MK Dons have signed defender Sam Sherring, who will join the club when his Northampton Town contract expires.
Sherring, 24, has signed a deal of undisclosed length at Stadium MK, and he will move on July 1st to Milton Keynes.
The defender had been offered an extension to his deal with the Cobblers, but the defender opted to turn down the chance to stay with the League One side.
The move sees Sherring become MK Dons’ fifth new signing ahead of the upcoming season, following the previous signatures of Conor Lemonhaigh-Evans, Luke Offord, Laurence Maguire and Tommy Leigh.
Sherring made 77 appearances in two seasons at Sixfields after joining Northampton from his academy club Bournemouth, with the defender helping Northampton achieve promotion from League Two in 2023 and helping Northampton comfortably stay up in the just concluded season.
In an arrival interview with the MK Dons website, Sherring voiced his delight to make the move.
He said, “The plan and the vision for the club, as well as the facilities and everything here, made it a no-brainer decision for me. I’m really happy to be here!
“The style of play is something that’s massive for me! I think it’s really attractive and something that’ll suit me, hopefully, we can be successful with it.”
MK Dons Head Coach Mike Williamson added, “Sam fits the profile of the kind of player we want to bring into the club down to the ground. He’s young and hungry to succeed but already has meaningful EFL experience and has won promotion from this division before. We’re really pleased to have him and look forward to seeing what he adds to our defence.”
Northampton manager Jon Brady told the Cobblers’ official website that he was parting with Sherring on good terms and that they were focusing on finding new recruits.
He said, “We thank Sam for his two years at the club, he is another player who we think has improved in his time with us, and we part on good terms.
“We were pleased to secure the signature of Jordan Willis earlier this week and we move forward at a busy time for the club. We have a number of targets who we are in discussions and negotiations with.”
Stowe Gardens in Buckinghamshire will be the official host of commemorative artwork marking 80 years since the D-Day landings in World War 2.
The memorial installation to soldiers killed in the D Day landing on 6 June 1944 will be coming to the National Trust site on the outskirts of Buckingham, located around 17 miles from Milton Keynes, from an as-yet unknown date in September, where it can be seen in full for the first time.
The artwork, named For Your Tomorrow – the People’s Tribute, is a large scale installation consists of 1,475 silhouettes of WW2 military personnel. It is currently on display in Normandy in Northern France, near where the D-Day landings took place.
The installation will be open to the public from the end of September until mid-November 2024 in the UK.
There will be no additional charge to see the installation during normal opening hours, which is free to National Trust members. In addition to normal opening hours, there will be sunrise (6am to 8am) and twilight (5.30pm to 7.30pm) visits available on select dates, for which there will be an additional charge.
A small number of pieces which make up the installation was seen at Stowe last year during a trial ahead of the work being displayed in Normandy for the D-Day 80 commemorations. September will be the first time the full-size installation has been seen in the UK.
The full installation weighs in excess of 30 tonnes and will take around 15 days to set-up with the help of 30 volunteers each day. The Trust is looking for people to be involved – if you would like to get involved as a volunteer contact [email protected].
For Your Tomorrow – the People’s Tribute was created by community artist, Dan Barton with the number of figures in the display representing the number of fatalities under British command on 6 June 1944. The work is currently installed at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, France where it will remain over the summer before coming to Stowe.
The figures will be installed in several areas of the 245-acres of landscape gardens at Stowe.
Tanya Brittain, General Manager of the National Trust gardens at Stowe says, “It’s an honour to be chosen as the official UK host location for the British D-Day 80 memorial exhibition, For Your Tomorrow – the People’s Tribute.
“This September will be an opportunity to remember family, friends and colleagues lost in conflict situations over the past 80 years. Stowe has a rich military history and we look forward to welcoming visitors this autumn to experience this poignant outdoor art installation against the stunning backdrop of the Stowe’s historic landscape gardens.
“The 18th-century landscape garden at Stowe is well known for its many historic buildings and statues and has also featured in many well-known films and TV series. The Capability Brown designed landscape is renowned for its precise placement of eye-catching monuments to create the picture-perfect view. Its beautiful avenues, temples and lakes will provide an impressive outdoor gallery space and backdrop for this celebrated artwork.”
Artist Dan Barton has delivered several impactful military-based displays since founding Oxfordshire-based charity Standing with Giants. The life-size figures are constructed entirely by volunteers, using recycled building materials and create meaningful spaces for people to visit and reflect.
“Our ethos at Standing with Giants is to value life, to understand and appreciate why we have our freedom, and to remember and pay tribute to those who have fallen so we can live the lives we have today. Using outdoor art is a great way to do this,” said Standing with Giants Founder, Dan Barton.
The silhouettes are designed to represent the military personnel from all the major services but in addition, two bespoke figures of nurses have been included. They are of Sister Mollie Evershed and Sister Dorothy Field who died while helping to save 75 men from the hospital ship SS Amsterdam which sank off the Normandy beaches on 7th August 1944.
Both were given posthumous commendation for their actions and are the only two women commemorated on the British Normandy Memorial.
