DVDs and CDs

The stories that inspired these songs come from residents of Milton Keynes whose memories were recorded by Living Archive MK and used as the basis for documentary theatre, books and films. The songs on the album depict local people’s experiences throughout the Great War. Its beginning was thrilling for young men: ‘Sid Carroll and me were schoolboys together and started work together… We decided we’d join up because everyone was simply flocking to join the forces – you was taught at school that ‘Britannia Rules the Waves’, you was Big King Dick, you owned the world practically. You had to go quick in case it was all finished… To go to a War, it seemed magnificent. You was eager to get there to see what it was like.’ (Hawtin Mundy of New Bradwell who survived the war to tell his life stories in two books published by Living Archive MK) But life in the trenches proved to be far different from expectations: ‘We are quartered in ‘Musty Villa’, our dugout. Another is called ‘Hotel de Ratty’. We have to do our grub up securely, or half of it disappears to the rats and mice…’ (A letter home from Pte Albert French, who was 16 when he was killed by a sniper) Living Archive MK’s mantra is ‘Everybody has a story to tell’ thus supporting community cohesion in neighbourhoods across the Borough of Milton Keynes and protecting a most precious commodity – people’s heritage and pride of place. The Living Archive Band’s mission is to share this heritage in song.

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A 45-minute documentary film celebrating the centenary of the Labour Party in Milton Keynes (1917-2017). Featuring interviews with members of the Labour Party and archival material collected by Living Archive.

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A collection of songs picturing life at Bletchley Park during World War Two by Milton Keynes-based singer/songwriter Kevin Adams.

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When anyone dies, it is natural for the nearest and dearest to gather to remember and celebrate that person's life. But how many of us deserve a whole evening in a theatre dedicated to paying homage to someone whose originality, warmth, generosity, courage, radical thinking and humour inspired a couple of hundred people to sit for 2½ hours listening to music, songs and tributes, from the stage and screen? Geoff Cooksey, the first Director of Stantonbury Campus in Milton Keynes was such a person and these 2 DVDs capture the whole event in sound and image, allowing the thousands of students and teaching colleagues, who couldn't get into the theatre that unforgettable night, the chance to share in the Homage to Geoff; and those who were in attendance to possess a documentary record to treasure.

In 2008 The Living Archive Band set out to record a selection of the best songs from all of the projects in which it has been involved. A list of more than sixty songs was whittled down to a final selection of thirty, deemed to ?stand on their own two feet? out of context of the play for which they were written.

All That?s Changed? is a two volume set of CDs containing twenty eight of the most popular songs in the band?s repertoire. The selection represents some of the best songwriting for community projects in Milton Keynes over the past twenty five years or so.

The Story of Wolverton and New Bradwell 1913-1918. A musical documentary play performed at Stantonbury Campus Theatre, November 1981. Devised by Roy Nevitt and Roger Kitchen.

Milton Keynes today is a thriving, multi-cultural city of nearly a quarter of a million people, yet 50 years ago the site was largely occupied by farmers’ fields where crops were grown and cattle grazed. Just why and how did this agricultural area of North Bucks get transformed into the largest and most ambitious of Britain’s new towns? This film is a story of Milton Keynes’ early years, told by those who were part of the Development Corporation, tasked with its planning and development. It’s a story of audacity and brashness, of teamwork and tussles, of utopian dreams and a bold vision. Running time: 71 mins

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Milton Keynes the Musical - Written by Louise Roche. Music and Lyrics Andrew Hall and Shahnaz Hussain-Hall. A musical inspired by the lives of those people who originally here, those behind the vision to build a futuristic dream city for 250,000 people, and the pioneers who came to start new lives.

A glimpse of the history of our city in moving images compiled from archive footage from 1940s to the present day. Supported by funding from MK Community Foundation in 2015, the project gathered professional and amateur film which has been digitised, archived and screened to more than 450 local people across Milton Keynes thanks to a collaboration with Independent Cinema MK’s Vagabond Cinema project. Dir. Roger Kitchen and Simon Beckett / 64mins

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A Radio Ballad about Farming and Village Life in Calverton, North Buckinghamshire before the coming of the New City and Metropolitan Borough of Milton Keynes

The Radio Ballad* ‘The Horse and the Tractor’ was released in 2014. In order to fit speech and music into an hour long radio programme, whole verses and sections of songs were omitted. This companion disc contains the songs in their entirety. *See https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/radioballads/ for more information The Living Archive Band... …is the musical wing of Living Archive - ‘a living history of Milton Keynes and district’. The Band’s purpose is to write and perform music depicting local people’s experiences - as ambassadors for the Archive and in celebration of the history and identity of North Bucks and the new city and borough of Milton Keynes. The Band has a pedigree going back more than 30 years and has featured nearly two dozen musicians along the way. Featured on this album: Kevin Adams: vocals, guitars, mandolin, fiddle, keyboards Brad Bradstock: vocals, guitar Dave Crawford: vocals Marion Hill: vocals Sue Malleson: vocals Godfrey Yeomans: bass guitar With Peter Tales: melodeon 1, 10, 16; concertina 9 Sheena Masson: flute 1, 10, 16 The choirs of Loughton Manor First & Middle Schools, dir. by Lizzie Bancroft 5, 11 Tom Hill: piano; and Neil Mercer: whistle 3 All other instruments: Kevin Adams

