The weekend's events

This one's a busy weekend, and so we've collected a list of 'what's on' for you. Bear with it, it may be long, but is filled with great ideas of what to do, including a great selection to suit all tastes and interests!

Friday 24th April

Sausage and mash supper with bingo and quiz @ Lavendon Village Hall. 6.30pm for 7pm start
Bring your own drinks, tickets cost £10.

Friday Night Films- Mr Turner @ MK Gallery, 7.30pm
A pop-up cinema offering an alternative film experience. The film is Mr Turner, which explores the last quarter century of the British painter J.M.W Turner (1775-1851).

Saturday 25th April

Newport Pagnell Singers- Choral Workshop @ Lovat Hall, Silver Street. 9am-4pm
The Sprig of Thyme. Want to sing in a choir? The singers are on the lookout for new members in every voice part. Why not join in for the workshop and see if it's something you would enjoy? You can book a place by clicking here.

The Yardley Hastings Heritage Society @ The United Reformed Church, Yardley Hastings. 10am-4pm
The theme of the open day is Yardley at war. If you have any information, documents or photographs of the village during this time or anything else concerning the village or villagers which you would like to share, then do bring it along. There is a dedicated cupboard for storing the photographs and document sand the facilitates to help you preserve your documents.

Olney Lace Circle- Lace and craft day @ Denton village hall. 10am-4pm
Tickets cost £3.50, this is a ticket only event. Tea and coffee available all day.

Trend:mk SS15 fashion showcase @ Middleton Hall, centre:mk. Saturday- Sunday 
The centre:mk's biggest fashion showcase, with live catwalk shows and great in-store discounts. Find out the trends for spring/summer 2015 and enjoy some exclusive offers from around 30 of the centres shops.

North Bedfordshire NCT nearly new sale @ Bedford athletic stadium, Barker lane, Bedford. 11.30am-1.30pm
Top quality baby and children's clothes and equipment at bargain prices. Opens at 11.30am for NCT members and 12pm for the general public. £1 entry fee.

The Great Sherington Garage Sale @ Sherington. All day.
Come to Sherington to grab a bargain. Sherington is about to open its garage doors for the first time on mass as a fund raiser for St Laud's Sherington. Come and see what bargains you can find. Pick up a pamphlet from Sherington village shop on Church Road, or from one of the participating garages for £1 to see where all the other garages are.

St George's Day All-Dayer @ Bletchley Working Mens Club. Midday-Midnight
Stolen Hours social club presents the annual St George's day all-dayer. DJ's playing Ska, Reggae, Motown and Northern Soul, as well as northern soul dance lessons with Fiona Smith.

Good Dog Owners' guide to MK @ Campbell Park, Milton Keynes. 2pm
An introduction to the parks of Milton Keynes for new dog owners, includes a short walk. Meet at Campbell Park Pavilion. £1 per person.

Foodie quiz night @ Browns of Stagsden. 7pm for 7.30pm start
Tickets cost £10 and includes a sausage supper. Teams of up to 8 people, with a prize for the winners. There will be a bar with local ale served.

Cowper & Newton Museum presents: Old Time Music hall @ Carlton House Club, High Street Olney. 7pm for 7.30pm start
David Pibworth produces a night of songs, variety, music and laughter to commemorate the Great War centenary. 'Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile.' Be transported back in time and reminisce with tributes to great acts such as Laurel & Hardy, Gert & Daisy and more. Tickets just £3, available from the Cowper & Newton Museum shop.

The Pad Presents: The Neville Staple Band + Ruts Dc @ The Corn Exchange, Bedford. 7.30pm
Including New Groove Formation, Hammy & Geoff and DJ Andy Attic. Neville Staple is one of the great figureheads of the second wave of British ska in the last 70s. Best known for his work as the singer in Ska and Two Tone legends The Specials, his solo tour features a selection of The Special's back catalogue as well as tracks form his second chart topping band, The Fun Boy Three, as well as reworking some original Jamaican ska classics and showcasing some brand new solo material.

Bradwell Silver Band Concert @ St James Church, New Bradwell. 7.30pm
Bradwell silver band spring concert and annual awards. The band will perform a selection of music to suit all ages and tastes. Bradwell silver band is proud to support players of any age who wish to learn a brass instrument, with free tuition and instruments. The annual Spring Concert is an opportunity for band members to celebrate and recognise the commitment and hard work of the players and supporters.

Sunday 26th April

Telephone and Post Office vehicle's day @ Milton Keynes Museum. All day
Discover more about the telephone and the ways in which we communicate. Postal and telephone vehicles from the past 60 years. Working telephones and switchboards will be found in the telephone gallery, Post Office films and videos and working telegraph and telephone equipment will also be on show, as well as the usual museum exhibits.

