Knutsford Town Council

3Nov2026

Hundreds of families enjoy Knutsford’s Pumpkin Path celebrations

Knutsford town centre was filled with Halloween spirit on Friday 30^th October as hundreds of families turned out for the annual Pumpkin Path, enjoying an evening of spooky activities, live entertainment and community celebrations.

Organised by Knutsford Town Council, the popular event saw families follow the pumpkin trail around the town centre, with businesses across King Street, Princess Street and Minshull Street getting involved through Halloween window displays, fancy dress and trick-or-treating opportunities.

The town’s shops and businesses helped bring the event to life, with creative decorations and a warm welcome for visitors. Families also enjoyed live performances from Knutsford Beats and Halloween-themed dance entertainment from SMB Dance, which got the crowds dancing along the street.

This year’s revamped Wallwood area proved to be a particular highlight, with spooky lighting in the trees, a witch’s cauldron and a cemetery-themed setting providing plenty of opportunities for families to explore and take photographs.

The event was kindly sponsored by NFU Mutual and King Street Dental Practice.

Georgia from NFU Mutual, the event’s gold sponsor, said: “The Pumpkin Path is a brilliant example of what makes Knutsford such a special community. We were incredibly proud to be the main sponsor of this year’s event and to see so many families enjoying the activities on offer. Supporting local events and bringing people together is something we’re passionate about at NFU Mutual Knutsford, so it was a pleasure to be involved. We’d like to thank everyone who helped organise the event and everyone who came along to make it such a success.”

Caroline Haynes, Events Manager at Knutsford Town Council, said: “Pumpkin Path is always a popular fixture in Knutsford’s events calendar, and it is wonderful to see the town come together to make it such a memorable evening. We really appreciate the support of the local businesses who stayed open, decorated their windows and got involved, as well as the families who came into town, dressed up and enjoyed the trail and activities. It is a fantastic opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy the town centre, and we are grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.”

Knutsford Town Council would also like to thank The Lambing Shed Farm Shop for kindly donating the pumpkins, and Knutsford Hosts for their help in delivering the event.

Pumpkin Path is part of Knutsford’s programme of community events, bringing residents and visitors together throughout the year. To find out more about upcoming events, visit www.discoverknutsford.com or follow @discoverknutsford on Facebook and Instagram.

29Oct2026

Get Festive with the Mayor at his Christmas Bingo Night

Guests can expect a fun-filled evening of bingo, with cash prizes, festive silliness and a chance to get into the Christmas spirit, with Peter taking on the role of bingo caller. Whether you’re a seasoned bingo player or just fancy a different kind of night out, everyone is welcome to join in.

Tickets cost £15 for a book of five games, with proceeds supporting Peter’s chosen charities: Men’s Shed Knutsford and the PTAs of Manor Park Primary, Bexton Primary, Egerton Primary and St Vincent’s Primary School.

The charities support a range of community needs, from tackling loneliness and social isolation to helping local children access opportunities and experiences that enrich their school lives.

The evening will also feature a raffle and a cash bar, making it a great opportunity to get together with friends, enjoy some festive entertainment and support good causes in the Knutsford community.

Cllr Coan said: “I’m looking forward to a night of festive, friendly competition. I can’t promise everyone will go home a winner, but I can promise we’ll have a good laugh while raising money for some brilliant local causes. I’ll try to keep my Christmas costumes under control, but no promises!”

Event details

Event: Mayor of Knutsford’s Festive Bingo Night at Knutsford Market Hall
Date: Friday 27 November 2026, doors open 7pm
Tickets: £15 per person over 18s only).
Includes: Festive bingo, raffle and cash bar

For tickets and further information, visit https://buytickets.at/mayorofknutsford/2205959 or contact Gemma at Knutsford Town Council gemma.jackson@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk 01565 653 929

29Oct2026

New blue plaques highlight town’s judicial heritage

Two new blue plaques have been installed in Knutsford town centre, highlighting the town’s historic role as a major hub for county justice over the past 500 years.

A blue plaque on Café Nero highlights the site of the original home of justice in Knutsford. It was on this site that a building which was used as a court room stood until 1818, when the new courthouse was built. This blue plaque replaces a long-removed slate plaque which was affixed to the building some decades ago.

Quarter Sessions were held in Knutsford from 1575, and from 1760 it was one of just two places where this level of justice was dealt in the county. Quarter Sessions were an intermediate tier of justice between lower magistrates courts and higher assize courts. Justices were empowered to enforce national political, administrative and religious policy, the criminal law (including committal proceedings to the Assize courts), taxation, rating, the poor law, maintenance of gaols, roads and bridges, regulation of wages, prices and alehouses and the hearing of petitions. Courts were held four times a year – Epiphany (January), Easter, Midsummer and Michaelmas (Autumn). In Knutsford the Quarter Sessions moved in 1818 to the new Sessions House on Toft Road. The Quarter Sessions were replaced by Crown Courts in 1971.

