Cllr James Lancaster has become the youngest ever Mayor of Milton Keynes.

The 31-year-old was officially appointed at the city council’s annual meeting on 14 May and will serve as First Citizen for 2025-26. He succeeds Marie Bradburn, who had been the city’s Mayor in 2024-25.

Mayor Lancaster moved to Milton Keynes at 22, seeking a fresh start in a city that has given him and many others the chance to thrive. His family ties to the city run deep, with relatives living in Bletchley for more than 45 years.

Elected to represent Tattenhoe as a councillor in 2019, Mayor Lancaster has served as Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee and also served on the Planning Committee as well on Shenley Brook End and Tattenhoe Parish Council. 

Mayor Lancaster is a Labour party councillor, having defected from the Conservatives.

A passionate advocate for sport, leisure and cultural services, Mayor Lancaster is focusing his term on encouraging everyone in the city to get involved in physical activity. These issues are close to his heart and the themes reflect the memory of his late father, a leisure and cultural services manager.

Mayor Lancaster said, “It’s a great honour to serve as Mayor of Milton Keynes, something I know that would have made my dad incredibly proud. As a keen sportsman, my term will focus on encouraging collaboration between communities and leisure services to ensure everyone has the same opportunities. I’m really excited to get started and meet all the wonderful communities across this great city.”

MK Dons have announced a reshuffle of their coaching staff, with former players Darren Potter and Dean Lewington joining the set-up and former caretaker boss Ben Gladwin among the departures.

Potter will join the Dons’ set-up as a First Team Coach, while Lewington will be an Individual Development Coach as part of a Development Squad the club have set up for the 2025/26 season.

Meanwhile, Gladwin will be leaving MK Dons, along with fellow First Team Coach Jamie Day and Goalkeeper Coach Steve Hale.

The revisions at Stadium MK are part of the changes following the recent appointment of Paul Warne, who took over as the Dons’ Head Coach last month.

Confirmation of Lewington’s extended stay in Milton Keynes had come last Friday, during an event celebrating Lewington’s career at Stadium MK. The Dons’ captain is retiring from playing at the end of this season after a career that lasted for over 20 years and saw him make over 900 competitive appearances for the club.

Lewington’s role will see him overlook a new part of the Dons’ structure called the Development Squad. MK Dons said the intent of this new innovation is that this will be mainly comprised of young talent, including first-year professionals, as well as Scholars, to develop young Dons in their transition to senior football.

MK Dons’ Sporting Director Liam Sweeting said Lewington represented an excellent option to have for the new role.

He said, “There are not many, if any, that can match Lewie’s playing experience and knowledge of the game over an outstanding 949 competitive career appearances. We have been so fortunate to lean on Dean’s wisdom on the pitch, but his new career path provides an excellent chance to pass on some of his experience to those aspiring to reach the senior level of football, and for Dean to enter the next chapter of his career as a coach.”

The Dons stated that Lewington’s role will see him support a group of young players to maximise their opportunities in a senior environment.

One of Lewington’s former teammates is set to return to MK in the form of Potter, who played for MK Dons between 2011 and 2017. The former midfielder joins after time as a youth team coach with Championship side Stoke City.

Potter told the official MK Dons website of his excitement to move to the club. He also said of his excitement to work alongside Warne, who managed him at Rotherham United, and with his assistant Richie Barker, who had previously been Karl Robinson’s assistant at MK Dons.

He said, “I’m absolutely delighted to be here! I’m quite familiar with the surroundings and the facilities already, which always helps. I just can’t wait to meet all the players in pre-season and get straight to work.

“I’ve played under Paul Warne before, and I loved my time working with him; he’s an excellent coach, and I’m thrilled to be working with him and Richie at Stadium MK. We’re all really looking forward to the future here.”

As for departures, one of those confirmed is Gladwin, who had managed 9 games for MK Dons as caretaker manager following the departure of Scott Lindsey in March.

Sweeting voiced his appreciation of Gladwin for taking up the stint at MK Dons at short notice.

He said, “I cannot express enough my thanks to Ben Gladwin this season. When we asked Ben to step up and lead the team, he showed remarkable leadership in what was a difficult moment for the group. His perseverance and calmness served us very well and helped secure two vital wins during his time in charge.

“Ben will undoubtedly be a top Head Coach in the very near future. The way he thinks about the game and the application of his knowledge has been very impressive, even in difficult moments.”

