24 minute read
COMPETITION
from MK Pulse May 2022
Monty Don is among the presenters at the show
Win tickets to the BBC Gardeners’ World Live
Pulse has teamed up with BBC Gardeners’ World Live to offer five lucky readers a chance to bag a pair of tickets to attend this summer’s celebration of gardening at the Birmingham NEC.
The ultimate gardening day out is nearly here! BBC Gardeners’ World Live returns, alongside the BBC Good Food Show Summer as big as ever to Birmingham’s NEC 16-19 June. This year’s Show has everything for your summer garden, from inspiring Show Gardens and Beautiful Borders to the extensive Floral Marquee and shopping opportunities. Frances Tophill will be making her Show Garden debut and Monty Don, Adam Frost, Arit Anderson, Joe Swift plus Alan Titchmarsh will step off the screen onto the stage with plenty of expert advice. It’s going to be a great day out!
To celebrate the BBC’s 100th year, a host of displays in the Floral Marquee will be inspired by popular BBC programmes, from The Archers to the Peaky Blinders. The tearoom will also get a makeover as the NEW Paso Doble Café, inspired by Strictly Come Dancing, along with music and ballroom dancing. Plus, the House of Plants inspired by Top of the Pops! will be a blast from the past, with plenty of houseplant pizazz and inspiration.
You’re sure to go home with a head full of ideas from the Show Gardens and Beautiful Borders, bursting with ideas for wildlife gardening, sustainability, grow your own and more. Don’t miss the opportunity to solve your gardening conundrums from the Showload of expert advice on offer. From design, landscaping, pests and diseases, to grow your own, lawncare and plant identification, there’ll be a range of experts to help you. A haven of colour and scent, you’ll be able to shop ‘til you drop in the Floral Marquee and Plant Village from our carefully selected, quality nurseries and specialist growers. Plus, soak up the feeling of summer with picnics, family gardening activities and magic moments, all surrounded by toetapping live music from the Bandstand. Returning with all its delicious trimmings, the BBC Good Food Show Summer is also back alongside the Show. All tickets include entry to both Shows, so that’s two great BBC shows in one ticket!
> With something for everyone, it’s going to be a great summer day out. Book tickets now! www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com
For your chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to attend BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the BBC Good Food Show Summer, answer the following question:
What is the name of Monty Don’s golden retriever? Email your answer to mkpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk Subject: MK GARDENERS’ WORLD along with your name, address and contact telephone number.
Closing date for entries is: May 31 2022
Terms and conditions: Five readers will win a pair of tickets to attend BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2022 at the Birmingham NEC, which includes entry to the BBC Good Food Show Summer. Tickets valid for Sunday entry only, entry at 9am. No cash alternative. Travel not included.
Glass or tile conservatory roof: Which is best for your home?
Conservatories are now the most popular way for homeowners to extend their home. Available in a wide range of styles, sizes and configurations, choosing which option is best for you and your home can be a daunting task. Whether you’re on the market for a brand new conservatory or you’re looking to improve an existing glazed extension T&K Home Improvements offer a short comparison on two different products that may help define your search for the perfect option.
The Benefits of Glass Conservatory Roofs Glass conservatory roofs can offer your home stunning levels of light transmission thanks to their slim sightlines. You can enjoy unobstructed views to the exterior of your home as well as enjoy the stunning modern profile of our roof designs.
They can be a fantastic addition to both modern and heritage properties, as they can create a sense of grandeur and modernism without compromising on the existing character of your home. Fully customisable, glass conservatory roofs come with a host of glazing options to meet any design preference and can increase the performance of your home. There are options for self-cleaning glazing and glazing that provides better thermal insulation to your home and keeps the hot sun out in the summer. With energy prices rising, now is the perfect time to invest in energy efficient home improvement solutions. With modern glazing options and proper inbuilt ventilation systems, the glass conservatory roofs of today can provide you with year-round thermal regulation. Gone are the conservatories of old which became oven hot in the summer and bitter cold in the winter. How Do Tiled Conservatory Roofs Compare? Tiled roofs are ideal for those who want their extension to emulate the existing style of their property. Many traditional roofing styles used in homes can be mirrored in an conservatory roof with extensive colour options and interiors you can create a sense that this is a natural extension of your home.