The second plaque was installed on Booths, which was the site of Knutsford House of Correction. The gaol was built in 1820 alongside the new court building and housed up to 700 prisoners. The prison was demolished around 1935 and in the 1980s Booths supermarket was built on the site. Local historian Jenny Collis proposed the blue plaque to highlight the town’s judicial history following her sell-out talks on the prison in 2025. The location of the plaque was chosen to give a sense of the scale of the site.

Town Mayor Cllr Peter Coan said “For almost half a millennium Knutsford was a major centre for justice in Cheshire. Whilst these two buildings no longer remain, the blue plaques highlight what once stood on these sites and help passersby connect with our town’s rich judicial heritage”

The Town Council would like to thank Booths supermarket, and the landlord of Café Nero fo their permission to install the two new blue plaques.

28Oct2026

New Town Clerk Announced

Knutsford Town Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Mark Bailey as our next Town Clerk.

Mark is an experienced local government officer who has served as Town Clerk to Winsford Town Council since 2016 prior to which he was Corporate Policy Manager at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. He attained a PhD in Local Government from the University of Portsmouth in 1999.

Mark lives in Cheshire and has a wide range of interests outside of work, including amateur dramatics. He will become Knutsford’s 12^th Town Clerk when he joins the council in late January 2027.

Mark said, “I am delighted to be joining Knutsford Town Council and I am looking forward to carrying on the great work done by Adam and his team over the last few years.”

The Town Clerk is the council’s chief officer, with responsibility for the overall management and delivery of the organisation, working alongside the elected councillors to ensure the council delivers for the community. The role is also the responsible financial officer, with overall responsibility for sound financial administration.

Town Mayor Cllr Peter Coan said “We had a rigorous recruitment process to find the best candidate to help lead the council over the coming years. Mark brings a wealth of experience to help him hit the ground running and we very much look forward to working with him from the new years”

Incumbent Town Clerk Adam Keppel-Green leaves the council on 3^rd November after 14 years with the Town Council, as he takes up the position of Chief Officer (Town Clerk) at Congleton Town Council. Deputy Town Clerk Bob Allen will serve as Acting Town Clerk until Mark joins the council in January.

28Oct2026

Mayors’ cadet Jenson Webb embarks on a life changing Nepal expedition

Jenson Webb, the Mayor’s Cadet and a member of Knutsford Fire Cadets, flew out at the weekend on Saturday 24 October for an incredible 14-day volunteering trip to Nepal.

Jenson will join 14 other Cheshire Fire Cadets and eight leaders to help build classrooms in the remote Himalayan Solukhumbu district. Each cadet has had to raise £3,600 to help cover building materials and travel costs, while learning valuable skills in teamwork, leadership and community service.

Working alongside UK charity Classrooms in the Clouds, the team will help build earthquake resistant classrooms and support local teacher training, giving children in remote Nepalese villages a safer place to learn. The trip will also include a challenging trek through the Himalayas with local Sherpa guides.

As Knutsford’s Mayor’s Cadet, Jenson’s duties involve attending the Mayor Making event, participation in Mayoral Processions / Civic Service, participation in the Remembrance Sunday Parade and Services and other occasions as requested by the Town Mayor.

Town Mayor Cllr Peter Coan said: “Jenson is a brilliant example of the young people we have in Knutsford’s uniformed groups. What he and the rest of the team are doing is a fantastic achievement, and we wish them all the best for their adventure”.

Applications for the next Mayor’s Cadet will open in February 2027. Young people involved in local uniformed groups, including Air, Army and Fire Cadets, Scouts and Girlguiding, can apply through their unit leaders. Groups are welcome to nominate more than one person. Civic Events officer Gemma said, “The Mayor’s Cadet role is a great opportunity to experience the civic role, meet new people and gain experience, confidence and public speaking skills.”

Anyone interested in applying can contact Gemma Jackson, Civic Events Officer at Knutsford Town Council, for more information:

Email: gemma.jackson@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk
Telephone: 01565 653 929

Knutsford Town Council wish Jenson and the whole Cheshire Fire Cadets team the very best of luck on their adventure!

Want to support their fundraising? You can donate through their GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/0a862e90a

27Oct2026

Remembrance Sunday 2026

Knutsford Town Council and the Knutsford Branch of the Royal British Legion invite the community to join the services of remembrance on Sunday 8^th November.

The programme for the day is as follows:

09:00-10:00 Community Remembrance Church Service at St Johns Church

10:10-10:25 Parade assembles at King St Car Park

10:25-10:45 Parade to Centennial War Memorial

10:55-11:35 Service at the Centennial War Memorial

12:00-12:25 Service at the Crosstown War Memorial

12:45-13:05 Service at the Tatton Park Parachute Regiment Memorial

13:30-13:35 Town Mayor to lay wreath at Centennial Place Memorial Garden

The church service at St John’s will take place before the parade and the parade will march to the Centennial War Memorial.

The whole community is welcome to join any or all parts of the day.

The principal wreath laying will take place at the Centennial War Memorial and organisations wishing to lay a wreath are requested to advise Gemma Jackson, Civic Events Officer, in advance by emailing gemma.jackson@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk. Only those who have notified the Civic Events Officer in advance will be called up to lay a wreath on the day.

After the main services of remembrance, the Town Mayor will also lay a wreath in the Centennial Place memorial garden at 1:30pm.

