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Issue 150 | April 2022

County-wide news, views and stories

The magazine at the heart of Milton Keynes and Bucks

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CONTENTS

From the

Editor

April 2022

Kerry Lewis-Stevenson

t's a very egg-citing time with plenty of Easter days out to look forward to. Head to Milton Keynes Museum to search for hidden eggs or to Great Linford Manor Park where the epic egg hunt continues until 17April. There will be more Easter enjoyment at the Secret Garden in Wolverton, at Wolverton Working Men’s Club, Bletchley Conservative Club and The National Museum of Computing. You can find all the details on our Easter events page.

If you are interested in how some local businesses start you’ll enjoy reading about Simon Goodman’s journey with Dial A Carpet, which spookily started on Hallowe’en back in 1989. The rest, as they say, is history. For those old enough to remember Bobby Ewing’s dream in the famous 80s series, Dallas, you’ll be pleased to hear that Patrick Duffy (aka Bobby) is bringing a very different role to MK Theatre as Daniel Corban in the play Catch Me If You Can from 4 to 9 April. Don’t go too far after watching his performance because the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie comes to Milton Keynes Theatre from 19 to 23 April. You could win one of three pairs of tickets in our competition by answering a simple question about this much loved production. While we're on a musical theme, there is another music exhibition at Milton Keynes Museum - this time to celebrate 60 years of Marshall Amplification. If you have memorabilia from The National Bowl or any other Milton Keynes shows the MK Music Archive would love to hear from you. If you would like to know what it’s like to bring you this wonderful publication each month you can read my chat with our own Sammy Jones, the journey so far and our plans for the future. Have a great month.

Kerry Read previous editions online: www.pulsemagazine.co.uk 01908 465488 mkpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk 17 Stilebrook Road, Olney, Bucks MK46 5EA Connect with us on socials: /pulsemagazines @pulsemagazines mkpulsemagazine FINISHED READING? PASS PULSE MAGAZINE TO A FRIEND OR PLACE IT IN THE RECYCLING.

The deadline for advertising in the next edition of Pulse Magazine is MONDAY MONDAY 8TH 11TH FEBRUARY APRIL Published by MK Pulse Limited MK Pulse cannot take responsibility for the content of the advertisements, editorial or the services provided by the advertisers. Advertisements are accepted on the understanding that descriptions of goods and services are accurate. All artwork is accepted on condition that permission has been given for use in MK Pulse. Reproduction, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. ©MK Pulse

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INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

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he findings were made during conservation work on the Farmhouse which have just been completed. Now the building, sited on a Scheduled Ancient Monument, is set to be transformed into a visitor centre including an education hub, lecture theatre, care, shop and exhibition space. The extensive conservation works on the building have been funded by Milton Keynes Council, Milton Keynes City Discovery centre and Historic England. The renovations have ensured the historic building, with its origins dating back to the 12th century, will be safeguarded for generations to come. “This is a really important milestone in the project and we are delighted that the capital works to the site are now complete,” said the council’s deputy leader Cllr Robin Bradburn. “Milton Keynes Council has invested heavily in the Bradwell Abbey site recognising its national importance as a collection of medieval buildings including the 14th Century Pilgrim Chapel. The City Discovery centre will take on the management of the site and a programme of guided tours and events is set to run during the spring and summer. Take a video tour of farmhouse here: https://bit.ly/3ap3Kq4

Historic farmhouse reveals its hidden treasures Historic artwork, including evidence of paintings dating back to the 12th century and a carved stone head believed to represent Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of King Edward I, are set to go on show at Bradwell Abbey.

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LOCAL NEWS

Local Community helps to Celebrate Milton Keynes Flags were flying in Middleton Hall as Milton Keynes began its preparations for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in June.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant will take place on Sunday 5 June as part of the extended Bank Holiday Weekend. It is an opportunity for communities and people to celebrate the historic milestone of Her Majesty The Queen as the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee with 70 years of service.

ree flag-making and movement workshops drew more than 5,000 visitors to centre:mk. Local flag bearers and dancers will spend the next three months rehearsing for the 5,000-strong Pageant where they will represent Milton Keynes and offer a ‘Thank You’ performance to Her Majesty. Representatives from community groups including the Milton Keynes Hindu Association, Camphill MK Communities, Keeping Kids Off The Streets, and MKAct took part in the activities at the Celebrate Milton Keynes event. Community representatives and Key Workers pledged to carry a flag in the Pageant itself. Celebrate Milton Keynes was produced by The Stables with IF: Milton Keynes International Festival, arts organisation Kinetika and creative director and producer Jeanefer Jean-Charles, and is supported by Arts Council England, Milton Keynes Council and centre:mk. Monica Ferguson, chief executive and artistic director of

The Stables, said: “We wanted to create a real community event to involve people in the creative process of developing the ‘Thank You Dance’ finalé to the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. It was so heart-warming to see families and communities come together to share ideas that can be incorporated into the MK Mandala flag designs. “We cannot wait to get rehearsals started and to see the ‘Thank you Dance’ and flags come to life in front of Her Majesty The Queen on such an historic occasion. Our thanks go to everyone who took part and to centre:mk, Milton Keynes Council and Arts Council England for their support in making it possible.” Four days of celebrations will include public events, community activities and national moments of reflection on The Queen’s reign of seven decades. The cohort of people from Milton Keynes will join the Pageant, which will wind through the streets of Westminster and along The Mall past Buckingham Palace.

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INTERVIEW

‘I never tired of being the hero...’ Pic: Jack Merriman

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INTERVIEW

At the first note of Jerrold Immel’s theme tune ringing out, millions of people would settle in front of the TV, readying themselves for a weekly dose of the trials and tribulations of the Ewing family from Southfork Range. Pulse feature writer Sammy Jones was one of those tuning in. She spoke with Patrick Duffy about a very different role that is bringing him to Milton Keynes.

or 13 years Dallas thrilled us with its marvellous mix; a feuding family, dirty tricks, sex and cliffhanger after another. Dallas originally ended its small screen run in 1991, by which time it had long secured its place in TV history, and Bobby Ewing would be remembered as the, dark, handsome, honourable Ewing brother. When the show returned for a limited run from 2012, so too did Bobby. Playing that iconic character helped Patrick keep himself in check: “If I am brutally honest with myself, in the beginning it helped me mitigate my behaviour, and I don’t mean that I had abhorrent behaviour...when you play the character that I play, it reminded me that more often than not it’s better to just show the kindness, and if you are upset about something, deal with it, and don’t take it out on other people. “All of those things were life lessons for me that came from the type of characters I play, so I never tired of being the hero,” he admits, “It sounds weird to talk about yourself, so I’ll refer to Patrick as a third person, but Patrick has a physical presence that is interpreted a certain way and so he is cast that way, and nine times out of 10 that will be as a romantic lead or a heroic figure, or a sympathetic figure...” Patrick, who famously also played the Man From Atlantis and starred in the huge stateside comedy Step by Step, isn’t fussed about being looked upon in a particular way by casting directors. “That’s just the way it is and when I was doing theatre in college and the first couple of years out of college, I always played the young leading man – when you step on stage you have to be who you look like.” It’s down to good genes, right? “It is, and it served me very well. I don’t deny it and I only appreciate it,” he says humbly. But it all could have been so different – instead of arguing over the desks of Ewing oil with J.R., Patrick could have spent his career being creative in a very different way – as a carpenter. He trained with his father, and also had an eye as an artist. He attended High School half an hour away from Seattle, and a career as an architect looked like a good bet for him:

Patrick and his partner Linda Purl, both starring in Catch Me If You Can at MK Theatre

“That’s what I intended to do until my drama teacher planted the seed and helped me get into a drama school at the university and it changed the course of my life.” As a lad, Patrick used to pretend to be Michael Landon in Bonanza. Years later, their paths crossed when both were filming at MGM. And ‘Bobby Ewing’ lost his cool that day: “He was sitting with one of the crew members playing chess. I got to meet my hero and I turned into a 12-year-old boy in Montana pretending he was a cowboy on Bonanza in a

...when I was doing theatre in college and the first couple of years out of college, I always played the young leading man...

heartbeat,” he recalls, “I probably looked like every fan that had ever come up to him, but he was one of my heroes.” Patrick has recently celebrated his 73rd birthday. Those genes we mentioned are still serving him well, and he looks as fit as a fiddle. Which is just as well, seeing as though he is still in the early stages of a 22-week tour of the play, Catch Me If You Can. He’s sharing the stage with his real life partner, actress Linda Purl. A long run that sounds like hard work, I venture. “It’s a very long run,” he agrees, “When we very first had the discussion about it, it was going to be a three month tour, and then it became the six month tour it is now. “It’s more than I have ever done theatrically, obviously, and it requires me to marshal my energies rather strictly, which is good because we do a different venue every week, 22 weeks in a row. We have one day off, which is when Linda and I get in the car and drive to the next venue – our day off is spent packing, loading the car, driving to our place, and then unpacking, moving into our new digs and then the next morning going to the theatre for a tech rehearsal to start all over again.

Gray O’ Brien (Inspector Levine), Patrick Duffy (Daniel Corban) and Linda Purl (Elizabeth Corban) in a scene from the play

Pic: Jack Merriman

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

“I’m covering all of the beautiful UK and not seeing any of it,” he quips. They keep to a pretty strict regime too. Just one glass of wine a night is permitted, and junk food is banished from the menu: “I am dying to have pub food. It is my favourite type of food when I’m on vacation, but this is not a vacation,” he tells himself. Patrick isn’t about to start taking his foot off the pedal marked ‘acting’ either. That’s not how this business works in his mind. “When you have decided that acting is what you want to do, it’s not the type of job where you are looking forward to your retirement. It is a job that you want to do as long as you can possibly do it, and any time the phone rings and a job is offered, the level of gratitude is amazing.

Pic: Jack Merriman

INTERVIEW

When you have decided that acting is what you want to do, it’s not the type of job where you are looking forward to your retirement. It is a job that you want to do as long as you can possibly do it… “If the phone rings for a job, and it’s not a deplorable subject matter, I will go anywhere. I am an actor for hire, and my best reward is when I am able to do the thing I have decided is my career... “If it were just offered to me, I wouldn’t have chosen to do six months away from the relationship that’s the most important thing in my life now though,” he admits. Patrick struck up a friendship with Happy Days actress Linda during lockdown. They grew close during months of zoom calls and face timing. By the time he jumped in his car and drove the 20 hours to Linda’s home, they were both smitten. “When I drove up and she was waiting in the driveway, essentially it was a commitment, a heart commitment, not a mind commitment. It proved to be true, we’ve not been apart since that time,” he admits. Do you feel like a teenager? “I do feel like a teenager, I feel the blush of all of that – the exuberance of falling in love. The shyness and the happiness all rolled into one,” he says, and he even sounds a little like a teenager in love, “...the excitement, and the stimulation all of it, but I am experiencing it as a 73 year old. It’s a wonderful combination of life experience allowing you not to be carried away by it, but to thoroughly enjoy and relish and bathe yourself in it. It’s a different sense of falling love to that which I had as a teenager, because there is a knowledge behind it now. “I know what it is, but it doesn’t mean it’s less enjoyable. As a matter of fact it’s almost more satisfying because there is an inevitability and a timelessness to it.” It’s a proper love story, isn’t it? 14

“It really is, and it should be. To me, it’s a life lesson for everybody else that is in the same circumstance. I know many people in my basic age range who think these things aren’t possible any more, and the proof that it is just walked through the room just now...” he says, as Linda makes an appearance. He has a message for anyone else thinking they’ll never have another crack at romance. “You have to be open and you have to be ready and it will present itself to you.” Patrick and Linda have been a unit for a while now. ‘There must be something that annoys you about her’, I try. “There is nothing I hold in my head and go, ‘I wish she wouldn’t do that, it irritates me so much,’ although I had a dream last night that without telling me she invited 16 young people to sleep over,” he chuckles, “I don’t know where that came from, but we laughed about it this morning and she said she would never do it without asking...” In his working life, Patrick has been fortunate, but there has been tragedy too. Buddhism has taught him resilience and ‘a window of understanding of things.’ When his parents were murdered in the bar they had ran for more than three decades, Patrick had already been practicing buddhism for 15 years. “Without knowing it I had a grasp of what buddhism describes as the eternity of the life condition of all things,” he thinks, “I was surprised by the fact that I was not experiencing any sense of disconnect from my parents due to the fact that they were no longer alive. I had the same sense of being connected to them that I had always had.

You can see Patrick Duffy in Catch Me If You Can at MK Theatre from April 4-9

“I didn’t have the anger and revenge determination towards the two people who committed the murders. I looked at them as being victims of their own behaviour, which surprised me. It was as if I thought, ‘they are going to be punished enough, and I have no iron in this fire at all. I don’t need to carry this as a burden in my life. They have created their future by their actions.’ “Those two things surprised me, but they were consistent with the philosophy, and those things come to the fore of my instinct all the time now.” In the here and now, Patrick and Linda are enjoying their time on stage, and Catch Me If You Can arrives in Milton Keynes in April for a weeklong stay. You’ve said that you like playing good guys, but then you’ve also said that your character in CMIYC is Bobby Ewing with no morals. “I liked the fact that although he is a sympathetic character, he has many more foibles than Bobby ever dreamed of having, so I find that enjoyable, because I think the audience will find it enjoyable,” he reasons. “It’s a surprise. If I were playing Robin Hood, everyone knows he is the good guy, and he is always going to be the good guy. It’s nice to throw a curve every once in a while...”

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

> Catch Me If You Can, Milton Keynes Theatre, April 4-9.

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10:26 17

RELATIONSHIPS

New ‘no-fault’ divorce law takes effect Senior solicitor and head of family law at Heald Solicitors Keshini Rajendra looks at the new Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (the Act) which becomes law on 6 April 2022. The new divorce law is a welcome change to existing legislation that has been criticised for requiring one party in a divorce to blame the other for the breakdown of their marriage. Often referred to as the ‘no-fault’ divorce law, the new Act allows couples to end their marriage or civil partnership simply on the basis that their relationship has irretrievably broken down. Keshini Rajendra and the Heald Family Department deal with separations and divorces with kindness and good sense.

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Changes to the existing law The law currently requires one party to allege one of five facts when asking for a divorce: unreasonable behaviour, adultery, separation for five years (or two years when both parties consent) or desertion. The new law will allow either party to simply state that the relationship has irretrievably broken down. In addition, the option now exists for both parties to make the application together. A waiting period of 20 weeks between the application and finalisation of the divorce has been introduced to give couples a period of reflection. It will no longer be possible for one party to contest an application for divorce. The language used has been simplified, with the terms decree nisi and decree absolute replaced with conditional order and final order.

The above information is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Heald Solicitors disclaims and excludes any liability in respect of the contents of this article or for action taken based on this information. If you need legal advice, please contact a solicitor.

Benefits of the new divorce and dissolution legislation It is hoped that removing the need for one party to blame the other and allowing a couple to make a joint application to the courts will reduce conflict during a divorce or dissolution. The legal system encourages couples to resolve matters amicably between themselves wherever possible, with the assistance of family lawyers and, where necessary mediators. Making the divorce process less contentious is intended to help couples negotiate solutions more amicably in respect of other issues, such as division of property, making financial arrangements and caring for children. Eliminating the option of contesting a divorce or dissolution will prevent someone from having to

remain married when they no longer want to be. The new, simpler divorce process is welcome, but it should be noted that it is still important to resolve other issues when dealing with the ending of a relationship, including putting a binding financial agreement in place and making arrangements for children. It is always recommended that you seek legal advice when ending a marriage or civil partnership and before entering into any agreements in respect of property, finances and children. Having worked in family law for over 20 years, Keshini Rajendra is an expert in all legal issues relating to family and divorce including high value and complex financial cases and child-related matters, particularly when there are international or crossjurisdictional issues. Combining a robust demeanour when arguing her client’s case, with an empathetic approach to client care, Keshini’s expertise can make a real difference to the strength of a client’s representation and bring them peace of mind during the process. A member of Resolution, she is committed to promoting collaborative methods of dispute resolution in order to achieve a constructive outcome for clients while avoiding costly and stressful court action. For information and advice about the legal implications of divorce or separation, telephone Keshini at Heald Solicitors on 01908 662277 or email Keshini at keshini.rajendra@healdlaw.com

Find out more at: www.healdlaw.co.uk 18

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

BATHWORKS JULY_© Fish Media 30/06/2014 09:33 Page 1

The bathroom you have always dreamed of! The bathroom you have always dreamed off!

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oVisit our our showroom showroom and see some some of the the latest latest bathroom ranges. ranges. o see 9 x Visit and of 9 x9 bathroom x YOUR DESIGNER BATHROOM Our experienced experienced advisors are on-hand to discuss youryour requirements and give advice. Our advisors are on-hand to discuss Visit our showroom and see some of the latest bathroom ranges. requirements and give advice. arrange Email info@bath-works.co.uk an appointment. w & fit. Bathworks can offer supply only,toormake supply Opening hours: hours: Monday 10am - 4pm Tel: 01908 225535 Opening Monday--Saturday Friday 9.30-5.30pm, Saturdays 10am - 4pm. 42 Alston Drive, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes MK13 9HB www.bath-works.co.uk 196 High Rd, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 9EF tel: 020 8504 1765 www.bath-works.co.uk

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

COMPETITION

Win tickets to see Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

he smash-hit musical comes to the Milton Keynes Theatre from 19 to 23 April, featuring West End star Layton Williams and EastEnders’ muchloved Shane Richie as Hugo/Loco Chanelle, reprising their roles from the critically acclaimed West End production. Funny, fabulous and feelgood, this is the musical sensation for all the family and not to be missed! Jamie New is sixteen and lives on a council estate in Sheffield. Jamie doesn’t quite fit in. Jamie is terrified about the future. Jamie is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight. With an original score of catchy pop tunes by lead singer-songwriter of The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells and writer Tom MacRae (Doctor Who), this brand-new musical will have

everybody talking about Jamie for years to come. Sixteen: the edge of possibility. Time to make your dreams come true. Pulse has three pairs of tickets up for grabs in our competition. To be in with a chance of winning a pair, simply tell us which West End star is set to play Jamie. Email your address and answer to: mkpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk Please title your email: MKETAJ Closing date is Monday, April 11 at 6pm. Terms and conditions: Three readers will win a pair of tickets to see Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Milton Keynes Theatre, valid all performances from 19 to 22 April 2022, subject to availability. No cash alternative. Travel not included.

