Midsummer Place shopping centre in Milton Keynes have announced a special Valentine’s edition of their Midsummer Markets on Saturday 1 February 2025.

The Valentine’s market will be the return of their market approach for 2025, having debuted in 2024, with the markets taking place on the first Saturday of each month and offering independent businesses a platform to meet new customers and shoppers a chance to discover something truly unique.

Midsummer Place intends for the Valentine’s Midsummer Market to deliver a unique shopping experience, with stalls filled with heartfelt and bespoke gifts perfect for celebrating love in all its forms.

Find out who is exhibiting at www.midsummerplace.co.uk/events/midsummer-markets

Previous markets have featured an incredible variety of handcrafted and artisanal items, including:

Luxury candles with custom scents to create a romantic ambiance, handcrafted jewelry featuring unique designs and personalised engraving options, locally made chocolates and sweets, perfect for indulgent treats, artwork and prints, from romantic landscapes to modern designs, ideal for meaningful home décor, custom gift hampers, packed with everything from skincare to gourmet snacks and must more.

Kirsty McGiff, Marketing Manager at Midsummer Place, expressed his enthusiasm for the market’s return, saying, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the community’s support for our Midsummer Markets, which have quickly become a popular event for both shoppers and local entrepreneurs. Starting the year early with this Valentine’s special is our way of celebrating the demand for unique shopping experiences and supporting independent businesses.”

The Valentine’s Midsummer Market will take place in the heart of Midsummer Place, with a variety of stalls offering something special for everyone. Whether it’s a bespoke gift for your partner, a thoughtful gesture for a friend, or a little indulgence for yourself, the market is the perfect place to find that perfect token of love.

MJ Williams has left MK Dons after the midfielder signed for their League 2 rivals Barrow.

The 29-year-old joined Barrow for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-and-a-half year deal with the side from Cumbria.

Williams had joined MK Dons in 2023 from Bolton, with the former Welsh youth international and Liverpool academy graduate signed by Graham Alexander in his sole transfer window.

Williams, who played in midfield and defence at MK Dons, made 59 appearances for the club in his year and a half with the League Two side.

Having been in and out of the team for most of this season, Williams made just one appearance after starting against Cheltenham mid-November, with his one appearance coming as a substitute against Chesterfield on New Year’s Day.

In an arrival interview with Barrow, Williams told the Bluebirds’ website of his delight to make the move north.

He said, “I’m delighted to be here. My agent got in touch with me last week, and when I heard about the interest, I was excited to come, and I’m made up to get this over the line.

“Thinking back to last season, I played against Barrow twice, and they were both really difficult games.

“You know that when you come to Barrow, it’s a tough place to come, so I’m looking forward to being a part of the home side now and getting in front of the fans and showing them what I can do.”

In a statement, MK Dons said, “Everyone at MK Dons would like to thank MJ for his efforts while at Stadium MK and wish him all the very best for the future.”

Southern England has been issued with yellow weather warnings for strong wind and rain in the wake of Storm Éowyn, which is forecast to hit tomorrow.

While the yellow warnings are not as severe as amber warnings issued in northern England and red “danger to life” warnings issued in Northern Ireland and Central Scotland, as well as severe warnings issued by the weather service of the Republic of Ireland, the Met Office has still issued warnings for a patch of strong weather across the UK.

The Met Office’s Paul Gundersen said, “While it will be widely very windy on Friday, with additional hazards from rain and snow, the strongest winds and most significant impacts are likely in Northern Ireland and central and southwestern parts of Scotland within the Red Warning areas, where winds could gust 80-90 mph quite widely for a time, and potentially up to 100 mph for exposed coasts in particular.”

Forecasts for Milton Keynes tomorrow (24/01) say that the winds are likely to be at their strongest between 4am and 7am, and will be accompanied by heavy wind.

The Met Office’s yellow warning issued lasts between 5am and 3pm on January 24th.

Under their list of things to watch out for, the Met Office has said that under a yellow weather warning, some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely and some bus and train services are likely to be affected, with some journeys taking longer.

In addition, delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges is likely, some short term loss of power and other services is possible, and it’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.

The warning is not the only one in force for Milton Keynes in the next few days as while Saturday (25/01) is forecast to be calmer, Sunday (26/01) and Monday (27/01) have a further warning for rain.

This warning is a yellow one for rain in place between 8am on Sunday morning and 6am on Monday morning, with a band of heavy rain anticipated.

For this second event, spells of heavy rain may lead to some local flooding during Sunday and Monday, with the warning stating that there is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.

In addition, there is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life and in areas where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services.

Spray and flooding could also lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, while there is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses.

Defender Jack Tucker has left MK Dons to join their fellow League 2 side Colchester United on loan for the rest of the season.

The 25-year-old will spend the rest of the campaign on loan with the Essex-based club, with Colchester saying Tucker could be available for selection when they play Morecambe at the weekend.

With Tucker out of contract at Stadium MK at the end of the current season, the move means it is possible Tucker has played his last game for MK Dons.

Tucker, who joined MK Dons from Gillingham in 2022, had initially been a regular, making 48 appearances in all competitions in his first season at the club.

But the defender lost his place this season, making 12 appearances in all competitions. Tucker found game time harder after the departure of Mike Williamson in September, having initially been a regular at Stadium MK this season. His last league appearance came against Port Vale in mid-October, with his last game being against Leyton Orient in the EFL Trophy in mid-November.

The move to Essex will see Tucker reunite with former MK Dons team-mate Jack Payne, who joined Colchester on a free transfer last summer.

Tucker told the official Colchester website, “Obviously, every footballer wants to play games, as many as you can really, and that’s what everyone looks forward to in the week.”

“That’s not been there for me for the past few months or so so I’m really keen to get going and get as many minutes as I can and get a run in the team hopefully.”

In a brief statement, MK Dons said, “MK Dons would like to wish Jack all the very best for the rest of the season.”