#igivehope... What's it all about?

If you're a keen Twitter follower or tweeter, you may have noticed the hashtag 'igivehope' flying about a fair bit yesterday. What's it all about? Well yesterday was the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, organised by the United Nations in order to try and combat trafficking in persons across the world. This is the first ever of these days, and people across the world have been encouraged to show their support to victims of trafficking by 'giving back hope.' By tweeting using the hashtag, particularly sharing pictures of hands making the shape of hearts, the United Nations hope to be able to raise awareness of trafficking in persons around the world.

Human trafficking is something which can too often be thought of as extinct, thinking of slavery in old terms which in most places appears to be off the radar. This is sadly not the case however, UNICEF estimate that over 1.2 million children are trafficked each year, being taken against their will, brought sold and exploited. This doesn't just happen in places like Africa and India as we are sometimes led to believe, human trafficking takes place all over the world and can be found in our own cities.

While tweeting a picture or saying 'igivehope' may not seem to be making much of a difference, it's a step in the right direction in terms of raising awareness about the problem. Show your support with a picture of your hands making a heart and #igivehope, and show solidarity to those who are and have been victims of human trafficking. On a more practical level, the United Nations ask people to be aware and involved in their local communities to both raise awareness and repot anything which may be related to trafficking.

2014: Year of family farming

2014 is the international year of family farming, but what does that mean for you if you don't happen to have your own family farm?! The focus on family farming for the year has been declared by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, to highlight the important role that family farms play in the world's food production, and to raise awareness so that this production can be optimised.

So what is the importance of family farming? Across the world, family farming helps preserve traditional food products, and helps safeguard the sustainable use of natural resources. Ultimately, it provides small-scale farmers with the opportunity to help boost their local economy. By focussing on family farming for the year, the aim is to help increase awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by smallholders, and to find effective ways of supporting family farmers.

Many small farms lack the resources needed to succeed and keep going through difficult times, whether that be through weather conditions, financial issues or lack of manpower. By raising awareness throughout this year, the hope is that governments and other bodies will be forced to direct more help to family farms across the world, of which there are over 500 million. Family farming is of course important in the UK, but even more so in poorer, underdeveloped countries where running and taking care of  land can mean the difference between feeding their families or going hungry. One of the aims of this year of family farming is to try and eradicate hunger and poverty, and ultimately to improve the livelihoods of farm owners across the world which in turn will improve global food security.

Why not be inspired by this year of family farming and get out and planting veg in your own garden or allotment? Or take a trip to a local farm with the kids this summer holidays? Have a look for some local farms in the Milton Keynes area to visit, click here.

Scotland host their biggest ever sporting event: The Commonwealth Games 2014

Then:

The Commonwealth games was originally known as the 'British Empire Games' and began in 1930, with 11 nations competing. The idea of a competition bringing together the members of the British Empire was started by John Astley Cooper 1891, who proposed a fishing competition, saying that there should be a  "Pan-Britannic-Pan-Anglican Contest and Festival every four years as a means of increasing goodwill and good understanding of the British Empire" The first British Empire Games was held in Canada in 1930, and then the games were interrupted by the Second World War and so the four-yearly schedule was paused until it was revived in 1950 and re-named the British Empire and Commonweath Games in 1954. By 1958 over 30 teams were involved, with over 1000 athletes in total.

Now:

The Commonwealth Games today is a multi-sport event, which involves athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations (which contains 53 countries) and involves around 17 different sports. This year's Commonwealth Games is, as you probably already know, being held in Glasgow, and is the largest multi-sport event to ever be held in Scotland, with approximately 4950 athletes talking part from 71 different nations. The event runs for 11 days, and can be watched live on BBC1 and BBC3, and the closing ceremony takes place on the 3rd August. After making the World Cup a bit of a sore point, do you think  England will do better in the Commonwealth Games?!


Described as a proud and fun opening, Scotland kicked off the games well last week. If you missed it, catch the opening ceremony highlight here:

Au revoir MKIF 2014!

Today brings us to the end of the Milton Keynes International Festival, and what a great 10 days it has been! We hope you were able to get along to one of the many events that have been on offer throughout the festival, and made the most of the great weather we've had for it!

