A Community Action: MK Newsletter...

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MK:Smart brings together data, enterprise and communities to transform energy, transport and water use, and improve health and the environment in Milton Keynes.

Visit the MK:Smart website now!

See the most recent MK:Smart Storify here!

Watch MK:Smart film here

Our MK Drop In Sessions

For anyone interested in finding out about applying for funding or Volunteering with one of the projects on
Our MK.

Every Thursday
10AM-12PM
at Acorn House
Midsummer Blvd
MK9 3HP

Simply pop in or register on Eventbrite here.

New water project in Broughton Gate

The MK:Smart project will be inviting householders in Broughton Gate to participate in a trial of a new website that will allow them see their weekly water consumption and provide lots of tips on how they can reduce their water use.

The trial will start in the early summer and will run until the end of the year. If you live in Broughton Gate and might be interested, look out for further updates in this newsletter and on the MK:Smart website:

w ww.mksmart.org/water

Smart Cities MOOC

(Massive Open Online Learning Course)

The next round of the free online course for anyone interested in learning about the fascinating world of smart cities.

Starts on 11th April

To find out more and register, click here.

MK Soup

3rd edition of MK Soup, helping local projects access micro-funding, is returning.

Pay £5 to enjoy a bowl of homemade soup and a chunk of bread, and good company, while voting for your favourite project and making the world a better place.

Or register your project to pitch for funding!

Friday 22nd April
7PM
at MK Christian Foundation, Wolverton

Find out more about the event here.

MK FEAST 2

2nd SUMMER edition of this popular event aimed at promoting the local food & retail scene in Milton Keynes.

Sunday 24th July
11AM-4PM
at Bradwell Abby

Find out more about the event here.

'What is your smart city?'
Photos exhibited at Acorn House

You can now pop in to Acorn House (MK9 3HP) to see the winners and other photos shortlisted as part of the recent #mysmartmk photo competition.

Available until mid April!

Paul Bond,
MK through camera lenses...

We were delighted to discover more work from the winner of the #mysmartmk photo competition's public online vote, Paul Bond, who runs Aperture Events.

We loved this photograph taken by Paul in Great Linford Manor...

Click here check out more of Paul's great photos and follow only4aperture on Instagram!

MK:Smart Newsletter

March 2016

Welcome back to our monthly newsletter about Citizen Innovation and the MK:Smart project. We have some exciting updates from our projects and events, and would like to wish you a Happy Easter!

We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop us an email.

Rebecca & the MK:Smart Team
Community Action: MK

2 New Projects Get Funding from Our MK

We are delighted to let you know that two new projects have been successful as part of the Citizen Ideas Funding Competition run via the MK:Smart-powered Our MK website.

Raspberry Pie & Promotion of Community Computing Literacy

Nhamburo Ziyenge has been awarded funding to run a project that aims to increase computing literacy levels, particularly around the raspberry pie computers, among parents in Milton Keynes, so that they can better support their children in terms of technology use. The project will be engaging with the local schools and the UCMK students via workshops and surveys. Find out more on Zi's project on Our MK here.

Go Breastfeeding App

Ros McFadden has received funding to develop a mobile app that will act as a hub with information about breastfeeding-friendly places across the city. Aside from developing the app, Ros will be creating a video explaining how the app will work, aiming to spread the use of it among the citizens as well as health professionals across the city, and beyond. To find out more, visit the project page on Our MK here.

Funding is still available for innovative projects aimed at improving the use of water, energy, transport as well as health and environment in Milton Keynes. Click here to find out more and apply.

February was packed with events & activities...

We thoroughly enjoyed being part of the hugely successful MK Feast event organised by MK Food Revolution on 22nd February. The event, held at Bradwell Abbey, was a huge success. It attracted lots of local food producers, retailers and community groups, and saw a footfall of over 3K people.

Together with MK Food Revolution, we were there to celebrate the culmination of MK's first Food Passport Scheme, funded by Our MK, and engaged with passport-holders to get their feedback on what impact the scheme has had on their buying habits. Make sure to sign up to MK Food Revolution's mailing list here to be notified about the launch of the next round of the passport scheme this summer!

Last month we also attended the MK:Smart Technology & Graduate Fair hosted at UCMK and engaged with the employees of Home Retail Group, encouraging them to visit OurMK and volunteer with one of the projects listed on the website.

To find out more about the many ideas and projects that are available on Our MK, and to how to get involved in these through volunteering, click here.

CAMK Funding Fair

Wednesday 30th March: 10am-2pm
Irish Centre, Bletchley

Come along to Community Action: MK Funding Fair. You will find our team at the Our MK stall to find out more about funding available for projects as part of our Citizen Ideas Funding Competition.

Get involved...

Support the project by volunteering.

Many projects need volunteers and skills to turn them into a reality. To find out how you can get involved, visit to our 'Volunteer' page on OurMK - just click h ere.

Join in the conversation online...

Share this newsletter with your friends and they can sign up to receive updates directly.

MK:Smart is a large collaborative initiative, partly funded by HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England) and led by The Open University, which will develop innovative solutions to support economic growth in Milton Keynes.