YEARBOOK OF THE MOOR 2010

YEARBOOK OF THE MOOR 2010

The Gaskell Memorial Gate

Acknowledgements:

The Friends of the Moor would like to thank

Jane CartmelJon CartmelVivien DaviesJonathan FarberSimon NobletTony UsherCharles Watson

and everyone else who contributed photographs to this yearbook.

Copyright:Fat Birds™ is a trademark of Patricia Lee Contemporary Mosaic andGlass Art

January


Saturday 23Coffee MorningThe FOTM held their main fund raisingevent at the home of Vice – ChairmanVivien Davies. We were lucky with theweather as it had been very cold withheavy snow in the weeks before, but onthe day it was dry and with mildertemperatures. The event ran from 10.30– 12.30 with a Bring – and – Buy table,Home Made Cakes for sale and a Raffle.Tony Want the Knutsford Town Mayorand his wife Jennifer were amongst thepeople attending and were also winnersof one of the numerous raffle prizes onthe day. The event raised £204 whichwill be used for future activities on theMoor.

Sunday 31RSPB BirdwatchFOTM took part in the RSPBBig Garden Birdwatch. Theywere joined by Tony Usherfrom Chester and WirralOrnithological Society andDerek Pike from KnutsfordOrnithological Society. Tonyand Derek were a great helpto the members of theFOTM in identifying birds.The day was cold and brightand several species not seenat last year’s birdwatchwere spotted, includingWoodpeckers, Fieldfaresand Long – Tailed Tits.

February


Wednesday 3FOTM MeetingThe monthly FOTM meeting took place at theKnutsford Civic Centre starting at 7pm.Forthcoming events were discussed including:

Litter Pick – 13 MarchRotary Club Jog -21 MarchAGM -7 AprilTree Dressing – 18 AprilLions Street Fair – 31 MayMorris Dancing Event – 20 JuneLongridge Fun Day – 17 JulyNational Playday – 4 AugustKnutsford Great Race – 5 September

ENCHANTED FORESTA new enchanted forest feature is to beinstalled on the Moor using locally sourcedtimber. This will be followed by a dressing ofthe trees on 18 April when children and theirfamilies will make decorations usingbiodegradable materials. FOTM are collectingitems such as fir cones, fleece, wool, woodshavings and raffia which can be used for thedecorations.

March


Sunday 21Rotary Club JogThe Rotary Club held their annual jog on theMoor in aid of charity.

Saturday 13LITTER PICKA litter pick was organized on the Moor withequipment supplied by CEC. It was a cold day buta number of bags of litter were collected with thehelp of Peter Raynes – Chairman of the KnutsfordCPRE group, Jane Davies – a member of the publicand members of the FOTM. Amongst the littercollected were a large stainless steel carvingknife, a bicycle fender and various pieces ofbroken glass and from the Moor Pool a footballand numerous plastic bottles.

Friday 12Granada ReportsGranada Television filmed and interviewed theorganizers of the Knutsford Great Race whichwill take place on the Moor on 5 September.Enthusiasts were filmed riding their pennyfarthings watched by members of the public andFOTM. The Great Race takes place every 10years and this year it will be bigger than everwith 50 teams taking part. The TV presenterPaul Crone attempted to ride one of the pennyfarthings and a short race took place across theMoor. The excellent coverage appeared onGranada Reports at 6pm the same evening.

April


Wednesday 7AGMThe FOTM AGM took place on Wednesday 7April. All those on the committee werere-elected and the positions of Chairmanand Vice-Chairman were swapped over.Charles Watson is now Vice-Chairman andVivien Davies is now Chairman.Thanks were given by Charles Watson toeveryone attending and to all those whohad given help during the year.

Sunday 18Tree DressingOn the morning of Sunday 18th April the TreeDressing event took place on the Moor. AnEnchanted Forest had been made in thetoddlers play area by craftsman RichardWainwright using timber from Tatton Park.FOTM, parents and children made flowersfrom tissue paper, streamers and flags fromsheep wool and card, fans from straws, andgarlands using fir cones; these were used todecorate the trees. The Mayor of KnutsfordCllr. Tony Want and his wife, Jennifer, alsoattended and joined in the fun makingflowers. The event had been financed andorganised by Cheshire East with the help ofFOTM and everyone enjoyed the event andthought it a success.

Friday 23Civic ballOn Friday 23rd April members of theFOTM attended the Knutsford TownMayor’s St. Georges Day Civic Ball.

May


GREEN FLAG JUDGINGThe Green Flag judging took place on Tuesday 18thMay starting at 1pm. The maintenance team fromCEC made sure the Moor was looking its best witha last minute check by the FOTM. The event was wellattended by representatives from CEC, FOTMmembers, Sam Ban-Murray (who runs BuggyTraining Classes on the Moor), the Knutsford MayorCllr. Peter Coan, and Cllrs. Tony Want, JenniferHolbrook, Jan Nicholson, Barbara Coan andStewart Gardiner. We were very fortunate with theweather which added to the splendour of the Moor,as the judges seemed to appreciate while wewalked round discussing matters. Val Bryant fromthe Heritage Centre met the judges at the newlyerected gate entrance and talked about theElizabeth Gaskell Bicentenary. The judges tookmany photographs and stayed to enjoy the Moorafter everyone else had left, so we are hopeful of afavourable announcement in late July.

