Who hasn’t trodden on a piece of Lego? People ask me if it’s painful – do you know what? - it’s brilliant fun! We’re certainly ramping up the challenge here at Keech Hospice Care. It’s great to be doing things people have never tried before and holding the event here at the hospice itself.  “I’d encourage everyone to give it a go and take on the 6ft barefoot walk across the Lego to raise vital funds..