Acclaimed Milton Keynes poet Maureen Onwunali has lent her voice in support of the city’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2029 with a powerful new poem celebrating the people, places, innovation and cultural diversity that make Milton Keynes unique.
The poem was performed for the first time at Reggae Land Festival, one of the city’s biggest cultural events, live to an audience of thousands – bringing the energy and ambition of Milton Keynes’ City of Culture campaign to a major public stage.
Born to Nigerian heritage and proudly rooted in Milton Keynes, Maureen’s work often explores identity, belonging and community. Her latest poem reflects both her cultural perspective and deep personal connection to the city she calls home, capturing the spirit of a place built on imagination, innovation and opportunity.
The poem is a love letter to Milton Keynes, celebrating the people, ideas and innovations that have shaped the city from its beginnings to the present day. Blending references to Bletchley Park, pioneering technology, green spaces, diverse communities and everyday life, Maureen captures a city where creativity and ambition sit side by side, and where bold thinking has always fuelled progress. Moving seamlessly between history and the future, the poem presents Milton Keynes as a place of possibility – a city that honours its past while constantly reimagining what comes next.
The closing line, ‘and we’re just getting started’, echoes the central theme of Milton Keynes’ bid for UK City of Culture 2029.
More than 2,500 people of all ages from across Milton Keynes have already helped shape the city’s bid, demonstrating the strength of local support and the belief that culture can play a transformative role in the city’s future.
The campaign is now entering its next phase, showing judges through both the submission and ongoing cultural activity why Milton Keynes is ready to become UK City of Culture 2029.
The theme ‘We’re Just Getting Started’ reflects the city’s ambition, creativity and potential. One of the UK’s youngest cities, and the youngest bidding city, Milton Keynes plans to create opportunities for people from all ages and backgrounds to connect through arts and culture.
Maureen Onwunali said: “Milton Keynes is a city that has always given people space to imagine what comes next. As someone whose Nigerian heritage and Milton Keynes upbringing have both shaped who I am, I wanted this poem to celebrate the city’s history, diversity and boldness. This is a place where innovation and creativity live side by side, and I’m proud to support the City of Culture 2029 bid.”
Leader of Milton Keynes City Council, Cllr Jane Carr said: “Maureen’s poem captures the energy, creativity and confidence of Milton Keynes. It celebrates the people and communities that make our city unique and reflects exactly why we believe Milton Keynes is ready to be UK City of Culture 2029.”
Being named UK City of Culture 2029 would unlock significant new opportunities and investment for Milton Keynes, helping to strengthen cultural infrastructure, support creative careers and bring more events, performances and experiences to local communities. UK City of Culture is the UK’s most prestigious cultural title, recognising places that use culture and creativity to transform communities, attract visitors and create lasting social and economic impact. Winning cities benefit from major investment, including a formal £10 million award, helping to create long-term cultural and economic growth.
Nine cities have been longlisted as candidates to be UK City of Culture 2029 (Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham). Bids will be submitted to judges next week, and Milton Keynes will find out if it reaches the next phase, becoming one of four shortlisted cities, later this year.
An independent panel of judges selected for their wide range of expertise, chaired by legendary television producer Sir Phil Redmond, will make the decision. Judges will visit all shortlisted cities, and the UK’s City of Culture for 2029 will be announced in early 2027.
YOU CAN WATCH AND LISTEN TO THE POEM HERE
FULL POEM
An ode to:
The movers and the shakers / the Bletchley code breakers / the city of what-ifs and
bold risk-takers / An ode to the star-reaching change makers / the record breakers /
the country’s technological pace makers /
Home to the daily commuter / the whizzing e-scooters / to Colossus / the world’s
first programmable computer / An ode to the new and old / of seamless traffic flow /
of delivery robots in medieval villages / of self driving cars on Roman roads / An ode
to the city of lakes / of countless parks and 99 flakes / to the world’s oldest pancake
day race / an invented place / A new Britain / birthplace of Newton’s Amazing Grace
/ this city is Keynes-made / this city is 20 million trees providing free shade / A city
made for dreamers / for innovative schemers / for the (ring-a-rosie) roundabout
redeemers /
A city of experimentation / your soon-to-be number one holiday destination / a
(scribbled) post-it note idea creation / with a history of fresh ink and flexible
foundations / A city of architects / a city that speaks a hundred dialects / A garden
city / a city where the urban and natural merge / like glass buildings mirroring the
blue skies and birds / a city of trees / of bark and leaf cathedrals / a city of
imagination / of blank canvas and easels / A city of reimagined concrete / built from
high hopes / and indoor ski slopes / Ode to the Utopian infrastructure / a city owned
by all / the city that out-bridged venice / an ode to the redway footfall / to the long
weekends and independent pub crawls / An ode to pagan traditions / to the
Midsummer fun / a boulevard built to align with the rising solstice sun / and we’re
just getting started
