Milton Keynes City Council has made a £12,500 donation to Willen Hospice thanks to a national scheme which recycles metal left behind after cremations.

Willen Hospice supports the families of end-of-life patients with bereavement and emotional care as well as caring for people in the local community who have life-shortening illnesses. They work closely with GPs, hospitals, community nursing staff and social workers to ensure that local care is co-ordinated, informed and supportive at all levels.

When a bereaved family gives permission, the city council works with the ICCM (The Institute of Cemetery and Cremation Management) to raise funds from the sale of metals recovered after cremations at Crownhill Crematorium. The metals come from items such as medical implants and artificial joints.

MK City Council has nominated Willen Hospice to be the latest recipient of funding raised through the scheme. This brings the total donated to local charities through metal recycling to more than £65,000 since 2014.

Nikki Poole, Community and Events Fundraising Manager at Willen Hospice said, “We’re enormously grateful to the city council for our nomination of funds and ICCM. We provide free expert care and support for local people with a life-limiting illness, and their loved ones, at what may be the toughest time of their lives. But as one of the most poorly funded hospices in the country, we rely on the generosity of our community to raise vital income for us. Events like this really do help us continue supporting patients and their families across Milton Keynes.”

Councillor Mick Legg, Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, added “Thanks to the kindness of those families who give us their permission, this fund-raising scheme has enabled us to provide a boost to Willen Hospice who do so much to support the local community. Their compassionate care makes an enormous difference to those living with a life-limiting conditions and their families.”

In the past year, more than a thousand people have been supported in their own homes or cared for in the In-Patient Unit at Willen Hospice. To learn more about Willen Hospice and the care they provide to local families, visit: https://willen-hospice.org.uk

MK Dons have confirmed that Paul Warne has been appointed as the League Two club’s new Head Coach.

Warne has joined MK Dons on a contract of undisclosed length that the club describe as a “long-term deal that will give him the security and support to develop an impactful culture shift at Stadium MK”.

He will take charge with immediate effect, starting with the Dons’ next match against Newport County on Good Friday.

The deal sees Warne become the successor to Scott Lindsey, who left MK Dons in early March after six months in charge. Ben Gladwin had taken interim charge of the Dons’ last nine matches following Lindsey’s departure on March 3rd.

Warne will be accompanied at Stadium MK by assistant manager Richie Barker, who worked with Warne at Rotherham and Derby. The move sees Barker return to MK Dons, having been an assistant to Karl Robinson between 2014 and 2016 at the club, and also taking caretaker charge for 8 games following Robinson’s departure.

In his first interview as MK Dons Head Coach, Warne told MK Dons’ official website that he was excited to get started with the project.

He said, “I’m over the moon to be joining MK Dons with Richard at such a pivotal moment in the club’s history. The potential of the team under the ownership of Fahad and the Board is truly limitless, and I’m extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to manage the side over the coming years.

“This is an amazing project, and we’re so excited to drive it forward. I can’t wait to get on the grass, we have some talented players in the squad who we’re really looking forward to working with. I’d like to thank Fahad, Neil and Liam for putting their faith in us and I can’t wait to meet the Dons’ supporters on Friday.”

Warne enjoyed a lengthy playing career in which he made over 500 competitive appearances for clubs including Wigan, Rotherham, Mansfield, Oldham and Yeovil, before retiring at Rotherham in the early 2010s.

After a spell as a coach in Rotherham’s first team set up, he became a first team boss for the first time at Rotherham in 2016, first as a caretaker and then as a full-time boss. He managed the Millers in a time as a yo-yo club, winning promotion from League One three times but also enduring three Championship relegations, while he also delivered an EFL Trophy in 2022.

Warne left Rotherham to take charge of Derby County in 2022, earning promotion from League One last season before leaving the Rams in February after a difficult patch.

The move sees him join an MK Dons side currently sat 19th in League Two and seeking to rebuild for next season.

MK Dons Chairman Fahad Al Ghanim hailed the move to bring in Warne.

He said, “Paul Warne is a phenomenal football manager and I’m absolutely delighted he’ll be joining us at MK Dons – he was our number one choice. Having met with him, I was extremely impressed, not only with his vision for the team but also with his character. I truly believe Paul was the best manager available to us and I’m thrilled to have secured his services at Stadium MK on a long-term deal.

“I’d like to congratulate Paul and thank him for his belief in the project and the fantastic opportunity we have at our club. It’s my hope we can now enter pre-season full of optimism while looking ahead to an exciting future with Paul at the helm.”

