I’ve lived in Milton Keynes 40 years – so my whole life! My favourite place is undoubtedly Chepstow Park in Bletchley, as it was one of Henry’s favourite places.

Henry was my little superhero son, who will be forever 4. He was diagnosed with a childhood cancer back in February 2012 when he was just 2 years old. Unfortunately after a long battle of gruelling treatment, Henry gained his angel wings in October 2013.

Dawn Allen

Every day is still very hard and we miss him terribly. But Henry’s last wish was to help other sick children, so we started The Henry Allen Trust. The Trust grants wishes to children and families battling childhood cancer, while also helping to improve processes within hospitals. This is my life’s work now. It was through Henry that I found my passion for Milton Keynes.

I’ve run the tea shop at the Museum for 17 years. We came to MK in 75 because my late husband got a job with the Development Corporation – he was with the landscape department.

There wasn’t much here when we came. A lot of mud, lots of roundabouts going nowhere, and I used to send my children to school in wellie boots!

Diane in character at Milton Keynes Museum

When I first came, the museum used to be open just two weekends a year. We came for a visit and I got chatting to a lady making corn dollies. So I went and got a sheath of wheat and joined her making corn dollies! I’ve been involved with the museum ever since. In those days no one used the Victorian kitchen to cook so – as there were a fair few dolly makers – I thought I’d have a go cooking on the range.

I was born in Newport Pagnell 65 years ago, before Milton Keynes was even thought about.  Life was very quiet back then!  At that time you could get the bus to Stoney Stratford or Wolverton if you needed anything, which wasn’t often as everything we needed was in Newport.

Our shops sold everything apart from “big purchases” like a new coat.  That’s when you’d get a train to Northampton or the bus to Bedford to go to the ‘big shops’ – my mum used to call them “The Stores”.  It was a big day out to do that.

Milton Keynes was designated just before I left school and I could see it would become the place to be.  A place with a future.

Dianne still has her copy of the Homeworld Exhibition catalogue.

We now live in Bradwell Common on what was the Homeworld Exhibition site.  In 1981 the development corporation sold land to developers to give them a chance to showcase their best house designs.  It was a way to literally build Milton Keynes and a way of encouraging people to buy here.  Plus it was an opportunity for developers to show what they were capable of and they were such a mix of properties.

I have lived in MK since 2004. I came here to do my PhD at the Open University.

I was living in Sussex for a year before that and I was at university in Reading so I have moved around a lot but Milton Keynes is probably the place where I have stayed the longest in my life since I moved out of home.

Farah studying at the Open University

At first it was a very strange place because it’s a unique city and I think people who haven’t lived here don’t understand it. But when you live here, you get a feel for its community and its environment and the way it works and the people here. I grew attached to it, very much so, especially being part of the Open University.

I liked the idea that it had boulevards here. It reminded me of the French Riviera or something…

When I came here I wondered why it was called Conniburrow. I was informed that conni is rabbit in French and burrow is obvious. Also, I was very intrigued with the idea that MK village was already mentioned in the Domesday Book. But suddenly a new city had been built here.

Fazle enjoying reading about Conniburrow

What impressed me was the planning, the roads are good. The roundabouts were something which I had to learn about, but it looked like an American city. Milton Keynes seemed to have something new about it and that I liked….it’s played a very significant part in my life. London is a very rich place…but it’s a very big city and you have to travel vast distances to go to different places.

It was actually after my mum passed away. So my mum passed away back in 2006 and she used to teach at Milton Keynes College.

she had a good connection with people in MK and everyone. After that I just needed a way to let my emotions out and I always loved making music so I just found a way for me to express myself though music…

Fowad letting his music do the talking for him

My mum actually gave me a lot of musical influences – she used to love Elvis and she used to love Motown so she was the person who introduced me to the influences I have now in music.