> For more information and to book your tickets - from £12 - visit everybodystalkingaboutjamie.co.uk

Layton Williams stars as Jamie (top) and Shane Richie (above) as Hugo/Loco Chanelle at Milton Keynes Theatre

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We can carry out all types of repairs for classic and vintage Mercedes-Benz. From minor servicing work to full restoration in association with our local bodyshop.

We can carry out servicing, repair and modifications to performance MercedesBenz vehicles including AMG models. Our technician is fully certified by MercedesBenz to work on SLS Coupe, Roadsters and fully qualified for fitting of all Brabus parts to all Mercedes-Benz models. Any Brabus parts from a foglight to a full engine modification or full body kit.

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Tel: 01908 222244 Email: info@auto-class.co.uk ww.autoclassgarage.co.uk

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

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For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

BROCKHALL

Blackthorns Sun Club A peaceful 15 acre woodland setting in which to spend the day, or bring a tent or caravan. Enjoy the heated pool, various sports, clubhouse, play area, sauna, BBQ, sun lawns & socials with meals & live music. Your membership will allow you unlimited attendance throughout the year. Feel at ease in a contained, safe environment, top up your Vitamin D levels and learn to relax. We have the naturist lifestyle for the whole family, just north of Bedford.

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Is a Kitchen re-spray the new way to update and save?

any of us have thought about repainting our kitchen cupboards as a way of refreshing them without replacing, especially now we have had more time at home lately.

“Can any kind of kitchen can be refinished or is respraying just for solid wood?” As long as your kitchen is in reasonable condition, FX-SPRAY MK can refinish it., even carrying out minor repairs and changing handles as part of the process.

But concerns over the finish achievable and how well the paint would last usually puts us off making a mess of things.

Jason Thompson, FX-SPRAY MK

Why replace when you can reﬁnish?

Now local company FX-SPRAY MK is offering a complete professional paint spray service for kitchens. It is a quick and simple process that leaves your kitchen looking brand new, says FX-SPRAY MK. The company removes and sprays 90 per cent of the kitchen off site, which means that very little work has to be done in your home, in turn meaning minimal disruption. An average kitchen can be completed within a week and home owners continue to use it during the process.

Suitable for solid wo od and MDF wrapped doors MONEY SAVING

AFTER BEFORE

We can colour match to all major paint brands!

Save thousands by having your kitchen professionally reﬁnished to a factory Standard. Your colour choice, minimal disruption and minimal waste with a quick turnaround!

FX-SPRAY MK only use specialist products and having the latest spray equipment means the company delivers that brand new factory finish. A colour matching service to all major paint brands gives a huge choice - you can even go with a two-colour scheme. 22

FX-SPRAY MK also treats doors, windows and furniture. For more information or a free quote, email jason@fxfinishing.co.uk or visit www.fxfinishing.co.uk

Email for a quote or visit our website for details; Call Jason: 07980 320162 email: jason@fxﬁnishing.co.uk

www.fxﬁnishing.co.uk 14

WE ALSO SPRAY:

Fitted furniture & Joinery Composite doors *booking now for spring 2022 PVCu windows *booking now for spring 2022

February 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

RELATIONSHIPS

Divorce: whose business is it anyway?

ow does the court deal with a business in a financial dispute between a divorcing couple? There is often a niggling concern for the business owner that the court may force the sale of the business, which could have far-reaching consequences for them and their employees. Whereas the non-business owning spouse may worry that the court won’t include the value of the business in the settlement, meaning they won’t receive their fair share of the matrimonial pot. So where does the court start? If a business is involved, the court has two main aims: 1) T o establish the value of the interests of the parties in the business; and 2) To determine how that value ought to be considered in the overall financial settlement. Establishing the value How or whether to obtain a valuation is not always straightforward. A valuation is unlikely to assist where, for example, the main value of the business is an income stream, where there is difference of opinion about the value,

If it is deemed by the court that a valuation is appropriate, the divorcing spouses will be expected to jointly instruct an expert to provide a valuation report to the court.

or if the value is theoretical. If there is any doubt about seeking a valuation, you should seek advice from an accountant, particularly if the non-business owning spouse is concerned that the accounts are not a true reflection of the business value.

The court will acknowledge that divorcing spouses are unlikely to want to have ties in the same business, so whilst it has the power to transfer shares, it is unlikely to leave such ties between the parties. It is also unlikely that a court will order the sale of a business if it is the source of the family’s wealth and income. This is a complex subject, so it is vital that divorcing spouses with business interests obtain specialist legal advice.

If the court deems a valuation is appropriate, divorcing spouses will be expected to jointly instruct an expert to provide a valuation report. Considering the value in the overall financial settlement The court will use the valuation as a guide. The value is not the same as ‘cash in the bank’, so the court will try to distribute the risk of liquid and illiquid assets between the parties. In a financial settlement the sharing principle applies to most cases. This means the court will share (more or less equally) all matrimonial assets accumulated during the marriage and will try not to dip into non-matrimonial assets (e.g. those built up before or after the marriage, or inherited). When a business forms part of the asset pot it is common for the court to hear arguments as to whether it is a matrimonial or non-matrimonial asset.

Caroline Watson, national head of family law at Shoosmiths

What next? For a free, initial consultation and to find out more about dealing with businesses on divorce, please call Shoosmiths’ Family team on 03700 868686 or email yourfamilymatters@shoosmiths.co.uk

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

WED 13th APR ‘22

Barnsdale Gardens & Rutland water cruise with Afternoon Tea

Price: £70 per person. Includes entrance into Barnsdale Garden, 1 hour cruise with full afternoon tea at Rutland water. Barnsdale is home to 38 pocket-sized, themed gardens ‘rooms’, full of inspiration for garden-lovers of all ages. Have fun exploring ponds full of tadpoles and newts and an allotment with chickens and giant organically grown veg. Rutland Water: Enjoy the scenery from the water, amidst the sailors, anglers and waterbirds. Whilst onboard enjoy a delicious afternoon tea – *Please make sure aware of any dietary requirements at time of booking* Leaves from Bill’s Coach and Minibus Hire at 9am and leaves Rutland at 3pm.

TUE 19th APR ‘22 Clacton-on-Sea

Price: £25 per adult, £15 per child, under 3s free of charge. Visit the largest town on the Essex Sunshine Coast boasting an array of entertainment including a pleasure pier, arcades, the Princes and the West Cliff Theatres, a golf course & seafront walks. Leaves from Bill’s Coach and Minibus Hire at 8.30am and leaves Clacton-onSea at 4.30pm.

THUR 28th APR ‘22

Tina! The Musical Price: £70 per person. Includes theatre ticket. Seats are in the stall section of the theatre. 19.30 performance *25 steps down to stall section- handrail is in place* From humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her transformation into the global Queen of Rock N Roll, Tina Turner didn’t just break the rules, she rewrote them. This new stage musical reveals the untold story of a women who dared to defy the bounds of her age, gender & race. Leaves from Bill’s Coach and Minibus Hire at 3pm and leaves London at 10.30pm (approx).

WED 4th MAY ‘22

Littlehampton Price: £25 per adult,

£15 per child 3-16yrs, under 3s free of charge. Home to superb sandy beaches, a bustling marina and harbour and stunning contemporary architecture on England's sunny south coast. Leaves from Bill’s Coach and Minibus Hire at 8.30am and leaves Littlehampton at 4pm.

SUN 8th MAY ‘22

RHS Malvern Spring Festival

Price: £50 per person. Includes entrance ticket. Set against the magnificent Malvern Hills, the spring festival is packed with flowers, food, crafts and family fun. Creativity runs wild as designers are given free rein to choose their garden’s theme, providing plenty of take-home inspiration. Leaves from Bill’s Coach and Minibus Hire at 8.30am and leaves Malvern at 4pm.

Call 01908 613000

info@billscoachhire.co.uk | www.billscoachhire.co.uk Stacey Bushes, 1 Hollin Lane, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 6HT

We’ve gone mobile! Across Bucks, Beds and Northants

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Serving generations of local families Now fully operational from The Workshop, Northey Farm, Warrington NN29 7NP For viewings please contact Alistair Contact us today and we will bring our showroom to you door

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to book or for more information.

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April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

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HEALTH & FITNESS

Allergies in children

Questions answered by a specialist Mr Mamun Rashid is a Consultant ENT & Head & Neck Surgeon at The Saxon Clinic in Milton Keynes and Manor Hospital in Bedford. He specialises in all aspect of adult and paediatric ear nose and throat disorders. Here he shares his specialist knowledge and advice on the common condition of allergic rhinitis in Children.

Mr Mamun Rashid What is allergic rhinitis? This is inflammation of the inside of the nose caused by substances including pollen, dust, mould and animal fur. The body reacts to these substances and produces antibodies to ‘fight’ them causing the release of chemicals inside the nose. This condition affects children of all age groups but is most prevelant amongst the early teens. What variations are there? Seasonal allergic rhinitis - this is when your child has symptoms at particular times of the year such as spring and summer, secondary to pollen from grass, trees and weeds, and is known as hay fever. Perennial allergic rhinitis - this is when your child has symptoms throughout the year and can be triggered by house dust mites, pets and/or mould. This type is more common in younger children.

What are the symptoms? • Itchy eyes, throat, nose, ears • Sneezing, blocked/runny nose • Watering/red eyes • Throat clearing/cough • Headaches & fatigue How is it diagnosed? Your GP can usually diagnose this condition using a combination of patient history and examination, and provide or suggest appropriate treatment. However, when treatment is not effective or the diagnosis isn’t clear then a specialist ENT consultant can help. This sometimes includes further tests such as skin allergy testing. How can it be treated? Avoiding allergic substances - tests can be performed to determine specific allergies. For example pollen exposure can be minimised through checking weather reports, wearing

wraparound sunglasses, using Vaseline around nostrils to trap pollen and keeping your child indoors whilst mowing the lawn. Dust allergy can be limited though regular cleaning of carpets/soft toys, use of anti-allergenic mattress and pillow covers and using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter amongst other things. Medical treatment - antihistamines for example Piriton is available without prescription for children over the age of 1. Nasal sprays including steroid sprays can help control inflammation for children aged 4 and over. Eye drops can help for those children with particularly severe eye symptoms and can potentially be used in combination with sprays and oral agents. Allergic rhinitis & asthma? Children with asthma are at higher risk for rhinitis and poorly controlled

allergy symptoms can often make asthma symptoms worse. For these children it is particularly important to appropriately and preemptively manage allergy symptoms so as to keep the asthma under control as well. Your GP can refer you to a specialist Ear Nose and Throat surgeon if the symptoms prove difficult to manage or you can self refer your child should you wish to seek a private appointment.

To learn more about adult and paediatric ear nose and throat disorders services available at The Saxon Clinic, visit:

circlehealthgroup.co.uk/saxon

Sat 21 & Sun 22 May 2022 Willen Lake South 12noon - 5pm

FREE ENTRY

Car parking charges apply at Willen Lake H

The two day pooch party returns with a fun dog show, thrilling arena performances, giant dock-diving and an array of doggie related vendors and traders. www.theparkstrust.com/bigdoggiedo For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

EASTER EVENTS

Cracking Easter events for everyone Looking for a festive way to celebrate Easter with the family? Here’s your guide to the pics of events happening around town...

he hunt will be on at Milton Keynes Museum this Easter when the search for hidden eggs begins – and they will lead the way to yummy chocolate rewards! The annual search is an engaging way to celebrate the festive period – and the Museum’s Easter Egg Hunt ensures everyone wins something. And if you find the exceedingly rare red eggs, you’ll get a bumper amount of chocolate treats, so keep your eyes peeled! The eggs will be dotted around inside the Museum and in the grounds, ensuring a cracking good time for everyone as they enjoy a wonderful tour of the history hub along the way. The Museum is also inviting visitors to get stuck into some Easter themed craft activities. It’s great traditional family fun suitable for little chicks and older bunnies alike, and the four day event (April 15-18) is also choc-full of non-sweetie goodness, with plenty of hands-on interaction getting you closer to our past. Standard admission prices apply which will also give you free entry for the following 12 months. More details can be found at miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk

Picturesque Great Linford Manor Park is the setting for an Easter Egg Hunt which is already underway and continues through to April 17 – so there’s plenty of time to get out and get egg-cited! There are two egg trails available; one for KS1 children (aged 5-7) or younger with the help of an adult with participants following puzzles and challenges. The second is for KS2 children (aged 7-11) who will follow the eggs and answer the riddles on them. The Parks Trust are organising these events and more details are available by tapping to theparkstrust.com If you do take part, remember to leave the eggs where you find them so that all participants can enjoy the trail. Emily’s Star is holding its Egg Hunt on Friday, April 15 between 10am-2pm, at the Secret Garden in Wolverton. Clues will be hidden around the garden to spell out the word needed to claim your prize, and this year, there will be a mixture of rewards – from books and Easter bunny’s to Easter treats. Participation is £4 per child (adults go free) and all youngsters will receive a prize. Pre-booking is essential – book tickets now at emilysstar.co.uk/events Bletchley Conservative Club invites you to its Easter Funday with a difference, on Wednesday, April 13 – with a disco, BBQ, stalls and crafts all on the menu. Entry is £8 per child and the four hours of fun begins at midday. Tickets can be purchased direct from the venue now. An Easter Monday Fun Day at Wolverton Working Men’s Club will give families the chance to hunt the egg, and there will also be arts and crafts and prize bingo for kids, for 50p a game. If you are going to spend Easter Sunday eating lots of the sweet stuff, you’ll want to burn off the excess figure – and a disco is just the thing. They’ve got one of those too! Entry is £2 per child. Head out on an Easter egg hunt around Bletchley Park where every egg has a code. Crack that and you’ll bag a prize. You can take part in the Emily’s Star Egg Hunt (left) at the Secret Garden, Wolverton

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

Chocolatey rewards await at Milton Keynes Museum this Easter

Family activity drop-in sessions, suitable for youngsters aged 7-14 years, will teach you about Enigma machines before you have a go at making your very own! Drop in sessions run April 5-7 and then daily from Wednesday, April 13 - Wednesday, April 20. bletchleypark.org.uk At The National Museum of Computing, the Easter STEM Bytes Festival is an opportunity to experience a ‘byte’-sized taste of a selection of major STEM topics, including coding, robotics, augmented reality and virtual reality. The festival will engage little minds between April 12 and April 24. tnmoc.org/bytes

MOMENTS T H AT M AT T E R

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IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

EASTER

Mini Easter egg tins Annabel James £11.95

Easter

annabeljames.co.uk

With Easter approaching, hop on to the trend alongside the Easter bunny. From cards to give your loved ones to house decorations for your Easter dinner, we have gathered a selection of products to make Easter joyful and colourful.

Potted Easter tree with eggs - £65

Main Image: Peacock feather black and white wallpaper £78 Gingham bunny ears - £3.50 mineheart.com Carrot headband - £3.00

ellajames.co.uk

housetohaven.co.uk

Pink feather wreath - £45 Velvet eggs - £45 truffletablescapes.co.uk

Felt bunny basket - £3.99 Felt chick egg decoration - £1.55 housetohaven.co.uk

Halo dried flower crown - £45

maryelizabethflowers.co.uk

Six Easter eggs on sticks We Love Seasons - £9 weloveseasons.com

Easter bunny party bags - £6.49 gingerray.co.uk

MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

ai164493432844_FW Advert Mk.pdf

15/02/2022

14:12

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April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

Support your local Hospice this summer We need to raise £9 every single minute of the year to continue to provide our specialist end-of-life care. Taking part in our events is a fun way to help us continue to be there to care for the community of Milton Keynes, whenever they might need us.

Willen Hospice summer events APRIL

The Moo is back and it’s going to be bigger than ever! Midday Moo - Saturday 25 June Midnight Moo - Friday 15 July Mini Moo - Sunday 7 August Get ready to mooooove it!

4th - 18th Teddy Bear Hunt Look out for Flo and our Easter Swan float! 23rd Remember 40 years of caring

MAY

13th 48 hour virtual relay

JUNE

5th MK Chorale Concert, Theatre MK 16th Ascot Ladies Day - limited spaces remaining! 17th Ascot Race Day - limited spaces remaining! 25th Midday Moo

JULY

15th Midnight Moo

AUG

7th Mini Moo

SEPT

4th Cycle Sportive 15th Willen at Gullivers Land 18th Twilight Walk

For a full list of all our events and challenges visit www.willen-hospice.org.uk/events

Join us!

