Easter Raffle at Booths 22-23 March

Booths Supermarket in Knutsford very kindly allowed us to hold an Easter Raffle again this year on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 March.

We are very grateful to all those who contributed to the raffle which raised £482 over the two days.

Race Night Social 23 February

Well that was a Race Night with a difference!   There were a series of heats with two teams of two (driver + mechanic) competing to see which car/driver could get to the finish line first.  It took a while for each driver (near end) to learn the ropes - backward flips could be disastrous.

Then, after a break for food to restore everyone's energy - excellent beef casserole from Woods followed by apple pie - there was a knockout competition to find the winning driver.   All driving was controlled to FRC (Fred's Racing Car) Rules to make sure that the best driver won.

Some of the audience clearly had difficulty controlling their excitement as racers approached the end of one of the tightly-fought heats.

Senior Citizens Variety Show Sunday 3 February

Our Senior Citizens Variety Show took place on Sunday 3rd February at the Civic Centre in Knutsford.   About 200 local people enjoyed an afternoon of entertainment by Annie's Treacle Jazz Band (shown above), the Chelford Bellringers and a choir of youngsters from Egerton Primary School in Knutsford.   In the interval there was tea, biscuits and a free raffle.

The show ended with a selection of Crazy Gang songs led by the Club's own Crazy Gang - assisted by a few young bunny girls for the Run Rabbit, Run Rabbit song!  Song sheets were handed out to the audience and everyone joined in - including our local Mayors who also came on stage for the finale.

Christmas Day Lunch

Once again we provided lunch for a group of about 35 local people who would otherwise have been on their own on Christmas Day.   The Town Mayor talked to our guests and wished everyone a Happy Christmas and stayed to join in the carols after the meal.  Father Christmas also popped in to give out some presents.

Thanks to everyone who came along to help on the day.

Street Collection 7-8 December

Three of our intrepid (warmly wrapped!) collectors about to set out with their buckets for our street collection - which took place in the centre of Knutsford on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th December.

We are most grateful to all those who contributed to our street collection this year, which raised an amazing £1513.

Steam Engine at Tatton Park Farm

A while a ago we helped to finance some refurbishment work that was needed to get an old steam engine operational at the Farm in Tatton Park.  On Monday 3 December several members were given a demonstration of it running by Engineer Fred.  Unfortunately steam power has had to be replaced by a more modern alternative power source, but outwardly it operates the same way!

Reindeer Parade Friday 30 November

On the night of the Christmas lights switch on in Knutsford we provided a group of marshalls to help Knutsford Town Council with their reindeer parade along King Street and up to Canute Square.   Father Christmas was pulled along in his sleigh with the help of a group of scottish reindeer.

Big Dig Sunday 25th November

On a bright but cold Sunday morning two of our members helped Knutsford in Bloom with their RHS 'Big Dig' in an area adjacent to the Knutsford Railway Station car park.     The success of our efforts will hopepfully be revealed next spring!     Bulb planting amongst the old tree roots was a bit of a nightmare!

Diabetic Screening Saturday 6th October

Once again we were able to set up a free diabetic screening session in Booths supermarket car park, thanks to the help of nurses from the Manchester Road Clinic.  Over 60 people were screened but no-one had to be recommended for further investigation via their GPs.  This year we were also assisted by Wendy Diddams optician who provided additional eye care advice.

Social - Treasure Trail 23 September

On Sunday 23rd September a group of Lions and friends participated in a special treasure trail which included clues relating to many of the historic buildings around the centre of Knutsford.  To add novelty each clue was done in rhyme!  At the end the group retired for a very enjoyable meal at the Angel Hotel.

Charity Concert 21 September

Our annual Charity Concert was held this year on Friday evening 21st September at the Knutsford Methodist Church.  The Fish Lip Soup Big Band (who also played at our Senior Citizens Variety Show in February) played a variety of well known music in the swing and Big Band style.  The performance was lively and entertaining and once again very popular with the audience.

 

Thanks to the support of those who attended we have been able to donate £500 each to the East Cheshire Hospice and Francis House Children's Hospice which were this year's selected charities.

President's Handover 15 July

This year's handover was kept within the family!   Outgoing President Mike Goldman thanked the club for their support and formally handed over the president's chain of office to our new President Anita Goldman.

 

Many of the club members and partners gathered for a handover lunch on Sunday 15th July in the 'family' garden, which proved as usual to be a very enjoyable event.   After recent rain the lawn was incredibly soggy which caused an issue with a couple of the chairs, but fortunately not too serious for the occupants!

Jubilee Street Fair 4 June

This year's Knutsford Lions Street Fair formed a major part of the Town's Jubilee weekend celebrations.  We were very lucky with the weather and it proved to be a busy and very successful event attended by thousands of people over the day.  Stallholders were encouraged to take up the red/white/blue theme and the street provided a highly colourful local celebration of the Jubilee - including an abundance of bunting and flags!

We arranged a variety of entertainment - Eckie Thump who entertained the children with balloon modelling, tricks and interactive repartee!, Laura Gregory who alternated parading the street on stilts with fire dance/eating displays, the Redwing group who provided music at the end of the street and roving violinists and flute player.

There were over 40 stallholders with a mixture of colourful trade stalls, local charities or organisations promoting their activities, and a selection of food stalls including a street barbecue and hot indian food.   Some of the King Street culinary emporiums also offered some of their specialities out in the street.

Everyone had a very enjoyable day and we are very grateful to all those who supported the event in their multifarious ways.

Easter Raffle in Booths 23-24 March

Booths very kindly allowed us to do an Easter raffle again this year on Friday/Saturday 23/24 March.
We are very grateful to all those who contributed to the raffle which raised £577 over the two days.

Pancake Race on Moor 19 February 2012

The Friends of the Moor organised a pancake race for children of all ages on Sunday 19th February. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, albeit a bit chilly.
The Lions once again helped with the marshalling - fortunately this year we didn't get pressured into taking part in one of the races!!

Senior Citizens Variety Show 5 February 2012

Once again about 200 local Senior Citizens were entertained to an afternoon of music, comedy and dance at the Civic Centre in Knutsford. The Fish Lips Soup Big Band (shown above) proved extremely popular and received a standing ovation.

Other acts included the Star Choir and a local young Irish Dance group. To set the scene for the summer Olympics the Lions also arranged for an olympic torchbearer to do a quick race around the auditorium (more of a quiet jog actually!).

To complete the event a select group of Lion members - after weeks of preparation for the swimming olympics - performed their Synchronised Swimming routine. They have offered themselves to represent the UK and are nervously awaiting a response from the UK Committee (i.e. nervous in case they get selected - but probably little to worry about!!). The audience were suitably impressed anyway!

Christmas Day Lunch 2011

On Christmas Day we once again provided Christmas lunch for over 30 local people who would otherwise have been on their own.

The Town Mayor kindly came along, chatted with our guests and wished everyone a Happy Christmas.

After lunch carols were sung and Santa came round with gifts. Everyone left with a mince pie which had been provided by the mayor, and a slice of a christmas cake donated by another supporter.

Thanks to everyone who helped to make the day so successful.

Christmas Collection in Knutsford

On Friday 9th and Saturday 10th December members braved the weather for our annual street collection in the centre of Knutsford.
This year the public response was one of our best year's ever and we are very grateful to those who contributed to our total of £1519.

Walk in Tatton 30 October 2011

On 30th October a group of members and partners had a most enjoyable walk around Tatton Park finishing with lunch at the Angel Hotel.
The route was planned by members of our intrepid thursday walking group - and took in parts of the park that some of us had never visited before!

Planting Bulbs 14 October

Our President was brought to his knees recently - helping the Knutsford Friends of the Moor to plant over 2000 bulbs!
Photograph courtesy of knutsford.com.