A new Charities Hub has opened in Galley Hill with a ribbon cutting event to formally open a new site aimed to help charities and struggling families connect.
The site, which is funded by Milton Keynes City Council, was officially opened with a ribbon cutting event earlier this week. The event was attended by many volunteers who generously give their time to charities, alongside a drive to create hampers for local people in need.
The City Council invested in the 536 square metre building as a dedicated and secure new home for several local charities including GirlPack, Baby Basics and MK Food Bank – who moved in earlier this month – so the groups could spend more time helping local people rather than worrying about keeping a roof over their head.
The hub offers more space so the charities can give help to even more residents, and the new setup also means they can collaborate even more effectively.
Girl Pack provides free period packs and essential menstrual products to those in need across Milton Keynes. They work directly with schools, council-run Family Centres, local partners and families to ensure that no one is left without support. Since moving into the new hub in March, the charity says that they’ve been able to increase the number of partners they work with from 35 to 136, enabling them to support more children in school and families in the community.
Baby Basics MK work with the community and local businesses to reuse high-quality second-hand and new items, creating gift packages filled with essentials for families with children aged 0–6. In the past year, they’ve donated thousands of items to families in need.
MK Food Bank supports more than 5,000 local families each year and distributes essential food products from 10 serving centres across Milton Keynes. People are referred to Food Bank for a variety of reasons including family crises, loss of employment or health issues. They also work closely with local social care and health agencies to ensure people are receiving help with their underlying issues.
Louisa Hobbs, Head of Operations at MK Food Bank, said, “Having a safe, secure, and permanent home means so much to us, and we’re hugely grateful to MK City Council for making it happen. Even better, sharing this space with Baby Basics and Girl Pack means we can work together to support families in a more joined-up way. Kicking things off by distributing festive Christmas hampers to Galley Hill and Fullers Slade households – nominated by St Mary & St Giles School, Rowans Family Centre, and local residents’ associations – was the perfect start to an amazing new chapter.”
MK City Council Councillor Donna Fuller, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Communities, added, “Thanks to the work of wonderful local charities, we’re able to get more help to those who need it most. This new home will ensure they can continue their invaluable work in our communities.
Christmas can be very difficult time of the year if you’re struggling. Small acts of kindness can make a huge difference, and if you’re able to spend a couple of hours volunteering – or can spare an extra item in your next shop, your contribution will be felt and really appreciated.”
Police are appealing for witnesses following an armed robbery at a shop in Bletchley, Milton Keynes yesterday morning (17/12).
The incident happened just before 5.45am, when Thames Valley Police confirmed that they attended reports of a robbery at the Co-operative store in Water Eaton Road, where a suspected firearm was seen.
Two members of staff were assaulted, but were not seriously injured, while cash and cigarettes were stolen.
The offender is male, and was wearing a blue parka style jacket with a fur hood, green trousers and red shoes. No arrests have been made at this stage.
Detective Sergeant Samuel Summers, based at Milton Keynes police station, said, “This incident has occurred early this morning and cash and tobacco was stolen.
“The offender was reported to be carrying what is believed to be a firearm, with which, he threatened the victims, who thankfully, were not seriously injured.
“I understand an incident such as this will be distressing for local residents, but we believe this to be an isolated incident and we are conducting enquiries in the area and investigating this as a top priority.
“As such, there will be an increased presence of police officers in the area, and so if you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to speak to one of them.”
In their appeal, Thames Valley Police also said, “Anybody who was within two miles of the area between 5.30am and 6.15am and witnessed the incident, any person matching the description of the suspect or any other suspicious activity during this time is urged to contact Thames Valley Police, either by making a report online or by calling 101, quoting reference 43250639010.
“We would also ask anybody who may have dash-cam, CCTV or doorbell footage, which may assist this investigation to please submit this to us via our dedicated portal for this investigation.
“Those who do not wish to speak directly with police can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Milton Keynes City Council have announced that they will receive £4.7 million in government funding to encourage more walking, wheeling, and cycling in the local area.
The funding comes from Active Travel England and will be received over the next four years. MK City Council highlighted it has received the funding after showing a strong performance in the area, including investment in cycling programmes in schools and other initiatives.
Each council’s funding is based on how successful they are in promoting active travel alongside population size. Councils with higher capability ratings receive greater funding support, and Milton Keynes City Council’s track record has helped to unlock this significant funding boost.