Fundraise for us

We couldn’t do what we do without our amazing family of volunteers. Learn more about our volunteering opportunities at www.willen-hospice.org.uk/volunteering

From cake sales to skydives, our dedicated team can help you to make your fundraising a success. Discover more at www.willen-hospice.org.uk/fundraise

Teddy bear hunt on safari! 4 - 18 April 2022 Play over Easter half term and help find Teddy’s friends hiding around Willen! £5 to play. Scan the QR code or visit www.willen-hospice.org.uk/teddybearhunt

Registered charity number 270194

INTERIORS

Simon Goodman - We have hundreds of samples to choose from so we help clients go through the ones that will suit their individual needs

The easy way to

beautiful flooring How an established family business transformed the way that customers buy their flooring for their homes and businesses.

allowe’en 1989 sticks in the mind of Simon Goodman. Rather than getting the fright of his life it was the evening when a life-changing idea became a reality. After decades working in the family’s flooring firm, Goodman Carpets, Simon saw a gap in the market to boost sales. The result was Dial-a-Carpet which enabled customers to choose their carpets in the comfort of their home rather than visiting a showroom. While this type of service is the norm in today’s world in the late 1980s it was something new and Simon admitted he was unsure if it would work. One newspaper advert answered the question on that memorable October day. 32

“I’ll never forget the date,” said Simon. “It was Hallowe’en 1989 and couldn’t believe it when the phone started to ring.” Three appointments later and Simon was heading home through the streets of Northampton. “It was really bizarre. There were all these people dressed up as ghosts and witches out and about on the streets and I had £1,500 worth of carpet orders agreed which was a lot of money in those days. I almost cracked open the champagne.” Since then, Dial-a-Carpet, which was combines the first names of Simon’s parents Diane and Allen, has become a familiar trading name across the area. Simon, who joined the family firm at the age of 16, started to focus on Dial-a-Carpet to meet growing demand. This firm, unlike many other flooring outlets, offers a wide range of extra services which make life a whole lot easier for customers. A small additional fee will cover the cost of removing furniture and even packing valuables before the old flooring is taken up and taken away for disposal.

“It can make all the difference to customers. They might want a new carpet or lino but would struggle with moving furniture,” said Simon, who is insistent that all flooring is quality checked to avoid any last-minute issues. “I often have customers telling me that if they knew we offered these services they would have got their flooring changed a whole lot sooner.”

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

The ‘famously’ known Goodman Carpets showroom on Wellingborough Road

INTERIORS

There is growing interest in luxury vinyl tiles, but carpet, lino and laminates are still popular. Simon and wife Carly took over Goodman Carpets when Allen retired in 2007 and since then have retained the family’s commitment to a high-quality service. The team of professional fitters include some who have worked for Dial-a-Carpet for more than 20 years. The first decision for customers is to confirm an appointment for Simon to visit their home or business to look through samples. Simon said: “We have hundreds of samples to choose from so we help clients go through the ones that will suit their individual needs. Customers want to see and touch the samples and, if this is in their home, they can see how the colours work with the light in the room and furniture.” A free, no-obligation quote is then drawn up which itemises all the costs so there are no nasty surprises when it comes to pay the bill. Simon said: “We believe in offering a hassle-free service where we can spend time with the customers to ensure they are getting the flooring which meets their budget and their ideas.

Above: A recent lounge carpet fitted by Dial-a-Carpet and below Herringbone LVT supplied and laid by Dial-a-Carpet

Dial a Carpet on 01908 849868 or visit www.dial-a-carpet.co.uk

Dial a Carpet has wealth of options for customers through Goodman Carpets, who are members of SMG, the United Kingdom’s largest flooring buying group. This means whatever the colour, design or material Simon and his team feel confident they can source the order on behalf of the customer. Greys and beiges are current favourites in homes but every so often a customer will opt for a vibrant red or something zingy with stripes. While carpets are still popular there is growing demand for luxury vinyl tiles which can create eye-catching, unique designs to suit a room.

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Dial a Carpet today on 01908 849868 or click to dial-a-carpet.co.uk For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

MOBILITY

Oakley Heathcare & Mobility:

Get the best out of Life Oakley Healthcare & Mobility is a successful family company, trading for over 40 years, providing mobility and healthcare equipment across Milton Keynes, Bedford and Northamptonshire. Get out and about with the Motability Scheme If you receive Enhanced PIP (Personal Independence Payment) or Higher Rate DLA (Disability Living Allowance) you would qualify to use your Mobility allowance to lease a Scooter or Powerchair from Oakley Mobility.

Relaxed customer experience As a family company Oakley Healthcare & Mobility are dedicated to customer service. Visitors to their large and fully accessible mobility showroom in Northampton are given any help and advice they require to help them make the correct choice.

The scheme is simple, you exchange part of your mobility allowance to lease the scooter or powerchair of your choice. Leasing costs are all inclusive and include insurance, servicing, repairs and breakdown cover, giving independence and peace-of-mind to those with specialist mobility needs.

Without the pressure selling of some larger retail chains, customers are invited to have complimentary refreshments whilst they consider the options, before making the choice that meets their personal requirements.

Oakley Mobility are one of the largest Motability dealers in the Milton Keynes area and have Motability specialists available to visit you at home to assess your requirements and advise you about the scheme. Call us now on 01604 602000 to arrange a FREE home visit and for any further information.

More items in stock than ever before With the effects of the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit still being felt, many of the mobility equipment manufacturers have increased their lead times for large mobility equipment as production has slowed due to the enforced factory closures or reduction of personnel working on the production line.

To see a range of products available on Motability, check out our advert inside the back cover >>

This increased the wait for large items by many weeks in some cases but, as an example of Oakley’s dedication to customer service, this

friendly, family company increased the size of their warehousing space. This has allowed many more items, including many popular riser/recliner chairs and specialist beds, to be stocked and available to be purchased by customers straight off the shelf. With no more long waits for products to be manufactured and delivered, items can often be delivered next-day or even same-day straight from stock and FREE OF CHARGE! Working with charitable organisations Combined with this, the last 12 months has also seen Oakley Healthcare & Mobility strengthening ties with local charities within the community, proudly working in partnership with the NHS, Age UK (Northamptonshire), the British Polio Fellowship and Northamptonshire Association for the Blind (NAB).

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

> If you think Oakley Healthcare & Mobility could help you, call 01604 602000 or visit their mobility superstore on Monkspond Street, Northampton, NN1 2LF (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm).

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LOCAL HISTORY

Pic: Barry Rivett

Pic: David Jackson

Wired for Sound turns up the volume with Marshall Amplification Following the success of last year's Wired For Sound music exhibition at the Museum, we are delighted to announce a second show celebrating one of the biggest names in the industry – Marshall Amplification. The display will bring you closer to many rare items from the company's collection, as it celebrates its sixth decade anniversary. Wired For Sound will also be bringing back its growing selection of artefacts and rare images from The National Bowl. The show begins a three week stay at the Museum on April 9. Here's a taster of what you can expect... Linkin Park tour itinerary Linkin Park famously recorded the last date of their Projekt Revolution tour at The National Bowl. Last year we added to the collection with a fascinating selection of Milton Keynes related paraphernalia; including passes, plectrums used at the performance, schedule times and even the backstage dinner menu (spinach and feta cheese pie and grilled salmon with buerre blanc were among the choices). The so-called '2008 European Pocket Rocket' also detailed every date, flight time and hotel and other necessary info to ensure a smooth journey. 36

It's a fascinating little insight into the military style operation that goes to make sure these huge shows run like clockwork. Foo Fighters They've visited Milton Keynes three times and by their own admission have played some of their favourite ever shows at our venue. When Dave Grohl and co. played in 2011, they flew their families over and put on a bit of a special deal for VIPs backstage – their very own pub, Ye Olde Fighters Arms. Guests quaffed from special glass tankards emblazoned with the pub logo and the show dates. Unsurprisingly, these are now collectors items. T-shirts What a lot we've got. Some are faded and well-loved donations, others we've splashed out on at the shows, and they are fantastic way to sweep your eyes over the A-listers who have held court at The Bowl; from Guns N' Roses to Michael Jackson to Metallica, Bowie, Erasure, Black Sabbath, Queen, U2 and many others.

This Genesis shirt mightn't look super fancy, but if you want to get your hands on one of them now, you'll be paying £100s of pounds... Photos Our archive is full of fabulous shots from Bowl shows – including never before seen images of David Bowie, Michael Jackson, AC/DC and Black Sabbath. We'll be sharing some of these at the show. Releases Plenty of artists have recorded their dates at the venue for DVD releases, or used audio tracks on single and EP releases, and our music archive includes Bowl moments from artists including Status Quo, Queen, Linkin Park, Bon Jovi, Green Day and Gary Moore. > If you have memorabilia from The National Bowl – or from any shows in Milton Keynes – that you would donate to the Milton Keynes Music Archive, please visit FB @miltonkeyneswiredforsound

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

LOCAL HISTORY

Some of the highlights from the Marshall Amplification collection that you will be able to see... Paul Weller signature amp 1987X-PW Paul Weller is best associated with a rather rare Marshall, the Lead and Bass 2100. Only available via mail order for a short period in the 70s, these 50W combos are now very much sought after. To celebrate Paul Weller’s 50th birthday, Jim Marshall decided to do a limited run based on the original amps’ schematics. The crowning glory of this limited run was the white vinyl covering and Royal Air Force roundel, tying the amp in perfectly with the Mod-Father’s style. Only fifty 1987X-PWs were ever made, with proceeds being donated to Childline. Kerry King signature amp 2203KK This is a clone of Kerry King’s favourite JCM800, which was nicknamed ‘The Beast’. It turns out the amp was completely stock, apart from the addition of KT88 valves. To get his signature sound, he also used an external EQ pedal to boost his mids and gain. Marshall replicated this by adding the ‘Beast Mode’ switch to the amp, which also included a studio quality noise gate. In addition to this, we added the Celtic lettering on the front panel and Tribal ‘flames’ based on Kerry’s tattoos. On this page: 30th anniversary half stack (top) Reproduction of 8x12" cabinet (Middle) Jim Marshall's black satin bomber jacket (bottom) Paul Weller signature amp (below)

Reproduction of 8x12" cabinet Since Jim had released the JTM45 in 1962, customers were constantly demanding more power, with one of these customers being legendary guitarist Pete Townshend. Pete came into Jim’s shop and demanded a bigger cabinet with 8x 12” speakers. Jim knew that this cabinet would be incredibly heavy but built it to meet the demand. A few weeks later Pete returned, stating that his roadies had found it very difficult to move it. Pete’s suggestion was to simply cut the cab in half however due to the structure this was an impossible task. Jim went away to build a straight-fronted 4x12” cabinet that an angled 4x12” cabinet could sit atop of. And thus, the Marshall stack was born. Jim Marshall OBE Jim Marshall was awarded an OBE for "services to the music industry and to charity" in 2003. 30th anniversary half stack When the 30th Anniversary series was launched in 1992 it was met with huge critical acclaim. With blue or white vinyl finishes, all brass plated panel and Marshall script logo, this was an amp that screamed glamour. The amp itself was a 100 watt beast with 11 valves and 3 independent channels, each with their own controls for EQ and volume and individual gain controls for Crunch and Lead channels. The amp was praised for providing almost all Marshall tones in one. Each channel featured different modes modelled after previous Marshall success stories. Whether you were after the sound of a JTM45 or a JCM900, this series would fit the bill.

Black satin bomber jacket The Black Satin bomber Jacket that belonged to the father of Loud himself. He always used to wear it and it was one of his favourites.

Milton Keynes Museum is one of the best interactive museums, a perfect outing for all ages, staffed by friendly volunteers, and highly recommended by visitors on TripAdvisor. This feature was written by Milton Keynes Museum. Find out more about forthcoming events and see our opening times at: miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

RELATIONSHIPS

Choosing a Family Solicitor

Emily Pope Solicitor - Divorce and Family Law Neves Solicitors LLP Aurora House Deltic Avenue Rooksley Milton Keynes MK13 8LW

01908 304560 www.nevesllp.co.uk

such as Google reviews. These reviews are left directly by former clients for the benefit of others.

A solicitor could end up being one of the biggest investments you make and so it is important that you are happy with your choice. So this month, rather than write about the reforms to divorce law, making arrangements for your children or some other aspect of family law, we have decided instead to give out practical advice to anybody who finds themselves in need of a solicitor and not knowing where to start looking.

Next, pick up the phone to any firms that catch your eye. See if you can speak to the solicitor who would be dealing with your matter when you make that initial call. Almost any family lawyer you speak to will have knowledge of the same practice areas and can give you similar advice, so concentrate on working out whether you feel you would trust and get along with your solicitor. A lot of information, sometimes personal and sensitive, will be exchanged during the course of your dealings with a solicitor and you need to make sure you are confiding in somebody who you feel you can trust.

f you are approaching a solicitor about a family issue, the chances are you are probably going through a really difficult period in your life. When making any other purchase that you are likely to spend a lot of money on, like a new car or the latest phone, you would likely spend hours doing your homework. Would you spend the same amount of time choosing a solicitor?

First, ask for recommendations from family and friends. If nobody you know has personal experience of a family lawyer, check out independent feedback platforms 38

Do your research. Look at firms’ websites. Many law firms will offer lots of helpful resources on their website that could help you moving forwards.

Many clients come to a firm of solicitors with a view of the sort of

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

solicitor they would like to instruct. If you would like to deal with matters in an amicable fashion, consider instructing a solicitor who is a member of Resolution - a body of Family Justice professionals committed to resolving disputes in a manner that takes into account the needs of the whole family. There is a ‘Find a Solicitor’ feature at www.resolution.org.uk Finally, the best way to decide whether you have made the right decision is to book in for an initial consultation appointment. Many firms will offer fixed fees but shop around to find out how much time you will get to spend with your chosen solicitor within that initial call. At Neves, we tend to find that offering a one hour initial fixed fee meeting gives our clients just about the right amount of time to run through their circumstances and get an initial steer as to what their options are moving forwards. If you find yourself needing to consult a family professional, feel free to get in touch with a member of our team.

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For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

PULSE PICS As the world struggles to comprehend the horrors being faced in Ukraine, Milton Keynes has been demonstrating its support in colour. There was also the launch of a substantial new art exhibition, fun at the historic Olney pancake race and the beauty of the gentle creatures who reside in Woburn Abbey park. Here are this month’s Pulse Pics... Pic: Chris Parnham

This beautiful image of a majestic deer soaking in the spring sunshine was taken at Woburn Deer Park by photographer Colin Kempster. Easter is coming and in Newport Pagnell one clever knitter has come up with an egg-cellent way to mark the festive season. With thanks to Mark Wicks for the ‘cracking’ photo. Artist Ingrid Pollard held a private view of her exhibition, Carbon Slowly Turning at MK Gallery. This is the first major survey of her 40 year career. Works include delicately hand-tinted photographs, a flotilla of small ceramic boats and a cast of protagonists that includes boxers, musicians, tango dancers and writers. The show continues until May 29. All eyes were on Olney again for the annual pancake race on Shrove Tuesday, and of course it proved to be flippin’ great fun! Little Albie certainly enjoyed his first ever pancake race as his big smile proves.

The horror currently being inflicted on Ukraine is difficult to comprehend, but people have been responding in very individual ways, and for Milton Keynes artist Shelly Wyndebank that meant getting creative. The result is a particularly striking mixed media collage she has called Ceasefire. Shelly will sell prints of the piece and monies raised will go to help those displaced by the conflict. Visit FB: @shellywyndebankartist

on mmy J es : Sa Pic

At Milton Keynes Civic Offices the Ukrainian flag is flying to show support for the embattled country. Pic: Kerry Lewis-Stevenson

In Broughton, one resident decorated a bridge in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, and other residents have been adding their own ribbons making for a striking display of unity. “I went to add a ribbon and felt quite emotional,” said Lynn Maddocks, who took this image. 40

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWS

Shopping centre invites new firms to pitch for free space Entrepreneurs are applying for the chance of winning free retail space at the Midsummer Place shopping centre in Milton Keynes.