Tiled roofs give added privacy and boast excellent thermal efficiency in much the same way as their glass counterparts. Tiled conservatory roofs offer U-values as low as 0.13W/m2K helping you save on your energy bill and keep your home a comfortable temperature all year round.
>> T&K Home Improvements is a family run business that provides quality windows, doors and conservatories since 1979 in Northamptonshire and surrounding areas. To find out more on high performance energy efficient glazing options and how much you can save visit www.tkhi.co.uk.
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Summer accents
https://www.osborneandlittle.com/
www.evieandskye.com
Dive into summer 2022 with an array of fruity accessories and bright pops of colour. From juicy pinks to sunshine yellow, summer infusions is the perfect trend to get stuck into for the brighter seasons ahead.
Bold, vibrant colours can be used in small quantities as accents, to add impact and interest to a space. They tend to contrast with the rest of the colour scheme so that they stand out and highlight the areas where they are used. Being adventurous with colour can be hugely rewarding and with so many paint, wallpaper and fabric manufacturers embracing the summer vibe, now is definitely the time to experiment with your décor.
One of the easiest ways to add a pop of summery colour is to paint or wallpaper an accent wall. A single wall behind a bed or sofa creates a focal point in the room and draws your eye into the specific area, allowing the furniture to stand out against the bold, interesting background. A contrasting fabric can be added as a cushion or headboard or you can introduce
Rosie Kinsella Interior Designer 01604 751262 www.millsandkinsella.com a mix of colours in a piece of art, bringing the tones of both the furniture and the wall together in one place. It’s important for the bright colours to feel connected to the overall space.
Vibrant summer colours are highly stimulating especially when paired with a crisp white background to make them stand out even more. With so many of us still partly working from home, there’s never been a better opportunity to add some colour to our workspace. It’s a proven fact that colours can affect decision-making, productivity, creativity, and levels of happiness. At Google, head office employees gather in blue rooms to be creative and yellow rooms to make decisions.
Maria Orlova for www.unsplash.com www.sanderson.sandersondesigngroup.com
Achromatic environments (like white and grey) tend to make much less successful workspaces as the relationship between white and grey can’t arouse any change in emotions. Whilst white paint might make the walls look bright and light, employee recognition firm Altrum Recognition suggest the risk of burn out in a completely white room increases by 25%.
If you are keen to add impact and talking points throughout your house, then try to find unusual spaces to decorate. A feature such as a skylight is easy to overlook but can be a great opportunity to use a patterned wallpaper on the ceiling or to add a bright, contrasting paint colour to the frame or cross beams. Think about the light coming in through the window; it’s normally better to use summery, warm colours such as pinks and yellows rather than the cooler tones of blue, green and grey.
Another good tip is to paint the inside of objects in a contrasting colour. The outside might be neutral but a flash of vibrant colour painted on the inside can make you smile every time you open a cupboard or pull out a drawer. If you type ‘wallpaper in drawers’ into any search engine, you’ll find a plethora of colourful inspiration. According to British artist Annie Sloan, ‘colour brings joy so be bold with it’.
Summery colours and prints can be enjoyed in small or grand measure. You will only require a small amount to make quite an impact on your interior. Think of the difference a bright pair of shoes, a colourful pair of glasses or a new nail colour make to one’s appearance. As Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux puts so succinctly ‘it’s that dash of flash that gets all the admiring attention’.
The latest fabric and wallpaper collections from Harlequin and Osborne and Little offer some beautiful patterns in hot, exotic colours ideal for re-energising tired interiors. The new stair runners launched by Roger Oates as part of a collaboration with A Rum Fellow and the latest designs by Off the Loom both offer bolder colours creating the perfect statement carpet runner for your stairs or landing. And Byron and Byron have a superbly vibrant range of curtain poles that have to be seen to be believed. The Floral Neons range creates a powerful look inspired by the bright solid colours seen in pop art.
The past couple of years have really strengthened our relationship with the outdoors and as such there has never been a better time to embrace some summer colour in our homes. So seize the day and live your life in full colour! As Kandinsky is often quoted as saying “colour is a power which directly influences the soul”.
www.schoener-leben-shop.de
The Best Kitchen Wall Décor Ideas
Kitchens and dining rooms are often the busiest in the house with family life but perhaps also the space where we can have the most fun with decorating, finding artwork that transforms the atmosphere or shows your personality.
