Hala Afify

Hala was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1964. She moved to the UK in 2004. She visited Milton Keynes when her husband became a locum surgeon at the Hospital. The family liked the bigger shops and Willen Lake. She was reminded of Houston, Texas. When he was offered a full-time post (circa 2019) they moved. They lived in Middleton, where the people were lovely and everything was accessible. During COVID, when they could not visit Egypt, they had their family and nature.

She was an Arabic language consultant with Cambridge University. She worked from home a lot and enjoyed walks nearby. She was in a WhatsApp group of Egyptians in Milton Keynes. She was involved with Truby’s Tea Rooms and Citizens UK.

She did not like all the new houses (which took away the mark of the city) or tall roadside vegetation. She did like the greenery, the mall (except at weekends), the market, the theatre, the libraries and the access to London. Her special memory was seeing and videoing a duck and ducklings in her back garden (for what it represented in parenting and starting out).

She thought Milton Keynes would become more crowded and polluted but also more thriving and prosperous. She thought the East-West rail link would be a success.

The story of Milton Keynes was important because it was the newest city and diverse and could be a role model for how cities evolve. She thought the new gallery should have people present to share their stories to broaden the horizons of young people.