Small business owners have the opportunity to take their brand to the next level and open a store within the centre for six weeks, completely rent-free

he centre has launched its Hatch competition, which offers small business owners the opportunity to take their brand to the next level and open a store within the centre for six weeks, completely rent-free. The winner will also receive marketing support from Midsummer Place. The deadline for entries is May 2. Interested businesses should apply via the Midsummer Place website. The winner will be selected after a pitch process, with the store opening later this year. “We are delighted to be running the Hatch initiative for the first time, as we firmly believe this competition offers businesses in the region a fantastic chance to expand and grow,” said Midsummer Place general manager Shelley Peppard. “We would love to hear from small businesses looking to take their business to the next level. Midsummer Place is the perfect place to build brand awareness and our team will be on hand to help throughout the process. We cannot wait to hear from the local budding entrepreneurs.” Find out more at: www.midsummerplace.co.uk/news/ hatch-your-chance-to-win-rent-freespace-for-your-business

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BUSINESS

Defining Your Brand Vision, Mission and Values Think about the brands you purchase from over and over. Why do you choose to buy products and or services from them, even when cheaper options exist? Well, there's a good reason for it — because of their values. Darren Isaac explains why a company's values are vital to its success.

f you run your own business, one of the first things you should do is define the fabric of your brand—what does it stand for? It’s actually quite common for many businesses not to have done this but it is hugely important and valuable in defining your direction and every decision you make. When working out 'what should we do?', you need a brand barometer to evaluate your decisions against so you are actually considering 'what would our brand do?'. Why we do what we do The reason many business owners overlook this is that they simply aren’t aware it is something that should be done. Most of us are so focused on delivering what we do day to day, that we end up forgetting the importance of why we are doing it and who we are doing it for. Without our customers we have no business so we serve our customers’ needs and expectations and have to embody this in all that we do. The underpinnings of your brand decisionmaking are all about ‘finding your why’; why there is a need, why I am doing this and, ultimately, why should people buy from me? (or do they buy from my competitors?) When we look at what drives our business from the customer end we start to look more from the outside in than the inside out and this is the most important viewpoint we can have. Defining your Vision The first place you should begin is with the vision you have for your brand. The aim is to write a few succinct lines, maximum a short paragraph of around 50-100 words, that define what success looks like for your brand. You really want this to be ‘big thinking’ in the context of what you personally would like to achieve. This can be as big as you want it to be but it shouldn’t be any bigger. What I mean by this is there is no sense in having a vision for growth and expansion if you would simply like to be the most popular Italian restaurant in your area. On the flip side, you may have a dream of building a regional franchise network of Italian restaurants. Let’s imagine you run a dry cleaning business and your goal is to retire in ten years’ time with a group of dry cleaning stores that virtually run themselves. Your Vision may look like this and should follow this type of format:

“Vision Statement: Clean Genie’s vision is to be the most profitable independent chain of dry cleaning stores in Buckinghamshire. We aim to be the brand that the public knows better than any other and that customers choose first because we consistently meet and exceed their expectations and we do so with personality and style.” Your Vision Statement need be no more than this and you should have it on your wall and remind yourself every day what you are working towards. Defining your Mission The Mission Statement is as important as your Vision Statement. How can you achieve your vision without some kind of idea of how you’re going to get there? Well, this is your mission. You will see an immediate difference in that the vision is centred around you, and what you aim to do, whereas the mission is centred around your customers and how, by pleasing them, they will facilitate your vision. The Vision Statement belongs on the wall in your office and the Mission Statement on the wall in reception. Your mission is your summary roadmap for success and it looks like this: “Mission Statement: We will become the most recognised and loved dry cleaning brand in Buckinghamshire by creating positive and memorable visibility of our brand in all of the locations we serve. Our style will be bright, vibrant, warm and we dare to be different in ways that our customers will love. In delivering our service, our customers will find that they simply get more than expected with us, consistent excellence and value, and that this keeps them coming back and also telling their friends and family to do the same.” Though quite simple, you can hopefully see how valuable a statement like this in setting out, very specifically, the components of how you will do what you do. Moreover, it sets out the things that will have true value to your customers and enable your business to reach its goals through a growing customer base. Your mission defines what makes you different in your delivery and the things you will strive for, every day. Ultimately, you want your customers to love doing business with you and to tell others because you do it differently and you do it better.

Brand Values The final piece of the puzzle with your brand foundations is your set of brand Values. It helps to go through the process in the order I have set out above because having a Vision and a Mission are your roots and these help to shape your values that form the trunk of the tree. Your values are essentially a list of words, elaborated into broader sentences, that define the spirit and strengths of how you do what you do. Your brand values list should look something like this: • Care and Excellence - We care for our customers’ garments as though they are priceless, returning them without a crease or a mark, always on time. • Warmth - We take the time to get to know our customers, provide service with a smile and simply be enjoyable to do business with. • Giving Extra - The little things that matter and that make a difference will be prevalent in our service every time. Ideally, you want somewhere between five and ten core values that you run your business by. Now you have set in clear and simple terms, what your brand goal is, how you’re going to get there and the way you will do things to make it all happen. This should be part of your DNA and, going back to what I said at the very start, should underpin every decision you make and all that you do. Anyone can run a good business. Running a great business, one that really stands out, takes an unwavering commitment to being different in ways that really matter to customers and that are palpable in a superior customer experience. Darren.isaac@t-f-a.co.uk 01908 263650 www.t-f-a.co.uk

Darren Isaac is the owner of TFA, a multi-award-winning brand, marketing and creative agency. 56 The Triangle, The Coachworks, Wolverton Park Rd MK12 5FJ www.t-f-a.co.uk | 01908 263650 44

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

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Covering the entire marketing mix Based in Northamptonshire, qoob group helps businesses to market themselves effectively. As a group we offer a truly holistic and allencompassing marketing approach, combining traditional media with cutting edge digital marketing, all underpinned with a strategic plan designed to help your business grow. In early 2022, alongside their acquisition of SilverDisc, the Management Team behind Square Media officially formed the qoob group. Square Media had already enjoyed years of skyrocketing growth, and having recently established a sister company, geexe, it was time to bring all the companies together under a single common entity.

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For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

INTERVIEW

Meet our publisher with her finger on the Pulse

One minute she might be commissioning a feature about a round-the-world charity trek, and the next organising her dozens of delivery staff, or getting creative with advertising artwork. As the editor and publisher of the biggest monthly titles covering Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire, Kerry Lewis-Stevenson thrives on the variety that heading up Pulse Magazine involves. Kerry spoke with Sammy Jones about her journey so far and her vision for the future... 48

ith a keen eye for art and design, Kerry was a creative force from a young age. She completed a foundation course in Art and Design at Nene College before hot-footing it to Liverpool to undertake a three year degree in graphic design. Returning to Northamptonshire, she worked for Blue Ribbon Label Company in Milton Keynes, which proved a great learning curve. “I learned the print trade from the ground up, gaining an understanding of every kind of print method there was, and that was the start of my career path,” Kerry said. “When the company relocated, I worked as a gift designer, but I wanted to go back to graphic design, so I went to work for another local company and they allowed me to work self-employed.” Kerry’s business brain began ticking: “I realised I could earn the same amount of money that I earned full time working just three days a week for myself. I made the jump and I’ve never looked back.”

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

Kerry had also studied with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, gaining a Post-Grad Diploma which bolstered her know-how. In the late noughties, Kerry began drawing up a new plan – for a magazine that would sit at the heart of the community. “There were other titles locally, and one was being used by everyone to source suppliers and to keep in touch with what was happening. I loved the village vibe that surrounded it. I thought, ‘Why can’t we do that for Milton Keynes?’ “I felt I could do it and had enough print experience behind me to make it work.” That first issue of Pulse came out in the spring of 2009. The print run was 10,000, which might have been seen as rather ambitious. “I wanted to hit the ground running,” she explains, “I never thought I’d fail, I genuinely didn’t. It might sound arrogant or foolish, but I just really believed in the product. I knew it was something that people would respond to, would need and would use.

INTERVIEW I only ever saw the magazine continuing to grow, and that’s what has happened.” But during those early days Pulse might have been seen as ‘just’ another title in a busy market. What gave it the edge? “There were other magazines available to people, but they were all A5 and we were an A4 publication, which gave advertisers a bit more space to contribute editorial,” Kerry said. “People must have picked it up because of its size and because it had fairly good content, but if I am brutally honest, in those early days it wasn’t anything special – it wasn’t the brilliant page-turner that it is today. “What I wanted was a real community spirit around printed media, and that’s most definitely what Pulse is today.” Print has been in sharp decline in recent years, but it’s not game over. Far from it. Titles like Pulse are bucking the trend and going from strength to strength. And it’s not just luck and a prayer that has put Pulse into pole position. It’s a sound business plan and a real understanding of where the title sits in the community that has done that. “People see us everywhere; walk into an office building, or centre:mk or somewhere locally and you will see Pulse,” Kerry says, “Visibility, content and advertising are all key – if any one of those fails, we don’t have readers, and without them, we are nothing. We will never forget that.”

“We care about the people in our titles - we want them to succeed and get business from our printed matter and digital matter. “I see Pulse having an online presence as big as the print presence that we already have, and I am actively working on plans for that expansion just now.” Pulse delivers community stories, exclusive features, music and theatre and much more. It doesn’t do hard news, and that’s a conscious thing: “News is a different kettle of fish – it’s immediate and it’s taken online. We can see that very much at the moment with the horror happening in Europe,” Kerry said, “Pulse, and the business papers, offer positive stories and promote what is going on locally in the community. It’s real content too – not click-bait nonsense. “We are something that doesn’t just last a week on a coffee table – we last a month, sometimes two...people keep us and re-read us and that’s what is so important. It proves that people care about our content.” Pulse is a growing title in MK and Northampton, and it stands to reason that it is something of a sizeable employer too. With 12 employed staff members, three self-employed contributors and 120 delivery agents, work is definitely not a 9-5 affair for the lady at the helm. The laptop is always by Kerry’s side, but that’s the way it needs to be: “A lot of people rely on us now and that is a responsibility, but it’s a good responsibility to have,” she

considers, “We have grown the business to where it is today and the whole team has worked to get it to this size, not just me.” By putting in the hard graft, Kerry has learned that taking a little downtime is not a luxury, it’s a necessary part of the job. “I would advise anybody starting out in business that you need to put in the hours to make the business a success, but you do still need to take some time out, you really do, otherwise work can really wear you down, which can be really detrimental.” Her bulldogs Cooper and Diesel take life at a leisurely pace, which forces Kerry to take her foot off the gas every now and then, but she is a dab hand at putting the pedal to the metal too – she shares a love of motorbiking with husband Martin and they relish their trips in the saddle. “There is nothing better than motorbiking on the continent,” she promises, and we’ll take her word for that! It was International Women’s Day earlier this month; a chance to celebrate women and their contribution to business. Do you ever feel like a woman in a man’s world? “I suppose if you think of the hazy days of Fleet Street journalism, you would see it very much as a man’s world, but of course there are a hell of a lot of great females in the industry too,” Kerry shrugged, “I suppose I am a woman in a man’s world, but it’s not something I’ve ever dwelled on – I just get on with the job.”

Visibility, content and advertising are all key – if any one of those fails, we don’t have readers, and without them, we are nothing. We will never forget that.” Like many other publications, Pulse ceased printing for a spell during the pandemic, but Kerry made sure the magazine came back fast – and first. “We had to in order to ensure our survival, but also because we are there for our advertisers – and that doesn’t mean only during the good times. It means we are there for them all the time, and I’m proud of that fact.” At a time when business uncertainty was rife, Kerry went one further – expanding the portfolio with two business titles – Business MK and Business Times. Kerry knows that digital still has a major part to play in today’s environment, though. “I love print and I think it really is here to stay and it will become more exclusive because there are less of us doing it, but I do realise that I have to future proof the business, so I am working on our online offering and our digital capability, and building Facebook groups and keeping that community feel, which is what the magazines and our business papers do so well.

Kerry in the saddle - ‘There’s nothing better than motorbiking on the continent’

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

Eat Drink Shop Pick up a handy town guide when you visit available in most of the local eateries and shops!

Olney

Escape the hustle and bustle with a visit to historic Olney Slow down for a while and enjoy a drink in one of the pubs, or enjoy a tempting snack or afternoon tea in one of the tea and coffee shops. Take your time as you browse around the shops, offering fashion, vintage, antiques or unique gifts. Escape for an evening out and enjoy a drink and a delicious meal in one of the town's many and varied restaurants, everything from Turkish to modern English cuisine.

Make your next escape to Olney

FREE PARKING A SHORT WALK FROM THE HIGH STREET

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

NIGHTS OUT

Cheer home your fancied runner with a night at the dogs When you are weighing up your dining options and the biggest decision is ‘prawn cocktail or soup’. Or if your dinner discussion is heading towards ‘who will win Strictly?’ – It might be time you considered a night at the dogs!

o, you’ve never been? Well, if your vision of dining at greyhound racing consists of a cheese roll and cup of Bovril, you’ve seen too many old films. Towcester racecourse can offer everything from a burger and chips, all the way through to fine dining and VIP boxes. There are packages to suit all budgets, or you may just fancy cheering home your fancied runner from the terraces. Fortunately, most of the dozen or so races only last around 30 seconds so no real danger of your steak going cold or your white wine reaching room temperature. We race every Monday, Tuesday and

Towcester racecourse can offer everything from a burger and chips, all the way through to fine dining and VIP boxes and even Sunday lunch

Saturday evening (gates open from 5pm). Or why not Sunday lunch (from 1pm). We can even sort you out a fabulous breakfast from 10am – 11am on Thursdays. You don’t know how to bet or which runner to choose?

Well, the good news is, if you fancy a flutter you can do so from as little as £1 per race and as for picking the winner. . . If you’ve shouted home Glory Liz, because you are reminded of a girl from school, or Franko De Tanko because you are reminded of a colleague at work (yes both are real greyhounds), don’t assume you have any less chance than the punter avidly studying form at the next table. (Racing virgins have an infuriating habit of putting the self-proclaimed experts to shame). Or maybe trap two, because blue is your lucky colour? Or trap five because he is just magnificent on parade. Remember, there are only six runners in every race. How difficult can it be? Towcester is at its best during the summer with the highlight being the most famous greyhound race of all, the Star Sports & TRC English Greyhound Derby. Inaugurated in 1927, it will be contested over six weekends by 192 of the fastest greyhounds in Britain and Ireland and is worth £175,000 to the winner. Saturday 25th June is the night of the final and will feature a gamut of pre and post race activities and spectacles. >> Book online at www.towcester-racecourse.co.uk

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

FASHION By Cindy LGH @CindyLGH

Wear Your Greens The first signs of spring are in, and in almost every store is the season’s new IT colour: green.

H&M £34.99

H&M > £69.99

From Kelly to khaki, lime to sage, green is the thing to be seen in now - whether you choose a single standout accessory (a la the looks at Bottega Vaneta), play with contrast (case study in point: Tom Ford), or commit to one shocking shade, exclusively (like the neon lime looks seen at David Koma). At H&M and Zara, there are calf-skimming dresses and prints to show off; at George and Tu, jumpers and cardis to layer up in; while at John Lewis, there’s a punchy cashmere sweater in garden pea green you’ll keep for years. The key is to find a shade that suits you, then prettify with pinks, soften with white, or make bolder by adding black. But however you channel your best Kermit (buying a new emerald piece, or pulling old gems out from your wardrobe), this is the colour to see you leap into spring, style miles ahead of the rest. Just be prepared to be copied, as others turn green with envy. John Lewis > £79

Zara > £49.99

F&F @ Tesco £29

All items Tu @ Sainsbury's

H&M £34.99 Zara £22.99

H&M > £99.99

George @ Asda £16.99 River Island £37

Zara £27.99 (Coming soon)

Zara £27.99 Anyday @ John Lewis £22 52

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

Demin Jeans Primark £17

FASHION

Transform yourself H ave you ever wished someone could wave a magic wand to make you feel better about yourself? Are you lacking in confidence, fed up with feeling invisible, unhappy with your body shape or feeling stuck in a rut with your style? Has the menopause hit you and your struggling with hot flushes and struggling to lose weight? All of these concerns are really debilitating and cause great angst to many women when they open their wardrobes looking for ‘something to wear’. Recent surveys have shown that the average woman spends between £1,200 and £3,600 per year (an average of £100-£300 per month) on their wardrobe. That’s around £90,000 in a lifetime… Just think what you could be spending your hard-earned cash on. Most of you will only wear 20% of your purchases regularly. If those statistics resonate with you, it is about time to do something about it. In an age of rising costs and sustainability it must be the right moment to take action. Don’t worry, help is at hand! If you really want to feel better about yourself and save money, getting some good advice from an expert who has been in the image industry for 25 years will be money well spent and get you focused once and for all. Jane can help you make the right make-up choices

An image session with Jane at her Olney studio will transform how you think about your wardrobe

With proper planning it is entirely possible to have a compact well thought out wardrobe of mix and match items that work seamlessly together in the right styles and colours and, most importantly, fit with the demands of your lifestyle. I compare a successful wardrobe with baking a cake. Without the right recipe and ingredients, the cake and simply won’t rise or taste nice. Most of us check the cupboard prior to cooking to make sure if we have all the ingredients before we start baking and go shopping with a list of ingredients we need to complete the recipe.

whole idea leaves you feeling apprehensive and nervous about meeting me, just read some of the recent comments on www.imagemattersuk.com from ladies who have experienced my services. I am always more than happy to have a cup of tea and a chat about what is that worries you the most in complete confidence. All my image sessions are carried out at my studio in the heart of Olney just behind the Market Place on a one to one basis. No “classes” with women you don’t know… just the two of us focusing on how I can help you gain “the confidence to shine”.

This approach is no different to creating a successful wardrobe. In fact, when you consider how much people spend on clothing, surely we should be doing the same for our wardrobes? If not, why not? Just think: less clothes to confuse you with, more combinations than you ever thought possible in colours and styles that help you feel confident and more visible. If the

Jane Sumner Image Matters 07779 585323 www.imagemattersuk.com

A one hour introduction to colour, style and make-up advice for just £49 At Image Matters Studio in Olney Bucks or online Quote MK Pulse when booking your appointment Valid until April 30th 2022

Image Matters | Fashion Styling | Colour Analysis | Personal Styling

Email Jane on: jane@imagemattersuk.com or call: 07779 585323 www.imagemattersuk.com For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

BEAUTY

Smooth away your troubles...

It’s time to banish the lines and rough stuff, and embrace the skin you’re in – here’s our pick of the products... Creature of Habit is ‘there to help you feel comfortable in your own skin,’ the brand promises, and the products it releases are for everyone, and all multifunctional.

Skin care doesn’t have to be a pricey business, and we love Skin Academy’s range of Zero goodies which are great for you, and for the environment.

Its Cleansing Balm will remove dirt, oil and makeup and leaves your skin smooth, nourished and soft, with a natural glow. The soft texture will turn from an oil to milk on contact with water.

The Facial Oil provides targeted hydration and an intense glow boost with concentrated plantbased oils. It is rich in antioxidants, Vitamin E and essential fatty acids and easy enough to deal with all skin types. Natural and nice.

RRP: £34

The Face Scrub will remove excess oil, dead skin and other horrible debris. It’s not abrasive, but delivers on its promises.

Get it: creatureofhabitskincare.com

Following on from its 2020 Nutri-Lumiére launch, Clarins has just swelled the range with a new 2-in-1 formula ready to restore your glow, and plump nutrient-depleted skin.

