Milk and Beans keep the community keen
Digital creative agency Makilo has always been fond of Milton Keynes. Both directors returned there after university and the name of the company even stems from the phonetic alphabet for MK. They noticed that the city was a great location for small businesses and set up shop in the Milton Keynes Business Centre in 2016, loving the sense of community that the centre brought and the support from other residents who were all keen to push potential work in each other’s direction. However, the outbreak of coronavirus has made this a lot harder. Co-director, Chris Tilt, says: “there’s no real way to keep track of who does what in the building and the impact of social distancing and remote working have made it harder to find this information out”.
At the same time, Makilo were quick to notice the issues of poverty that were occurring in the city that they loved so much and saw how the pandemic was putting strain on the food banks which aimed to help those in need. It was from here that the idea of ‘Milk and Beans’ arose:
“We wanted to create ease of access to info about customers in the centre, as well as addressing the reality of food banks and food banks and supporting local communities in Milton Keynes.” says Chris.
How it works
Chris says that while many of their clients are keen to list their businesses in directories, making listings can be an arduous process for which there is no guaranteed return. On ‘Milk and Beans’, businesses pay a small fee and have the assurance that this money will be used as a donation to their local food bank:
“For example, the equivalent of £1 a month allows them to advertise their listing. We also send a monthly contribution to the food bank,” explains Chris. Ever the wordsmiths, the site is appropriately named after the rhyming slang for Milton Keynes, showing Makilo’s love for the community as well as their passion for helping local food banks, whilst also highlighting the relationships that are formed at Capital Space business centres.
Chris observes: “The project was a way to merge fundraising with a contribution to Capital Space Business Centre”. He continues “management at Makilo have also been helping by distributing notices and emails about the cause and really pushing awareness of our scheme. We’re excited to build up the directory as well as continue the community spirit at the centre, whilst at the same time donating to such a good cause.”
We are extremely excited to have launched this fantastic initiative. If you are interested in finding out more information, listing your business or simply looking for a product or service in Milton Keynes, you can find it here.
