This Weekend's events...

Saturday 9th May:

Castle Ashby Colour Run @ Castle Ashby Gardens, 10am
In aid of the Cynthia Spencer Hospice. Castle Ashby is hosting a 5k colour run. Participants can walk, run or even dance their way around the course through the beautiful Castle Ashby gardens, with four colour stations where participants will be showered in vibrant colours. Entry costs £15 for adults, £7.50 for children or £40 for a family of four.

'May There Be Music' @ Christ the Cornerstone Church, CMK, 7.30pm
Piano and soprano charity concert to include Chopin Waltzes, Mozart Aria, Chopin Sonata No. 2 in B flat and more. Tickets cost £10. Proceeds to go to the funds of Cosgrove Parish Church.

Charity Race Night @ Carlton House Club, 7pm
Ticketed event, £10 per person which includes a basket meal, or for an upgrade ticket at £15, horse ownership will be included, giving you the chance to win £20 on the night. First race is at 7.30pm. Held by the Ride for Willen team.

'Songs for a Summer Evening' with Andate Choir @ United Reformed Church, Newport Pagnell, 7.30pm
Concert hosts, the Inner Wheel club of Newport Pagnell, are delighted that Andante have agreed to sing as a fundraiser for CAFFE (Computers are free for everyone). Tickets cost £10 and includes drinks and nibbles.

Nursery Plant Sale @ Village Hall, Pavenham, MK43 7PH, 10.30am-2pm
10 nurseries from six countries: Alpines, Clematis, Exotic plants, Herbs, Perennials and Shrubs, Roses, Shade-lovers, Sundries and vegetables. Come and buy high quality and unusual plants from the growers. Keen prices and good advice available. Entry costs £1.20. Free parking, tombola, refreshments and children's playground. In aid of the friends of St. Peter's- keeping our church building in good repair.

Barn Dance and Mini-Concert Choir @ Lavendon Village Hall, 7pm
With 'Cut a Caper Band' and 'Olney Singing For All Choir'. Choice of chicken curry or cottage pie meal. Tickets cost £12.

Woburn Sands Ceilidhs @ The Summerlin Centre, Woburn Sands, MK17 8SG, 7.30-11pm
With The Barn Rat Band, and caller Alison Heywood. Tickets cost £7 for adults, accompanied under 16's go free.

Sunday 10th May:

Annual Open Day @ Olney Bowling Club, 10am-4pm
Why not come along and see if the bowling club is for you? All equipment is provided, just wear a flat pair of shoes or trainers without ridges. Receive expert tuition from qualified coaches and experienced bowlers.

Militaria Fair @ Stantonbury Leisure Centre, 9.30am-3pm
There will be numerous top dealers with wonderful items present, including items such as helmets, uniforms, medals, coins, badges, books, armour, US WW2 items and much much more. Entry costs £4.

Saturday and Sunday:

Time Travelling History Festival @ MK Museum, 11am-4.30pm

There'll be a variety of activities available to join in with, including lessons in everything from making medieval coins to firing guns like those used during the English Civil war. See how people worked, lived, ate and occupied themselves during the early years of Henry VIII's reign, and in Saxon, Viking, Civil War and Medieval times. All this and more is available at the usual ticket price of £22 per family, for two adults and up to four children. 

This weekend's events in MK

Friday: 

Comic Relief:
Whatever you're up to this Friday, you're bound to come across Red Nose Day in one way or another. The idea of making your 'face funny for money' is interpreted in a number of ways across the country. If you have children at school or work in a school you'll probably be wearing your red noses and raising money for comic relief there in one way or another, from bake sales and wearing red clothes, to danceathons, swimathons and quiz's. If you're not getting involved during the day, there's always the 6-hour marathon TV show on Friday night from 7pm. An evening of entertainment aiming to make you laugh out loud with a selection of stars, including the return of the classic shows; Little Britain, Mr Bean, and Vicar of Dibley among others. As well as the humorous, comedy elements, will be the more serious films and footage which show Comic Relief's charity work and where the money raised will be going to.