RRP: £12.99 (facial oil), £9.99 (face scrub) Get it: Holland & Barrett stores or beautybyzero.com

Nutri-Lumiére Revive is a firming day cream for mature skin. Its ingredients list is plant powered (with eight organic plants working together for optimum results) and illuminating violet pearls to reinforce skin’s radiance. Suitable for combination, dry, normal and oily skin. Say ‘see you later’ to sallowness by giving glycation a fight it won’t win when faced with Revive. RRP: £91

Get it: clarins.co.uk

Calm-Essentiel Repairing Soothing Balm proves that little packages are definitely worth taking hold of. This balm is suitable for use across the body and face, soothing and repairing delicate and damaged skin. It reduces discomfort, dryness and itchiness, and that unpleasant feeling of tightness is tackled too.

Age-Spot Corrector harnesses the power of plants with Rumex Leaf extract, fruit acids, Peony extract and Kakadu Plum. Suitable for all skin types, it should be applied morning and evening post cleansing and before moisturisers and facial oils.

Fragrance-free and with shea butter at the heart of the matter, this really is a tidy tube of goodness and brings new meaning to enjoying a balmy time!

It is 100% natural, clean and cruelty-free, and brimming with antioxidant-rich ingredients to help hydrate, strengthen and protect.

RRP: £28

Get it: H Beauty in Milton Keynes, John Lewis branches and through grownalchemist.com

Get it: clarins.co.uk

Want to remove the appearance of dark spots and discolourations? Grown Alchemist presents its potent Vitamin C enriched formula that hydrates, conditions and leaves skin brighter and more youthful looking.

RRP: £40

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

MORPHEUS 8 is a fractional skin treatment that stimulates collagen production of the underlying layers of the dermis.

Before

After

By targeting the deeper layers of the skin, tissues of the face and body can be remodeled to reveal a more radiant youthful appearance

Available at Dermaspa As seen on

01908 242 023 | info@dermaspa.co.uk

www.dermaspa.co.uk Unit K Haybrook barn | Brooklands Park | Milton Keynes | Mk 16 0hu

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

FOOD & DRINK

Cauliflower & chickpea tikka masala INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1 medium cauliflower (about 1kg)

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7. Line a large baking tray with foil. Break the cauliflower into large florets, reserving any tender leaves. Toss the florets with 1⁄2 tbsp oil and spread over one side of the baking tray. Toss the chickpeas with another 1 tbsp oil and the turmeric, and spread over the other side of the baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring each side and adding the cauliflower leaves halfway through.

2 tbsp vegetable oil 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained ½ tsp ground turmeric 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 15g fresh root ginger, finely chopped ½ x 283g jar Patak’s Tikka Masala Spice Paste 200g fresh tomatoes, finely chopped 3 tbsp non-dairy yogurt alternative, such as oat ¼ x 25g pack coriander, leaves only Steamed basmati rice, to serve Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Serves: 4

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1⁄2 tbsp oil in a large pan. Fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add the curry paste and fry for 2 minutes. Pour in 50ml water and cook until evaporated. 3. Add the tomatoes and 200ml water to the pan; simmer for 5 minutes, then spoon in the cauliflower. Simmer over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in 2 tbsp yogurt alternative. Add the chickpeas and cauliflower leaves. Finish with the final 1 tbsp yogurt alternative and the coriander leaves. Serve with steamed basmati rice.

COOK’S TIP This is a wonderfully comforting vegan recipe, though you could replace the yogurt alternative with 3 tbsp natural yogurt for a vegetarian option. Recipe and photo courtesy of Waitrose. Recipes can be found at www.waitrose.com/recipes.

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

FOOD & DRINK

Brunch or lunch - Murati’s has it Our resident foodie Emma Norris recently tried the Mediterranean food and drink at Murati’s and has come away hungry for more.

ast month I was delighted to be asked along to the Newport Pagnell branch of Murati’s to try some dishes off their new lunch and brunch menu. This Mediterranean independent’s first restaurant opened up in Wolverton several years ago – it may be situated near the car wash but don’t let that put you off – Murati’s is a Milton Keynes institution, serving hearty Italian cuisine for a number of years in Newport Pagnell and Wolverton and more recently in Olney and Daventry, Northamptonshire. The Newport Pagnell branch is a favourite of mine, as well as of my family. With vibrant and youthful décor, the restaurant maintains its child-friendly atmosphere whilst also being a top choice for a fun-filled boozy dinner. Walking through the entrance-way, the small seating area is adorned with floral décor and wall murals which are perfect for an Instagram selfie or two, if that’s your thing! You then walk through into their large bar area which, on a weekend, doubles up as a dance floor when they host guest DJ’s alongside their delicious dinner and drinks menu. My brother, an amateur mixologist, believes they serve the best Old Fashioned he’s ever tried, bar his own – excuse the ego! Past the bar area, you eventually land on the spacious dining area and open kitchen. The restaurant is always much quieter at lunchtime and early evening – I definitely recommend coming at this time with children as it can get rowdy on a weekend.

Although I’ve visited Murati’s a number of times as it’s walking distance from my house and their delicious cocktails mean I’m never even slightly tempted to drive (saving the environment right?) it has only ever been for dinner and drinks. On this visit, I was genuinely amazed at the value of their lunchtime menu. Between 12-4pm Tuesday to Thursday, and between 12-3pm on Fridays, you are able to get two courses for £13.50 and three courses for £16.50. The menu, although limited, contains some firm family favourites, including some of my top picks: the fiery Penne Arrabbiata – pasta with garlic, chilli and tomato – and gooey mozzarella arancini balls for a starter too. I’ve always previously put Murati’s down as being solely a lively dinner spot, but their lunch deal really is hard to beat. On this visit it was the new brunch dishes that caught my eye as I wanted to try something a little different. Between 12-4pm on Tuesday to Friday and 12-2pm on Saturday and Sunday, Murati’s offer up their take on a very reasonablypriced brunch, with dishes priced in the range of £7.50 and £11.95. My mum opted for one of the vegetarian breakfast options at £11.50 and said it was genuinely the nicest breakfast she’d ever had outside of our house (and admittedly I do make a mean fry up!) The dish was loaded, but served beautifully without looking too overwhelmingly large – ‘The Veggie’ consisted of two poached eggs, garlic mushrooms, two hash browns (which were to die for,) grilled tomato, avocado, spinach, beans, grilled halloumi and toasted homemade bread and was all excellent value for money. My brother chose the Italian version of Eggs Benedict, which was served on a toasted English muffin with two perfectly-poached eggs, lashings of rich, creamy hollandaise and crispy parma ham – an absolute steal at £8. I just had to choose the most unusual brunch offering –

‘The Brunch Pizza’ is the most expensive dish at £11.95, but I can see why – served on Murati’s signature wood-fired, thin and crispy dough, the pizza has a classic mozzarella and tomato base but is innovatively topped with crispy sliced sausage, bacon and mushrooms and an egg. It was super filling and I can see it being a real crowd-pleaser, especially for those with big appetites. My brother also had the Summer Fruits' French Toast as a sort-of ‘breakfast dessert,’ which we all dug into in order to satisfy our need for a sweet treat – the coulis in particular was tart and delicious. But that’s not it – an ‘off-menu’ addition can be found in the form of their creamy carbonarastyle cheese-wheel pasta – a dish that really fulfils my lifelong cheese addiction. The price of this dish is £16 per person and you are able to choose between crispy pancetta or garlic mushrooms as your topping. The dish itself is made in front of you – the server fires up the wheel (literally, with a blowtorch!) and adds a homemade roux, before the pasta ribbons are coated in the melted cheese and served, piled-high in your bowl. We went for the veggie topping and the mushrooms were delicious – garlicky, peppery and plentiful. As always, Honney and the team made us feel like ‘part of the furniture’ in the best possible way – even after a long-awaited revisit postCovid it felt as if we’d never been away. Ultimately, whatever time of day you choose to visit, Murati’s is fuss-free and family-friendly. I genuinely think it is just as enjoyable visiting in the afternoon with my three-year-old cousin – a little bit of a fussy eater who’s the biggest fan of the Frutti Di Mare Linguini – as it is partying and drinking their delicious cocktails into the early hours with friends on a Friday or Saturday evening. I just vote they bring in a bottomless option for their brunch next – then they’d never get rid of me! Murati's, 28 St John St, Newport Pagnell MK16 8HJ Tel: 01234 714117 www.muratispizzeria.com > If you would like your restaurant reviewed get in touch mkpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmaroseeats Murati’s Vegetarian Breakfast

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

HOME & GARDEN

DIGGING DEEP

Gardening with Pulse

e’ve spent the past couple of issues advising how and when to start planning the year ahead for your garden and when to think about putting down the seeds that will provide good stuff throughout the year – including fruit and vegetables. But this month, we are turning our attention to something else you can do to enhance your outside space, and it’s an easy way to help bees and butterflies find their way to you; by sowing wildflowers. Wildflowers will transform a bland space into an attractive one that is bursting with colour and life. As a youngster, I used to love feeling the sun on my back, taking in the views of the blooming wildflowers, and listening to the chirping of grasshoppers, but it’s something that future generations will never experience unless we act now. In less than a century, 97% of our wild flower meadows have been lost. Of course, our own back gardens don’t lend themselves to a luscious green meadow bursting with pops of wildflower colour, but we can still help to make a difference. If we all do a little, the combined efforts count for a lot. We can start by ditching the fake stuff! Insects can’t live in fake grass, birds can’t feed from it, and it uses plastic which can’t be recycled. At a time when our wildlife is struggling to adapt to loss of habitat because of our intensive farming and new builds, do we

Top Tip... With so much attention focused on our outside spaces, it can be easy to overlook what’s going on inside the home - but our houseplants need a little TLC too. Too much water is more likely to kill your plant, as opposed to too little. Plants don’t like warm water and they hate icy cold water just as much - when giving them a drink, make sure the water is at room temperature, and you might need to increase the frequency or amount you give at this time of the year, simply because many of our plants tend to grow more in the spring and summer. In next month’s issue, we’ll be exploring how you can ensure your houseplants are healthy and happy. 58

How does your garden grow? Companion Planting

Wildflowers will help bring your garden to life

really need to add plastic grass into the mix of issues for them? Micro plastics will also find their way into our soil, and the contamination will last for centuries. And, while you might think they look attractive, it won’t take too many years before the fake lawns look nasty. We’re not trying to vilify those of you who are looking outside at your own plastic installation, but if you do have a fake lawn, you will also know that while they remove the need for a mower, they still need to be washed and brushed...even hoovered! It’s best to turf out the pretend turf and get back to nature. The birds and the butterflies will love you for it, and there’s a reason why we are told to get closer to nature – it’s good for mind, body and spirit. Having established that there is no substitute for the real thing, the quickest way to increase colour and support to the garden is to stop mowing – allowing a patch to grow wild will increase biodiversity. Wildflower seeds and seed bombs are commonplace in stores and online and are an easy way to help launch a wildflower patch or ‘mini-meadow’ – but don’t just expect to toss the seeds on the ground and enjoy instant success; instructions are there for a reason, so do heed them. Lady’s Bedstraw, oxeye-daisy, common daisies, wild carrot, cowslip, cornflower, common knapweed, selfheal and white and red campion are among those delicate blooms which are aesthetically pleasing, and they will ‘bee’ brilliant for our pollinators. Our actions today will benefit tomorrow’s generations, and that has got to be worth causing a buzz about!

If you watched David Attenborough’s Green Planet recently, you will know that plants, like people, have friends, and they support each other, both above and below the ground. What nature does naturally, we call companion planting. We can improve our crops by planting together those plants that like each other. Onions like to be with beetroot, parsnips or tomatoes, but don’t like beans near them. Also, you can plant to deter pests. What better way than to plant poached egg plants, Limnanthes douglasii, on which hoverflies lay their eggs, and which hatch into devourers of aphids and blackfly. No nasty chemicals needed. Another example is the smell of French Marigolds, Tagetes, which will keep whitefly off your tomatoes. These are just two examples. Mix and match is the secret. Nasturtiums near brassicas and courgettes; garlic near roses; calendulas, dotted here and there, provide support for most plants, and they give colour, breaking up the one solid green which tells predators where their meal is. The petals are edible and they self seed. A ladybird lava Be a good companion A voracious consumer of aphids! to your garden, however big or small, by sowing plants that improve the soil, repel harmful insects, attract beneficial ones, and attract birds to your patch. You can check online to find a list that will tell you which plants like to be together and use this when planning your patch. Happy gardening. Carol Smith and Jan Taylor, Bletchley Garden Club > Bletchley Garden Club (BGC) meet each month at Freeman Memorial Methodist Church Hall, Buckingham Road, MK3 5HH. New members welcome. For details visit bletchleygardenclub.org

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

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HOME & GARDEN

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aking pride in your outside space is hardly a novel concept; when you take a ticket to one of our many glorious historic homes that are open for viewing pleasure, the gardens are often exquisite in their form and features – the Tudors, for example, had a penchant for Renaissance Italy! But whether addressing the 100s of acres that surround country piles, or the small space that you view from your kitchen window, the idea is the same – we all want our gardens to look glorious. These days we are fortunate to have technology on our side, meaning that us modern gardeners can reap more of the rewards with less of the backache to get there.

Biochar helps your soil retain water and nutrients

And we can be greener in every way too... Imagine if your soil could hold on to water and nutrients more effectively; your blooms would be brilliant, your veg more vibrant and your shrubs stunning. Earthly Biochar’s Biochar & Kiln (visit earthlybiochar.com) is the answer. Since Earthly launched back in 2018 they have helped 100s of domestic gardeners and land managers transition from using harmful chemical products in their soil to investing in more effective, long-term solutions that doesn’t just support the plants, but is great for the planet too.

The Earthly Biochar Kiln

Biochar is produced by burning wood in a specific way so that it crystallises, trapping the carbon captured by a tree in its lifetime which is then stored safely in the ground indefinitely. Purchase the UK’s first smokeless biochar kiln for yourself and you can produce your own biochar. Fight climate change and pop your plants in soil they’ll love. It’s a muddy brilliant piece of innovation! Growing vegetables at home is a great family activity, and so rewarding – and the Vegepod (available at Dobbies branches) makes it an easy and effective process. This is container gardening, allowing the produce to flourish away from the ground. Garden pests won’t feast on the leaves either, thanks to the polyethylene knitted mesh. The cover does allow water and air to penetrate through, managing temperatures for the perfect microclimate. It boasts a wicking system which waters the plants from below – they can actually last for weeks in the Vegepods without watering. Various size containers are available and these raised garden beds make tending to your plants without bending or kneeling down a breeze, which is great if you have back or joint issues, or use a wheelchair.

In its most primitive form, a Greywater Irrigation System simply means to use water from your bath or shower on your plants. In the past that might have involved tipping a bowl of used washing up water on your flower bed, but things have moved on somewhat – intelligent irrigation systems with underground hoses can now be used to let greywater flow into the soil and encourage stronger root growth. From DIY options to professional installations, there are many ways to create a greywater irrigation system for your garden, reducing the water you use and saving you time. If weeds are causing you woes, let us introduce you to the Hozelock Green Power Thermal Weeder (hozelock.com) which destroys weeds using a targeted, electric, thermal shock. It means that weeds are ‘eliminated’ without the need to use chemicals, and the protective cone ensures control is precise and happens in seconds. It’s perfect for use on driveways, paths and patios, and has a clever little additional function for those of you who enjoy eating al fresco - a quick way to light a barbecue. What a tasty piece of kit!

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

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Email: jim@urbanrootsmk.com www.urbanrootsmk.co.uk For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

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t's safe to say that both influencers and décor enthusiasts are obsessed with marble at the moment and it doesn't look like this trend is going anywhere any time soon. Even though marble has had its fair share of glory days, a preference for overuse in interiors has seen it labelled as flashy and ostentatious in the not-so-distant past. Yet these negative connotations appear to have fallen by the wayside as a new tranche of designers find ever more interesting and exciting ways to use marble to enhance their projects. The key to keeping the look on trend is to use it in smaller areas – accent walls, shower panels, kitchen islands, work surfaces, window seats, fireplace recesses, furniture tops and statement accessories – think less is more and you won’t go far wrong.

Rosie Kinsella Interior Designer 01604 751262 www.millsandkinsella.com 66

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Marble is predominantly found in China, India, Italy and Spain, with quarries in these locations accounting for around half of the world’s marble. Although marble extraction leaves a significant environmental impact, almost everything extracted is eventually used, even down to the marble powder. Thanks to new technology and CNC machinery, marble can be cut and fashioned into all sorts of shapes, creating seductively sweeping staircases, smart linear fireplaces and beautifully curved, built-in baths. The only limitation is the size of the slab, so if you’re planning a long plinth or worktop you’ll need to factor in a join. If your budget doesn’t stretch to a whole slab of marble, then follow Cameron Diaz’s lead and populate your room with smaller pieces such as marble topped furniture and objet d’art. A pair of marble lamps will make a striking focal point on bedside tables or a hall console. Very often, marble is confused with granite, but whilst marble has veins, granite has a grainy appearance. It’s typically the veins that give the marble it’s character, the amount of veining desired

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April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

THE ARTS

Kay Davenport

Art in Bloom

“I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” ~ Vincent van Gogh

Nathan Oakley, unsplash

being down to personal preference and the style of the interior. For an unfussy, minimal, contemporary look choose less veining. For a stronger statement piece, opt for more. Despite some complications in caring for marble surfaces (they’re porous so likely to absorb liquid and then stain), interior design schemes incorporating this spectacular material look wonderfully striking and are well worth the effort and money. Whilst most designers have always appreciated the timeless elegance of marble, it’s really only in the last few years that its versatility has been realised. Marble can add a touch of class to any room and can suit almost every design aesthetic. Across large surfaces we can marvel at the natural variations in colour, the complexity of the veins and the exquisite beauty of the stone, in smaller pieces we can wonder at the skills needed to fine tune and turn a metamorphic rock into such a refined and elegant accessory. However you choose to use marble, it certainly won’t disappoint. www.frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk

or British landscape artists, one of the joys of painting our countryside is documenting our changing seasons. This time of year, watching nature spring back into life after the chill of winter provides new inspiration and motivation to create.

