MK Digest – Dementia Safety & £12.5k Start-up Support

Here’s what’s worth knowing in Milton Keynes this week.

Thames Valley Police is encouraging families, carers and people living with dementia to prepare a Herbert Protocol record before it is ever needed in an emergency.

The record can include a recent photograph, previous addresses, favourite places, routines, medical information and other details that could help police and search teams if the person is reported missing. Having the information ready means officers can access useful details quickly rather than asking relatives to assemble them during a stressful incident.

The current ‘When Memory Wanders’ awareness campaign runs from 13 to 30 September. The Herbert Protocol itself is an ongoing national scheme, and the digital service provided by MedicAlert Foundation UK is free to use.

Families can create a profile online and update the information when circumstances change. Thames Valley Police says it regularly deals with missing-person investigations involving people living with dementia.

🕒 Awareness campaign runs until 30 Sep 2026
📝 Record useful details and a recent photograph in advance
💻 Digital Herbert Protocol service is free to use

Learn about the Herbert Protocol →

Applications are open for TC Group’s ‘Next Big Thing?’ Start-Up Pitch Challenge, with Milton Keynes founders, early-stage businesses and innovators invited to apply by Friday 2 October.

Shortlisted applicants will pitch at the MK Tech Week finale on Friday 16 October, 5–8:30pm, at x+why, Unity Place. The competition is open to aspiring founders and early-stage businesses developing ideas, products, services or technologies.

All finalists will receive pitch coaching from Barclays Eagle Labs before presenting to a panel of entrepreneurs, investors and innovation specialists.

The winner will choose between two support packages: one focused on product development and commercialisation, and another centred on founder growth and investment mentoring. Both also include additional Barclays Eagle Labs mentoring and one year of complimentary R&D Tax Credit advice and submission support from TC Group. The runner-up receives the alternative package.

The prize is expert support worth up to £12,500 rather than a cash award, and individual elements are subject to eligibility and provider terms. The live final is also free for spectators.

🕒 Applications close Fri 2 Oct 2026; live final Fri 16 Oct, 5–8:30pm
📍 x+why, Unity Place, Milton Keynes
💼 Winner’s support package valued at up to £12,500 – not a cash award
🎟 Live final free for spectators; advance booking available

Apply by 2 Oct →

Milton Keynes City Council has approved a contract to prepare three public buildings for connection to a low-carbon heat network, using £4.35m secured through the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Fair Heat will carry out the building works at the Civic building, Central Library and Woughton Leisure Centre. The council says the network is intended to make use of heat that would otherwise be wasted, reducing the buildings’ reliance on gas heating.

The council says the project should cut carbon emissions and help protect the three buildings against future gas-price spikes. It also describes the work as laying foundations for a wider heat network that could eventually serve local homes and businesses.

The approved work at this stage is limited to preparing these three public buildings for connection. The wider network is a possible future phase and should not be read as an approved programme to connect homes or businesses now.

💷 £4.35m secured for the project
📍 Civic building, Central Library and Woughton Leisure Centre
🔧 Current approval covers preparatory building works for connection

Read the council announcement →

Milton Keynes City Council has formally approved the next step towards demolishing Serpentine Court on the Lakes Estate in Bletchley.

A delegated decision made on 15 September approved a variation to the existing GRAHAM Construction contract covering utility and infrastructure diversions, demolition and removal of spoil, plus an interim use for the cleared site.

The BBC reported, citing the council, that contractors are due on site by Christmas and that demolition is planned for the new year. The report puts the demolition cost at £6m.

The decision follows completion of 183 new council homes on the Lakes Estate earlier this year. The demolition approval is a distinct step: it does not by itself approve, fund or timetable any later replacement housing on the Serpentine Court site.

📅 Council decision made 15 Sep 2026
🏗 GRAHAM contract variation covers demolition and associated works
🕒 BBC reports contractors due by Christmas; demolition planned for the new year

Read the council decision →

Milton Keynes cancer-support charity Al’s Pals is looking for more Home Support volunteers to help patients and families who need emotional support outside hospital.

The charity currently has around 11 Home Support volunteers, with each volunteer typically supporting between one and three patients. Suzanne Brown, CEO of Al’s Pals, told MKFM in August that there is a waiting list of patients who cannot yet be matched with a volunteer because there are not enough people available to provide Home Support. She has since confirmed to MK Digest that those details are still current.

Al’s Pals is hoping to recruit around 20 additional Home Support volunteers over the next two to three months. Volunteers usually visit a patient for around one to two hours, typically once a week, although arrangements can be flexible and volunteers manage their own diaries.

The role does not require a healthcare or counselling background. Applicants complete an application and interview, followed by an enhanced DBS check and an Al’s Pals induction before they begin supporting patients.

