An event is announced to unveil a new public artwork in Station Square outside Milton Keynes Central railway starion.

Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP) and Milton Keynes City Council will be hosting an event on 2 October 2025 to unveil a piece designed by globally acclaimed British-Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE.

The artwork, which has been named “Walk With Your Dreams”, will be officially unveiled at 4.30pm as part of a larger event.

Between 4.15pm and 7.30pm, Station Square will be hosting a programme of events that includes:

• A performance from the African Diaspora Foundation Dance Group
• Sheniah Asiamah, local musician and performer, presenting My City and a new poem by Maureen Onwunali, poet in residence at IF:Milton Keynes International Festival The Roundhouse and Milton Keynes resident
• A showcase from SLQY Collective, a community of local artists, poets and musicians
• Live DJ

Commissioned by MKDP and the city council, Walk With Your Dreams will fill Station Square with striking colours and patterns inspired by Nigerian textiles and by Milton Keynes itself. Integrated into the flooring, the installation will help guide pedestrians towards the city centre as well as creating a more welcoming public space at this busy city arrival point.

The artwork is complemented by a new planting scheme with species selected for their beauty, biodiversity and sustainability.

Chair of MKDP, Nicola Sawford, said, “We’re proud to be making this substantial commitment in the city centre which will transform the experience of everyone who visits. The design gives Station Square the boost it needs to become a welcoming, vibrant and memorable space for residents, visitors and those discovering the city for the first time.

“Station Square is an incredibly important space and complements our wider plans to create a modern and deserving city centre, including our proposals to create a new live entertainment and events venue at the Old Bus Station. Bringing these projects together will give local people public spaces they can be proud of and create a strong first impression to our growing city.”

Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, added, “This is much more than a stunning piece of art, it’s a real celebration of our city’s creativity and diversity. Station Square is the gateway to our city and this installation welcomes everyone with colour, culture and inspiration. I’m really looking forward to the launch which will bring our communities together to celebrate something truly unique.”

Milton Keynes City Council and Milton Keynes College have announced they are close to completing multi-million pound expansion projects for the College’s campuses.

The project is increasing capacity at both the College’s Chaffron Way and Bletchley campuses, delivering over 350 additional teaching spaces, enhanced motor vehicle workshops, state-of-the-art engineering facilities and energy efficiency upgrades, helping to reduce long-term operational costs.

New classrooms are being built to accommodate a rapid rise in student numbers, with an increase of 806 since the 2022/23 academic year and a further increase seen in 2025/26 enrolments which now exceed 4,000.

To see the progress first-hand, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, visited the College to tour the new facilities and speak with students about how the changes will benefit their learning experience.

MK City Council have said they contributed a £6.1m investment towards the project, with a further £2m just released.

In their statement, the City Council said funding came from collecting money from housebuilders as the city grows, which they sought to reinvest into local infrastructure such as education and healthcare. A similar scheme was behind the City Council recently investing £15.6m of developer contributions into cancer and acute care at Milton Keynes University Hospital.

Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said, “It’s brilliant to see this investment coming to life, giving our young people high-quality spaces where they can develop their skills. Students at Milton Keynes College are studying in the UK’s fastest growing city, and it is great that they are able to experience the benefits of that. By using funding from new developments, we’re investing in facilities that make a real difference for the city’s current and future residents.”

Jason Mansell, Chief Operating Officer at Milton Keynes College Group, added, “Milton Keynes is growing at an impressive rate, and as a result Milton Keynes College is also growing rapidly. We are here to support our young people with industry-standard facilities, excellent learning spaces and exciting opportunities to learn and expand their horizons for the future. This investment from the city council has been invaluable in helping us to meet the growing needs of our communities in Milton Keynes. We are very proud of our new facilities and are excited to welcome even more students onto both campuses to take advantage of them”.

Goalkeeper Tim Krul has announced his retirement from professional football 3 months after leaving Luton Town.

The 37-year-old announced on social media that he will officially be retiring from professional football, ending a career that lasted over 20 years playing in the Premier League and at the World Cup.

Krul ended his career after a two year spell at Luton Town, having joined the Hatters from Norwich City in 2023. He made just 6 appearances for the club.