First Team coach Day and Goalkeeper coach Hale will also make their departures, with both having arrived as part of Lindsey’s coaching staff set-up in September and stayed on with Gladwin and then Warne.

A new version of The Girl on the Train starring TV presenter Laura Whitmore will be held at Milton Keynes Theatre next month.

Based on Paula Hawkins’ acclaimed psychological thriller, the play will be held at the theatre from Tue 10 – Sat 14 Jun, with tickets available now.

Irish presenter, writer, broadcaster and former Love Island host Laura Whitmore will be in the lead role as Rachel Watson.

Talking about taking up the role, she said, “I read the book when it first came out and I was obsessed by it. I love it when you find a book and all you can think about is that story. You wake up a little bit earlier to read the book and stay up too late to finish it. I am excited to show people my portrayal of Rachel this summer.”

Whitmore has previously worked as a TV presenter for MTV, ITV and BBC, as well as hosted a podcast with her husband and comedian Iain Stirling and written her debut book. Alongside this, she has taken steps as an actor. Her credits include touring in the role of Cleo in Peter James’ Not Dead Enough in 2017, while film/TV acting credits include Queenie, Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral, 4.3.2.1 and Storage 24.

Her first lead in a feature film, ‘A Mother For An Hour’, is out later this year, as well as interactive sci-fi thriller ‘Hello Stranger’ starring Sir Derek Jacobi. In 2022, she made her West End debut as Jenny in 2.22: A Ghost Story and returned home to play Lauren in its limited Dublin run in 2024.

The Girl on the Train is an acclaimed 2015 novel written by British author Hawkins. The story centres on Rachel, a troubled woman who finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a mystery regarding what happened to the disappearance of a woman whose house overlooks railway tracks that the train she takes to work each day passes.

The novel was previously adapted for a 2016 American movie starring Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson and Justin Theroux. The book was also adapted for a 2021 Indian movie for Netflix that was filmed and set in the UK starring Parineeti Chopra and Avinash Tiwary. The Girl on the Train was also previously adapted as an acclaimed UK tour as a stage show in 2019, with further stage versions having followed outside the UK.

Tickets are now available from the Milton Keynes Theatre website.

Gulliver’s Land theme park in Milton Keynes will be holding a weekend in support of a local food bank later this month.

Visitors to the park will be asked to donate items of food to help people living in crisis over the park’s Food Bank Weekend, which takes place on May 17 and May 18.

Discounted ticket prices from £14 per person are available when visitors bring along a non-perishable item of food to donate. The theme park have advised its one for each person in a group.

The theme park in Milton Keynes will deliver the donated items to MK Food Bank, which provides short-term crisis support and care for families and individuals in living in Milton Keynes.

Examples of food that can be donated include tinned fruit, small jars of coffee, long life milk, tinned meat (hot and cold, such as stewed steak or Spam), tinned spaghetti and ravioli, cream crackers, juice cordials, tinned custard, jellies, Angel Delight desserts, and evaporated milk.

Sue Conway, resort director at Gulliver’s Land, said, “We are pleased to be able to support the fantastic work of the MK Food Bank, which was established in 2004 as a direct response to growing food poverty in the area. Sadly, it is as much of an issue today as it was two decades ago, which is a situation that we should all be working towards resolving. Based on past experience, we know that the families who visit Gulliver’s Land are keen to show their support too.”

The £14 ticket price for the Food Bank Weekend is reduced from the normal online advanced booking price of £25 (booked at least two days in advance), with free entry for children under 90cms in height.

All the usual rides, attractions, shows and activities will be on offer during Food Bank Weekend, including The Runaway Train, Jungle River Ride, Dragon Siege 360-degree pendulum, and the Grand Prix Racers rollercoaster.

Visitors can also look at Gulliver’s Dinosaur & Farm Park, which includes the Lost World dinosaur area and a farmyard with a host of animals to enjoy.

People can also turn their visit to Food Bank Weekend into an overnight stay at Gulliver’s Land, with a variety of family accommodation options available, including Princess Suites, JCB Suites, Dinosaur and Unicorn-themed lodges, Western Lodges and Woodland Lodges.

To book tickets for Food Bank Weekend, visit: www.gulliverslandresort.co.uk

To find out more about the work of MK Food Bank, visit: mkfoodbank.org.uk