Locally, there are activities going on for comic relief in schools and other locations, one of these is in Stantonbury, with various activities taking place from 3.30-6.30pm. There will be face painting, with a professional makeup artist. You can be entered into the competition to win Best Funny Face by simply donating to Comic Relief, having your face painted and photo taken. There's also a bouncy castle, so you can make those funny faces while you bounce! From 7-9pm there'll be a table tennis tournament for Comic Relief, so you can pop on your nose and enter the mini tournament, both juniors and adults are welcome. The Commonwealth medal winner and current reigning world Ping Pong champion, Andrew Baggaley will be awarding the trophies. You can watch from Buskers cafe & bar.

Saturday:

80's night held by Domesticats, at Lavendon Village Hall. 7.30-11.30pm, Fancy dress is optional, but would be fun! Tickets cost £10 and the money raised will go towards Lavendon Village Hall. Come along for a great night of the 80's!

The Edelweiss Pirates at Stantonbury Theatre, 3.30 and 7.30pm. A show featuring the Edelweiss Pirates of Cologne, a group of teenagers in Germany during the Second Wolrd War who realise they must start showing their resistance to the Nazis. Suitable for ages 13 and over. Tickets cost £14, concessions £11.

Tennis Works at Stony Stratford Tennis Club (MK11 1AR) is holding a free indoor mini tennis session this Saturday. A great introduction to tennis, with fun and games. 4-6 year olds are welcome from 1-2pm, and 7-10 year olds from 2-3pm. For more information email Stony@tennisworks.net.

Milton keynes Gin Festival at the Buszy (MK9 1LR) All afternoon and evening, 2 sessions from 12-5pm and 6-11pm.
Over 60 different gins will be showcased, and visitors will receive a brochure with information on all the gins available to try. You will need drinks tokens to purchase drinks, available at the front desk. The cost is £4 per drink, including tonic and a fresh garnish. There will be live entertainment, talks from gin industry experts and food available to buy all evening, as well as the chance to get chatting with other gin lovers! Tickets are £6 and are available to buy here.

Sunday:

Mothers Day:
Beat the queues and book yourself a table at one of the lovely restaurants or pubs in or around Olney, Newport Pagnell or Milton Keynes for your Mum and family, and celebrate Mother's day locally. If the weather is nice, why not take a walk along the canal, or through the countryside or through one of the local villages to enjoy some local scenery.

Ant & Dec's Supercomputer is in Milton Keynes this Sunday! Come along to the centre:mk between 9am and 5pm to be in for a chance of winning 2 tickets to New York. The morning session is from 9am, and the afternoon session from 2pm. If you're over 18 come and get involved, come dressed to impress with your hidden talent, and see if you can wow the supercomputer!

This Weekend's top events

Friday 6th March:

Quiz at Lavendon Village Hall, 7.30pm for an 8pm start.
Tickets cost £5 per person, teams can be up to six people per team.

Bedford Art Society at Putnoe Heights Church, 7.15pm for 7.30pm start.
Chris Christoforou speaks on The Modern Masters of Realism. Chris has been a professional artist for 30 years and is well known for his depictions of wildlife. This illustrated talk sees Chris reference the 'old masters' who have influenced and inspired the new generation of 'masters.' He will cover a wide variety of subjects. Entry is free for members, £5 for visitors. Click here for more information.

The Bedford Brach of The Royal Anglian Regiment Association- monthly meeting, held at the Keep, Bedford Road, Kempston. 7.30pm for 8pm start. If you are an ex serviceman/woman of any arm you are welcome to join.

Saturday 7th March:

International Women's Day concert at The venue, Walton high, Milton Keynes. 7.30pm.
Sian Edwards will be conducting a very special concert performed on National Women's Day and designed to recognise the high talent of women involved in classical music. An all-female orchestra, with guest soprano Anita Watson. Tickets cost £22 or £10 for adults, £5 for children, click here to book.

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs at Stantonbury Theatre, 2.30pm.
A production from children's theatre company, Les Petits, and is an action packed theatrical experience with live music, puppetry, physical performance and dastardly dinosaurs. Tickets cost £11, and family tickets are £40. Click here to book. Suitable for children over 5 years old.

The 'Cheese bus' will be in Milton Keynes all day on Saturday. Anchor have started a campaign called 'save our sandwich' which is attempting to convince people how good a cheese sandwich can be, rather than the more fancy lunchtime alternatives of today. The Anchor cheese bus will be driving around Milton Keynes from 8am-6pm all day this Saturday, and when you pledge to help save the cheese sandwich you'll get a free sandwich, and be in with the chance of winning some cheese-related prizes.

