'Why we think Milton Keynes can be a City of Culture'

Image source, Sam Read/BBC

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Maureen Onwunali, who grew up in Milton Keynes, said that writing a poem to help launch its UK City of Culture bid helped her learn more about the place

ByAmy Holmes

Milton Keynes political reporter

Milton Keynes has often been dismissed as somewhere not worth pulling off the M1 for, frequently by people who have no plans on visiting in the first place. But recently, that tide has turned. The BBC spoke to four people who have been part of the city's evolution and believe it has a chance of being crowned the UK City of Culture for 2029.

In 2025, the city was named one of the best places to live and work in the UK.

It is now in with a real chance of winning the £10m prize having been shortlisted as one of four places for the City of Culture contest.

The shorthand used to describe Milton Keynes often refers to concrete cows and its many roundabouts.

However, for Irish-born Nigerian creative Maureen Onwunali, who grew up and lives here, the city has so much more to offer.

While researching for her poem as part of the city's original bid, she said she found it "surprisingly so fascinating".

"I devoured all of these facts so now at any party, I have at least five Milton Keynes facts."

In "An ode to Milton Keynes", Onwunali refers to "the colossus, the world's first programmable computer" and "self-driving cars on Roman roads".

She told the BBC: "It's so funny because I tell people about Milton Keynes and culture and they look at me as if I'm being sarcastic, because Milton Keynes has this stereotype of being soulless.

"But there's so many artists who've come out of Milton Keynes.

"A lot do go off to bigger cities like London or Manchester but I think it's just a matter of harnessing their talents and having opportunities to platform them."

'People who live here absolutely love it'

Image source, Sam Read/BBC

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Milton Keynes Gallery director Anthony Spira said people outside the city would be surprised to see it on the shortlist because of "negative external perceptions"

Cultural events already held in the city include Reggae Land at the National Bowl and the Milton Keynes International Festival. This is alongside annual functions held at Campbell Park such as Art in the Park, the Zimbabwe Heritage Festival, MK Pride and Oktoberfest.

On the day the shortlist was announced, a four-month exhibition celebrating the life of British artist Laurence Stephen Lowry opened at the MK Gallery.

Director Anthony Spira said it was "great" that the city's place on the shortlist had surprised people.

"People who live here absolutely love it. But externally, people are saying, 'Milton Keynes, is there culture there?' Well, yes, there is, there's a lot and there's going to be a lot more."

Spira is confident the city, which was born only 59 years ago, can win: "We've got a very different story."

'Fantastic grassroots community'

Image source, Rosemary Hill

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Theatre director Rosemary Hill said the city already had a fantastic creative grassroots community

Alongside its gallery, the city is proud of its theatre and live music venue - The Stables - which was developed by world-renowned jazz musicians Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine.

The city is also home to smaller creative groups.

The professional theatre company The Play's The Thing was set up by Rosemary Hill in 2008 and encourages new writers and performers as well as producing more traditional plays.

"We've got a fantastic grassroots community doing so many things," said Hill.

"It's really, really exciting."

However Hill still finds herself having to convince others of her beloved city's charms.

She recalled: "I was sitting on a train a few years ago and was getting off at Milton Keynes and somebody said, 'Oh, this is a place best avoided'.

"I said, 'Have you ever been here? Do you know what Milton Keynes is about. Because you should come and visit and see all these different things.

"The whole carriage clapped as I got off."

'Shining a light on what makes our city unique'

Image source, Milton Keynes Labour

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Deputy council leader Lauren Townsend said her good friend Shanika Mahendran, who died in July, played a key part in the city making the shortlist

For Lauren Townsend, the deputy leader of Milton Keynes City Council, her connection with the bid is also personal.

Fellow Labour councillor Shanika Mahendran died after a short illness aged just 28 in July.

At her memorial service former council leader Pete Marland revealed she had been the lone voice in the council chamber who persuaded the authority to throw its hat in the ring.

Image source, Amy Holmes/BBC

Image caption,

Shanika Mahendran, who died aged 28 in July, persuaded her fellow councillors in Milton Keynes to bid for UK City of Culture

Townsend, who was born and raised in Milton Keynes, said: "Her ambition and belief in our city, combined with the overwhelming support from local people, businesses and organisations, has resulted in us making the final shortlist, and shows just how far our city has come over the past decade.

"I will forever be grateful to pioneers like Shanika for leading the way on a huge opportunity to shine a spotlight on everything that makes our city unique."

City of culture - the facts

Image source, Ant Saddington/BBC

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Milton Keynes is now one of four places in the running to become UK City of Culture for 2029

• The UK City of Culture for 2029 will be announced in early 2027

• Milton Keynes, like Wrexham in Wales which is also on the shortlist, was made a city in 2022 as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

• They are competing with Sheffield and Blackpool with a panel of judges including Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks creator, Sir Phil Redmond, who will visit each one

• Judges will use set criteria, external to decide the winner, which include how places will create transformative opportunities and richer lives, deliver good jobs and boost growth

• Shortlisted cities each receive £125,000 to help with their final bids.

• The winner gets a £10m prize. In Bradford, which is the current holder of the title, around 7,000 new jobs have been created, as well as a brand-new performance venue.

Milton Keynes makes shortlist for City of Culture

But it’s up against stiff competition from three other cities, as Sam Read reports.

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