The Rose Gallery team explain styles to consider and how to create a focal point in your kitchen.
Find matching pieces
Building a full ‘gallery wall’ effect can feel like an intimidating design prospect for many – choosing different sizes, complimentary photos or prints, all requires a lot of thought and a good eye.
Alternatively, artists often release a complimentary duo or triptych of paintings which do all the hard work for you. They are matching sizes, framing and tones and are an easy way to create a theme in your room.
One wonderful statement artwork
If you have a large space to fill behind your dining table, this is where you can go big with your art. One impactful painting will command attention and be the focal point of the room. When choosing a larger piece, it is important to decide what kind of atmosphere you would like.
Landscapes promote rest and wellbeing, or perhaps you want the room to feel modern and unique. If so, take a look at a colourful urban-inspired artwork that will be a real talking point in your room. If your kitchen units and walls are fairly neutral in colour, art gives you a great opportunity to add some wow factor. Compliment your paint colour
If colour is your thing, you may have gone for a strong wall paint to compliment your kitchen. Art does a great job of breaking up colour, providing an interesting contrast or often to simply compliment the style and tone of your kitchen. Don’t forget, the type of framing you choose can play an important part in this too. In this example, our customer has chosen a sepia and metallic toned artwork by John Waterhouse to compliment her rural green kitchen wall.
Bring the garden indoors
With summer approaching, our kitchen and dining rooms are often where we are closest to the outdoors and our garden becomes an extension of that space. The art on your kitchen walls can reflect that, depicting colourful florals, birds, bees or simply reflect a love for the outdoors. Artist Inam creates textured, colourful paintings of forests.
Gemma Davey Gallery Correspondent www.therosegallery.co.uk
A Clean & Green MK
Pete Marland Leader of Milton Keynes Council
Cleaning the City We want residents to take pride in MK, and that is why it’s important to have a clean and tidy place to call home. The Council has been working hard to clean up the city and have taken a zero-tolerance approach to littering and fly-tipping. Recent achievements include:
Litter wardens: our new litter wardens, which have the ability to issue fines and warnings to people who drop rubbish, gave out around 3,000 fines from
January to April. CCTV in fly-tipping hotspots: mobile
CCTV has proved an effective way to catch fly-tippers, leading us to issue fines and prosecute people who think it’s acceptable to illegally dispose of waste. Installing nearly 100 more bins: 75 dual bins and 20 smart bins have been installed throughout the city in the past year. Improving the tips: same-day bookings have been introduced at the three rubbish tips, making it even easier to get rid of unwanted items. This strategy seems to be paying off, as new data reveals that we have seen a 21% decrease in fly-tipping this year compared with 2020/21. Milton Keynes Council will continue to help tidy up our city and ensure MK remains clean and green.
Boosting Biodiversity It has long been said that Milton Keynes is the tree city – which isn’t surprising when it is home to over 22 million trees! We want to make Milton Keynes carbon neutral by 2030, and carbon negative by 2050, and your eco-conscious efforts are helping us strive toward that aim. Hundreds more trees are being planted as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy, and we have recently started to create several ‘wildlife havens’ across the city. Five havens are being introduced to boost biodiversity and encourage nature to thrive. These will be in New Bradwell, Saffron Gardens in Bletchley, Grafton Park in CMK, Grange Farm, the Central Open Space and the Railway Walk from Wolverton into Newport Pagnell.
In the coming months, we can expect to see insects and animals benefit from the countless plants and wildflowers that will be planted in the new havens. I’m especially excited about the completion of Saffron Gardens, which will eventually form a much-used walkway into a new housing development, becoming a unique and sustainable way to bring residents together.
So far, the work to improve wildflower verges and meadows has benefited over 1,000 pollinating species and plants such as bee orchids are beginning to make a comeback. Smaller works like these pair well with the larger plan the Council has introduced to help tackle the climate emergency, and there is plenty you can do at home too. Consider planting plants and trees, reduce your consumption, minimise waste, make use of our extensive public transport system - it’s the small things that can make a huge difference and help us become the greenest city in the world.