This was also echoed by MK Dons’ Sporting Director Liam Sweeting, who said, “This is, quite simply, a massive appointment for MK Dons.

“Paul is someone we’ve admired for a long time. We got to know him well during the 21/22 season when we competed with his Rotherham side, and we’ve followed his progress closely since then – particularly his continued success at Derby. Paul will undoubtedly help us develop further as a football club and play a key role in driving us forward on this journey under our new ownership group. We’ve seen first-hand what can happen when performance on the pitch connects with the people of Milton Keynes in the stands.

“We truly believe that, under Paul’s leadership, we can re-establish that connection – playing an exciting, attacking brand of football and building the right culture and environment to give our First Team squad the clarity they need to succeed. We’re also really pleased to welcome Richie Barker back to Stadium MK and look forward to working closely with both him and Paul in the years ahead.”

A man has today (15/4) pleaded guilty to double murder on Christmas Day 2024 in Milton Keynes following a hearing at Luton Crown Court.

Jazwell Brown, 49, of Santa Cruz Avenue, Bletchley, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count each of possession of a knife in a public place and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

Brown is to be sentenced on Thursday 22 May at the same court.

Joanne Pearson, aged 38, and Teohna Grant, aged 24, were attacked on Christmas Day at adjacent properties in Santa Cruz Avenue and sustained fatal stab wounds.

Two other people, a boy who was aged 17 at the time and a 29-year-old man, each suffered stab wounds but survived. A dog was also injured in the incident but survived.

Brown was arrested on Christmas Day and was charged on 27 December 2024.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Brangwin, of the Major Crime Unit, said, “First and foremost, I would like to extend deepest condolences to the families of Joanne and Teohna who tragically died in this shocking incident on Christmas Day.

“Jazwell Brown is a dangerous man and I am glad that he has pleaded guilty, accepting responsibility for his actions that day, but the deaths of Joanne and Teohna cannot be undone.

“This was a brutal attack on his own partner and neighbour, in their respective homes, where they should have been able to feel safe and secure.”

Milton Keynes City Council have launched an initiative to warn parents of sub-standard toys for their children.

The Council’s Trading Standards team have warned of a shocking rise in unsafe toys on sale through online marketplaces is putting local children at risk, hence the launch of plans to raise awareness of this.

As part of a Toy Safety Matters initiative and in partnership with the British Toy and Hobby Association, the city’s Trading Standards team have been raising awareness about the dangers of toys that don’t meet UK standards. Toys bought from third-party sellers on major online marketplaces can be prone to serious safety failures.

Research from the British Toy and Hobby Association has found consistently high levels of illegal and unsafe toys being sold by third-party sellers operating through well-known online marketplaces. Their annual toy safety testing and investigations since 2018 have shown little improvement and their latest checks in 2024 showed 85% of the toys they purchased were not compliant with UK toy safety requirements putting children at risk of serious harm or injury.

The most common risks identified were around magnets, batteries, and other small parts that children could swallow, as well as cords and materials that could strangle a child.

Milton Keynes City Council’s Trading Standards team developed its Toy Safety Matters project to educate local parents and caregivers about these risks. Over the last month, Trading Standards officers have held 20 educational talks in libraries and family centres around the city and given advice to hundreds of local people. They’ve also created a short video explaining the dangers of unsafe toys and what to look out for in order to keep children safe.

The team’s advice include buying from trusted retailers and taking extra care if you buy from a third-party seller on an online marketplace. Unlike traditional retail outlets, online market places are not legally responsible for checking the safety of products sold by third parties. Read reviews to find out what other buyers thought, and search for any product recalls.

The group also advised parents to check toys have a UK address on packaging and a CE or UKCA mark this could indicate a UK based company. However, research that company carefully to ensure they are reputable and can be contacted in the event of a problem. If a seller isn’t based in the UK or Europe, don’t assume safety checks have been followed.

Cllr Mick Legg, Cabinet Member responsible for Trading Standards, said, “They also said to make sure that once you’ve bought a toy, check for any loose or broken parts, sharp edges, and small pieces like batteries or magnets that could be removed.

“Toy safety should never be taken for granted. With support from the British Toy and Hobby Association, we’ve been helping local families better understand the risks of unsafe toys so they can make informed decisions, especially when shopping online. The scale of unsafe toys being bought in the UK is shocking and it’s not worth taking a risk with children’s safety.”

To learn more about toy safety, visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/toy-safety-matters