Mary Shaw

‘Flora’ designates plant life but it was also the Roman goddess of animals, wildlife and fertility and as a female figure, she was the subject of early paintings depicting spring. From the 19th Century, artists such as Van Gogh and Monet focused on flowers and trees and we began to see paintings without any human presence, placing nature at the centre their artwork. The natural world and our relationship to it provides endless inspiration, even for contemporary artists and here we shine a spotlight on three leading painters in this genre. Suffolk based Paul Evans focuses on the big skies and gentle landscapes of his local countryside, recording the changing light, weather and seasons from frosted fields to hot summer meadows with stunning results. Paul is particularly renowned for painting bluebell forests, something that is an annual treat for many of us here in Northamptonshire.

Paul Evans

Mary Shaw is a talented and entirely self-taught artist, completing her first commission at the age of just thirteen. After developing a strong affection for the countryside, she became interested in rare and endangered species found amongst England’s hedgerows and they often feature in her work. Mary’s art has a delicate feel and is often embellished with touches of sparkle added to the flowers bringing a sense of light and movement to her paintings. Kay Davenport is a botanical artist who begins by photographing flowers at different stages of their life cycle, from a perfectly formed bud to a windblown bloom that has lost its petals – everything has beauty and tells its own story in her eyes. Kay places her floral subject as the hero of her pieces, set against a strong coloured background.

Gemma Davey Gallery Correspondent www.therosegallery.co.uk

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

MK MAYOR

With Chris Kamara at Ninja Warrior UK

At the opening of the new Community Larder on Tinkers Bridge

Moments with The Mayor Our regular catch-up with Mayor of Milton Keynes, Cllr Mohammed Khan

s expected and hoped for, it has been a busy few months since I last put fingers to the keys for my Pulse column. Earlier in the year I hopped aboard a digger at an event hosted by South Central Institute of Technology at MK College to celebrate the start of building work – it certainly made a change to travelling by car! As you might well imagine, the role of Mayor means attending many events where food is on the menu, and you will never find me tiring of trying the culinary delights on our doorstep. But I’ve also been the one providing the food on occasion; I held a fundraising dinner in my restaurant Raj Douth in support of one of my chosen charities, the British Heart Foundation. I was also pleased to be able to donate meals to the Winter Night Shelter MK at their Community Club, which accommodates up to 80 guests every week. It was a privilege to support them with a visit. I took away something too, that day: food for thought following conversations with guests and staff. It is a wonderful charity which is making a real difference to people in their time of need.

Ready to ‘dig’ deep!

Another fantastic initiative is the Community Larder, which offers food at a reduced price in exchange for a small weekly fee. The food is well within date, but is simply the result of overproduction. Community Larders prevent the food being sent to landfill, and larder users get great food (much of it branded) for a small price. It’s a real success story on many levels, as the larders also support vulnerable youngsters by providing them with education, employability and wellbeing programmes. I was thrilled to attend the opening of the newest branch in Milton Keynes, which will benefit the residents of Tinkers Bridge. I also teamed up with the baking aces at Milton Keynes College, to whip up a cake fit for HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Of course, the resulting sweet treat was very moreish; and a right royal success! The Coffee Hall and Walnut Tree sponge, rather obviously named after two of our town’s estates, has been created to inspire children across Milton Keynes to come up with their own ‘Platinum Puddings’ in advance of the Jubilee celebrations. Wherever there is food, there is the worry of an increasing waistline, and getting active is a great way to keep trim. As regular readers will know already, I am a dedicated MK Dons fan and have been pitch side to watch as many home games as possible, although I am very much aware that simply soaking in the action doesn’t burn the calories! I did give myself a bit of a workout at the launch of the new Ninja Warrior UK park in Bletchley, though – and it was great to meet former footie star turned presenter Chris Kamara while I was there. Elsewhere, I’ve been doing my fair share of digging the dirt across MK, as the Jubilee tree planting events take root. Those I took part in last month included a planting in a park in Shenley Brook End (replacing one diseased tree with seven new ones), and later the same day I popped over to Coffee Hall to assist with the planting of nearly 150 saplings.

Jubilee Baking at Milton Keynes College

Milton Keynes is known for being a green and pleasant space, but with many building projects happening as our town continues to ‘grow up’, we need to keep planting, and the ‘Tree Canopy for the Jubilee’ is a wonderful reason to get busy with the spade. It seems incredible to be writing this already, but my time as Mayor draws to a close in May when I will be handing over the chain to the Deputy Mayor who I know will do a sterling job when they take the reins. This is my last column and I would like to sign off for the final time by reiterating what a pleasure and an honour it has been to represent Milton Keynes over the past year. It has been a challenging time to hold the position, but such a rewarding one too; we are a new town bursting with initiative and a ‘cando’ attitude and that has shone through time and again. That has nothing to do with the bricks and mortar of our buildings, but is because of the abilities and dedication of you, the residents. During the last year I have met many individuals and representatives from charities, communities and businesses all playing their part to make Milton Keynes the wonderful place it is. I am proud to call Milton Keynes my home, and proud to have made so many new friends during the past year. I want to thank you all for the warmth you have shown me. I hope I have represented you well.

Mohammed Khan, Mayor of Milton Keynes mohammed.khan@milton-keynes.gov.uk 68

01908 253601 mayorMK

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

@mayor_mk

MK Council

Pete Marland

Leader of Milton Keynes Council

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‘Forward-thinking and eco-friendly’ Meet the council-backed Car Club Standing with Ukraine We have all been shocked and saddened by the recent events that have unfolded in Ukraine. Putin’s cruel and unjust invasion of the country has threatened democracy and left people fearing for their lives.

in and treat it well – but unfortunately there is a small minority who drop litter and fly-tip in our public spaces. The Council is continuing its crackdown on litter bugs and fly-tippers, and recently we have seen great success. Within the last year, the Council’s Environmental Crime Unit has issued 77 Fixed Penalty Notices to fly-tippers and have submitted 25 flytipping case files for prosecution.

responsive transport system, and now people can use the forward-thinking and eco-friendly council-backed Car Club. This means users of the Car Club will have 24/7 access to a fleet of low emission vehicles without the financial burden of owning a car. The car sharing scheme will help people and businesses reduce their carbon footprint and will help us achieve our goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. Those who wish to trial the car club can use the promo code ‘MK1010’ to get an annual membership for £10 and receive £10 driving credit, which is usually £60. Full information is available at www. getaroundmk.org.uk/.

I know that this offer help has also extended throughout the community, with residents coming together to donate items and money for Ukrainian people. Those who would like to support several UK charities in their appeals to fund humanitarian work in Ukraine can donate via The Red Cross, Unicef, and the UN.

In January, the Council’s five new litter wardens started work patrolling across the city, issuing warnings and on-the-spot fines to offenders who drop rubbish. On day one, the litter wardens issued over 60 notices. And now, at the time of writing, they have handed out over 1,600 fines. We take a zero-tolerance approach to litter and fly-tipping, as not only is it dangerous and harmful to the environment but cleaning the borough costs around £3.5m each year. This money could be spent providing other core services, and I hope that these measures will continue to deter people from scattering their rubbish across the community.

Tackling litter bugs We all want Milton Keynes to be greener, cleaner, and safer. Overall, residents are passionate about the place that they live

Providing green transport There are lots of alternative ways to travel throughout the city, such as our extensive redway network and demand-

Milton Keynes Council stands with Ukrainians in their fight to maintain self-determination, and that is why, at March Full Council, councillors came together–cross party to affirm the Council’s commitment to do all it can to support that goal. The Council will ensure that there is no pathway left for opaque Russian investment and provide any reasonable help to Ukrainian nationals living in Milton Keynes.

CONTACT DETAILS: Tel: 01908 252442 | Email: peter.marland@milton-keynes.gov.uk | Facebook: @mklabour ADDRESS: c/o Milton Keynes Council, Civic Offices, 1 Saxon Gate East, Milton Keynes MK9 3EJ For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

MPS OUT & ABOUT LOCAL NEWS

Iain Stewart

MP for Milton Keynes South

hope you have been keeping well. As always, it has been another busy month as your MP. Firstly, I want to take this opportunity to voice my support for Ukraine and its people against the Russian’s invasion. It was a moving experience being in the Chamber and clapping the Ukrainian Ambassador, who was in the gallery. It was also a powerful and historical moment listening to Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, address the House of Commons. I wholeheartedly agree with the Prime Minister, Putin must fail. My team and I have also been assisting a number of Ukrainian’s who live in Milton Keynes and have family still in Ukraine.

Iain and Ben Everitt MP at Age UK Milton Keynes

cancelled once, and that confidence grew for people to return and watch performances. I heard how MK Theatre are helping youngsters in Milton Keynes to develop their performance skills through their Creative Learning teams, giving individuals a safe space to express themselves and explore different ideas.

Iain with Ben Everitt MP at AFGolf

Queen’s Green Canopy – It was an honour to plant a cherry blossom tree to be part of The Queen’s Green Canopy outside my constituency office. The tree will be a lasting legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the Nation. By encouraging the planting of trees across the United Kingdom, The Queen’s Green Canopy will benefit future generations and aid in the fight against climate change. Age UK Milton Keynes – I visited Age UK Milton Keynes in Peartree Bridge to hear how they have managed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and how they have adapted their services to continue helping their service users. I was particularly pleased to hear of the women’s over-55s walking football team that has been set up, in preparation for the Women’s Euro 2022 coming to Stadium MK later this year. It was an opportunity to discuss how I can work with Age UK to tackle digital exclusion and reduce poverty in Milton Keynes. Age UK Milton Keynes are on the lookout for more volunteers, if this is something of interest to you, please do get in touch with them on info@ageukmiltonkeynes.org.uk or 01908 550700. Milton Keynes Theatre – Also, I visited Milton Keynes Theatre to learn more about them being a tier-1 destination for musicals, productions and performances, attracting some of the biggest names including the upcoming Les Misérables. Having not long finished the pantomime season, I was impressed knowing that the Milton Keynes’ pantomime was not 70

AFGolf – Another visit was to the newly opened golf store AFGolf in Bletchley. I had a tour of the shop to learn more about their business and understand what they are offering to local golfers of all abilities. On the tour, I even had the opportunity to go into the studio and get some help on my golf game play from a PGA coach. The studio is equipped with technology that tracks a range of statistics and details of the player to help them improve and fine-tune their game. To get in touch with them, you can give them a call on 01908 476177. Chemetall Ltd – I also visited Chemetall Ltd in Bletchley to meet with Wayne Brown, managing director, and Dr Geoff Mackey, sustainability director. It was an opportunity to learn about Chemetall and find out how things have been for them during the pandemic, as well as how they are coping as we bounce back from Covid-19. I was pleased to hear about the success Chemetall have been having not only in the United Kingdom but across the world. Whilst having a tour, I was impressed at the facilities and laboratories that have been heavily invested in following their move to this new location. If you would like to showcase your business, organisation or group, please do get in touch with my office on the provided contact details to find a suitable date to meet face-to-face.

CONTACT DETAILS: Tel: 01908 686830 Email: iain.stewart.mp@parliament.uk www.iainstewart.org.uk

CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: Suite 102, Milton Keynes Business Centre, Foxhunter Drive, Linford Wood, Milton Keynes MK14 6GD

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

MPS OUT & ABOUT LOCAL NEWS

Ben Everitt

MP for Milton Keynes North

his is my first MK Pulse column since the invasion of Ukraine, so I wanted to say my thoughts continue to be with the people of Ukraine who are suffering at the hands of Putin’s deplorable war machine. We must continue to make sure Russia feels the pain for its actions and I welcome the significant amount of sanctions announced by the UK Government so far. I know the people of Milton Keynes stand with Ukraine and I have seen first-hand the incredible amount of donations received across the city. It has been an extremely busy time both in Westminster and in Milton Keynes and I was pleased to welcome Sixth Form students from Oakgrove School for a tour of Parliament followed by a Q&A. Tours of Parliament are a fantastic opportunity for young people to learn about democracy in the heart of democracy so I would encourage local schools to pay a visit. Finally, I want to wish everybody a very happy Easter. I hope we get some good weather and you have a wonderful time with your friends and family for our first normal Easter in two years.

Ben on a neighbourhood walkabout with Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber and Inspector Lee Brace

Apprenticeship Opportunities In MK streets and will continue to work with the I recently visited FCDO Services at relevant parties to do this. I’m encouraged by Hanslope Park who run an exciting the fact we now have 61 more police officers apprenticeships scheme where they stationed in MK than we did two years ago and provide opportunities in everything from that number will continue to grow. engineering to marketing as they work to protect national security in the UK and Ben met with Rail Minister Wendy Morton to lobby the Government Meeting With Rail Minister To Discuss GBR HQ overseas. The latest FCDO Apprenticeship to bring the home of Great British As you will probably know by now I am absolutely Scheme has recently opened and they Railways to Milton Keynes determined to bring the home of the brand new Great are looking for local people who would be British Railways to Milton Keynes. With Iain Stewart I interested. You can find out more by visiting: recently wrote to the Transport Secretary outlining the reasons www.fcdoservices.gov.uk/apprenticeship-opportunities-2022 I believe MK is the perfect place for the new HQ and I have now also met with Rail Minister Wendy Morton to discuss the plans Working To Tackle Knife Crime for GBR. From the Royal Train at the world’s longest continuously Following the recent horrific stabbing in Milton Keynes, I operating rail works in Wolverton Works, to Network’s Rail’s arranged to meet with Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew operations centre at The Quadrant, to the future expansion of Barber to discuss how we can prevent knife crime in the city. East-West rail to MK, we are already at the heart of the UK’s rail On a neighbourhood walkabout in Oldbrook we discussed the industry, so it just makes sense that GBR should be based here as recruitment of new officers, ensuring strong deterrents against well. carrying a knife, the work of the Violence Reduction Unit and much more. While on the walk we actually bumped into the Thames Over the last month I also… Valley Police Mounted Section on a patrol through Oldbrook. I also ▸ Planted a tree with Milton Keynes South MP Iain Stewart at raised the issue with Policing Minister, Kit Malthouse in the House our constituency office in Linford Wood for the Queen’s Green of Commons and will be writing to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel Canopy as part of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations highlighting the problem. ▸ Welcomed the news that the number of rough sleepers in I am determined to make sure everybody feels safe on our Milton Keynes is currently at an eight year low, and I will continue to work to end homelessness in the city Unit 6B, ▸ Met members of our local Jewish community at the Milton Pineham Farm, Keynes & District Reform Synagogue in Giffard Park and Haversham, Milton Keynes we discussed the importance role of volunteering in the MK19 7DP community. Retro • Collectables • Ephemera • Vintage • Furniture • Glass • Jewellery Antiques • Books • Film, TV & Theatre Props • Vintage Clothing

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CONTACT DETAILS: Tel: 01908 686830 Email: ben.everitt.mp@parliament.uk www.beneveritt.com | Facebook: beneverittmk

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attic, garage, shed or barn and think you may have found something old, vintage or just amusing, then give us a call and we’d be happy to come and take a look.

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For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

MUSIC

If you’ve got the ills, The Craufurd has The Treatment A deliciously varied line-up comes to town in April, and the list includes a double-Grammy winner, death metal pioneers and more than a smattering of rock’n’roll. Sammy Jones talks you through the visitors...

lternative modern rock three-piece The Hara have a new EP out at the start of April, and they are touring to support We All Wear Black – the fellas will call in at The Craufurd Arms on

April 9. “We want to show everyone that despite it all, despite what the statistics say, despite what people say or any of that social media acceptance bullsh*t, it really doesn’t matter,” says frontman Josh Taylor, explaining the band’s mantra, “Thousands of people will reject you for being different but there are 10 times over that amount who will accept you and who are feeling just like you. If people can become a part of such a glorious resistance through our music, then that’s our mission.”