Age UK fashion show @ The Peartree Centre, Peartree Bridge. 2-4pm
Hand-picked clothes from the six local Age UK shops. Fabulous fashions, jewellery and other accessories for sale on the day. There will be live music, and visitors will receive a goody bag, glass of bubbly on arrival and canapés. Tickets cost £10 or £8 in advance.

Row row row your boat- What's on this Weekend?

As well as the events on through part of the MK Heritage Open days today, there are also a number of other events on this weekend...

Saturday

The Olney model railway club exhibition will be held at the Carlton house Club in Olney from 10.30am-4.30pm. Come along to see layouts, trade support, society stands and refreshments. Adults cost £2.50 and a family of four is £6.  Visit the website for more information.

The Milton Keynes Regatta also takes place today, consisting of two lane racing over a 500 meter course, with a variety of events in all categories including rowing, sculling, junior, senior and masters events. Racing will begin at 8.30am until 5pm, so do come along and cheer the rowers on at the rowing club on Caldecotte lake.

In the evening, come along to St Laud's Church in Sherington at 7.30pm to hear 'Ed and friends' play a light and varied programme of instrumental and vocal music. Tickets are £8 and are available on the door or from John and Pam Fielding. The concert is being held in aid of Prostate Cancer UK and St Laud's Church.

Sunday

HULA have another of their popular fete and dog show's today, including a variety of activities such as dog classes for all, doggie games and a fun photo competition (bring your pet photos). There will be assorted stalls, fun and games for children, bazaar and book stall and delicious refreshments, and the opportunity to come and meet the resident farm animals. Admission is £2 for adults and £1 for children, with all proceeds going to the care and welfare of HULA's animals. visit the website for more information.

Part of the Milton Keynes Heritage Weekend includes the medieval family fun day at Milton Keynes discovery centre, Bradwell Abbey, from 11am-4pm. The day will include a variety of hands-on activities, such as archery, birds of prey, medieval re-enactors and encampment, face painting, arts and crafts and more. There will be a great selection of refreshments, including hog roast, tea/coffee and cakes.

Visit the Cowpers Oak Country Pub and dining room from 4pm to enjoy 'last of the summer tapas'- enjoy some tapas and sangria as we say goodbye to summer!

Explore the heritage of Milton Keynes this weekend

Starting today, there's a whole weekend of free family fun in and around Milton Keynes as part of the MK Heritage Open Days, which celebrates its 20th year this year. Milton Keynes is home to a lot of history, and there is much to be learnt and discovered from this central place. Have a look at the website for a full list of what's on, there are numerous open days, tours and events, and we've included just a small selection below...

There have been a few events on today so you may have spotted a few, if not then don't worry you've got a few days left and there are some events on this evening for you to enjoy if you have the time.
This evening there is a talk from Kevin Varty; 'The Great War in 10 Objects' held at Milton Keynes Library from 6-7pm. There's also an evening ramble held at Ouzel Valley Park which costs just £1 or is free if you have the MK Heritage Open Days leaflet. Enjoy a tour with the Parks Trust rangers from 6-7pm.

Friday

Again, there are a great number of free events to choose from, including a number of walks, such as a heritage hunters walk around Willen lake, a railway walk and Stoney Stratford town and riverside walk to name just a few.

The Milton Keynes Museum will be holding open days, which today will include their annual beer festival, from 11am-4.30pm with a selection of real ales and cider and a BBQ. Check this out on any day of the open weekend.

There's also the beer and cider festival at the York House Centre with the 12th Cock and Bull real beer and cider festival from midday to 11pm, again it will be continuing over the weekend.

This evening, head over to Milton Keynes gallery for an hour long film titled 'Milton Keynes through the lens', showing images from the 1940s through to the present day. 7.30-9pm.

Don't forget to check the website for the full list of events.

Saturday

A number of the events will follow through from yesterday, but again there is a great selection of free things to do and see.

Bark in the Park, organised by the Parks Trust, is on from 10-11.30am at Tattenhoe Valley and is a chance to walk your dog while meeting other dog owners. Free with the presentation of the Milton Keynes Heritage Leaflet.

Have a look at the Bradwell Windmill at their open day, where you can see the early 1800s windmill restored to working order between 1.30-4.30pm.

Sunday

There's much of the same at the previous days today, so if you've missed something you liked the look of then make the most of the last day of the event today, as well as a few other items, including the exhibition at Double Tree Hilton Hotel celebrating the history of women's football from 7.30am-10.30pm, and a guided walk around the Homeworld '81 exhibition at 11am showing how the buildings have faded over the last 30 years.

There's a great variety of events and activities taking place over these 4 days of the Heritage Open Days, so you've got plenty of opportunities to get involved in something over the weekend.

Download the pdf brochure here.