The FOTM again had a stall at theLions Street Fair on Monday 31stMay. This was a great successlargely due to the Stringpull gameprovided by Robert Newton. TheFOTM bought items to be tied to theend of the strings, and when childrenpulled the strings they were assuredof winning something, either a majorprize or sweets. We also had a raffleand other items for sale, and as theweather was good on this occasionthe day was a success andespecially because of the delightshown by the children playing theStringpull game.

June


Friends of the Moor ran a stallselling a variety of items whichproved very popular with the youngMorris Dancers.

Sunday 20MORRIS DANCING COMPETITIONWeather-wise we seem to have been luckyat all our events this year, and it certainlywas the case on Sunday 20th June for theMorris Dancing Competition on the Moor.This was organised by the Cheshire andNorth Wales Dancing Association and theFriends of the Moor. Judging started at10.30 with the four year old group andwent through various age groups finishingwith the adults between 4.30 and 5pm.Presentations followed and four specialawards were given by Knutsford TownCouncil. These were presented by Cllr. JanNicholson to the CNDA Leaders. The FOTM,and two teams. Everyone enjoyed thespectacle including all those attending,the public crossing the Moor, and theregular visitors to the Play Area.Thanks also goes to the Scouts whoallowed use of their hut and facilities forthe event, and to Cheshire East Councilwho liaised with the CNDA to make theevent possible.

July


Sunday 4 JulyCivic ParadeThe Chairman of the FOTM wasinvited to take part in the CivicParade and Service on Sunday 4thJuly. The parade marched throughthe centre of Knutsford to theUnitarian Church where the servicetook place. It was particularly aptbecause of the bicentenary this yearof the birth of Elizabeth Gaskell andthe quotation on the archway of thegate entrance to the Moor whichreads:

‘I am so much better for Knutsford- partly air, partly quiet and partlybeing by myself a good piece ofevery day’

Saturday 17Longridge Fun DayIt was the 10th anniversary of the LongridgeFun Day this year and this took place behindthe St John’s Community Centre on Saturday17th July. Despite the showery weather theevent was well attended and was bigger andbetter this year. The FOTM had a stand withthe Stringpull Game with some truly goodprizes donated by our members. The standwas manned throughout the day by membersand home made biscuits were provided byJanet Bates.

August


Wednesday 4National PlaydayThe National Playday took place on the Mooron Wednesday 4th August. After a rainy startto the day the skies cleared for the start ofactivities at 2pm. The librarians fromKnutsford Library read stories and engagedthe children in games. Members from theCheshire East Play Team brought equipmentfor the younger children to use in thetoddler area and organized games for theolder children in the park. The FOTM ran acraft stall where the children could makeflowers, paper planes etc. and providedorange juice and biscuits. The Knutsford FireBrigade were there again to let childrenclimb on the vehicle and ask questions, andthe Knutsford First Responders were on handin case of accidents.

Wednesday 25PICNICOn Wednesday 25th August the FOTM arranged to meetwith people from the Stanley Centre in Knutsford to saythank you to them for completing two Litter Picks on theMoor. After walking round the Moor answering questionsfrom the FOTM Moor Search Questionaire, everyonejoined in the picnic. Joining in the event were PCSO GregBithell. Cheshire East Cllr. Olivia Hunter and KnutsfordTown Cllr. Stewart Gardiner. We were lucky with theweather and the Stanley Centre emailed us to say howmuch they all enjoyed the event.

September


Sunday 5THE KNUTSFORD GREAT RACEThe Knutsford Great Race took place onthe Moor on Sunday 5 September. Theevent is held every 10 years with cyclistsriding penny farthings, boneshakers andhobbyhorses. The main race is from 2pm to5pm and the winners are those completingthe highest number of laps in that time.Competitors came from all over the worldand the sun shone on a crowd of about5,000 people.

Thursday 30Joan Leach DiesSadly, Joan Leach, the Knutsford Historian, died on30th September 2010. Joan was the first person theFOTM turned to for help when producing theirbooklet “A History of the Moor”. Joan did athoroughly good job resulting in a document full ofinteresting facts, maps and pictures, and the FOTMwill always be grateful to Joan for her help. She issadly missed by all who knew her.

October


BULB PLANTINGIn the third week of OctoberCheshire East Council and the FOTMmembers Margaret Robson, JanMcCappin and Janet Batesorganised bulb planting. On a verycold day the FOTM were helped bythe Beavers their parents and helpersto plant 3000 crocus bulbs in 45minutes near shrubs and primrosesby the Moor Gate to the Scout Hut.

November


BELLE IS BACKBelle, the Fat Bird, has nowbeen repaired and is in placeagain on the Moor. We hopeBonny will be joining herlater in 2011.

Bulb plantingFOTM Members returned again to the Moor to plant bulbsin the area of the Fat Birds. In mid November they planted5,500 purple crocuses. This should give a wonderful showcome spring and members are to be congratulated ontheir hard work.

December


The Gaskell GateThe Gaskell Memorial Gatewhich was financed by a verykind donation from Mr Cash andphotographed by our Vice-Chairman, Charles Watson,appears in the HeritageCentre’s Knutsford Calendarand can be obtained from theHeritage Centre priced £4.95. Aphotograph of the Gate can beseen on the front page of thisyearbook.

YEARBOOK OF THE MOOR 2010

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Transcript of YEARBOOK OF THE MOOR 2010