Beardyman - looking forward to getting on stage in MK

We All Wear Black was produced by Jason Perry, known for his work behind the desk with artists including Don Broco and McFly, and on stage as frontman with Brit Rock mob A. He will also knob twiddle for The Hara’s debut elpee, which is set for release in the second half of the year. The Treatment issued their fifth album, Waiting For Good Luck in 2021, and the hard-rock mob are now piling in the van and hitting the road to bring the noise. They’ve raised their own high bar when it comes to dishing out sonic power and hulking riffs, and this is the second disc that features Tom Rampton taking care of mic duties. The Cambridgeshire crew have toured with some real heavyweights of rock - Kiss, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper and Steel Panther among them. and they are looking forward to their Wolverton return, on April 20. “To be back out on the tour and coming to your beautiful city is an honour for us, we have been kept apart from what we love doing for too long!” said guitarist Tag Grey, “Come down and join us for a night of proper rock ‘n’ roll and support one of the greatest venues in the UK. See you all at Craufurd.” Just before the whole Covid thing went mad, we spent a brilliant night at The Craufurd getting an earful of Stray and The Groundhogs. If only we could have seen what lay ahead.... Anyway, the stalwart rockers are ready to roll once more, and return to the venue on April 23,

The Treatment (main image) and The Hara (inset) will play at The Craufurd Arms this month

with support from Vambo. It’s a Saturday night too. Can’t say fairer. Beardyman brings his beats to the Wolverton venue on April 29, as part of his MakeFaceDance tour. The Beatcheck brand first brought him to town back in 2006, and he has been a regular visitor ever since, aside from the pandemic shut down. “We have had to wait for almost three years to get back behind a sound system, and it’s only fitting that our return to the stage is with Beardyman. We are pumped, and so are the bass bins,” the Beatcheck Monkey told us. Beardyman is every bit as thrilled to be getting back to business: “I have always felt most comfortable on stage. Perhaps it’s because the happiest times I can remember are when I’ve ended up bonding with a group of new friends by uniting them through improvised music. It’s the greatest feeling in the world... “There is no greater thrill for me than to be surrounded by friends old and new, on a stage full of equipment that allows me to achieve a state of flow, instantly forming the music in my head, as it occurs to me, in real-time, into music. Music others can hear and feel as I’m feeling it, before I’ve had time to critique it, edit it, pull it apart. This is my purpose as an artist.” > Find all tickets by tapping to thecraufurdarms.com

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

MUSIC

A tour to lose your head over! P olish players Decapitated have spent the past quarter century working up a noise, and the tech death masters are now able to get back out on the road to celebrate the milestone – they’ll wrap up their UK tour at MK11 on April 7. Over the course of their career, the band has issued seven studio elpees, which are widely considered to be among the genres most influential releases of the 21st century. The Nuclear Blast label treated fans by releasing the band’s early demos last year, and The First Damned showcased a quartet of young men with fire in the bellies and a bright future ahead of them. But no-one could have envisaged the ride would last 25 years... and counting.

“I still remember it like it was yesterday... 22 years ago, our first ever UK tour, straight after Winds of Creation was released,” says founder and guitarist Vogg, “...they called us the “helicopter band” because we would windmill for the entire set. It was a really great time for us, and we received a warm welcome in every town.” Speaking about the tour, he said fans can expect to hear material from some of the older releases in their armoury, including Nihility and Winds of Creation. “Prepare for death metal madness, and let’s celebrate it all together like we always did,” he invited. Support is coming from Signs of the Swarm and Harbinger.

Decapitated are aiming for a night of death metal madness

MK11 certainly knows how to mix the genres up – on April 23, Arrested Development visit. The multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning collective first came into our consciousness three decades ago, slamming the gangsta dominated hip hop world with defiant lyrics of hope. Imagine that. They bagged those aforementioned Grammy’s for Best New Artist and Best Rap Single, for Tennessee, a song that has since been named as one of the ‘500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll’ by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They used their platform for positivity; donating money to Nelson Mandela and the ANC, and bringing homelessness to the fore. Arrested Development shifted in excess of four million units of their debut album 3 years, 5 months and 2 days In The Life of. The reason for the title? That’s how long it took the band to be offered a record deal. But that was then. Today, the collective continues to release new music. For the FKN Love came out in 2021. Two bands, two dates and two wildly different genres, and both set to cause ripples. > Get your tickets by tapping to mk11kilnfarm.com

Arrested Development bring their unique brand of hip hop to MK11

The turning of the screw

ilton Keynes-based trio Higher Sights release their debut single this month. Turn The Screw will be issued through Kycker on April 22. “Leave your brain at the door and enjoy the strong melodies on a solid rhythmic foundation,” they urge, “The band name is a clue, a directive to pick your chin up as you step forward with positivity whilst embracing that life can be hard and even a real shi*bag sometimes,” says guitarist and frontman Steve Wells, “...but good music is always there to drag us through difficult times.

“Higher Sights want to be that band for you, to be there when it is tough, and to be there to celebrate when it’s good.” The band – completed by bassist Anthony Baker and John Jeffery on drums – are finally taking their sounds to the stage too. Dates in the diary include The Picturedrome in Northampton (supporting Noasis on April 23), The Horn in St Albans (May 12) and Bedford Esquires (June 9). “If you like Oasis and Embrace with the vibe of The Charlatans and Stone Roses then we might just be your favourite band!” Steve reckons.

Higher Sights - a new album release and local live gigs coming up

> Turn The Screw will be available on all the major streaming platforms. Investigate further by finding them on FB: @highersightsofficial

For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

WHATS ON

#WhatsOnPulse Jimmy Buckley in Concert Friday, April 1 From country sounds to big ballads and tribute medleys, Jimmy will give you a night of musical memories to remember when he plays The Core at Corby. Aside from being a grade A singer, he is also a hilarious mimic of many major stars. Who knows just ‘who’ will sing for you at the show? On song: thecorecorby.com The Liquid Engineers Saturday, April 2, 7.30pm Recreating the sounds of Gary Numan, from 1978 all the way through to 2021 with a set comprising hits and album tracks. Support comes from Northampton’s own Venus Fly Trap at The Black Prince show. Complex: FB @blackprincenn Danesborough Chorus spring concert Saturday, April 2 Enjoy Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna and Rheinberger’s Requiem in D minor with the choral aces when they host a concert at St Mary’s Church in Woburn. On song: danesborough.org.uk Merry Hell & Ranagri Sunday, April 3 Folk with an edge arrives at The Stables in Wavendon with festival favourites Merry Hell and alt-folkers Ranagri who bring voices, guitar, bouzouki, flutes, whistles, harp and bodhran together for your entertainment. Sounds great: stables.org Feast of Fiddles Tuesday, April 5 It started as an idea in a folk club and has turned into a national folk-rock institution. Enjoy a musical extravaganza covering almost every genre and involving quite a few fiddles when they return to the Wavendon venue. Feast on this: stables.org Amazing Animation Workshop Tuesday, April 5, 10am-4pm Children aged 7-11 are invited to make a mini-animation like Wallace and Gromit or Charlie and Lola using their favourite models or cut outs, or make a Godzilla and battle it out with Kong. A fun all-day workshop with Animation Station, at Yardley Arts, Yardley Hastings. Book for creativity: bookings@yardleyarts.org 74

Prepare for Merry Hell at The Stables - April 3

Milton Keynes National Trust Association: Down Among The Gypsies Thursday, April 7 A lecture by Diane Sutton at the Oak Tree Centre, Shenley Brook End. Monies raised will support National Trust projects. Get more details: Email sue-davedee@talktalk.net

Barbara Dickson Saturday, April 9 From her folk roots to global hits like Another Suitcase in Another Hall, multi-million selling singer Barbara will deliver a range of tracks covering her career – and what a career she has had! Belting it out: stables.org

Catch Me If You Can Monday, April 4 – Saturday, April 9 A new production of the psychological thriller with a superb cast headed by Dallas legend Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl (Happy Days). Mysterious happenings: atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes

‘All about Daylilies (Hemerocallis)’ a talk with Denton & District Gardening Club Monday, April 11, 7.30pm Paula Dyason will share her knowledge at the event, being hosted at Denton Village Hall, Vicarage Lane, Denton NN7 1DT Blooming great: m.pateman@yahoo.co.uk

Wilko Johnson Saturday, April 9, 7.30pm Unique and exceptional, don’t miss the chance to spend the evening with Canvey Island’s finest as Wilko brings his band (comprising the equally awesome Blockhead Norman Watt-Roy on bass and drummer Dylan Howe) to the Roadmender in Northampton. Support comes from John Otway. Don’t keep this to yourself: theroadmender.com

Family Archaeology Afternoon Tuesday, April 12, sessions from 2pm-5pm Join Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society and the Friends of Great Linford Manor Park on a family-friendly afternoon to discover the archaeology that has been happening in the area. Dig deep: theparkstrust.com

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes Aviation Society Present our next Lecture events: 12 April “Hunter Heavy Breathing” 10 May “The X-15 Rocket Plane” 14 June Phantom F-4J and 74 Squadron Visit our website www.mkas.co.uk for full details. Meetings held at Kents Hill Community Centre, Frithwood Crescent, Kents Hill, Milton Keynes MK7 6HQ Doors open at 7.30pm with the lecture at 8.00pm. Visitors should register their interest with Chris Bosworth - cj.bos@ntlworld.com Entry is £5.00 for visitors or free for members – annual fee £22.00

Walk & Talk: Nature At Night – Nocturnal Walk Tuesday, April 12, 7.30pm-9pm Join The Parks Trust to explore the habitats within Howe Park Wood. Learn why animals are nocturnal and how they adapt in the dark. Suitable for adults and families with children over eight years old. When the sun goes down: theparkstrust.com

Dawg ‘n’ Bonz Tuesday, April 12 A heady mix of energetic stone-cold classic blues, rocking self-penned originals and a sprinkling of Latin rhythms arrives at the Bletchley Blues Club. bletchleybluesclub.uk Easter Fun & Egg Hunt Friday, April 15 - Monday, April 18 Follow the trail to win some yummy prizes at Milton Keynes Museum, and enjoy all of the usual attractions too; explore the farmhouse, have fun in the communications gallery, take a trip along the Street of Shops, and much more. History on your doorstep: miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk Good Friday Concert Friday, April 15, 6pm Fiori Musicali Choir perform a traditional concert of choral music for Good Friday featuring the beautiful Miserere by Allegri, plus pieces by Gesualdo, Tallis, Palestrina, Victoria, Byrd and Lotti, at All Saints Church, Lamport. Beautiful music: fiori-musicali.com Towcester & District Art Society Saturday, April 16 - Monday, April 18, 10am-4.30pm Join the creatives for their Spring Art Exhibition and Sale at Towcester Town Hall, admission is free. Paint it up: towcesterart.com

Nocturnal happenings with The Parks Trust at Howe Park Wood - April 12 (below)

April Highlights National Youth Jazz Orchestra: A Celebration of Amy Winehouse Sunday 10 April This concert celebrates NYJO alumna Amy Whitehouse’s enduring legacy, reimagining hits and revisiting early works she sang with the 24-piece orchestra as a promising 16-year-old singer, back in 2000. The Paradis Files Wednesday 20 & Thursday 21 April In this newly commissioned chamber opera, with music by Errollyn Wallen CBE, the extraordinary story of the 18th century blind composer and pianist Maria-Theresia von Paradis is finally drawn out of the shadows to reclaim her place in the spotlight of music history. China Crisis Saturday 23 April Join Liverpool music royalty China Crisis as they celebrate their 40th anniversary. This special evening will be a huge treat for fans old and new featuring all the hits with stunning arrangements, performed with a full band. The Shee Wednesday 27 April Cross-border folk multiinstrumentalists and festival favourites The Shee are an exceptional all-female band boasting powerful and emotional vocal performances and instrumental prowess. Hot Club of Cowtown Friday 29 April Since their beginnings in the late 1990s, the Hot Club of Cowtown’s star has continued to rise – the band’s reputation for jaw-dropping virtuosity and unforgettable live shows is now their global brand. Their musical alchemy has been described as “another breathless journey in the Texas tardis” (The Times),

Pic: The Parks Trust

The Stables, Wavendon Milton Keynes MK17 8LU Box office: 01908 280800 stables.org For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

WHATS ON

Inner Wheel Newport Pagnell Tuesday, April 19, 2-4pm A monthly meeting where ladies gather to enjoy each other’s company and listen to interesting speakers. Their speaker this month will be from Newport Pagnell Fire Service, talking about safety in the home. The talk at the Olney Centre will be followed by refreshments and an update on the club plans and events for 2022. Join the gathering: 01908 610200 The Unthanks Thursday, April 21, 7.30pm After two years off the road, The Unthanks are back and showcasing their forthcoming album, Sorrows Away, at Northampton’s Royal. They will also play some of the familiar tunes from their career to date – and there have been 14 records so far, so there is plenty to choose from. Say thanks: royalandderngate.co.uk Hue and Cry Friday, April 22, 7.30pm Brothers Patrick and Gregory came together as Hue and Cry nearly four decades ago, and they are still going strong. Eighties hits Labour of Love and Looking For Linda have stood the test of time – now go hear them live. Never stop looking: theroadmender.com The Blackheart Orchestra Friday, April 22 The Blackheart Orchestra are two voices and 13 instruments that create a unique musical experience – the award-winning electronic prog-folk pioneers will be showing their class with an intimate date at The Stables. Mesmeranto: stables.org An Evening with Herman’s Hermits Saturday, April 23, 7.30pm The Hermits chalked up 23 hit singles, 10 hit albums, appeared in three movies and have sold more than 75 million records worldwide. And the 60’s successes aren’t done yet! Join them for a run through the hits at The Core in Corby. A Kind of Hush: thecorecorby.com Noasis Saturday, April 23, 8pm A supersonic show playing the hits of the Gallagher brothers, and there were more than a few of those. Tribute bands come no better than these fellas – active for more than 15 years and with more than 1100 gigs under their collective belt, they’ve got the swagger and the sounds down to a tee. Roll with it: thepicturedrome.com

The Blackheart Orchestra plays The Stables on April 22

Toddle Tours and Child Tours at MK Gallery Saturday, April 23 Child Tours are artist-led sensory tours for families with children with additional needs, including autism spectrum disorder and profound and multiple learning disabilities. Toddle Tours accommodate families with youngsters under the age of five. Tours last 40 minutes each. Art for all: mkgallery.org Alan Barnes & Dave Newton Sunday, April 24, 11.30am Join the multiple award winners as they cover a repertoire from Louis Armstrong to Chick Corea. Alan and Dave have been playing duets for 42 years and you should expect a programme of straight ahead jazz flawlessly played and interspersed with anecdotes and humour – well worth heading out on a Sunday morning for. Jazz up the day: stables.org The Gondoliers Monday, April 25-Saturday, April 30 Northampton Gilbert & Sullivan Group return with the G&S favourite, The Gondoliers which combines razor-sharp wit and memorable music and a talented cast from the locality. Venice bound: royalandderngate.co.uk

Les Miserables Until Saturday, May 21 One of the world’s most popular musicals returns to Milton Keynes Theatre for a fourweek run, a chance to enjoy the score of plenty – including Bring Him Home and I Dreamed A Dream – live. Storm the barricades: atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes An Evening with Liverpool Legends Wednesday, April 27, 7.30pm One for the footie fans, with Phil Thompson, Sammy Lee and Bruce Grobbelaar on stage, sharing stories from their time playing with Liverpool – entertainment and banter will be plentiful! Back of the net: thecorecorby.com Sam & Zoe V Evermore Saturday, April 30, 8pm Head to Northampton’s Underground and join Sam and Zoe on an epic theatrical quest. With your help they will battle ogres, solve Tolkienesque riddles and rescue orphan princes – but can they slay their own demons in the process? The stakes are high: royalandderngate.co.uk King Kurt Saturday, April 30, 7.30pm London’s legendary psychobilly rock n’ rollers visit The Club House in Corby to shake up your Saturday night. Road to Rack ‘n’ Ruin: FB @theclubhousecorby

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

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THEATRE

Singin’ In The Rain dances into MK Theatre

Catch Me If You Can

More twists than

a corkscrew! C

aptivating chemistry, phenomenal physics and bonkers biology all figure in Unbelievable Science, the current show by the magicians, time travellers and all-round spiffing chaps Morgan & West (April 3). Explosive thrills, chemical spills and a risk assessment that gives their stage manager chills – it’s all part of the package from these bona fide, legitimately qualified scientists, who will be sharing their fun stuff at The Stables. The afternoon show (2pm start) is suitable for everyone aged six years and up, and they promise to ‘take full responsibility for any horizons broadened, passions inflamed or minds blown’ at the event. Now, there is absolutely nowt wrong with a cracking musical, but we have had quite a few at Milton Keynes Theatre lately, haven’t we? For those craving something a little different, get ready for a gripping psychological thriller from the pen partnership of Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert. The classic Broadway thriller Catch Me If You Can (April 4-9) is in the early stages of a long UK tour taking it to theatres far and wide, which will give Patrick Duffy time enough to thoroughly investigate the UK. Yep, that’s right, the man who played Bobby Ewing in Dallas is coming to town for the fiveday stay. The new town is a long way from the Southfork ranch, but so too is the character he is playing in this highly entertaining mystery. Inspector Levine is called to a house in the remote Catskill mountains to investigate the 78

disappearance of newly married Elizabeth Corban. But when a woman claiming to be her turns up, her husband seems surprised and the plot develops more twists than a corkscrew! Patrick plays the husband, and his wife will be portrayed by Linda Purl, who many will recall as Ashley in Happy Days. A partnership off the stage too, Patrick and Linda’s relationship blossomed during the Covid lockdown – read our exclusive interview with Patrick on pages 12-14. The theatre doesn’t stay musical free for long – and the sounds return with a classic that is guaranteed to make a splash in every which way; Singin’ In The Rain (April 11-16) uses an incredible 14,000 litres of water on stage every night! Step back to the glamour of Hollywood during the roaring 20’s. Silent movie star Don Lockwood has it all – hit films, and a studioengineered romance with the most beautiful actress in town. But the silver screen is about to find its voice and everything is set to change. If, like us, you watched the big screen version at Christmas (for the umpteenth time) you’ll know what to expect. If you’ve never had the

Pic: Steve Ullathorne

Comedy, chemistry, a Steps star in Singin’ In The Rain and a Dallas legend in a psychological thriller? Pulse’s Sammy Jones takes you on a journey through theatre’s most wanted for April...

The Paradis Files

pleasure, you are in for a beautiful surprise. Steps’ Faye Tozer joins Sam Lips, Charlotte Gooch and Ross McLaren to head up the cast. Over at The Stables, the Screaming Blue Murder Comedy Club (April 13) lets Michael Fabbri, and Jo Neary loose at the microphone, with Andrew Bird at the helm as compere. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (April 1923) is fabulous and feel good, or as Time Out declared, ‘punchy, funny, fabulous.’ The critics are united on it being a five-star smash hit, and the ‘musical for today’ has a brilliant message – showing that it is possible to overcome prejudice, beat the bullies and step out of the darkness and into the spotlight. West End star Layton Williams is Jamie New, and Shane Richie makes a welcome return to Milton Keynes, reprising his role of Hugo/ Loco Chanelle. We should also give a mention to George Sampson, who took the Britain’s Got Talent crown back in 2008 – he is on board as Dean. See page ? for your chance to win one of three pairs of tickets to see the show during its MK stay. Graeae Theatre Company park up at The Stables with The Paradis Files (April 20 & 21). You’ll be seated in Wavendon, but transported back to the glittering salons of 18th-century Vienna, and the story of an extraordinary blind musician. Some of those closest to Maria-Theresia are looking to profit from her blindness. Others are looking to cure her – no matter what it takes. Performances of this newly commissioned chamber opera will integrate BSL, captioning and audio description. There is just enough time to mention the arrival of Les Miserables (April 26 – May 21), but we’ll have plenty more to say about that in the next edition...

Morgan & West

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

> Go shopping for tickets: MK Theatre: atgtickets.com/ venues/milton-keynes-theatre The Stables: stables.org

THE

DUKE

Film Reviews by Jordan Adcock

FILM OF THE MONTH - Star Rating: 4/5

The Duke is the increasingly rare film that’s comfortable being a breezy 90 minutes long. That might not sound like great praise. However, this film was director Roger Michell’s (Notting Hill) last before his untimely death last year and while The Duke isn’t destined to live on as a ground-breaking classic, it’s a sweet comedy drama that (a couple of aspects aside) isn’t indulgent, tells a quintessentially quirky British true story and reliably excellent performances from seasoned British actors (plus more swearing than usual for a 12A-rated film!). In this film, it’s evergreen character actor Jim Broadbent as Kempton Bunton, the jovial aspiring script-writer from Newcastle who’s well-read and outspoken, especially about making TV licences free for pensioners. He’s not impressed when in 1961 the nation buys Francisco Goya’s portrait of the

Duke of Wellington for £140,000. One visit to London later, the painting goes missing and Bunton’s red-handed (or is he?). Broadbent is perfect for the lead role which suiting his unassuming, gently comical onscreen presence, and ensures that Bunton’s likeable despite his motormouth and overall stubbornness, including physically removing the means to receive the BBC on his own TV to not pay the licence (spoiler alert: it doesn’t work). Mirren is equally welcome as Bunton’s wife Dorothy, who’s grown weary not just of his refusal to pay their own TV licence or give up his seemingly hopeless campaigns, but also working through their shared, unresolved trauma of their daughter’s death. Her character, particularly her interactions with Kempton and their spirited son Jackie (Fionn Whitehead), helps ground the film from ever lurching into outright triviality. ✪

THE BATMAN

LUCA

Star Rating: 2.5/5

MORTAL KOMBAT

Star Rating: 2.5/5

Star Rating: 1.5/5

When a character’s as lucrative as Batman, reboot after reboot is only inevitable. Director Matt Reeves’ new take, starring a worthy turn by Robert Pattinson as an especially moody and troubled Batman, certainly puts the ‘dark’ in ‘dark knight’. Namely, its impressively gloomy atmosphere in Gotham that rains almost every night and the Riddler (Paul Dano), here reworked as an unnerving internet-dwelling killer eliminating the city’s corrupt elite. The film gets sloppier the further it drags on with certain plot points introduced right as they’re paid off, which is less forgivable given the three-hour runtime and how it continually extends shots and scenes longer than necessary. It’s not up there with Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight films but mercifully much better than Warner Bros.’s rushed universe-building featuring Ben Affleck as Batman. ✪

Luca is the latest Pixar film sent straight to streaming on Disney+ (and later Blu-ray/ DVD), presumably for mid-pandemic business reasons rather than artistic ones. Still, if this isn’t Pixar’s worst film it might well be their slightest. Luca the young sea creature discovers one day that he turns human when out of water (literally “fish out of water”?) and makes friends with Alberto and Giulia, though is forced to hide his true self from the seaside town that fears his kind. Too much of the story, and themes of friendship overcoming fear and suspicion, have already been done in other animated films with more imagination and depth, including by Pixar in Monsters, Inc. The attention to detail of its Italian riviera setting and the sweet character relationships aren’t enough. ✪

Released last year and now available to stream, this is Hollywood’s second stab at filming the very violent beat-em-up video game series. Whereas the 1990s Mortal Kombat films remain very poor adaptations but are very silly and funny regardless, this one’s a better adaptation with fight scenes that are better choreographed and blood and gore closer resembling the games. Yet, despite its main cast including someone who gains robotic arms, an ice-wielding assassin and a foul-mouthed brawny Australian, the film’s determined to mostly focus on its bland-as-anything ‘Chosen One’ protagonist, with his motivations to protect his family even blander than his dialogue. Thank goodness this film’s main stakes are in its realm-hopping, magic-powered martial arts. ✪

Speaking of video game adaptations, adventure film Uncharted is much closer to the typical Hollywood butchering they’ve subjected to series like Tomb Raider, Warcraft, etc. The film stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, despite them not at all resembling the original game characters Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan, professional thieves who form an uneasy partnership to find hidden gold before the powerful Moncada family does. The lead pair coast on their honed screen charm (Holland’s performance is essentially him as Peter Parker again), because the script certainly gives them nothing to work with. The action’s ridiculous, the plot and logic even more so, and Antonio Banderas gets wasted; Uncharted chases gold but this film’s treasure is eye-rolling rather than dazzling. ✪

Star Rating: 3/5

UNCHARTERED

You can follow Jordan on Twitter (@JordanReview) and read his blog at www.reviewsreflections.wordpress.com For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

MOTORING

Beating the

PRICE SQUEEZE

on fuel costs ADAM TUDOR-LANE offers some timely tips on fuel saving for your vehicles to try and beat the price squeeze at the petrol pumps.

s war darkens the skies on European soil once more, the effects of sanctions work both ways, and they’re first being felt here at the pump. VAT currently adds 26p to every litre and fuel duty another 58p. So we pay 84p a litre in tax alone… With the government unlikely to reduce either of those costs by a significant amount, what can you do to up your MPG (miles per gallon) and save money? Here are a few top tips - aside from buying an electric car. Tyre Pressure One of the biggest impacts on MPG can be tyre pressures; ‘yup’, those black round things that you get replaced every few years and rarely take much notice of. You should be checking them regularly as tyres can naturally lose around 2 PSI a month. A study in the U.S. found that a 10% drop in pressure increases fuel consumption by 2%. These may sound like small numbers, but at £90 a tank, 2% is £1.80; add that up over a month or two of driving, and you could end up saving a decent amount. You’ll be able to find the correct tyre pressures for your car in your manual or somewhere on the door shut. If not, pop your reg in online here - tyresafe.org/car-tyre-pressure/ One of the best 12v tyre inflators for the money that I’ve tested is the Ring RTC1000, that way you don’t have to keep going to the petrol station and spending a quid a time to check your pressures. Find it on Amazon by scanning the QR code

Fuel System Cleaner

De-clutter

Some call it snake oil, but a fuel system cleaner will actually boost your MPG. If you’ve never used one in your car, then it’s worth doing. A fuel system cleaner such as Redex can remove deposits that build up in the engine and along your fuel lines over time. All you do is bung it in your tank and drive. Think of it as an MOT for your fuel system. If you never use higher octane, premium fuels, it’s worth doing at least once a year. Redex is available for petrol and diesel vehicles, so make sure you buy the right one.

If you always drive around with lots of rubbish in your car, ditch it. That goes for roof boxes, racks and rails too. Extra weight and drag will use more fuel, it doesn’t make much of a difference around town, but longer journeys or particularly hilly drives will sap away at your MPG. A roof box may only knock around 0.2 off your MPG, but when coupled with less weight and correct pressures, the small gains for little effort can mean money in your pocket.

Find it on Amazon by scanning the QR code

Air Conditioning No, it’s not a myth. Using your air-con on a city drive can make it dip by a massive 8%. So if you’re ‘pootling’ around achieving 30 MPG, it can drop to around the 28 mark just through having the air conditioning on. You’re much better off opening the windows; even fully open you’d only lose around 0.5 MPG compared to the 2 eaten up by the AC. On motorways using air-con barely makes a difference, so crack on. For the sake of a few minutes checking your tyres, unloading unnecessary stuff and bunging in some fuel cleaner, you could squeeze out a few extra miles from your tank. While you won’t save a tenner overnight, as Tesco says – every little helps. But the most significant factor when it comes to MPG is driving style, it’s a big topic to cover, so I’ll explain all in next month’s issue.

For more car news, reviews and motorsport action visit carwitter.com or follow us @car_witter 80

April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

PUZZLES

View from the Far Kerb

SUDOKU PUZZLE Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 x 3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats. Good Luck!

7 4

We had just passed a sign for Toddington Services. Knowing that Junction 13 was just beyond, I decided to push the stricken motorcycle past and off the motorway. It was the eighties. I was young. I was stupid. I didn’t know any better. By the time we reached the service area, I was fit to drop. So we decided to park it off the motorway and see if we could hitch a ride home. If even one biker obliged, at least my pal stood a chance of getting home in time. We were both soaked through; my pillion was six foot of hugeness; and my face was covered in grease and filth from my hands after handling the chain. Sweaty and panting after pushing what I now thought of as a two-wheeled child of the Devil, didn’t help.

We somehow ended up chatting to a slight, smartly attired chap. He had ridden a motorcycle in the past and asked what we were riding. We told him our very sorry tale. He offered us both a lift in his very posh and expensive Rover (eighties!). Not only that but he dropped each of us to our respective front doors! Given the times we live in, imagine offering a lift to a pair who looked as if on the run after murdering someone! PHIL O’HARA

QUICK CROSSWORD

We were both soaked through; my pillion was six foot of hugeness; and my face was covered in grease and filth from my hands after handling the chain

6 2

The Push

y pillion and I had been on a motorcycle trip to London and were now heading up the M1 in the rain, back home to Pulseland. Zipping along the almost empty motorway on a Saturday afternoon in the eighties, I could hear a ticking came from somewhere below me. It was loud enough to be heard over the engine noise, despite wearing a crash helmet. It didn’t sound good, so I slowed and moved onto the hard shoulder, whereupon the ticking ceased. Checking the way was clear (eighties, remember?), I rejoined the motorway. My reward was a return of the loud ticking. Again I rolled back the throttle and drifted onto the hard shoulder. And again the ticking went away. Intending to rejoin the main carriageway, I accelerated and it came back. So I slowed to a stop and off we got. My friend hadn’t heard the sound and was puzzled why we were currently miles from home and going nowhere. He had an exciting night out planned and so wasn’t best pleased. My description of the noise meant nothing to him so I hoisted the machine up onto its mainstand, started the engine, and then ran through the gears. It was as I changed into fourth that the ticking returned, to be followed by the drive chain flying off the back and landing far away along the hard shoulder. The rain continued. I retrieved the chain and examined it. A side plate had broken and the sound had been a warning of total failure. I was wet and now had filthy hands. We were a mess and it seemed certain that my pal would miss his date tonight.

Clues Across

1. Unlawful (7) 8. Building (7) 9. Description of an illustration (7) 10. Chest of drawers (7) 11. Long-lasting (7) 14. Anger (3) 16. Flank (4) 18. Caprice (4) 19. Cut short (4) 20. Exhaust (4) 21. Standard (3)

23. Cautious (7) 26. Imprison (7) 28. Atomic particle (7) 29. Connected (7) 30. Public performer (7)

Clues Down 1. Single event (8) 2. Social outcast (5) 3. Ascend (5) 4. Sore (6) 5. Refer to (4)

6. Pinkish (anag.) (7) 7. Look searchingly (4) 12. Dull pain (4) 13. Walk unevenly (4) 15. Beige (4) 16. Tart (4) 17. Testimony (8) 18. Dispute (7) 22. Meeting schedule (6) 24. Fully grown (5) 25. Pub game (5) 26. Stiff paper (4) 27. Preposition (4)

Solutions to Sudoku and Quick Crossword can be found on page 82 For the latest local news visit www.mkpulse.co.uk | MK Pulse Magazine | April 2022

Your stars LOCAL NEWS

HOWARD PARKER

THE ASTRO-GUIDE

Flavour of the Times - I don’t know why people talk about ‘blue moons’ being special. All it means is that there is a new moon twice in the month, but I suppose it does give two opportunities rather than just one to start a new cycle in some way in your life. We begin with the new moon in Pisces, not a sign noted for its aggressive tone on 1st, so that may resolve some confrontational situations. The second one is on 31st – in Aries and things will spring into action because, in astrological terms, it is the beginning of the year’s sun cycle. It is all a bit optimistic, but maybe we are still capable of fooling ourselves in some respects (it wouldn’t be the first time, would it?). There is still a bit of tough love lurking in the background to start with, but it is definitely gentler than we have experienced for a while and the new cycle of creativity will give us all some hope as the year unfolds.

ARIES March 21 – April 20

LEO July 24 – August 23

SAGITTARIUS November 23 – December 22

TAURUS April 21 – May 21

VIRGO August 24 – September 23

CAPRICORN December 23 – January 20

April 1st is the new moon in your sign so try not to let the energy turn you into an April fool in your enthusiasm! I think there is a sense of ‘putting into action what you have learnt the hard way’ over the past year, of allowing yourself to step beyond the comfort zone into new directions without worrying too much about the downside. But please consider consequences before you jump!

Personal restraint, consideration for others, service towards ethical and socially responsible goals will serve you well this month as Aquarian values continue to feature strongly. Grand gestures will seem false to others so try to resist temptation when it comes to putting yourself out there. These are serious times and true Leonine leadership should appear similarly serious.

Bringing structure to chaos or order to disorder, that’s what you are best at and the signs are that you will need all your analytic and organisational skills to keep certain projects within reasonable bounds. But there’s not a lot of assistance for Virgos from the universe until next month, so you may struggle to find much order and organisation during this month’s events.

It won’t be until the end of the month that you will really feel you can change up a gear. By then the sun and moon will have arrived in your sign and the radical innovations you see taking place all around you will be taking concrete form ready for you to join in. You will know when it is the right time to move ahead – it will just feel right somehow.

GEMINI May 22 – June 21

LIBRA September 24 – October 23

It’s a bumpy ride as justifications and protestations about what you did won’t cut any ice this month. Unless you act with scrupulous moral ethics, your words will be seen as camouflage for things that everyone thinks are just plain wrong and they are fed up with it. If you are the Prime Minister, so much the worse!

The spring energy is perhaps making you feel a bit more decisive than you usually are. That doesn’t mean you should ignore looking at alternative options, for example, in improving your income levels, but you may need to look beyond the usual possibilities before you find something that you had never previously considered but, actually, it looks quite interesting. Follow it!

CANCER June 22 – July 23

SCORPIO October 24 – November 22

You may start to wonder whether you should do something radically different to improve some aspect of your health. Is what you are doing actually working for you right now? In fact, this may extend into other areas of the way in which you are living your everyday life. But it’s a time of innovative ideas so don’t be afraid of follow a new path entirely.

Effusive demonstrations of love may tempt you but try not to be too clingy. It may be time to let go of long-held sentimentalities for people and possessions. Dream jobs that seemed glamorous may lose their lustre as you experience a reality check when it comes to where you are heading in life. You may feel pulled in several directions at once.

PUZZLE

SOLUTIONS

To really understand what this means for you on a personal level during 2022, I would recommend that you consider booking a comprehensive personal astrological consultation that is completely specific to you and your life. This will illuminate many things that you may not have considered and it will enable you to really take advantage of the positive energies and avoid the negative ones throughout the year. 0

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GET INVOLVED!

We are always looking for local stories, news and events. If you want to get involved, please email mkpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk

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Chart readings with me start at £67 and last for an hour on Zoom or Skype. Please go to www.astroguidance.co.uk for more details and to book a session. You can also text or WhatsApp me on 07866 727743 or email me at howpark@aol.com for more information. If you are interested in discussing and learning more about astrology, why not pop into my Facebook group The Astrocafe | Facebook.

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George Harrison sang “There are no edges, there are no sides” and with Neptune right next to Jupiter in your sign, you may feel your life has no structure and that you are swept by the tide in opposite directions at the same time. This isn’t true and imaginative confusion may reign until you work out how to make things more manageable. Just wait.

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PISCES February 20 – March 20

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With Saturn in your sign being a teacher and authority figure, you may well be learning a lot of lessons this month, perhaps about your own approach to love and sexuality. This is less romantic than it is thoughtful and intellectual, so you will be trying to think about what certain things mean for you. Being an Aquarian, you may want to experiment just to see what happens.

AQUARIUS January 21 – February 19

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Pluto goes backwards at the end of this month so perhaps you should prepare for this by analysing what’s been going on lately and how life has changed for you so far. This period, until the autumn, is a time for taking a pause, to note your dreams, dig into your feelings and hold off radical actions that may seem all too tempting right now. Your judgement will be more reliable later on.

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A bit more action at last as Aries’ energy pings your chart into motion. All sorts of options may be appearing now. The question is: how many of them are realistic and which ones are just your highly fertile imagination going into overdrive? Creativity needs channeling if you are going to achieve what inspires you at this time.

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April 2022 | MK Pulse Magazine | 32,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Milton Keynes

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