Anual General Meeting - Saturday 21st November
Events this Year
Wednesday 7th January 2015 : The Little shop of Horrors.
Our by now annual January outing to the Royal Exchange Theatre took place on Wednesday 7th, to see their ‘Beastly, Botanical, Musical Comedy’ a sort of 1960s cross between Sweeney Todd and the Rocky Horror Show. As always the production and special effects were, literally, fantastic, from the ultimately skyscraper man-eating orchid to the sadistic, black dentist, high on laughing-gas, the Three Degrees lookalike singers and the highly skilled, singing puppeteers weilding the voracious head and grasping tentacles of the blood-seeking plant. Forty-eight Twin Towners and friends went back home with renewed respect for their potted Venus Flytrap after a highly entertaining afternoon.
Saturday March 14th: What the Butler saw
Our Spring Supper featured a talk by former Butler to the well-heeled of London, Donald Lodge. As a kind of 20th Century "Carson", he accumulated a wealth of intimate tales and through-the-keyhole insights which make his talks both interesting and entertaining. A tasty main course was prepared by Chefs de Comité, followed by the usual array of tempting home made desserts. We raised over £300 towards the imminent french visit. Everything was expertly organised by Pat Swindlehurst, many thanks to Pat.
Saturday 25th April to Wednesday 28th April - The Exchange Visit
This year it was the turn of Lymm residents to host our guests from Meung-Sur-Loire in our homes. The French people arrived on Saturday, 27th April and stayed until the following Wednesday. Fortunately despite the weather being cool the sun generally shone and the rain held off and so all the events we had organised went smoothly.
This year the Cotrill family kindly agreed to us using Lymm Hall for our initial reception. So after picking up our 66 French guests from the airport we served drinks and nibbles at the Hall. This “Hidden Gem of Lymm” proved to be an excellent venue. It allowed almost 150 people not only to meet and talk but to see inside the hall and when the various reception rooms filled up, spill outside and use the whole grounds. Several tours of the “Ice House” and the “Cockpits” were organised by the family.
Sunday was a day for each family to organise something for their guests and Monday was the day of the organised trip. This year we took 128 people to Chester. We were delighted by how well each venue looked after us. The first stop was the cathedral. They organised 4 tours for us, all running at the same time. The tour was a little bit of history but it was mostly about the unusual objects that you would miss if you simply walked round the cathedral yourself. A special thanks to the 4 volunteers from the twin town who translated everything into French for our guests. After that it was a short walk to the 1539 racecourse restaurant and an excellent meal to get us ready for the next event. Finally the Chester Bus & Boat Company picked us up from the racecourse, gave us a guided tour of Chester and dropped us at the boat stage for a trip down the river. As they say, we arrived home tired but happy.
Tuesday was the day when the French children could spend a day in an English school. There were 10 children who took advantage of that and they could be found either in Ravenbank, Cherry Tree or Lymm High. The final event was a farewell dinner dance that night at the Statham Lodge Hotel. This year we were able to book Lucy Barlow to entertain us. You may well have heard her at the recent Lymm Festival music events. Her masterstroke was to distribute the words of “Non, Je ne regrette rien” and invite all of us to sing along with her. It brought the house down.
Wednesday was the day for a lift to the airport and final goodbyes. Next year, 1st – 5th June 2016, we go to France and take advantage of the hospitality of our friends in Meung.
It’s a real pleasure for the society not only to receive our guests and entertain them well but also to see other links grow between the two places. The two Rugby Clubs are in touch and may be arranging visits and matches soon. The two Festival committees are also in touch and may be able to exchange ideas and events. On an individual level we have a French Girl (14) for whom we would like to find an English teenager as a penpal. If you are interested then please contact the committee.
Sunday 12th July - Summer Barbecue
On Morning of Sunday 12th July a little team of helpers was to be found putting up gazebo's at the Cleggs' Moss Lane Farm. The BBC were still forecasting rain in the afternoon and we were expecting over 50 people.In fact the BBC was wrong and the weather was bright, warm and sunny and helped make for a really successful barbecue.
The other ingredient was the excellent food and drink. The burgers, sausages and kebabs, provided by John Cross, were complimented by salads brought by the members and washed down with local ale from Dunham Massey. We emptied the barrel before the end of the afternoon. The meal was finished off with a variety of sweets and cakes bought in by the committee.
Many thanks to the Cleggs' for the use of their farm, Dave Gaster and "Celia's" Don for manning the peak cooking shift, and Karen and Ushi for all their preparations indoors but really the success was due to the efforts and support of many people. For example the team of helpers putting up the gazebos, the other cooks, the bar staff , the people who brought the salads and raffle prizes and your committee. Nearly thirty raffle prizes were kindly donated, all helping to swell the funds for our 50th Anniversary events in 2017-18.
A final thanks to those who simply came along and joined in. This included Bob Lester and his 17 relatives who gathered to enjoy the day together on his young grandson Max’s third birthday.
Saturday, Lymm Hall.
Lymm Hall
Monday, Chester cathedral
The Racecourse Restaurant.
Sunday 30th August - High Legh Teas
A huge Thank You to everyone for helping by making sandwiches, cakes, gateaux etc., for financial donations and especially for helping on the day. We made over £763 that we can put towards the visit of the French people on 2017.
Sunday 20th September - Boules, Berries and Bubbles
Over 40 people turned up for an Boules afternoon on Sunday 20th September at Richard & Karen's farm. The farm at Moss Brow in Lymm proved the ideal venue. There were possibly 10 games of boules taking place concurrently all over the farmyard and an adjacent lawn. No one was left out and everyone was out there gaming.
After the first few rounds we took a break for the berries and bubbly. Mountains of berries were provided by the Cleggs. Plenty for everyone.
After a good long break there was a brief resumption of the boules as we looked for a winner. Steve and Gareth narrowly pipped Peter and Richard for the title of "Lymm Twin Town Boules Champion". You see them here celebrating their prize and trophy with their daughters.
Friday 13th November: The A.G.M.
The main speeches were by Lyn (Treasurer) and Peter (Chairman). Lyn told us that we had made a good profit last year. A special thanks was due to Pat Swindlehurst who had run what was possibly the most successful High Legh teas event ever.
Peter gave a special thanks to the Parish council for their support over this year’s visit. he also asked us to remember Howard Rushton who died earlier this year.
Finally the chairman of the Parish council, Shelia Woodyatt wound up the meeting with stories from her time in the society.
and then to Netto...
Whilst we sipped a complimentary glass of “Depreville Cremant de Loire” and ate a lovely Danish pastry, Tom Hampton and Katrina Wirth gave an entertaining talk. Their talk led on to a lively question and answer session and left everyone curious about the new store and interested in visiting it to see if it lives up to expectations.
Sunday 20th December - Noel Arrive
A thank you to everyone who supported our Noël Arrive event, and especially the many people who generously contributed a huge array of bottles for the Tombola and/or mince pies and other nibbles. The event followed the format of other years with Sandwiches, mulled wines, and mince pies to eat with Kath Elbra providing the piano acompaniment for our carol singing. Finally there was an appearance by Santa for the children. A Special thanks goes to the Committee members who put in a lot of time and effort before and on the day in a variety of ways, including our new Co-optees Christiane and Deborah.
Unfortunately Rita Cook was taken to hospital by ambulance after a nasty fall in the kitchen. After several hours in Minor Injuries, then A & E, Rita was allowed home in the evening. We hope that she and Deborah will not have their Christmas totally disrupted and we wish her a speedy recovery.
