Milton Keynes Museum have announced their plans for events in the upcoming February half-term.

With the half-term coming up between 17th and 21st of February, the Museum have announced a range of activities to keep children entertained on their upcoming break from school.

Activities celebrating the recently opened Ancient Gallery will run all through the week, with a ‘Through The Ages’ theme giving youngsters the opportunity to get hands-on with dinosaur bones and stone tools, along with real and replica pottery from different time periods.

The Museum re-enactor is also on site to give chainmail and leather working demonstrations, with some medieval games also ready to take part in.

Visitors can also try to play detective by having a look at the history detectives trail running throughout the Museum, and on Tuesday and Wednesday enjoy pottery demos and the chance to create your own. Then, when hunger bites, roar-some Dino themed cookies will be waiting to be decorated.

Half term week at the Museum boasts something for everyone, with all the usual attractions taking attention too. From sending morse code, to making hot buttered toast over the range in the traditional farmhouse kitchen, there is plenty to see and do.

The fun Connected Earth Gallery offers dialling delight, you can step back in time with a walk through the street of shops, or check out the way lessons used to be, in the Victorian school room. Without the cane, obviously!

Motoring enthusiasts will love the Hall of Transport, and long before smart phones, television and gadgets ruled the world, parlour games were the entertainment choice. Explore how our predecessors had fun, and don’t forget to show off your skills on the pianola, which makes anyone sound like a genius!

Of course, no visit is complete without a visit to the Ancient Gallery, which hosts an array of artifacts including from the Saxon and Roman ages. The impressive space is also home to the new city’s oldest resident – Iggy the Ichthyosaur, whose fossil is a whopping 180-million-years-old!

Come rain or come shine, Milton Keynes Museum has plenty on offer, along with the on-site Granary Cafe aiming to banish hunger pangs with affordable snacks and home-made cakes.

More information about forthcoming events and expansion plans can be found on the website:
miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk

Former MK Dons boss Mike Williamson has left his position as Head Coach of League 2 bottom side Carlisle United.

Williamson, 41, had left MK Dons to take the Carlisle job in September as a replacement for Paul Simpson, with the former Newcastle defender leaving MK Dons after just under 11 months in charge at Stadium MK.

But after struggling to turn things around with the Cumbrians, he has been dismissed by the side who currently sit bottom of the fourth tier table.

In his time at Brunton Park, Williamson won just five out of 25 games in all competitions, with Carlisle in danger of a second consecutive relegation.

The Cumbrians had signed 11 new players during the transfer window, which closes later today (03/02), with one face including Stephen Wearne, who moved direct from MK Dons to Carlisle.

But a 5-1 defeat at home by Swindon Town on Saturday lead to Carlisle concluding a change was required, with Williamson dismissed after just over four months in charge.

In a brief statement, Carlisle confirmed the dismissal and said an update on their next steps will be made in due course.

The club said, “Carlisle United Football Club can confirm that head coach Mike Williamson has this morning been relieved of his duties and has left the club with immediate effect.

“Everyone at the club would like to thank Mike for his efforts during his time at the club.

“The club will give a further update in the coming days.”

Carlisle’s next match sees them travel to Grimsby Town on Saturday (08/02).

The Cumbrians had been due to play MK Dons with Williamson in charge in early January, only for the game to be postponed due to a frozen pitch. A new date for the Dons’ trip to Cumbria has yet to be confirmed.

MK Dons have announced the signing of wing-back Travis Patterson on loan for the rest of the season from Aston Villa.

The deadline day deal will see 19-year-old defender Patterson move to Milton Keynes for the rest of the campaign, making him one of two Aston Villa loanees to join the Dons in January alongside their fellow January recruit Tommi O’Reilly.

The move is Patterson’s first loan to an EFL club, with the youngster having made his competitive debut for Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup earlier this season. He has also played for the club in the EFL Trophy and in the UEFA Development League, playing in youth team games that ran parallel to Aston Villa’s Champions League group stage matches.

On joining MK Dons, Patterson told the club’s official website that he was convinced to move to the club by the Dons’ Sporting Director and Head Coach and was keen to get going with his new employers.

He said, “I spoke to Liam Sweeting and Scott Lindsey on the phone and they were both very convincing! I think this is a big club, the stadium is great, I’ve trained today and the players look good, it’s a good group. I think we’ve got a real chance of getting promoted and I think I can help the side do that!

“I’m a full-back but I do like to get up the pitch quite a lot! I’d probably consider myself more of a wing-back, I like to get crosses into the box. I’m good at running with the ball. On the other side of things, I’m good at one-on-one defending, so I think I can be an asset to the side.”

The Dons’ Head Coach Scott Lindsey added, “Travis is a versatile young player with heaps of potential. He’s very highly thought of at Aston Villa which speaks for itself, and is at a good age to head out on loan and get his first taste of senior football. He’s got fantastic natural ability and a great work ethic, so it’s up to us to help him get up to speed as quickly as possible. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

Northampton Town have signed midfielder Ben Perry on loan for the rest of the season from Nottingham Forest.

The 20-year-old is a graduate of Forest’s academy, and he is making his first loan to join a side in the EFL.

The move sees Perry become Northampton’s second deadline day loan recruit, following the previously announced arrival of Dara Cottesloe from Burnley.

Perry has played for Forest in the EFL Trophy and has also captained Forest’s under-21 side.

Cobblers boss Kevin Nolan spoke highly of his new arrival in a statement to the the club’s official website.

He said, “Ben is a player I know a lot about. Andy Reid at Nottingham Forest rates him very highly, not just as a player but as a person too, and we have watched him a number of times and have always been impressed.

“He is someone who we think can come in and have an impact on our squad.

“We are pleased to have him in the building, and we hope this can be the start of an excellent relationship between ourselves and Forest.

“Ben will help us and be with us for the rest of the season, and he will be a better player for his time with us.

“We have been really pleased with our work this month and the arrival of Ben completes that.”