The latest in the Wolverton on Film collection, featuring: 'Shopping as it used to be', about the history of the Co-op in Wolverton; 'Syd', a tribute to local resident and theatre advocate Syd Pearson; 'The Secret Winter Garden Illuminations', a short film capturing light artist Ulf Pedersen's transformation of the Secret Garden; 'Britain in Bloom 2017', the year in which Wolverton and Greenleys was awarded Gold by Britain in Bloom judges; 'Wolverton Lantern Festival 2017'; and 'Heaven for Humans', an animated film by Wolverton resident Karen Hodges, featuring the town as a background to the story.

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Including: ‘The Little Streets’ Inspired by the discovery of a piece of silent 8mm film shot by Reg Tite in the 1960s of the demolition of the Little Streets, this film interviews former residents and local historian Bryan Dunleavy to get a fuller picture of this lost community. ‘Violet’s Song’, ‘The Parapet Song’, ‘In Memorium’, ‘Rememberance Sunday’, ‘Falling’, ‘The Tea Dance’, ‘Fire Stories’, ‘The 2013 Wolverton Lantern Festival’ and ‘Sheltered Days’

The fifth edition of the Wolverton On Film collection includes more than an hour of films reflecting the history of Wolverton, selected from the screening on held on 16 January 2016. The DVD includes: ‘Wolverton Lantern Festival 2015′, a film that capture’s the essence of the town’s longest running event; ‘Out of the Ashes’, the story of a devastating fire at MK Museum; ‘Wolverton Fireworks 2016′, showing dramatic images from a camera-equiped drone, ‘Scouting for Wolverton Boys’, featuring the memories of Leo Coleman and Syd Pearson and other Scouts of their era during the 1st Wolverton Scouts… and so much more.

The sixth edition of the Wolverton On Film collection includes more than an hour of films reflecting the history of Wolverton, selected from the screening held on 11 March 2016. DVD highlights include: ‘Bringing the Bloomer back to Wolverton′, the story of the replica Bloomer Railway locomotive’s journey; ‘Tricks of the Trade at Wolverton Works’, worker Roger Tanner talking about life at the works; ‘Our Tram′, the story of the Wolverton to Stony Stratford tram told to accompany MK Museum’s exhibit, and Eve Swannell talking about being an evacuee in 1939…

This unique film tells the story of generations of craftsmen and women in Wolverton and their unique relationship with successive generations of the Royal Family whose train they have produced, maintained and staffed for nearly 150 years.

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The eighth in the Wolverton on Film Collection featuring; 'A Drone's Eye View of Wolverton', 'Designing the Agora' an interview about the early thinking and designs for the Agora, 'The Old School House' a film to demonstrate Future Wolverton's campaign to aquire the listed building, 'Cosgrove Fields' a short film by Mark Cuncliffe highlighting the changes that development may have on the area and much more...

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Volume 9 in the Wolverton on Film Collection featuring; 'Wolverton's a Place' made in celebration of MK50, this film celebrates Wolverton and its people, industries, characters and how its changed over the last 50 years, 'Wolverton Lantern Festival 2016', drone footage and time lapse photography of the annual light festival, 'MK Trails: Wolverton' a short film about the heritage project and 'Wolverton Fireworks 2016'.

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A selection of films reflecting the history of Wolverton. Featuring 10 films including, 'Glimpse of Wolverton', 'Frozen Borderlands', Nobby's Last Train Run', 'Sunny Chills', 'Sole Trader', 'The Falling Leaves' and more.

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A selection of films including the ‘Afloat with Success’ featuring memories and photos of ambitious Wolverton Carnivals between 1963-1976, ‘Sports in Wolverton’ featuring archive footage of the pool and sports ground, ‘Wolverton 150′ a 20 minute film documenting the Wolverton 150 festival celebrations and much, much more.

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A selection of films including, 'The Works' - a tape-slide show featuring interviews and colour photographs of employees during 1987 when the Wolverton Railway Works (British Rail Engineering) under went major changes, 'The Queen's visit to Wolverton' and 'Queen's Silver Jubilee 1977' focussing on the celebrations of Stacey Avenue residents at Bushfield School. The films on this DVD were shown as part of a screening on 9 May 2015 The Wolverton on Film collection aims to share films reflecting the history of Wolverton and district, together with films made by film-makers who live in Wolverton and are not always about the area.

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'Works on War' is musical collaboration between Living Archive, 'Planet Zyz' and local songwriters and musicians that took place in Milton Keynes between February and May 2015. This project was one part of 'The Great War MK' a project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and overseen by The Arts and Heritage Alliance MK to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.