The former MK Dons midfielder Ben Gladwin has returned to the club as part of the Dons’ coaching staff.
The 32-year-old joins MK Dons after being at Crawley Town, with Gladwin joining his former boss Scott Lindsey at Stadium MK.
Gladwin had retired from playing football at the end of last season, citing an ongoing knee issue. His final campaign saw him play 14 times last season for Crawley as they won promotion from League Two via the play-offs last season.
Gladwin spent 18 months on the books at MK Dons under Russell Martin. He joined the club in January 2020 after being released by Blackburn Rovers and after initially being released in the summer of 2020, he remained with the club for the 2020/21 season.
In his time at the club, Gladwin made 39 appearances in all competitions with the club, scoring three goals.
After leaving MK Dons in 2021, Gladwin spent a year and a half with Swindon Town, including a stint managed by Lindsey, before joining Crawley in January 2023.
Gladwin managed Crawley for two matches between Lindsey leaving Crawley for MK Dons and the Sussex club announcing the arrival of Rob Elliot, who joins the club after managing at Gateshead. Elliot in turn had managed Gateshead following the departure of his former Newcastle team-mate Mike Williamson, who left the North East to manage MK Dons in October 2023 and who has since left Stadium MK to manage Carlisle.
Lindsey’s coaching staff will see Gladwin join Jamie Day, Carl Laraman and Steve Hale, who have previously made moves to Milton Keynes.
Lindsey told the official MK Dons website that he was pleased to bring his new coach to the club.
He said, “Ben is great character who knows the club really well and was a great player! I took from Swindon to Crawley and he was always someone who focused on the detail of the game, and I always felt he was going to be a good coach, he did his coaching badges relatively early, and now he’s really got the bug! I think he’ll add a lot of value to the coaching team and I’m really pleased to have him.”
MK Dons have announced the signing of striker Scott Hogan, who has joined after being out-of-contract.
The 32-year-old former Brentford and Aston Villa player and Republic of Ireland international joins after being without a club following his release by Birmingham City at the end of last season.
Hogan has joined MK Dons on a contract of undisclosed length and is the club’s first signing following the arrival of Scott Lindsey as their new manager late last month.
In his career, Hogan achieved his breakthrough into the EFL with Rochdale in 2013, re-joining the then-League Two side three years after previously leaving and with spells in non-league.
After a single season at Rochdale, he joined Brentford at the start of the 2014/15 season and despite struggling with injuries in his first two seasons with the Bees, a run of 14 goals in 25 Championship appearances saw him impress.
He moved from West London to the West Midlands when he joined Aston Villa in January 2017, spending three and a half years with the Villains and having loan spells with Sheffield United, Stoke City and Birmingham City along the way.
After his loan at Birmingham, Hogan directly moved from Villa Park to St Andrew’s, where he scored 36 times in 158 appearances over four and a half years with the Blues.
Hogan’s arrival at Stadium MK was not confirmed in time for him to feature for MK Dons’ game against Tranmere Rovers later today, meaning his first possible option to make a debut would be next Tuesday against the Arsenal junior team in the EFL Trophy.
In his arrival interview with the MK Dons website, Hogan voiced his delight to return to professional football.
He said, “It’s really exciting to be part of something, I’ve been out of contract so it’s been a difficult time, and it had to be something that really got me excited to play football! What I was told by Scott Lindsey and Liam Sweeting, about the owners and their ambition, this is going to be a really good place to be and a great project to be a part of.”
His new boss Lindsey added, “Scott’s a brilliant signing. I’m really excited about this one. We had a good conversation, he’s 32-years-old but plays like he’s 22-years-old! We spoke in detail in terms of formations, how the game model looks from our point of view and how he fits into that. He’s very fit, he looks sharp, he’s alert in the box and he will score goals.”
Milton Keynes Gallery have announced they will be hosting an exhibition celebrating the artist Vanessa Bell.
Opening 19 October 2024 and running until 23 February 2025, Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour, will see the work of Vanessa Bell (1879–1961) presented at MK Gallery. It is announced by the gallery as the most comprehensive survey ever of the work of the artist.
This exhibition, the first of Bell’s work in the UK in seven years, presents a picture of the entire range of her practice through more than 120 works, covering paintings, drawings, furniture, ceramics, designs for murals, advertising and book covers, which celebrates work done at the forefront of British abstraction.
Born in London in 1879, Vanessa Bell died in Sussex in 1961 and along with her sister Virginia Woolf, and fellow painter, Duncan Grant, she was a central figure of the Bloomsbury Group. Her role in creating the conditions in which artistic practice could flourish from the Friday Club to Omega Workshop, has left an indelible mark on the history of British art. MK Gallery’s exhibition has been organised in collaboration with Charleston, in Sussex, the home of Vanessa Bell and her fellow painter, Duncan Grant. It is curated by Anthony Spira, Director, and Fay Blanchard, Head of Exhibitions at MK Gallery.
The exhibition includes major loans from public and private collections including the Courtauld, which is currently showing a focused display of her works from their collection.
A lavishly illustrated new catalogue will be published to coincide with the exhibition with an essay by Dr. Rebecca Birrell, Research Affiliate for The Fitzwilliam Museum, and contributions from Judy Chicago, the Singh Twins, Paulina Olowska and Hayley Tompkins.
Anyone seeking to view the works can find out more at the MK Gallery website.
Milton Keynes City Council have announced the return of their Young People’s Opportunities Fair to help young people not yet in employment, education or training.
The event is scheduled to run between 11am and 3pm on Monday 14 October and will be a free event aimed at young people aged 16-25 that aren’t yet in employment, education, or training. It will be held at MK City Council’s main offices in the Civic part on 1 Saxon Gate East.
Created by the City Council, the Young People’s Opportunities Fair will bring together 19 organisations from across the city. Visitors can drop in to Civic to learn about work experience, traineeships and apprenticeships as well as education and local job opportunities.
Representatives from a wide range of companies, charities and organisations including Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH), The Open University (OU), John Lewis, The MK Christian Foundation and the Council itself will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.
The City Council’s Information, Advice and Guidance workers will be there to speak with young people. As well as signposting to local opportunities, they can provide help with CV writing and interview techniques. Anyone looking for additional support will be able to book a personal appointment after the event.
The event is FREE to attend, parents and carers are welcome and no booking is required.
Councillor Joe Hearnshaw, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said, “If you’re a young person looking for guidance on local opportunities, this event is for you. From employment through to work experience, further education and volunteering, there is something for everyone. We have so many success stories from past events and want to thank the local businesses and organisations who make this possible.”
Families and young people wishing to learn more about this event or access careers information, advice and guidance can contact [email protected] or call 01908 254 410. For organisations wanting to get involved in future events, please email [email protected].
Police have released a CCTV image of an individual officers would like to speak to following a theft in Milton Keynes.
The incident occurred at around 12.15pm on 27 May in Funstation Arcades at the Xscape leisure centre in Central Milton Keynes.
A woman in her thirties had her phone taken which had two twenty pound notes in. The offender took the money before placing the phone back on an arcade machine near to the victim.
As part of their appeal for witnesses, Thames Valley Police released an image taken on the day of the incident.
Investigating officer, PC Ion Stratu, based at Milton Keynes police station, said: “We are appealing to anyone who recognises the man in the image, as we believe he may have vital information.
“You can contact police by calling 101 or by making a report online quoting reference 43240250169.
“Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via its website.”