Carnival 2022 Summer of Jubilation
The Northampton Carnival, one of the county’s largest multicultural events in the social calendar, returns to the town on Saturday 11th June 2022.
Now in its 17th year, this year’s theme is 'Summer of Jubilation' which coincides with the Queen's forthcoming Platinum Jubilee. We can’t wait to see the flamboyant costumes in the parade, the creative décor of the floats and the energetic troupes as they reflect this year’s theme.
If you are a school, club, family or an individual with a creative flair, or run a stall then there’s still time to get involved – visit www.northamptoncarnival.co.uk to obtain an application from, complete and return the form to northamptoncarnival@yahoo.co.uk as soon as possible.
After two years online, we are looking forward to returning to the Racecourse Park for what will be an afternoon jammed packed with fun for the entire family.
The park opens to the public at 12 noon, with an exciting funfair, various delicious food stalls with a wide range of choices, ethnic arts and crafts, charity stalls and a variety of other activities. The parade sets off at 2 pm, from the Kettering Road to the town centre. An awesome display of vibrant colour, music and motion with incredible floats and troupes produced by local schools, clubs, organisations and charities, and the exotic revelry of visiting regional carnival troupes will thrill onlookers as they take in the breathtaking sight of the parade making its way through town returning to the park via the Wellingborough Road.
The stage provides a wonderful platform for local artistes to showcase their talents, if you sing, dance, mc or play in a band and would like to perform at this year’s Carnival please email northamptoncarnival@yahoo.co.uk and attach an MP3 / 4 or link to a YouTube of your performance.
Costumes Performances Music
Put the date Saturday 11th June in your diary to attend the Northampton Carnival at The Racecourse, Kettering Road, Northampton, NN1 4LG. You won’t want to miss this magical day … the perfect outing for the family!
Saturday 11th June From 12 Noon to 7.30pm
Racecourse Park Northampton, NN1 4LG
Live Entertainment on stage Spectacular Parade Exciting Fun Fair Wide range of Stalls
IainStewart MP for Milton Keynes South
Iain with volunteers at MK Money Lifeline Iain watches a demostration from Ian Temple at First Avenue Supplies
Iain plants a tree with Iain Standen for The Queen's Green Canopy
Iain on the East West Rail train line looking towards Bletchley
Ihope you have been enjoying the spring weather and taking advantage of the longer days. I wanted to take this opportunity to update you with what I have been doing in the constituency over the last month.
Walkabout with Thames Valley Police – I had the opportunity to go for a walk with Matthew Barber, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, and some Milton Keynes police officers through Ashland, Netherfield and Beanhill. It was an opportunity to discuss the recruitment of police officers, the plans to reduce serious violence, neighbourhood policing and plans to tackle knife crime. This comes after I recently wrote to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, inviting her to come to Milton Keynes to discuss knife crime. I will continue to work with Thames Valley Police to make Milton Keynes a safer place for all!
East West Rail – I visited the site of the new Winslow Train Station on the East West Rail line. The visit was an opportunity to have an update on the work of the East West Rail between Bletchley and Bicester. I was pleased to hear of the great progress that is being made in the construction of the line between Oxford and Cambridge, passing through Bletchley. I also learned of the barriers being installed along the line that will absorb the noise and vibrations from the train, minimising the impact on local residents. Bletchley Park – Also, I visited Bletchley Park to plant a tree to be part of The Queen’s Green Canopy with Iain Standen, Chief Executive Officer at Bletchley Park. The tree can be found on the bank of the lake overlooking the Mansion. It was also an opportunity to have a discussion about Bletchley Park and have an update on the work that is going on. I was excited to learn of the new exhibitions that are on their way to the museum in the next month. Did you know that Bletchley Park are still running their local resident offer, giving Milton Keynes residents 50% off ticket prices and free return within the year?
First Avenue Supplies – Another visit was to First Avenue Supplies Ltd in Bletchley. First Avenue Supplies are an embroidery and printing company in Milton Keynes offering work on a wide range of goods, mainly workwear and PPE. I met with Ian Temple to have a tour of their facility and a demonstration of their embroidery and printing process. I was pleased to hear about the huge demand for their services, from a range of organisations including Aston Martin and Bill's Coach Hire.
