EVENTS AND OUTINGS 2023
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Wednesday 6th December.
Today we had our traditional Christmas Celebration at Willington Hall Hotel. The weather was frosty with a clear blue sky as we collected in the ante room and chose our wine and chatted before sitting down for our lunch. Dorothy welcomed us all and Fiona explained that we would be having a Raffle/Secret Santa later on - something to do with the table behind us laden with gifts! Our meals arrived and the food was very good, with a glittering Christmas tree at the end of the room. After our main courses had been cleared away, Fiona took around a bowl of golden envelopes for members to pick from, and Dorothy called the winner of the hamper - which was Avril, the hardest working member of the Committee, so we were pleased with the result! Everyone then brought their tickets up to collect their own prizes, before dessert was brought in, followed by tea and coffee - and lots of chatting. As it clouded over it was time to go home after a lovely afternoon which made us feel quite Christmassy! Words and Photos: Fiona |
18th November 2023: Today we had a stall at the Kelsall Village Market in the Community Centre. Our focus was on the environment with a demonstration of how to make an insect over-wintering pod from pine cones which can be hung in our garden trees. And we had some photos of our activities with some flyers too!
During September we donated a Hypericum shrub to the sensory garden at the Kelsall Wellbeing Hub. The garden is already very colourful but hopefully next year there will be a new burst of golden colour to enjoy.
13th September. DORFOLD HALL AND GARDEN
There were 20 of us who gathered outside the house on a sunny and warm afternoon; we were glad the weather had improved on yesterday's rain. Many of us had passed by the Hall many times on the way into Nantwich but had never visited - it is tucked away in the beautiful Cheshire countryside.
The house was built in 1616 with a visit by James I in mind and is Grade 1 listed; Pevsner thought it one of the two finest Jacobean mansions in Cheshire (with Crewe Hall). It has been in the same family for 400 years, passing down the female line as there were just not enough males to go around! In recent years it has been sympathetically modernised to enable weddings and private and corporate events to take place, which creates a cosy but sophisticated feel in the house, which is still lived in as a family home. Lana was our enthusiastic and entertaining guide around the amazing and historic house, followed by a tour of the garden by one of the two gardeners who must work very hard as there is continuing project work to complete. We saw a sweet chestnut tree which is over 1,000 years old. We also saw the two new buildings which have been constructed to cater for the weddings and events which contribute to the estate's financial success, and there are also cottages in the grounds which are available as holiday lets.
After some tea and cake in the new Tack refreshment building we set off back to Kelsall in the sun.
Words and Pictures: Fiona
There were 20 of us who gathered outside the house on a sunny and warm afternoon; we were glad the weather had improved on yesterday's rain. Many of us had passed by the Hall many times on the way into Nantwich but had never visited - it is tucked away in the beautiful Cheshire countryside.
The house was built in 1616 with a visit by James I in mind and is Grade 1 listed; Pevsner thought it one of the two finest Jacobean mansions in Cheshire (with Crewe Hall). It has been in the same family for 400 years, passing down the female line as there were just not enough males to go around! In recent years it has been sympathetically modernised to enable weddings and private and corporate events to take place, which creates a cosy but sophisticated feel in the house, which is still lived in as a family home. Lana was our enthusiastic and entertaining guide around the amazing and historic house, followed by a tour of the garden by one of the two gardeners who must work very hard as there is continuing project work to complete. We saw a sweet chestnut tree which is over 1,000 years old. We also saw the two new buildings which have been constructed to cater for the weddings and events which contribute to the estate's financial success, and there are also cottages in the grounds which are available as holiday lets.
After some tea and cake in the new Tack refreshment building we set off back to Kelsall in the sun.
Words and Pictures: Fiona
16th August. GLADSTONE POTTERY MUSEUM and POTTERIES MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY
Today a very select group of five visited the two museums above, only a short distance apart but very different to each other. The Gladstone Pottery Museum is located in the Potteries conservation area in Longton and has some of the last coal fired bottle ovens in the area. Stoke on Trent was once home to thousands of bottle ovens, and even in the 1950's there were still many operating in the city, But decline had begun in the late 19th century and escalated after the Second World War as cheaper labour in the far east and the Clean Air Act of 1956 impacted trade.
We also visited the Potteries Museum in nearby Hanley which was a very different experience as they had an exhibition of costumes from film and TV programmes as well as galleries full of British china and pottery through the ages. They also had a Spitfire (RW388) which was donated to Stoke on Trent by the RAF in 1972 in recognition of the designer Reginald Joseph Mitchel who was a local boy.