In a post on social media, Krul thanked all the clubs he played for and fans for his time in the sport.

He said, “As I hang up my gloves after 20 incredible years as a professional football player, I want to take a moment to reflect on my journey.

“From joining Newcastle as a 17-year-old boy to representing Holland on the international stage. I have truly lived the dream I had as a young boy in every match and every training session, and every rollercoaster moment has shaped me into who I am today.

“Thank you to the clubs, coaches, team mates, my beautiful family and most importantly you fans for your support throughout my career. I am excited for the next chapter and will always cherish the memories made on the pitch.

“Here’s to new adventure off the pitch! Thank you, Tim Krul.”

Having begun his career with youth teams in his native Netherlands, Krul moved to England in 2005 when he joined Newcastle United.

After keeping a clean sheet on his professional debut in a UEFA Cup match against Palermo in 2006, Krul would spend time on loan with Falkirk and Carlisle before establishing himself as the Magpies’ number one. In all, Krul made 184 appearances for Newcastle before leaving in 2017.

Having spent the last year he was contracted to Newcastle on loan with Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, Krul had a brief spell as a reserve keeper with Brighton before joining Norwich in 2018. He became a cult hero in Norfolk, helping Norwich to two Championship titles and playing for them in the Premier League, making 169 appearances for the Carrow Road-based club.

Krul would also win 15 caps for the Dutch national team between 2011 and 2021. His most famous appearance came at the 2014 World Cup, where he came on as a substitute just for a penalty shootout against Costa Rica in the Quarter Finals, and where he famously saved two penalties.

His final professional appearance came in Luton shirt, playing for the Hatters against Manchester City in an FA Cup tie in February 2024.

MK Dons boss Paul Warne voiced his annoyance with his side’s performance and result as they lost to Accrington Stanley.

The Dons were beaten 2-1 by the Lancashire-based club at Stadium MK, with Charlie Caton scoring the winner after Alex Gilbey’s controversial equaliser had cancelled out Isaac Sinclair’s first goal.

The result means that the Dons have lost 4 consecutive home games in all competitions, with the latest being a result Warne accepted after feeling his side’s performance was lacking.

He said, “I can take unlucky results or defeats but our performance level was substandard today. Collectively, we had a couple of players that were performing well but collectively, we were miles off the standards I think we set ourselves. I didn’t see it coming. They’d been training really well this week and were really upbeat and positive, but we just didn’t have any dynamic part of our play today, which is odd because I think that’s one of our strengths.

“We didn’t create enough chances to win the match, which is hugely disappointing, even moreso at home. We just didn’t really turn up.

“When it really came down to it, and sometimes it can be as simple as this, I just didn’t think we won many duels. We looked a little bit soft, which I haven’t said before and it’s something obviously we need to address. There’s different ways to win games but you’ve always got to match the intensity of the opposition and today I don’t think we did.”

Warne felt the attacking part of the Dons’ game was the biggest issue, feeling that the team didn’t test their opponents enough.

He said, “I didn’t think we had enough shots or bodies in the box or crosses or that our set-pieces were successful. We didn’t really ask enough questions of them. That’s my honest opinion and that’s on me. I’m the one who oversees everything and it’s hugely disappointing.

“Even after we scored, we just didn’t have enough of our attacking players on song. That’s what it felt like. It’s like everyone had an off-day at the same time.”

Warne said that he would turn attentions to how to remedy the Dons’ situation, feeling that he would look into whether the team’s set-up would need to change as he battles with injury and selection issues.

He said, “I’m not stupid enough to think that no matter what, I must stay with the same shape. If it needs to go to a 3, that’s absolutely fine – we played with 3 here last year and be nice to get some more of the defenders and full-backs back. In fairness, today, I thought our two better players today were our full-backs, with one a right-winger and the other a centre-mid.

“It would be nice to have some bodies back but we are limited in how we play by who we have fit. But I don’t care how it looks. I’m not a football snob who says we have to stick to a method. If we need to play a 3 or wing-backs instead of wingers, that’s what we’re going to have to do. It’s just about trying to win games.

“Today, we thought we were set up in a way to win a game, but you’ve seen it like I have and in the end, we weren’t good enough.”