The investment will support a range of projects, including:
- Increased expansion of our redway network and improving redway safety
- Continued bike training for all school children in Milton Keynes
- Installation of additional secure cycle parking across the city
- Support to grow local walking, wheeling, and cycling groups and events
The additional funding will also help the Council to continue supporting more schools to develop travel plans like Cold Harbour and Two Mile Ash primary schools, who both recently won national awards for their significant success in reducing car use and congestion around the school gates by getting more pupils walking, wheeling and cycling to school.
Councillor Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, Cabinet Member for Transport, said, “I’m delighted that we’ve received this extra funding to help us continue building on our success in embracing cycling and walking alongside other forms of transport, especially as we’ve secured more funding because of our strong track record of delivery. This means we can make it easier for people to choose sustainable transport for their shorter journeys’.”
The funding is part of a £626 million national programme to help local authorities deliver walking, wheeling, and cycling schemes that improve road safety, offer greener transport options, and promote healthier communities.
The government has granted planning permission to build a Universal Studios theme park between Milton Keynes and Bedford.
Approval has been given the Universal Studios’ owner Comcast to build a theme park on land in the Kempston Hardwick area on the outskirts of Bedford.
A decision backed by Steve Reed, the government’s Secretary for Housing, Communities and Local Government, was confirmed earlier today (16/12).
Under the terms of the approval, a Special Development Order (SDO) has been granted for the project, which would go live from 12 January 2026 and which allows direct government approval rather than the use of normal local planning procedures. From 12 January, a statutory review of the proposals by Parliament must be completed.
The order grants planning permission for a 268 hectare site to be turned into an Entertainment Resort Complex, with the proposal including improvements to nearby road and rail links. Comcast intends for the theme park to be open by 2031.
In a statement, the Universal Studios UK project said, “The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has approved our request for planning permission to be granted by way of making a Special Development Order (SDO).
“While there are still further steps to complete, including a statutory parliamentary review period, this decision represents another important milestone for the project.”
The government previously announced in April that they would be supporting the proposals.
Among people praising the decision were Mohammad Yasin, the MP for Bedford and Kempston.
Yasin said, “Absolutely delighted to share with you that Universal Studios has got the green light – the Special Development Order has been granted and comes into force on the 12 January.”
Tom Wootton, Mayor of Bedford Borough Council, said, “I’d love to take all the credit for this – but I can’t! This is the result of so much hard work by so many people, and it will be something that has a huge, positive impact on countless lives even when I’m long forgotten. It’s one of the proudest moments of my political life.
“This is a huge vote of confidence in Bedford and Kempston, in the borough and region, and in the Council. This is the perfect place for this investment, well-connected, full of talent, and ready to grow. I know that our residents and businesses will seize all the opportunities that this will offer us, and I’ll work with Universal night and day to ensure our partnership can continue to bloom.”
Plans to build the multi-billion pound site have circulated for around two years, with the proposals first being revealed in late 2023 that Universal were considering building the theme park on the site of a former brickworks near to Kempston and Stewartby, just to the south-west of Bedford and the north-east of Milton Keynes. The site is intended to be the international theme park brand’s first major location in Europe.
Proposed parts of the project include a 500-room hotel, a retail, dining and entertainment complex and several exhibitions, rides and attractions themed around Hollywood film and TV show properties.
Universal have said that the project would see it become one of the region’s largest employers, creating 20,000 construction jobs and 8,000 permanent positions once the theme park is operational, with the company intending for approximately 80% of all jobs at the site to go to local workers. They have also said the proposals would deliver economic benefits in excess of £50 billion during construction and its first 20 years of operation.
In July, it was announced the government was planning multiple transport plans for the area around the site. Proposals announced include upgrades to the adjacent A421 road, a new railway station at Wixams on the Midland Main Line that connects Bedford with the East Midlands, Luton and London, and an upgraded railway station at Stewartby on the East West Rail route that is being planned to link Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge.
A man in Milton Keynes has been arrested today (16/12) in connection with terrorism offences.
A 23-year-old man from Bletchley was arrested on suspicion of being a member of a proscribed organisation, and on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, contrary to sections 11 and 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
The arrest was carried out by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) officers with support from the locally based Thames Valley Police. It’s been confirmed that this relates to membership and support of the terrorist group ISIL.
Chief Superintendent Emma Baillie, Thames Valley Police’s Local Command Unit Commander for Milton Keynes, said, “I appreciate arrests of this nature can cause some concern in the local area however this was a pre-planned operation and part of ongoing work carried out to keep our communities safe from the threat of terrorism.
“Search activity is ongoing at a residential property in Bletchley and so people living locally may notice an increased police presence while this takes place.
“If you have any concerns or information you think is relevant, please speak to an officer in the area.”
The arrested man is currently in police custody.
