Former MK Dons boss Paul Tisdale has been appointed to a role with Scottish giants Celtic.

Tisdale has been appointed as Celtic’s new Head of Football Operations, with the role being a new one in Celtic’s boardroom

In their statement, Celtic said that Tisdale will be working in a role to oversee development of the club’s football operations at senior and youth level.

They said, “In this new strategic role reporting to the Board, Paul will oversee the development and management of effective operations to support high-level football performance, including the identification and development of talent, in line with the club’s objective to develop Champions League players through our Academy and recruitment processes.”

Tisdale said in an arrival interview with Celtic that he was excited to make the move to Glasgow.

He said, “It is a huge honour to accept this new role at Celtic and join a club of such pedigree and stature.

“I can’t wait to join the team, to begin my work and deliver positive results. Celtic demands and deserves excellence across all areas and I know that that is something the Board and Brendan seek at all times.

“Having knowledge already of Celtic, I know there are so many quality, authentic  people at the club all pulling in the same direction and passionate for success.

“I look forward to joining them as we work together to deliver excellence for the club and our supporters.”

Tisdale previously managed MK Dons in 2018 and 2019. After 12 years in charge at Exeter City, Tisdale moved to Milton Keynes in June 2018 after failing to agree a new contract with the side from Devon.

He would win a Manager of the Month prize in October 2018 and would ultimately see MK Dons win promotion from League Two at the end of the 2018/19 season thanks to victory over Mansfield Town on the final day of the season, which saw the Dons leapfrog the side from Nottinghamshire to swipe the automatic promotion berth on the final day.

However, Tisdale would struggle in League One the following season, with a run of one point from nine games ending in his dismissal by the Dons in November 2019, with the announcement coming straight after a defeat at home by Tranmere Rovers.

Since leaving MK, Tisdale has had short-lived stints with Bristol Rovers and Stevenage, while he also had roles as a consultant, including work with Premier League clubs to advise on their transfer operations.

The annual Christmas Lights Switch-on event will be taking place in Milton Keynes City Centre in mid-November.

The family-friendly event, organised every year by MyMK, will be taking place in the large car park next to The Point in the city centre, starting from 4pm on Saturday November 16th. This represents an expansion of the event, which was previously held within Midsummer Place shopping centre.

Festivities will begin at 4pm with performances from the St Bernadette’s School Choir and the Milton Keynes Rock Choir. MK Theatre Pantomime star Max Fulham will take to the stage with his fellow Peter Pan performer, Gordon the Monkey.

Events will finish with a performance by Milton Keynes’ very own Mike Woodhams, a local teacher and Britain’s Got Talent finalist who captured the heart of judges with his remarkable singing impressions. Mike will be joined by Father Christmas for the switching-on of the City Centre’s festive lights, accompanied by a dazzling fireworks display.

The Lights Switch-on marks the beginning of a packed schedule of Christmas activities in Milton Keynes over the holiday season.

Among highlights of the season include Santa’s Grotto in centre:mk, from 15th November to 24th December 2024 and where children will be enchanted by Norbert, Santa’s newest reindeer, in an immersive adventure.

There will also be the annual pantomime at Milton Keynes Theatre, which will see a production of Peter Pan at the venue from 6th December 2024 to 5th January 2025, featuring Craig Revel Horwood as Captain Hook and Max Fulham as Smee.

Local businesses will sponsor and decorate trees as part of the Christmas Tree festival at Midsummer Place, also launching on 16th November, for the chance to win shoppers’ votes and raise funds for local charities.

A new event for 2024 is Molly O’Reilly’s Irish Pub, which is a pop-up experience running from 29th November to 28th December 2024 in the car park next to The Point and billed by MyMK as an event where people can, “expect a winter wonderland of live music and festive treats as the spirit of Dublin meets the energy of Oktoberfest!”

Milton Keynes City Council have announced they sent no waste to landfill in the last quarter thanks to its cleaner and greener gasification plant.

