Touching the Heart of Milton Keynes: a social perspective
Milton Keynes comes to life in this concise, yet comprehensive and multi-dimensional exploration of a city often misunderstood. Carefully and lovingly researched, this is a tale of roundabouts and concrete cows, of earlier settlers often marginalised and forgotten, or a promising football team, of lakes and water sports, a thriving business and social community with unique issues, but a very promising future.
Susan Popoola
Croydon, Filament Publishing, 2nd ed. 2012
231pp
ISBN 978-1-908691-07-1
£12.80 (excluding P&P)


Contents
- Introduction
- Welcome to Milton Keynes!
- Fireworks and birthday cake
- The enigma of the cows
- Roundabouts
- Forty, four hundred or four thousand years?
- Beyond the enigma
- Sporting good fun
- And if you don't like sports
- Business
- Melting pot
- Forever changing - growth
- Not sure about a casino, but …
- A commuter city?
- Farmers and railway workers
- And then they came from all around
- Those who were born here
- What are we all looking for?
- I need a roof over my head
- Communities and society
- Respect
- Moving from A to B: redways
- Aspirations
- Pandora in a complex world of opportunities
- Welfare system
- Support - rights and responsibilities
- communication and joint working to succeed
- So who comes next?
- Middle child syndrome
- Perception
- So how successful are we?
- The political system
- The politicians - I think that they are actually human
- A quangoland
- Agencies
- Media
- What if God was one of us?
- Education
- The heart of Milton Keynes
- Soul town - a call to social consciousness
- decoding the media
- Who are the people in your neighbourhood - Common Purpose
- Influencing & participating with the media
- Have you ever been there? A moment of introspection
- Get out there or help someone else to do so - volunteering and sponsorship
- An orchestra of agencies
- Credit Union
- Our heritage
- Creative arts
- Do it yourself - Lakes youth
- Foot soldiers
- Business involvement -Rok - the nation's local builder
- One step further - long-term involvement
- 5 a day at the Lakes
- Leave your car at home
- Food banks
- A bit of extra care
- Social capitalism
- Landlord responsibility
- An urban Eden
- Supporting those offering support
- Mind the gaps I - increasing the viable options of future generations
- Mind the gap 2 - tapping into diversity
- Minding the gaps 3 - expectations
- Bridging the housing gap
- Conclusion - can do, will do?
- Useful resources
- About the author
- References