How a grassroots disability movement in Milton Keynes continues to create space, dignity, and belonging for all. Read on to find out more…
Coming Together to Unite and Welcome All
As part of our Raising Our Voices series, we are sharing stories that highlight inclusion, lived experience, and the quiet strength of community-led organisations across Milton Keynes.
At a time when harmful narratives increasingly target disabled people, social care, and the organisations that exist to support them, it is essential to amplify stories rooted in dignity, solidarity, and lived experience. The Milton Keynes Centre for Independent Living (MK CIL) offers one such story, grounded in activism, peer support, and a long-standing commitment to independent living.
MK CIL’s work speaks directly to the values at the heart of this series: welcoming difference, challenging exclusion, and creating spaces where people are seen, heard, and respected.
Thank you to Edith Dunse, Kim Burchell and Vivienne Harman for sharing their stories for the blog.
A Movement, Not Just a Service
MK CIL’s origins stretch back to the late 1980s, formally opening in the early 1990s. As Edith, one of the organisation’s long-standing leaders and the current Chair shared recently, MK CIL was never designed as a traditional service provider.
“We weren’t set up just to help people fill in forms. We were part of the disabled people’s movement. We were fighting to be recognised at all.”
In its early days, those involved in MK CIL were campaigners as much as practitioners. They challenged inaccessible systems, protested unjust policy decisions, and played an active role in the wider struggle for disability rights, including campaigning linked to the Disability Discrimination Act.
This history matters. It reminds us that many of the rights and protections we now take for granted were hard won, and that community organisations like MK CIL were central to that change.
“Disabled People Supporting Disabled People”
A founding principle of MK CIL, which still shapes its work today, is peer-led support. Disabled people leading, designing, and delivering services for other disabled people.
Edith reflected on how radical, and necessary, this was at the time:
“When I first became disabled, you became a non-existent person overnight. MK CIL was about – saying, no, we are here, and we will support each other.”
This approach created something rare: a space where people were not rushed, judged, or reduced to tick boxes. Independence was understood not as coping alone, but as having choice, control, and the right support at the right time.
A Safe, Human Space in an Unforgiving System
Today, MK CIL continues to offer long appointments, face-to-face support, and a calm, understanding environment. In a system that increasingly relies on digital-only processes and short interactions, this approach is both compassionate and quietly radical.
People come to MK CIL not just for benefits advice or help with forms, but because they need time. Time to explain their situation. Time to be listened to. Time to feel human. As Edith says: “Other places might give you 45 minutes. We give people the time they actually need.”
Speaking at MK CIL’s AGM in November 2025, local Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion specialist Gamiel Yafai reflected on the role MK CIL has played in his own journey, and the difference he has seen the organisation make for others:
“I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the support of people like MK CIL, helping me grow, learn, and share my knowledge with others. Over the last 15 years, I have watched MK CIL in action, and I learned so much. They really listen to people first, and then provide the right information and guidance, rather than jumping in after every sentence. Having someone genuinely listen and help people take the next step makes an immense difference.” – Gamiel Yafai MBE, Founder and CEO of Diversity Marketplace, and co-author of Demystifying Diversity and Yemen Proud.
This ethos of welcome and patience is central to what makes MK CIL such an important part of Milton Keynes’ VCSE landscape.
Those Who Built the Foundations
MK CIL’s history is also a story of people. Edith spoke warmly about early figures, such as Ernie Boddington and Christine Checkley, who helped shape the organisation’s values and direction.
Christine, who sadly passed away in the summer of 2025, was remembered as part of a generation who challenged injustice head-on and believed deeply in collective action. Their legacy lives on in MK CIL’s continued commitment to voice, access, and mutual support.
“We stand on the shoulders of people who refused to be invisible.”
Ernie Boddington, who continues to serve as a trustee has been instrumental in tackling access issues within Milton Keynes and surrounding areas. He works with both local and national government bodies and organisations. As chair during the pandemic he obtained grant funding for MKCIL from the lottery which enabled us to remain open throughout the pandemic.
A Living Legacy in Milton Keynes
Alongside its frontline support, Milton Keynes Centre for Integrated Living (MK CIL) continues to play a wider role in community life across the city.
- MK Community shop (Westcroft) provides a welcoming space for volunteering, social connection, and skills development, while also generating much-needed income to support the organisation’s core work. Shop profits are shared equally between MKCIL and the Samaritans.
- The organisation also provides the secretariat for the Milton Keynes Older Persons’ Board and the Disability Advisory Group, helping to ensure that people’s voices are heard in conversations about health, social care, and local services. Through this role, MK CIL supports open forums, engagement events, and dialogue between residents, professionals, and decision-makers.
- In addition, MK CIL supports forums, advocacy, and safe spaces where lived experience leads the discussion. These spaces allow people to share concerns, challenge barriers, and influence change in a way that feels accessible and respectful.
These activities are not add-ons to MK CIL’s work. They are a continuation of its original purpose: amplifying voices that might otherwise be ignored and ensuring disabled and older people remain visible, valued, and heard within their communities.
How You Can Support MK CIL
MK CIL’s work has always been shaped by community support, shared values, and people stepping forward to help. At a time when demand for support is growing, there are meaningful ways individuals, organisations, and networks can get involved.
Volunteer Your Time and Skills
Volunteers play a vital role at MK CIL. Opportunities range from supporting benefit forms and administration, to helping with communications or training. MK CIL is particularly keen to hear from people with lived experience of disability, as well as those who want to contribute skills in a flexible, inclusive environment.
Become a Trustee
MK CIL is currently seeking new trustees to help guide the organisation’s future, and this is a crucial need at this stage in its development. Trustees play a vital role in governance, strategy, and long-term sustainability, helping to share responsibility and strengthen resilience. You do not need prior board experience to apply. People with skills in finance, fundraising, digital, governance, or lived experience of disability are especially encouraged to get involved.
Support Through Fundraising and Donations
Donations and fundraising help MK CIL cover essential core costs, from volunteer coordination and training to keeping the doors open for face-to-face support. Whether through a one-off donation, community fundraising, or corporate support, every contribution helps ensure that people continue to receive time, care, and understanding when they need it most.
Partner and Share Support
MK CIL also welcomes partnerships with VCSE organisations, businesses, and professionals who can offer pro bono support, share expertise, or collaborate on training and awareness-raising.
Supporting MK CIL means supporting dignity, independence, and the right to be heard.
Could MK CIL Support Your Organisation with Disability Awareness and Access?
MK CIL can provide disability awareness and access training grounded in lived experience and practical knowledge. These sessions support organisations and teams across the sector to better understand access needs, inclusive language, and the barriers disabled people face.
If you would like to explore whether MK CIL could provide training for your organisation or team, please get in touch to start a conversation.
Raising Our Voices, Together
The story of MK CIL is a reminder that inclusion does not happen by accident. It is built, day by day, through relationships, trust, and shared values.
As part of the Raising Our Voices series, we want to highlight organisations like MK CIL that show what welcome looks like in practice, not just in words.
If you are:
- A VCSE organisation looking to collaborate
- A volunteer wanting to offer time or skills
- A business or professional able to provide pro bono support
- Someone who believes in dignity, access, and community
We encourage you to connect with and support MK CIL.
Share Your Story
We also want to continue amplifying stories from across Milton Keynes.
If you are an individual, volunteer, or organisation and would like to share a story or case study about inclusion, welcome, or the communities you support, we would love to hear from you.
Please get in touch at networks@communityactionmk.org to email us and share your story.
Together, by raising our voices, we can focus on what unites us, not what divides us.