'Because of Them, We Can'.
Preserve the legacy of Milton Keynes by telling the stories of some of MK's heroes
'Because of Them, We Can', is a film project whose objective is to unearth, feature, highlight and celebrate history and stories of key individuals from Milton Keynes. The project aims to provide a sense of community belonging and ownership and give the young people and the community of Milton Keynes an opportunity to learn about and engage with people from our history who have made contributions on a global scale.


Film camps to make films about John Newton and William Cowper will run on 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th August, 4th September


Film camps to make films about Dame Cleo Laine and Jim Marshall will run on 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th August


Film camp to make a film about the town of Wolverton which will be narrated by Cllr Sam Crooks will run from the 2nd to the 6th of July
This project will also provide young people with opportunity to learn new skills.
The project will be the production of six short films by sixty young people. The films will feature individuals who were born or lived in Milton Keynes and achieved phenomenal feats and whose achievements have made a massive difference to the lives of many people around the world.
The series will feature
1. John Newton Writer of 'Amazing Grace'
2. Alan Turing, code breaker of World War 2
3. William Cowper, Poet
4. Dame Cleo Laine
5. Jim Marshall, Founder of Marshall Amplification
6. The 6th film which will ill feature the town of Wolverton and the story of the town and its surroundings will be told by the former Mayor of Milton Keynes, Cllr Sam Crooks.
Two films already produced by Junior filmmakers will be added to this series. They are the short film on Professor Lynch, gynaecological inventor and obstetrician https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKZUZV8uxxo and Herbert Ackroyd Stuart who invented the Diesel engine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GytU0bmr9lY
The format of each individual film will be decided on by the filmmakers. They could be a documentary featuring expert interviewees and or family members, or they could be re-enactments or musicals.
The project will work with young people from the age of 11 to 19 years from secondary schools and Milton Keynes College.
They will receive training on interview and research and camera techniques, pre-production, production, camera use, editing. They will then be supported to research, create, produce and edit their films.
Once the films have been produced they will be screened at a premiere to family, school members and the wider community.
The films will be stored on a dedicated website for 12 months and the links will be sent to schools in Milton Keynes to share with their students.
The films will then be stored on the Junior Filmmakers website and on the Living Archive as part of Milton Keynes history for posterity.
Register below for more information.
This project is made possible
by funding from:



