16 minute read
It’s back: The Dragon Boat Festival is ready to roar
It’s back… the annual Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival returns to Willen Lake on September 24 and new festival organisers New Wave Events are expecting an even higher turnout this time around.
Entries are already coming in following the festival’s launch last month. The Dragon Boat Festival, supported this year by Business MK, its sister title MK Pulse magazine, MKFM and MK Charities, attracts more than 50 companies annually and for the first time companies can raise money for a charity of their choice.
There is a great incentive for teams to raise as much sponsorship as possible as the top fundraisers will win a charity trophy and the sponsorship raised by the participating teams is expected to make a significant contribution to the charities in and around Milton Keynes.
New Wave Events executive director Alicja Mierzejewska said: “We are thrilled to be able to carry on the legacy of the festival and we are excited to bring new and fresh ideas in the years to come. Being involved with planning this festival previously, we knew it was and is an important event for the participants, charities, and local community, so we started planning as soon as possible.”
Both Alicja and her codirector Lucy Morton worked for the previous organisers of the festival, Gable Events which closed during the pandemic.
“I am so glad we get to bring this amazing event back to Milton Keynes and the new feature to raise money for any local charity I think will bring more interest and raise vital funds to help so many different charities in the area,” said Lucy. “After such a tough couple of years, this is exactly what the community and charities need and we cannot wait for it to all come together for the best year yet.”
The festival will be using smaller 30ft dragon boats, holding crews of up to 11, with reduced entry fees to make it easier for companies and organisations of all sizes to enter teams.
Companies, clubs and organisations from across the region are putting their teams together to take part and represent a mix of new and returning crews but all with the same aim in mind: to enjoy a great day out with colleagues and friends and make a difference in their community. Enhanced Gold and Silver entry packages are available which include marketing benefits such as the company’s logo on each side of a dragon boat as well as a significant donation to the charity of their choice.
Says Alicja: “When Gable Events closed it was certainly an end of an era but we are optimistic for the future and we are here to bring everyone back together again after what has been a difficult time for everyone. Our dragons are ready and waiting.”
To take part in the dragon boat racing and help raise money for your charity, no previous experience is required - just plenty of team spirit and enthusiasm. The dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment are provided and each crew is guaranteed a minimum of three races.
The dragons are back
The countdown begins to Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival 2022
n For further information and an entry form visit: https://dragonboatevents. co.uk/milton-keynes-dragonboat-festival/. Find out more about charities you can help at www. mkcharities.com/
NEW FOR 2022 - SUPPORT A CHARITY OF YOUR CHOICE
DRAGONBOATEVENTS.CO.UK
SATURDAYSATURDAY 24TH24TH SEPTEMBERSEPTEMBER 20222022 WILLENWILLEN LAKE,LAKE, MILTONMILTON KEYNESKEYNES
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In the Community Church acts to tackle food poverty
Acharity providing meal boxes for children in Milton Keynes who are going hungry says demand has doubled during the pandemic.
The boxes are now being given out at 76 schools and children’s centres in Milton Keynes.
Each of the partners keeps a store of recipe boxes which can be given to any child or young person believed to be in food poverty. There are five varieties from which to choose - curry, tuna pasta, tacos, spaghetti bolognese and a “Kettle Only” box for those in emergency accommodation containing all the ingredients needed to cook a hot meal at home for a family of four.
The St Mark’s Meals scheme was started by Reverend Paul Oxley at St Mark’s Church in Central Milton Keynes.
“Teachers tell us that lots of children arrive at school hungry and they have not eaten anything since their free school meal the day before,” says Rev Oxley.
“It is not just holiday hunger, children are going hungry every night of the year, trying to sleep with empty tummies and then trying to learn the next day.”
One in four children in the city are believed to be at risk of frequent hunger and the charity has seen a rise in requests for help from education in recent months. St Mark’s Meals fears that the rising cost of living is likely to push even more families into poverty.
Demand for its services has almost doubled during the pandemic as has the number of schools with which it partners, from 39 in October 2020.
Milton Keynes College is seeing the impact on its learners and is collaborating with St Mark’s. This includes being part of the MK Child Poverty Partnership, having the meal boxes on site to distribute to students and encouraging staff and students to donate money and food items.
“Not having enough to eat must surely be one of the grossest inequalities any child can face,” says the college’s community engagement manager Rebecca Myrie.
The college’s support has made a significant difference to the charity. Says project coordinator Angie Row. “Having like-minded organisations cheering us on helps us to work hard to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry.” Sixth formers put together the toiletries hampers destined for MKAct
Saint’s legacy still inspires students
Charities in Milton Keynes have benefited from the day of service carried out by pupils at Thornton College near Buckingham.
Inspired by the story of St Claudine, whose followers founded the college, every student took part, raising thousands of pounds and helping hundreds of people.
Year 13 students collected toiletries and created and delivered 42 hampers to the MK Act refuge for women affected by domestic abuse. Years 10 and 11 students took part in a ten-mile sponsored walk and raised more than £1,000 for MK Winter Night Shelter, while younger students made 100 felt donkeys to send to The Donkey Sanctuary for it to sell.
Pupils also took part in litter picking, environmental projects, cleaning duties, wrote contact letters to the elderly and washed staff cars for donations. Some of the youngest students made tray mats and light catchers for residents at Willen Hospice, Thornton College’s chosen partner charity.
“Seeing the students fully embrace the ethos of the school, while serving others was an inspiration,” says Shauna Murphy, head of RE and chaplaincy. “It is a way in which our young people can fully embrace the relevance that St Claudine still has for our community today, and a reminder of how her story and actions continue to influence us.”
In the early 19th century a French woman who lost her family in the bloodshed of the French Revolution turned her attention from her own grief toward the needs of orphaned girls on the streets of Lyon. She rescued, fed, clothed and educated those that she found so that they could live in safety within a family environment. The group of religious sisters that St Claudine started came to England 100 years later and founded Thornton College.
Younger students show off their efforts for The Donkey Sanctuary
Council backs new storage hub scheme
Anew permanent home for charities across Milton Keynes is set to open thanks to £1 million of funding from Milton Keynes Council.
Charities including MK FoodBank Xtra, Baby Basics MK and St Mark’s Meals were gifted a temporary base last year at a council-funded warehouse so they could concentrate on their support for local people instead of worrying how to fund accommodation and other bills.
Now the council is due to approve a relocation to a new facility in Granby, working with Milton Keynes Community Foundation. The new hub will create more space for the charities to store essential goods and the council has agreed to pay rent and utility bills for FoodBank Xtra so it can concentrate more resources into helping people that need it the most.
At the start of the pandemic, the council entered into a partnership with MK FoodBank Xtra which has seen 14,000 food parcels handed out to people in need. The Community Foundation will be giving the council a discounted rent which will not be charged back to the charities.
Subject to approval by councillors, the council will commit to a 20-year lease for the new charities hub, worth up to £1 million. In the meantime, the council will continue to manage the previous temporary warehouse in Kiln Farm.
Local tech firm and social enterprise It’s What’s Next IT has also moved to Kiln Farm to set up a new drop off point for donations of unwanted laptops and other IT equipment, helping to reduce digital poverty.
Cllr Rob Middleton, cabinet member for resources, said: “I am incredibly proud of our partnership with the food banks and everything they have achieved since the start of the pandemic. They provide a real lifeline to families struggling to make ends meet.
“This initiative is testament to what we can do when we work together to support families and that is why we want to commit to this vital relationship for the long term. The new space in Granby will allow us to bring charities together to ensure support is available to people when they really need it.”
Baby Basics is one of the charities set to benefit from the new hub
Foundation launches new website New pillars reflect spirit of unity
Milton Keynes Community Foundation has unveiled a new website. It offers a smoother, more accessible experience for those looking to support their local community or apply for funding for an upcoming project.
The move comes after “two of the most unprecedented years Milton Keynes has ever seen”, said a spokesman. Last year alone, the Community Foundation gave out more than £1.6million in grants to 198 groups and charities to help them to continue their work.
As well as showcasing the new Funding Fairness branding, key features include a search function, simpler navigation and a mobile friendly design. The website also has a dedicated sub-site for its meeting and conference facility Fairspace MK.
Philanthropy director June Oldroyd said: “We hope that our new website will enable us to provide even greater support across the borough to ensure a fairer future for everyone.” T wo new pillars to be engraved at The Milton Keynes Rose in Campbell Park will commemorate the Black Lives Matter movement and the Windrush Generation.
The Black Lives Matter pillar will be dedicated to George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis in May 2020 in an incident that reignited a push for racial justice and equality.
The pillar commemorating the Windrush Generation remembers the day in 1948 that the HMT Empire Windrush ship arrived in London bringing the first African Caribbean people to settle in the UK, invited from Commonwealth countries to work on the construction of post-war Britain.
The Milton Keynes Rose Trust hopes that future generations will look back on the pillars as symbols of a commitment by Milton Keynes to be a place where everyone feels welcomed and appreciated.
“The Milton Keynes Rose is a place for everybody - a space that is welcoming and can speak to everyone,” said trust chairman Debbie Brock.
In the Community
How sweet the sound of hymn’s celebration
Aheritage project celebrating 250 years of the hymn Amazing Grace has received a £10,000 boost.
Milton Keynes Council has awarded the grant money to the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney, which will use the funding alongside £98,760 already received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to collaborate with local partners on the Amazing Grace and its Legacies: Reflections at 250 programme.
The hymn was written in Olney by the town’s curate John Newton to accompany the New Year’s Day Sermon in 1773 at the church of St Peter & St Paul. It is now known and sung worldwide. Amazing Grace and its Legacies: Reflections at 250 will take place over this and next year in Olney and wider Milton Keynes. It will include conversations, exhibitions, talks, walks, and cultural and community activities in collaboration with The Open University, the Friends of the Caribbean-MK, The Stables Theatre in Wavendon, the African Diaspora Federation-MK, Olney Town Council, the African and Caribbean Arts & Heritage Union-MK, the Sierra Leone Committee-MK and St Peter & St Paul Church, Olney.
