WAITROSE in Milton Keynes are to donate £1,000 a month to local good causes.
Community projects in Milton Keynes are set to benefit from £12,000 of funding this year thanks to a new initiative, 'Community Matters', launched on July 23 in the Waitrose Milton Keynes branch.

Each month, Waitrose Partners will choose three causes to benefit from a share of the supermarket's £1,000 regular donation. The first three causes to benefit from the programme are: AYME, Association of Young People with ME, Milton Keynes Play Association and Safety Centre.

Are you a Small Local Community Group looking for funding for new or existing activities? Then ask us about Grassroots Grants!

The Centre MK has announced that MK SNAP will this year be the benificary for the Wishing Pool at the Christmas Show. Since it was first launched in 1985 almost £350,000 has been raised by the Wishing Well for donation to local good causes. Last year the Wishing Well collected over £17,000 which was given to the wildlife charity Tiggywinkles.

Ian Farmer, Operations Director at MK SNAP said:"This is fantastic news. The donation will be used to help fund our new centre which doubles the size or our current capacity and can accomodate over 70 people".

Creative Peddlars Are Kids At Heart

Milton Keynes based PR and marketing company Solution Factors and graphics agency Bobbyflash Design have joined forces to put their own spin on charity fundraising for 2008, with their Kids at Heart cycling team.

The wheels were set in motion on Sunday with the annual 54-mile London to Brighton bike ride – in aid of the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Led by Solution Factors senior manager Natalie Bradley and Bobbyflash director Stuart Bradley, the five-strong Kids at Heart team navigated country roads, and the infamously steep Ditchling Beacon, before coasting across the finish line.

“This is the third year that I have taken part in the London to Brighton ride and I am grateful to have also been invited to join Solution Factors for the Extra Mile Challenge in September,” commented Stuart. “Not only will this be a great opportunity to raise more funds for BHF, but also for Leighton Buzzard based charity Kids Out, who provide fantastic positive experiences for disadvantaged children and young people.”

Ways Of Seeing Receives Recognition

Arts & Business South East, the charity dedicated to creating sustainable partnerships between the business and arts worlds, has announced that Midsummer Place & Inter-Action MK have been short listed for the Community Award at The Arts & Business South East Awards 2008 sponsored by BMW Group Plant Oxford.

Midsummer Place Shopping Centre and Inter-Action MK worked in partnership with Buckinghamshire Association for Blind and Partially Sighted People on the Ways of Seeing Project. Through the project they commissioned four artists to explore creative ideas for improving access for visually impaired people. The ideas and the art created were presented at the Ways of Seeing conference and exhibition at Midsummer Place in September 2007.

Mercedes Gift A Class To Hospice

Mercedes-Benz of Milton Keynes has provided an A-Class for Willen Hospice to use for essential day to day transportation work and to support the pro-active outreach work in the Milton Keynes community. The distinctive black car with familiar Willen Hospice branding has been seen around town from 10th March.

Home Builder Raises More Than £50,000 For Childrens Hospice

Staff at George Wimpey South Midlands have presented Keech Cottage with the biggest single corporate donation the children's hospice has ever received.

The company that has recently celebrated being named "Innovative Housebuilder of the Year" is a great example of how successful business and corportae social responsibility need not be incompatible.

The amount raised is the result of a number of fun and social events organised throughout the year and that have provided a lot of interest for employees and friends.

Peter Gurr (Managing Director - George Wimpey South Midlands) commented:

"It is such a worthwhile cause and our employees, families and friends have really taken it to there hearts over the past 12 months".

Keech Cottage is a children's hospice service supports families from across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes that are caring for a child or young person diagnosed with a life-limiting condition.

Business Challenge Teams Raise over £13,000 For ExtraCare

ExtraCare would like to say a very big “Thank You" to everyone who took part in the 2008 Business Challenge.

More than £13,000 has been raised to help fund health and leisure facilities at Lovat Fields Village, Milton Keynes, as a result of a Business Challenge competition sponsored by NatWest and MK News.

Teams who took part were given £50 with the challenge of growing the money to see who could make the most in a three month period and they came up with a series of ideas and events which were risky, innovative, technically challenging and just good fun!

Proceeds Of Novel Go To MK Community Support Group

Local author Andy Bacon has recently published The Answer - the first in an exciting sci-fi trilogy with the proceeds going to Milton Keynes based voluntary group BalancedMK.

BalancedMK is a community support group created to support people affected by eating disorders, through the provision of self-support groups, one to one counselling and education.

BalancedMK was founded by Andy's wife Emma (pictured here with Andy).

For more information on BalancedMK visit their website.

You can read a review of Andy's book The Answer at miltonkeynes.com by clicking the link REVIEW

Mark Lancaster MP Encourages Support For Local Charity

Writing in the Milton Keynes Citizen, North East Milton Keynes MP Mark Lancaster has brought attention to the needs of a small charity for which he has a particular soft spot.

MK ADHD Family Support Group (Charity No. 1069766) works with families and individuals in Milton Keynes concerned about or coping with Attention Defecit Hyperactivity Disorder. The symptoms of ADHD are inability to sustain focused attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Sufferers may be easily distracted, fidgety, talk excessively, interrupt others, be hard to discipline and have difficulty making and maintaining friendships. When young people are undiagnosed, or treatment is left for too long, ADHD can become more and more damaging – and even cause criminal behaviour.

Mark Lancaster commented: "Sadly as is often the case, they (MK ADHD) are having problems with funding. It seems that the condition is not popular with fundraising activities and is often misunderstoo.Like so many charities they are suffering from lack of money, lack of resources and lack of essential volunteers to do the important background work".