The charity says Home Support can include companionship, listening, helping people find relevant services and supporting patients and families through different stages of a cancer journey.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Al’s Pals at [email protected] or 07958 800081.

🤝 Home-support, hospital and community volunteer roles
📍 Milton Keynes and surrounding area
⏱ Typically 1–2 hours per visit, usually once a week
📞 07958 800081

More information →

🕒 Applications close Fri 9 Oct:

Westbury Arts Centre seeks two new trustees
Westbury Arts Centre is looking for two new volunteer trustees, with applications open for people with experience in fundraising or legal matters. The Fundraising Trustee will help develop fundraising strategy and secure support for the charity’s work and planned capital project. The Legal Trustee will advise the Board on areas including employment, charity, property and contract law.
📍 Meetings in Milton Keynes
🤝 Unpaid voluntary roles; reasonable expenses reimbursed
📅 Initial three-year term
More information →

Looking for something to do locally? Here are a few ideas for the week ahead:

🕒 Tue 29 Sep, 11am:

🍁 Walk & Talk: Botanical Folklore – The Magic of Autumn
Explore the myths, historical beliefs and traditional uses connected with British plants and trees on a leisurely guided autumn walk around Great Linford Manor Park. The session is for adults only and is currently marked as having limited availability.
📍 Great Linford Manor Park
🎟 £5; booking required; limited availability
More information →

🕒 Sat 3 & Sun 4 Oct, 10am–5pm:

The Patch MK – opening weekend
The Patch MK opens its 2026 pumpkin-patch season at Mount Mill Farm, with daytime visits available across the opening weekend. Free parking is available on site.
📍 The Patch MK, Mount Mill Farm, MK19 6DG
🎟 From £6.50 plus booking fee; booking required
More information →

🕒 Sat 3 & Sun 4 Oct, 11am–5pm:

👠 Fashion Weekend AW26
centre:mk’s autumn fashion weekend brings catwalk shows featuring more than 40 brands to Middleton Hall, alongside pop-ups, style talks and beauty masterclasses.
📍 Middleton Hall, centre:mk
🎟 Free; no tickets needed
More information →

🕒 Sat 3 Oct, 11am–5pm:

The Grand Festive Mela – Milton Keynes
A free multicultural festival with festive shopping, food, fashion, beauty, henna, health and home-decor stalls, organised by Fashion Heritage.
📍 Woughton Leisure Centre, Rainbow Drive, Leadenhall, MK6 5EJ
🎟 Free entry
More information →

🕒 Mon 5 Oct; activities from 3pm, meeting 5–6pm:

MKUH Annual Public Meeting 2026
Milton Keynes University Hospital will review the past year, discuss future plans and explore the impact of digital technology in healthcare. Pre-event activities include guided site tours and information stands from hospital teams.
📍 MKUH Academic Centre, hospital site, Standing Way, Eaglestone, MK6 5LD
🎟 Free; booking requested
More information →

🕒 Sat 3 Oct, from 5pm:

City of Codes & Light Festival 2026
MKIAC brings art, science and music together in Central Milton Keynes, with a community lantern parade, live music and family-friendly performances celebrating the city’s diverse communities and science-and-technology heritage.
📍 Fred Roche Gardens, Central Milton Keynes
🎟 Free
More information →

🕒 Sat 3 Oct, 8pm:

Lucy Porter: Let Yourself Go
Comedian Lucy Porter brings her new show to The Stables, exploring midlife, reinvention and the freedom of letting go. The show may contain strong language and adult material.
📍 Jim Marshall Auditorium, The Stables, Wavendon
🎟 £25.50; suitable for ages 16+
More information →

🕒 Sun 4 Oct, 10am–2pm:

MK Open Young Artist Awards – public viewing
See work by secondary-school pupils from across Milton Keynes in the Barn Gallery, following the competition’s awards ceremony the previous day. The public viewing is open to everyone.
📍 Barn Gallery, Westbury Arts Centre, Shenley Wood
🎟 Free; all welcome
More information →

🕒 Mon–Wed:

Free weekly DJ clubs at MK Family Centres
Young people can try DJing and music-based activities at free weekly sessions run through Milton Keynes City Council’s partnership with On the Decks.
🎧 Mon, 4–5pm: Hedgerows Family Centre – youth DJ group
🎧 Tue, 4–5pm: Hummingbird Family Centre – ages 10+; booking required
🎧 Wed, 3:30–5pm: Saplings Family Centre – limited spaces
🎟 Free; contact the relevant centre before attending
More information →

Explore more events and activities at MK Libraries.

What kinds of local events would you like to see more of in MK Digest?

Just contact me at [email protected] – I read every message.

See you next issue.

Toby
MK Digest