Sunday 8th March:

Milton Keynes Festival of Running at Xscape, Milton Keynes from 9.30am-6pm.
The Milton Keynes Half Marathon and Festival of Running take place this Sunday. The races start on the central dual-carriageways of Milton Keynes, then through some beautiful scenery. There are a number of different length races to take part in, 5K, 10K and 20 Miles, all starting around 10am. For prices and exact timings, click here.

HULA Animal Rescue 'Mum's the Word' 1pm-3.30pm.
Bazaar and pet bed shed, HULA dog parade at 2,30pm, Beauty treatments (for both humans and dogs!) quizzes, family fun and more! Refreshments will be on sale, £2 per adult, children go free. All proceeds go to the care and welfare of HULA's animals. Dogs are welcome.

Try Wheelchair Rugby, aka 'Murderball'

Wheelchair Rugby is a Paralympic sport, and is played competitively in over 25 countries around the world. The game was first developed in Canada, where it was known as 'murderball', due its aggressive and full-contact nature.

The governing body Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, have teamed up with Milton Keynes and Stantonbury Arts and Leisure Centre to bring the sport to the town. Unlike wheelchair basketball, which has always been the most popular team sport for wheelchair users, wheelchair rugby allows for full-contact. It is one of the only full-contact disability sports, and was one of the most popular at the Paralympic Games in 2012.

Wheelchair rugby is played inside, on a court with the same measurements as a basketball court. It is a mixed-gender sport, and teams can have up to 12 players, although no more than four from each team can be on the court at any one time. Players score by carrying the ball across the goal line.

If you have a disability and are over 16 years old, there is the opportunity to try this sport in one of four upcoming taster sessions. The sessions will be held at Stantonbury Leisure centre from 1-3pm, and are run by experienced coaches, with rugby chairs provided.

The first session will run on Saturday 31st January, then Sunday 15th February, Thursday 28th February and Sunday 8th March.

Family Arts Festival

The National Family Arts Festival 2014 brings the arts alive for families from the 17th October- 2nd November.

There are over 2000 events going on across the UK for the festival, which is now in it's second year, covering art, music, film, circus, theatre, dance, literature and more.

Stantonbury Theatre will be offering two family-friendly events during half term as part of the festival.

Saturday 25th October presents 'Hey Presto', adapted from the well-loved children's book by Nadia Shireen. The story features Monty, a fuzzy brown dog, and his best friend Pesto the fuzzy blue cat, who live on the streets and have some very clever talents. They get involved when the travelling carnival comes to town and head to the big tent to put on a show. But fame goes to Monty's head and soon Pesto loses his friend and his show...will friendship prevail?! Suitable for children aged 3-8 years, 45 minutes long. Tickets cost £9.50, £7.50 for concessions or £30 for a family ticket. Start time 2.30pm.

Thursday 30th October sees Mr Magic come to town! Fresh from dazzling families at the open day in July is Mr Magic himself Adrian Ward, member of Magic Circle and just waiting to show what's up his sleeve. Come and join in the fun as Adrian takes you on a mind-boggling magical journey- prepare to be amazed! Suitable for ages 4+, 50 minutes long. Tickets cost £6.50, £5.50 for concessions or £20 for a family ticket. Start time 2.30pm.

For more information visit the Stantonbury theatre website.

Luther Vandross tribute tomorrow night

Live and direct from the USA, Luther Vandross and the legends of soul, featuring Dave Lee Andrews, comes to Milton Keynes this Saturday, (16th August) at the Stantonbury Arts and Leisure centre. With classic hits from the likes of Alexander O'Neil, Lionel Richie and George Benson and supporting DJ who will provide dance tunes from the last 5 decades, it's sure to be a great night.

The event kicks off at 7.30pm and goes on into the night until midnight. If you fancy a dance, love soul music or are just interested in having a look, come along to the event tomorrow night. Tickets cost £10, and if you haven't already, you can book online here.

Dress Code smart casual, over 25s only.

For a glimpse at the music on offer, have a look at the video below: