Make the most of this eternal sunshine by enjoying the great outdoors!
If you’re looking for ideas to keep the kids entertained over May half term, look no further than the city’s beautiful parkland! The Parks Trust, the charity caring for green spaces in Milton Keynes, hosts a heap of activities including free and low-cost ways to get outdoors.
On your doorstep are more than 40 different parks with a huge choice of free play areas, leisure routes, trim trails and world-class outdoor artworks. As May marches on and the spring half term arrives, this programme of family fun is one that you just won’t want to miss:
Parks & Ride
Sun 25 May, 11am at Furzton Lake
Swap screens for scenes on a two-wheeled guided tour for families to uncover the sights and sounds of MK’s parks. Parks & Ride events take a steady pace along a mixture of leisure routes and Redways, for about an hour, with no road riding or substantial hills. Free to join and no booking is required.
Howe Park Wood Open Mornings: Caring for Our Woodlands
Tuesday 27 – Thursday 29 May, 9:30am - 12:30pm
Open Mornings are completely free for everyone. This half term, the theme is ‘Caring for our Woodlands’ so come along to take part in free activities to learn more about the life of these plants, the wildlife that relies on them and what The Parks Trust does to help the woodlands thrive. On Thursday, some of The Parks Trust team will be there to demonstrate a chainsaw and chipper, and a tractor may even make an appearance!
Howe Park Wood provides a safe home to many endangered animal and plant species and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its wildlife value by Natural England.
Careers Showcase Afternoon
Thursday 29 May, 1:00 – 3:00pm at Howe Park Wood
Ever wondered what it would be like to work at The Parks Trust? If you’re a school leaver or a teenager thinking about your future plans, come along and join our free event to learn more about the exciting and varied jobs at The Parks Trust.
This event is a great way to find out about opportunities on offer and how to get involved in caring for nature. You’ll be able to see the equipment that is used within different job roles and watch live demonstrations of machinery in action! There’s also a chance to meet some of the Parks Trust’s Operational team caring for more than 6,000 acres of landscapes and find out about the work they do.
The event is aimed at school leavers, secondary school aged students and their accompanying adults and anyone with an interest in working in the great outdoors.
Throughout May and beyond, there’s plenty more for the whole community to get involved with across the city:
Parks & Run 1 June at Caldecotte Lake.
Great Linford Manor Park Guided Walks by the Friends of Great Linford Manor Park, last 90-minutes and occur twice monthly, the second Friday at 10.30am and the last Sunday at 2pm.
Women’s Walking Network meet on the first Thursday each month at varying locations (5 June, 10am at Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve).
5 Ways Cafe at St. Andrew's Church at Great Linford Manor Park is a dementia friendly community café on the second and fourth Tuesday every month, 11am – 1pm.
Julie Dawes, Events and Community Engagement Manager at The Parks Trust says “May half term is brimming with opportunities to get out and explore, especially since it's National Walking Month! Whether you're interested in guided walks or discovering the wonders of woodlands at Howe Park Wood, there's plenty to keep the family entertained in our parks all week long.”
Head to theparkstrust.com to find out more about upcoming events across the city’s park spaces.
