Hanmer Road residents enjoy al fresco fun to mark MK50

Come rain or shine, the neighbours of Hanmer Road in Milton Keynes met up for a party to mark MK50.

Umbrellas were needed from time to time but that didn’t stop the fun going ahead on the green.

Organised by a small group of local volunteers, the Hanmer Green Get Together in Simpson village held on Saturday, August 5, saw lots of games for adults and children, Sixties music, and a guess the baby competition. ​MK Council provided balloons and flags to help the party atmosphere.

Present were up to four generations of some families who had moved into Hanmer Road when it was first built, including volunteer Monica Shelley, a resident since 1972.

The small village of Simpson, called Siwinstone in the 11th century, is recorded in the Domesday Book. Its location between the canal and a river prone to flooding restricted the available land for new development. The building of the H9 Groveway grid road cut it off from its traditional neighbour Woughton.

The existing school, shared by the two villages, was on the Woughton Park side and Simpson got a new school, now known as the Charles Warren Academy. Mr Warren, the owner of Simpson House and a substantial landowner, is also commemorated at one of the earliest developments, Warren Bank, on the gardens of Simpson House.