Northampton Town have confirmed details of two pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2025/26 season, with the Cobblers facing Birmingham City and Brackley Town.

The match against Birmingham will take place on Saturday July 26th and will serve as a testimonial for club captain Sam Hoskins, who marks ten years this year since first joining the Cobblers.

The game is the second confirmed pre-season friendly for Kevin Nolan’s side, who previously announced they will be travelling to play National League North champions Brackley at St James’ Park on Saturday July 5th.

Northampton’s home friendly against Birmingham is confirmed by the club as set to be their final game before the start of the League One season, which is scheduled to be the week after.

The clash against the side who were runaway champions of League One in the just-concluded 2024/25 season will double as a celebration of Hoskins, who has made over 400 appearances since joining the club from Yeovil Town in 2015.

Hoskins said the game represented a great opportunity to prepare for the new season in a statement on the Northampton Town website.

He said, “I am really grateful to Birmingham City for agreeing to be the opposition for this game.

“There should be a lot of excitement around the game. It is being played the week before the season starts and just before Birmingham return to the Championship of course, so we are looking forward to seeing a good crowd at Sixfields.”

Ticket details for the match will be announced in due course.

The game is the second Cobblers’ friendly confirmed for July, with Northampton previously announcing their annual visit to Northamptonshire neighbours Brackley. The game comes as the Saints prepare to take part in the National League for the first time in their history next season, with Brackley promoted last season.

Northampton advised that supporters going to the Brackley match on July 5th should try to plan routes that avoid Silverstone, with the game taking place over the weekend of the British Grand Prix F1 race and therefore likely to see there be substantial traffic in the Silverstone area.

The centre:mk shopping centre in Milton Keynes will be hosting a robotics competition in September 2025.

University teams from across Europe will be testing their tech to tackle real-world tasks at the Smart City Robotics Competition.

Following 2019 and 2023 competitions previously held at the venue, the contest will take place at the centre:mk shopping centre from 23-25 September. Milton Keynes City Council and centre:mk are principal partners, with the Smart City Consultancy running the competition alongside founders euRobotics.

The competition will also be part of the city’s upcoming Milton Keynes Tech Week 2025, with MK City Council saying they expect to announce more details on other events down the line.

Teams will compete in five categories, including:

• Coffee shop orders – robots take table orders, collect and deliver them safely in a busy café setting
• Through the door – navigating doors by operating handles and demonstrating motion, planning and control
• Helping out at home – assisting people with limited mobility by fetching household items
• Picking and packing – finding items on shelves and getting them to checkout
• Drone delivery – flying across controlled areas to drop off medicine and blood samples

Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said, “This is exactly the kind of event and talent that we want in Milton Keynes. We’re really looking forward to seeing how smart tech can make everyday life easier, especially for our more vulnerable residents by helping them out at home and delivering medicine. We’re proud to have been chosen again and this gives us yet another opportunity to welcome new ideas, test technologies and help bring them to life.”

Kevin Duffy, Centre Director centre:mk, added, “Since inception Milton Keynes has been at the forefront of innovation and to be able to welcome and test the best and brightest students from Universities across Europe while inspiring the robotics engineers of the future is a unique and exciting prospect. To have such a strong strategic partnership between the public and private sector is testament to the success of the previous competitions hosted at centre:mk and we are confident that this year’s competition will be even bigger and better.”

CEO Smart City Consultancy, Ian Pulford, added, “The Smart City Robotics Competition is back again in Milton Keynes to showcase the emerging talent in the area of robotics, in real world challenges by some of the top universities in the UK and across Europe. We have a community of leading tech industry with government and council supporting this exciting public event that shows the societal benefits of service robots, autonomous vehicles and drones.”

A local 7-year-old has won a competition to design a special logo for the XScape leisure facility in Milton Keynes, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary since opening this year.

Young artist Hossein Sarkandi from Middleton Primary School in Milton Keynes won a competition from the Xscape centre, who invited local children in the region to design an emblem which will be used online, across social media, and throughout the centre during the milestone celebrations taking place during the May half-term holidays.

The winning design showcases the iconic Xscape building – standing 44 meters high – with colourful fireworks and balloons.

As a reward for his creativity, Hossein will enjoy a fun-filled day out at Xscape worth up to £500.

Overjoyed by the win, Hossein Sarkandi said, “I am amazed and really excited to have won the competition. I couldn’t wait to get to school and tell my teachers and friends all about it. I love drawing and designing, and I worked really hard on the logo – I still can’t believe I won!”

Dan Murphy, Centre Director at Xscape Milton Keynes, added, “We are delighted to be celebrating 25 fantastic years since the launch of the Xscape Milton Keynes – and what better way to mark the occasion than by unveiling Hossein’s incredible artwork.

“We have some amazing young artistic talent in the region, making for a very tough judging process, but Hossein’s design truly stood out and we’re proud to feature it as our official anniversary emblem.

“We’re encouraging all our visitors to look out for the winning logo in the centre, on our website, and across social media during the May half-term celebrations. It’s a special moment we’re proud to share with our guests, and we’d like to thank every young artist who entered the competition – well done Hossein!”

To mark its silver anniversary, Xscape is inviting guests to join in the celebrations this week, and during the May half-term holidays, with exclusive discounts – including up to 25% off at selected brands* – giveaways and prizes up for grabs. The centre will also feature interactive photo opportunities, including a refreshed ‘Wall of Tall’, where visitors can measure their height against famous celebrities, characters and items also turning 25 this year. A birthday-themed backdrop will also be available, perfect for families and friends to capture their special celebratory moments and create lasting memories.

Milton Keynes City Council have announced they are planning new long-term contracts for multiple leisure facilities in the city.

Bletchley Leisure Centre, Woughton Leisure Centre and Windmill Hill Golf Centre will be subject to the arrangement, with the proposals aimed at securing their future and encouraging major investment.

Under the proposals, the new contract would last for ten years, with the option to extend for another five, offering a potential fifteen-year agreement.

MK City Council stated that the longer-term model is intended to give operators greater confidence to invest in the sites, improve facilities, and deliver high-quality services for residents and the communities they serve.

Currently, Bletchley Leisure Centre is under a short 16-month lease, while Woughton Leisure Centre and Windmill Hill Golf Centre are managed under a service agreement. The new contract would bring all three sites under one updated agreement.

A decision to approve the process is set for next week, with procurement beginning at a later date.

Cabinet Member responsible for sport and leisure, Cllr Mick Legg, said, “We want to make sure local people have access to well-run, modern leisure facilities now and in the future. Sports and leisure have faced significant challenges due to COVID – by bringing the three facilities together, we can provide greater stability for both communities and operators.

“The new contract model is about securing investment and ensuring these cherished sites are around for a very long time. It will also strengthen engagement with local people, boost usage, and place the centres at the heart of these communities – promoting health and wellbeing across all age groups. Whether it’s for swimming, sport or socialising, these centres are a vital part of our communities and I’m glad we’re taking this step which will bring major investment to enhance and protect them.”