MK Money Lifeline – MK Money Lifeline welcomed me to their space to share their work and explain how they help those who find themselves in debt for various reasons. MK Money Lifeline offer free, confidential money advice to anyone in the Milton Keynes area and their services are provided by a team of trained volunteers. To find out more or to get in touch with them, you can give them a call on 0300 1235 198.
If I can help you as your Member of Parliament, please do get in touch with my office on the contact details provided and we will be happy to assist.
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
BenEveritt MP for Milton Keynes North
Tackling violent crime in Milton Keynes is a priority. In my last MK Pulse column I mentioned just some of the work we’ve been doing to ensure our streets are safe. I have met with Thames Valley Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner, local community groups and charities such as Return MK and The Safety Centre and I have written to the Home Secretary Priti Patel to make sure we’re on top of the issue. I know people want more police officers in MK and we are recruiting more; Thames Valley Police now have more officers than ever before. The Violence Reduction Unit has just received an extra £7 million funding. And I am pleased to hear a bid will be going in to get MK funding from the Safer Streets Fund. I also joined two of our neighbourhood police officers on a walkabout in Heelands to discuss crime and policing in MK following a similar patrol in Oldbrook recently.
Visiting Hazard Alley I mentioned The Safety Centre above and it really was a pleasure to visit the charity’s Hazard Alley, which I know has been a part of the lives of many young people growing up in Milton Keynes.
The Safety Centre charity does important work both visiting schools and inviting them down to Hazard Alley for sessions to show children, as well as adults, how they can stay safe, understand risks and avoid accidents. From fire safety to road safety to talks on bullying and first aid.
I was also pleased to be shown around their new knife crime prevention zone which is set up as a food outlet and gets children involved interactively with quiz questions to understand the dangers of knives and how to react in situations. Their work isn’t all about what they do on-site at Hazard Alley they also offer to go into schools to offer classroom lessons and have adult programmes centred around first aid. Newport Pagnell Bike Track Opening I had a fantastic time attending the opening of the new bike track at Hornbeam Park in Newport Pagnell along with the Mayor of Newport Pagnell, Paul Day, the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Mohammed Khan, Newport Pagnell South councillor Scot Balazs, Newport Pagnell North and Hanslope councillor Chris Wardle and British mountain bike slopestyle rider Matt Jones, from nearby Woburn.
It was brilliant to see so many young people at the event, and even better to see so many of them jumping on a bike and giving the new course a go. It was the perfect weather to get out, have some fun and do some exercise at the same time. This brilliant new facility is really great news for Newport Pagnell residents and Milton Keynes in general.
Meeting Makewell MK I met with the Makewell MK team, who are based in Bradwell Abbey, to discuss how they can work to support the NHS and the local community.
It was inspiring to hear from CEO and founder Jane Lambert about the vital work they have done throughout the pandemic including COVID-19 testing and supporting Milton Keynes University Hospital with the vaccine rollout.
I was also given a tour of their new clinic which has four consultation rooms and will provide physical and mental health support for people in Milton Keynes. I was even given a quick health check which looked at body fat, visceral fat, BMI, muscle mass and body water!
Over the last month I also… ▸ I welcomed the Government funding new Changing Places toilets in Milton Keynes which will improve the lives of people with disabilities ▸ The Down Syndrome Bill I have been backing has now passed all stages of Parliament and is set to become law ▸ I joined the Conservative Environment
Network Parliamentary Caucus which looks at ways we can enhance our natural environment and tackle climate change
Ben joined two of our neighbourhood police officers on a walkabout in Heelands
Ben attends the opening of a new Bike Track in Newport Pagnell - the weather was glorious!
Unit 6B, Pineham Farm, Haversham, Milton Keynes MK19 7DP Retro • Collectables • Ephemera • Vintage • Furniture • Glass • Jewellery
Antiques • Books • Film, TV & Theatre Props • Vintage Clothing
Unit 6B, Pineham Farm, Haversham, Milton Keynes, MK19 7DP Do you have any interesting items to sell? If you are clearing out a house,
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.
CONTACT DETAILS: Tel: 01908 686830 Email: ben.everitt.mp@parliament.uk www.beneveritt.com | Facebook: beneverittmk CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: Suite 102, Milton Keynes Business Centre, Foxhunter Drive, Linford Wood, Milton Keynes MK14 6GD