The City Council previously opened its Waste Recovery Park in 2017, which can process 133,000 tonnes of black bin/sack waste each year. This is enough to create power for 11,000 homes (or around nearly 10% of MK’s homes).

MK City Council have said that they use some of that power to run its fleet of electric waste trucks.

Gasification is far greener and more efficient than incinerators, which power turbines that make electricity by burning waste. 

Waste that can’t be recycled is boiled at high temperatures to create what’s called syngas. Unlike incineration, this doesn’t create greenhouse gases or nitrogen oxides. The Recovery Park also treats waste mechanically to extract metals and plastics for recycling and creates helpful compost through anaerobic digestion.  

Ten years ago, the city council invested in its site at Old Wolverton to build the Waste Recovery Park as part of its commitment to sustainability. It typically diverts more than 99% of what Milton Keynes throws away from landfill, but in the last quarter, the city council reported that no waste had been sent to landfill at all.

Milton Keynes has a long history of environmentally friendly initiatives. In 1992, it became the first place in the UK to collect recycling from the kerbside. Last year, the city council rolled out red and blue recycling bins in a nod to its historic red and blue box system. 

Since then, recycling rates have risen by more than a third, zooming Milton Keynes up the ranks of the cities that recycle most across England, and bucking the trend that councils in the UK are recycling less and incinerating more. In MK, around 65% of waste is currently recycled. The English average is around 44%.

Councillor Jenny Wilson-Marklew, Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling, said, “Yet again, Milton Keynes is leading the way for greener and cleaner initiatives. We believe in reuse and recycling, but where that isn’t possible, we’re able to divert waste from landfill without the need for incineration.

“Your council thought ahead to invest in sustainable technology ten years ago, and we did it again last year by modernising our weekly waste collections. We’ll keep innovating so our city can keep making a positive contribution to tackling climate change.”

Police officers searching for a missing man from Milton Keynes, are today (16/10) releasing a new image of him.

Thomas, who is 26-years-old and whose last name has not been formally revealed, was last seen at around 12.30am on Sunday 6 October in the Chester Close area of Bletchley.

Despite widespread searches, Thames Valley Police have been unable to locate him and as a result, they are today re-appealing for help in locating him.

Thomas is described as around 6ft tall with a slim build and he often wears black tracksuit bottoms with a black jumper and blue hooded top. He also wears black Adidas trainers with three stripes on them.

As part of their appeal, police have released a CCTV image of Thomas, which was captured on 4 October, two days before he was reported missing.

Detective Chief Inspector Emily Shepherd said, “Despite widespread and thorough searches across Milton Keynes, Bletchley and surrounding areas, we have still not been able to ascertain Thomas’s whereabouts.

“We are naturally extremely concerned for his welfare, and today I am re-appealing for help from the public to try and locate him.

“Have you seen Thomas, or do you know of areas where he may frequent?

“He has not taken his mobile phone with him, and although we have searched many areas of Bletchley and the wider rural area, there is still no sign of him.

“I would again appeal for anybody who lives on the Racecourse or Saint’s estates in Bletchley to please check CCTV, dash-cams or doorbell footage and get in touch with us if you think it has captured anything that can help us in locating Thomas.

“Thomas is also known to walk sometimes long distances, and we have widened our search area to the Great and Little Brickhill areas.

“I would ask anybody in any of the areas mentioned to please check sheds, garages and outbuildings in case Thomas has taken shelter there.

“If anybody believes they see Thomas, I would ask that they call 999 immediately, quoting reference 43240480455.

“You can also report possible sightings of Thomas to our dedicated missing persons’ portal.

“I would also like to appeal directly to Thomas, if you see this. You are not in any trouble whatsoever, but your family and we are extremely concerned for your welfare. Please contact us and let us know where you are.”

The dedicated missing person’s portal is available on the Thames Valley Police website.