One of the highlights for many was the 'Iltopie: Fous de Bassin' (water fools), where Willen Lake was lit up with fire and taken over by people and vehicles walking across the water. There was a bit of confusion with seating, it turned out you didn't really need a ticket to see the show, and yet some who had bought tickets ended up sitting where they could hardly see. Despite that, and the thunderstorms which took place during the shows (adding to the effects!), it was a great event, something unusual and definitely not something you see everyday- showing a good example of what the international festival has been about. It was an interesting show, especially when the car caught fire and people were voicing questions of whether it was meant to happen or not! (don't worry, it was!)

This was just one of the many events which was part of the festival, and there were lots of other amazing events and activities taking place. Gigs in the Spiegeltent have been sold out for much of the festival, and the Architects of Air's Pentalum in Middleton Hall has been popular throughout, drawing large crowds to both visit and enjoy music and classes within the luminarium. The lock shift songs is another of the more bizarre parts to the festival (although it's all a bit quirky really!) and has also been particularly popular with shoppers in centre:mk. If you haven't managed to pay it a visit, it's there today as well so do pop by if you are in the centre! Have a look at the official website to what what else is still on today if you fancy getting involved for the last few hours of the festival!

We hope you enjoyed this year's International Festival, we at the Phonebox Magazine certainly did and we can't wait to see what will be in store for next year!

'World Picnic'- Come and enjoy international music, dance and food!

Milton Keynes World Picnic 2014 is an open-air festival celebrating music, dance and food from around the world, and it's taking place tomorrow, Sunday 27th July. Held in Campbell Park, Milton Keynes, the day is filled with back-to-back music and dance acts from eight different groups, including music from the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band, 'Mambo Jambo' and belly dancing from Badra Tribal. Part of the Milton Keynes International festival, this event is great for all the family. Bring a picnic and sit and enjoy the music and dance on offer at the amphitheatre stage, and if you're feeling inspired you can even join in with one of the workshops.

There will be a variety of international foods on offer from a number of stall holders, so you'll have lots of opportunities to try something new!

The event is free to attend, and hopefully the sun will be shining, so don't forget the suncream and sunhats, and come and have a great time spent relaxing in the sunshine! Join in the fun anytime from 1pm-6pm this Sunday.

British Beer Festival 2014 @ The Cowpers Oak

This weekend, make sure you get along to The Cowpers Oak in Weston Underwood for the third year of the British Beer and Cider Festival. Last year saw over 500 guests attend over the weekend, and this year is set to be bigger and better than ever before. There will be a great selection of local beers and ciders (more variety than ever before!) great hot food, including roast lamb, the famous Pieminister pies served with peas, mash and gravy on Saturday between 1 and 8pm, and burgers and chips served throughout the weekend. Enjoy these food and drink delights in the beer garden, and enjoy some live music from local talent, including a Saturday afternoon jam session led by local musician Ian Roberts, where all budding musicians are invited to come along and play their own songs. A fantastic local party band, 'My Holiday Romance' will draw the evening to a close with some great tunes.

Sunday is the family day of the weekend, with bouncy castles, kids entertainers, glitter tattoos and more.  The event has a great family feel to it and is a great weekend of supporting local people, with local bands and local beers being key to the event.

Kids go free, and adults are just £5. Visit the Cowpers Oak website for more information.

Free fun at the MK Loveliness Festival this Saturday

This is the third year of the MK loveliness festival; a festival of free community music and arts for all the family run by Inter-action MK. Inter-action MK is a community arts charity which has been running in Milton Keynes for over 35 years. They use arts to help improve the life chances of disabled people and those in challenging circumstances, and helps participants to develop creative, personal and social skills.

The Loveliness Festival is a free day, this Saturday 26th July, running from midday 'till 8pm, and is held at the picturesque grounds of Inter-Action MK's Old Rectory gardens, Waterside, Peartree Bridge, Milton Keynes MK6 3EJ.

The day will include a variety of events, including live music from musicians including James Stimson and Mr Vee, 'The Spider Club' and 'The Bighead' to name just a few, and the night will finish off with a disco in the marquee. There will be live art and refreshments all afternoon, including a great pic 'n' mix selection, ice creams and a cocktail bar.

It's a fun day for all the family, with special activities for the kids, including face painting, bouncy castles, creative workshops, rides and games. 'Pyjama Drama' will be holding free drama sessions for children under 7 to get involved in.

As the name suggests, this should be a  'lovely' day!

For more information visit the Inter-Action MK website.