MK Act wins Project of the Year
The Chairs Awards of Woughton Community Council for 2024 took place on Friday 12th July, hosted by the Blue Light Hub, Station Commander Danny Graham, James Lancaster and MP Councillor Darlington. The evening celebrated awards for environmental impact, educational group, partnerships and more, with the ‘Spirit of Woughton’ award, decided by public vote.
MK Act and Sue Burke, CEO received ‘Project of the year’ an award nominated by people from within the parish, for the introduction of a dedicated domestic abuse specialist based at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
An excerpt taken from the nomination; “This person and their charity has made a difference through her commitment to ending domestic abuse in MK. Introducing staff and outreach work across the MK Community, in particular at MK hospital where residents can seek help but also anyone can drop in to get help and advice. This person leads an amazing team that helps hundreds of people today, many of whom are residing and working in the areas which you support. They also work with the hospital, council, police and more to ensure people can access all the support services they need.”
MK Act’s HIDVA (Health Independent Domestic Abuse Advisor) offers a drop in and appointments to those who are looking for support and advice at the hospital which is based within the Woughton Community Council district.
Steve McNay, Council Manager at Woughton Community Council; “Congratulations to Sue and the team at MK Act, we were really pleased to award the service for their commitment to supporting people from the parish.”
Sue Burke, CEO at MK Act: “Thank you so much to the Chair and all at Woughton Community Council and within the community for recognising the hard work of our HIDVA and the value of the support provided to the community. Congratulations to all the worthy winners from the Woughton Community which we as MK Act are very grateful to be part of. The HIDVA project has been supported by MK City Council and has been accessed by many people in Milton Keynes, the service has proven to be much needed to the point we are now recruiting additional support for the project. I am incredibly proud of the team and all the work they have done establishing the project, creating it all from the ground up. The support the team has provided has received amazing feedback and really has changed lives.”
The full list of award winners:
– Local Hero Awards
o Tinkers Bridge – Cali Said
o Netherfield – Danni Nichol
o Beanhill – Cassandra Robinson
o Coffee Hall – Caroline Fisher
o Leadenhall – Sue and Simon Westwood
– Business of the Year – Brian Hepburn and Tesco
– Partnership of the Year – The Blue Light Hub
– Bucks Fire and Rescue
– South Central Ambulance Service
– Thames Valley Police
– Educator of the Year – MK Academy Amateur Boxing Club
– Young Person of the Year – Tyler Dunkley
– Junior Environmental Volunteer – Stanley and Albie
– Adult Environmental Volunteer – Shane Tunks
– Environmental Impact Award – Community Trees MK
– Project of the Year – MK Act
– Woughton Cares – Beanhill Community Shop
– Spirit of Woughton nominees
– Mary French
– Cheryl Hoare
– Jean Anderson
– Lisa Cherry voted the winner of the Spirit of Woughton Award for 2024.
About Woughton Community Council
Woughton Community Council provides support to the 15,000 residents of the parish, through a range of services. For more information, visit www.woughtoncommunitycouncil.gov.uk
About MK Act
MK Act, commissioned by Milton Keynes Council in 2008 and managed by Milton Keynes Women’s Aid, is committed to supporting all individuals affected by domestic abuse in the Milton Keynes area. The organisation supports over 2000 people annually, promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Services Provided by MK Act
Crisis Intervention (CIS): Helpline, access to information, advice, support, and emergency refuge. CIS services are available to all genders and relationships, including same-sex relationships and family members.
Emergency Refuge: Purpose-built accommodation for 28 families, with support from key workers. The refuge is exclusively for female clients and their children.
Children and Young People’s Service: Tailored support for residents of the refuge.
Group Work: Programs such as the Freedom Programme and Ilam-El-Hifzat, designed for women from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Training: Specialist Domestic Abuse Training for organizations and companies.
Fresh Start: A program offering integrated individual sessions aimed at changing the behavior of those who use domestic abuse, while providing support to their partners and ex-partners.
Find out more about MK Act at www.mkact.com