We had a very enjoyable day as you can see from the photos, which do not show pictures of the cakes we consumed at various points, nor the long journey home! Thanks to Pat for organising the trip.
Words and Photos: Fiona
Today a very select group of five visited the two museums above, only a short distance apart but very different to each other. The Gladstone Pottery Museum is located in the Potteries conservation area in Longton and has some of the last coal fired bottle ovens in the area. Stoke on Trent was once home to thousands of bottle ovens, and even in the 1950's there were still many operating in the city, But decline had begun in the late 19th century and escalated after the Second World War as cheaper labour in the far east and the Clean Air Act of 1956 impacted trade.
We also visited the Potteries Museum in nearby Hanley which was a very different experience as they had an exhibition of costumes from film and TV programmes as well as galleries full of British china and pottery through the ages. They also had a Spitfire (RW388) which was donated to Stoke on Trent by the RAF in 1972 in recognition of the designer Reginald Joseph Mitchel who was a local boy.
We had a very enjoyable day as you can see from the photos, which do not show pictures of the cakes we consumed at various points, nor the long journey home! Thanks to Pat for organising the trip.
Words and Photos: Fiona
KELFEST 2023
Sunday 9th July. At last we were able to have Kelfest on the Green! The event had first been intended for 2021 but due to Covid-19 lockdowns it had to be cancelled. Then in 2022 the projected date was in September but sadly Queen Elizabeth died just days beforehand, so again the event was cancelled. But this year there were no problems! The sun shone (mostly) and the turnout was amazing with everyone from small children on the bouncy castles to older people perusing the jam and cake stalls; there was a choir, the Firs organised a dog show, the dancing school children performed, and later in the afternoon a succession of bands took to the stage. Many thanks to everyone who made cakes for us and helped on the stall, it was a great success.
Words & photos: Fiona
Sunday 9th July. At last we were able to have Kelfest on the Green! The event had first been intended for 2021 but due to Covid-19 lockdowns it had to be cancelled. Then in 2022 the projected date was in September but sadly Queen Elizabeth died just days beforehand, so again the event was cancelled. But this year there were no problems! The sun shone (mostly) and the turnout was amazing with everyone from small children on the bouncy castles to older people perusing the jam and cake stalls; there was a choir, the Firs organised a dog show, the dancing school children performed, and later in the afternoon a succession of bands took to the stage. Many thanks to everyone who made cakes for us and helped on the stall, it was a great success.
Words & photos: Fiona
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3rd July CHESTER MYSTERY PLAY
Mystery and miracle plays were among the earliest formal plays in medieval Europe and were traditionally written and performed by monks in churches and cathedrals. They depicted the stories in the Bible for a population who were largely illiterate and after Pope Innocent III forbade clergy from performing them in 1210, the plays left the cathedrals and took place in streets and squares performed by guilds. Chester is one of UK cities known to have had a vibrant culture of mystery plays until they were banned in the 16th century as the Reformation took hold, and it was not until 2013 that the Chester plays were revived. The plays now take place every 5 years in the nave of Chester Cathedral and although they have a core of professional actors, many volunteers from the community take part and also provide costumes for the many participants. The performance was amazing: noisy, raw, emotional and professional with some fantastic tableaux depicting major Bible scenes from the Creation to the Crucifixion. If you missed it this time, it's only a 5 year wait until the next one! Many thanks to Pat for organising our trip. Words/pictures: Fiona |
On Wednesday 14th June members of Kelsall WI attended an afternoon tea at Nunsmere Hall to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the formation of our WI. We were joined by Georgina Denny our CFWI Advisor for this special celebration.
It was a perfect summer's day with blue skies and sunshine and the ladies were dressed in their summer finery - some even wearing fashionable sun hats. A welcome drink was provided on arrival, and we gathered for group photographs in the gardens. Then we went inside to the elegant Crystal room and all were welcomed by our President and a toast was made to past and present members of Kelsall WI.
Our entertainment was provided by Stephen Cooil, a talented magician who bewildered us with his tricks, ably supported by his lovely assistant Barbara.
Then our Afternoon Tea was served: a selection of finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and an enticing array of cakes, with tea or coffee. As members tucked into these delights, Stephen went to each table with further close-up magic tricks.
The event closed with a vote of thanks for the staff of Nunsmere and for all the committee, especially Jane and Fiona who had arranged the memorable event.
Words: Dorothy Photos:Fiona and Lesley
