Milton Keynes man named as 'neighbour of the year' in national competition

A man from MK has been named neighbour of the year in a national competition.

Abiodun Adeleye, who lives in Fenny Stratford, channeled his flair for photography into a weekly photo series during lockdown and shared it via Nextdoor.

His series, called #howwelldoyouknowmiltonkeynes quickly became a popular thread, attracting people from across his community to come together each week and share their knowledge of the local area and connect with one another.

Nextdoor is a network where people can connect to their local area to get trusted information, give and get help and build connections with neighbours.

The network asked for nominations of good neighbours and received thousands of entries.

"From acts of kindness and local initiatives for surviving lockdown to efforts in making neighbourhoods more sustainable for the future, this year’s awards celebrate the strength, good will and resilience of neighbourhoods and the British public across the UK," said a spokesman.

Abiodun, who was nominated by his wife, has continued by popular demand to post his weekly photos during lockdown.

He said: “I couldn’t believe it when I found out that I had been chosen as one of Nextdoor’s Neighbours of the Year 2021. Photography is something I am really passionate about, and it has been a great way to connect with my neighbours this past year. I’m excited to keep my photos going and share more amazing parts of Milton Keynes! ”

Roisin O’Neill, Head of Community UK at Nextdoor said: “Reading through the thousands of entries we received for this year’s awards has shown us just how strong the sense of community is in the UK. The pandemic has reminded people of how important our neighbourhoods are to us and that kindness and support will always be at the heart of the British public and we’re thrilled to reveal Abiodun as one of our Neighbours of the Year.’’