Milton Keynes Council deputy leader Cllr Robin Bradburn, cabinet member with responsibility for culture, said: “We are very pleased to be providing support for this local heritage project and to top up the funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund so more can be achieved. The council has worked with the Cowper & Newton Museum trustees for many years and the work they do is an important part of our creative and cultural strategy.
“We want to ensure the museum’s significant heritage can reach and positively impact our residents, communities and visitors. I look forward to some fascinating cultural activities over the next two years.”
Driving specialists CAT Driver Training have raised almost £3,500 for charity… thanks to a smile.
The company, which delivers bespoke training to drivers from the road, track, race and motor industry, has run its annual CAT Smiles initiative since 2019. Every time a client agrees to have their photo taken for social media, CAT donates £5 into a custom Terramundi Charity Pot.
“Just before Christmas it was our pleasure to reveal the 2021 ‘CAT Smiles’ total,” says CAT Driver Training co-owner Jo Hoad. “Facebook followers tuned in to our live broadcast as I smashed the pot, revealing the total sum raised.”
This year’s smiles raised £1,798.21 for Mission Motorsport and £1,660 for Barnardo’s. Each client participating in the initiative was put into a draw to decide who would choose the receiving charity. Tim Coope’s was the name drawn out of the hat; his charity choice Barnardo’s.
“Though no longer with us, my father was looked after by Barnardo’s for a number of years before the Second World War and he talked with great fondness of his time there. I am delighted that the money raised by CAT can go towards helping their continuing work
The Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney
Network Rail’s national centre The Quadrant, next to Milton Keynes Central railway station, is one of the locations of the Tap to Donate machines
Donation scheme for homeless passes milestone
The Tap to Donate scheme set up by MyMiltonKeynes Business improvement District to contribute to a long-term solution to homelessness in the city has passed £10,000 in total donations.
Starting off with two trial donation points when it launched in 2019, the scheme has grown to nine machines around the city centre, including within the shopping centres, train station, hotels and leisure venues.
The money raised has gone to the Milton Keynes Homelessness Partnership, which works to support those most at risk of homelessness. So far MKHP has completed an initial assessment of service provision and brought together a network of 35 local organisations to work on solutions.
It has begun to implement its health and wellbeing strategy, targeting more than 750 households in temporary accommodation, supported training for volunteers working with the homeless and coordinated food provision for 200 homeless and vulnerable people.
It is also working with Jurys Inn hotel to distribute surplus food, bedding and linen to those who need it.
A Covid action group is delivering vaccines to rough sleepers and MKHP is developing Pathways to Independence, a pilot plan to help homeless people.
Chief executive Tracey McCillen said: “When we first discussed the idea of the Tap to Donate machines with MyMiltonKeynes, we could never have imagined how successful the scheme would become and we are overwhelmed to have reached such a milestone target in just two years, particularly given the huge challenges we have all faced.”
The Tap to Donate initiative also boosted funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, enabling MKHP to complete its research report
Impact of Covid 19 on homelessness in
Milton Keynes, the first report of its kind for the borough.
One of the BID’s priorities has been to work with the council and local charities to develop a long-term solution to homelessness and aggressive begging. The BID has also supported the YMCA. BID chief executive
Melanie Beck pictured said:
“We are immensely proud of our members for supporting us to donate £75,000 to the YMCA and in reaching nine Tap to Donate locations and £10,000 so far and for voting for MyMiltonKeynes to continue its work to create a safe, clean, mobile, intelligent and amazing city, for at least the next five years.
“But most of all we want to thank the Milton Keynes community, whose contributions enable MKHP and their partners to go far beyond what has ever been possible before, in their mission to end homelessness in Milton Keynes.”
Fundraising with a smile leaves charities purring
in supporting vulnerable children in the UK.”
CAT Driver Training has supported the Mission Motorsport charity for several years. “We have witnessed first-hand the benefit of their inspirational work, supporting veteran soldiers,” says Jo. “In 2021 we launched CAT’s first publication Your Track Day Guide. It was always our plan to donate the profits of this book to a worthy cause - Mission Motorsport felt like the natural choice. It is our pleasure to donate the sales of our book to such a worthy cause.”
The total comprises all profits from the book’s sales on Amazon and copies purchased by clients at CAT headquarters at Millbrook Proving Ground near Ampthill.
The money will go to a motorsport programme across the UK developed by the charity for wounded, injured or sick ex-servicemen. “Fundraising has been so difficult during Covid at a time when the charity was being called on more than ever,” says Mission Motorsport chief executive James Cameron. “The support of the CAT Driver Training team, and the community behind it, has been wonderful and not only keeps the light on in difficult times, it has also been a great encouragement for our work.”
