Andrew Hall was born in Stony Stratford in 1967 so this year is celebrating his 40th birthday, along with the place in which he was born. And as a partner in Kik Music, a Wolverton-based organisation which works with young people to discover their musical skills and express their emotions, he is heavily involved in helping the new city celebrate that milestone.
 | | Aerial view of Milton Keynes |
Kik is one of the organising partners of the Milton Keynes 40th Birthday Party at the Milton Keynes Theatre on 23 January and is also involved in a number of other events throughout the year. He told us about what Milton Keynes means to him and his hopes for the future. What does Milton Keynes mean to you? Andrew: I've been here 40 years. I was born in 1967 and I'm 40 this year too so Milton Keynes means a lot to me, I've seen it grow up on my doorstep and I feel very much a part of it. I think Milton Keynes needs to keep the spirit that it's always had over those 40 years and I think we need to encourage everyone across Milton Keynes to really come and be part of a festive year. Milton Keynes has been an interesting challenge for me. I was born in Stony Stratford and I saw it kind of growing like a lump on the side for a while but the more I see of Milton Keynes the more I get engaged with it - there's no other place like it, there's no other city like it in England, or in the UK, probably anywhere. | "I've got some good memories and some bad memories about Milton Keynes from the last 40 years but I know that I'm looking forward to the next!" | | Andrew Hall |
There is a sense of community here that if people are prepared to open up and look for it - it does exist. I find it a very exciting place. I love working here. I think there is a real desire in Milton Keynes to see it be something special and I think we all have to work towards that. I love working with Kik Music in Milton Keynes as well and I'm very excited about the future for that too. What is the biggest change that you've seen? Andrew: The disappearance of the fields! The culture in Milton Keynes changes every year. As more people come in it changes. I think a lot of us can harp on about the old days and wish for that nice street party that occured and how close everyone was and how wonderful it was. But actually the excitement for me is seeing the change occur. It's actually about seeing new people come in with their own ideas and doing something different. So every year, as Milton Keynes evolves and grows into this massive 400,000 people that it's going to be, it brings something new and is energised.
 | | The concrete cows |
I think that the one thing I want to see in Milton Keynes is much more "joined-up-ness" between different music groups and venues, and different things to do with the arts. I also want to see different things to do with social being and social awareness be much more joined up and see people working together a lot more for the good of everyone. So for you, the 40th birthday of Milton Keynes is not about really looking back over 40 years it's about looking forward? Andrew: Yes. At the City Discovery Centre Living Archive they're doing a lot of history about Milton Keynes. For me I think that's a wonderful thing but what really excites me is the growth of Milton Keynes and how it's going to change and evolve. That's more exciting to me - it's about the next 40 years and how we move forward from where we are. I've got some good memories and some bad memories about Milton Keynes from the last 40 years but I know that I'm looking forward to the next! | 