26Oct2026

Have your say on the council’s 2027/28 budget

Knutsford Town Council is inviting residents to a ‘budget conversation’ on Monday 2^nd November as the start of a consultation on its draft budget for 2027/28. The event will be held at 7pm in Knutsford Market Hall.

The budget conversation will include a presentation on the council’s budget and provide a chance for residents to ask questions of the council ahead of it agreeing a budget in December/January.

The council’s draft budget and an explanatory guide to the budget are being published on Friday 30^th October, starting a one-month consultation that closes on 27^th November, ahead of the council’s Finance Committee budget meeting on 7^th December.

Households in Knutsford pay a portion of their council tax to the Town Council; known as the parish precept, this accounts for 5.9% of the total council tax paid. In 2026, for a Band D household, this amounted to £12.41 per month.

Over September and October, council committees have prepared their draft budgets for the financial year starting 1^st April 2027. The consultation aims to provide a meaningful opportunity for the community to influence local spending priorities before the budget is finalised.

The feedback from the engagement will go to the Finance Committee when it considers the draft budget in early December and makes a recommendation to January’s Full Council meeting which sets the budget and determines the precept.

Town Clerk Adam Kepepl-Green said “This is an opportunity for open input on the council’s budget and its spending plans for the next year. It’s also a chance for us to explain more clearly what the council does and how it spends your money, so we encourage all residents to visit our website or come along to our budget conversation”.

From Friday 30^th October, all information will be available at: www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/budget27

23Oct2026

Council opposes Church Hill Closure Plan

Knutsford Town Council is calling on Cheshire East Council to abandon proposals to close Church Hill for six months of the year.

Cheshire East Council has proposed to close the cobbled street from December to April under a planned “experimental” traffic regulation order. The proposal is in response to issues in previous cold weather issues where cars have failed to stop at the bottom of the hill and on occasion collided with the building opposite.

Whilst the Town Council recognises the necessity to close the road during prolonged ice and snow periods, and supports these temporary closures as a proportionate response to the safety concern, town councillors are flabbergasted by the excessive and disproportionate plan to shut the street for five months of the year.

The proposal would involve the installation of a physical barrier on Church Hill near Jessica Stone Salons, closing preventing access along the remainder of the street. Any vehicles accessing the road will be required to turn around and exit back onto Toft Road – including refuse vehicles, delivery vans and funeral hearses at St John’s Church.

Town Mayor, and Cheshire East Councillor Peter Coan said “I consider it unacceptable to close a well used route in weather that makes it safe to use. There are bespoke ways to maintain pedestrian safety in icy and snowy conditions that should be implemented.”

Cllr April Johnson, Chair of the Knutsford Town Council Town Centre Committee and councillor for Bexton and Town Centre ward said “This road is an important part of our town’s infrastructure, serving residents, local businesses and visitors. Its closure risks creating unnecessary disruption for access to our main car park, increasing traffic on King Edward Road and Adams Hill and negatively affecting the daily lives of those who live and work in the town.”

The proposal was initially mooted in 2023, when the Town Council first set out its objection to the idea. Cheshire East Council data suggests 1,000 vehicles a day will be displaced onto Toft Road and Adams Hill, which it considers negligible due to the high volumes of traffic already on these roads. The Town Council has highlighted the value of Church Hill as a local route taking pressure off congested roads and enabling easy access to the town’s main car park.

The Town Council has also highlighted the impact of previous closures on traffic flows and business footfall, raising concerns that the proposal will impact the high street at an increasingly challenging time for small businesses. The Town Council has also challenged the financial cost of the proposal, estimated at around £8,500, compared with the temporary closures which a Cheshire East Council Freedom of Information request response put at £130 per closure.

An experimental traffic regulation order would be put in place for a period of 18 months and formally reviewed after 6 months where any feedback during this period is considered. The borough council may then retain, revoke or vary the order.

In a meeting with Cheshire East Highways officers, the Town Council was told the borough council was determined to press ahead with the experimental order despite opposition from the town council, stating it was the only safe solution to the problem.

The town council challenged the weight which will be placed on feedback from the ‘experiment’ if the borough council insists the full closure was the only safe measure and urged alternative solutions to be explored in more detail, including improved surfacing, gritting and continuing the current temporary closures.

A petition against the closure of the road has been launched by local businesses and already reached 600 signatures, this can be found at www.change.org/p/stop-the-five-month-closure-of-church-hill-knutsford-protect-our-independent-businesses

Cllr Johnson added “We believe the community deserves to have its voice heard and its concerns taken seriously. We oppose Cheshire East Council closing our local roads without valid justification. The Town Council therefore calls on the council to reconsider its decision, and work constructively with the Town Council to find a proportionate solution that reflects the needs and wishes of local people.”

The Town Council is writing to Cheshire East Council Highways Portfolio Holder Cllr Mark Goldsmith and Interim Executive Director of Place Richard Kenny seeking their intervention to stop the proposed closure.

The Town Council is encouraging those concerned by the closure to sign the petition and to contact Cheshire East Council outlining their concerns.

Cheshire East Council has published information on the proposal at: https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/highways_and_roads/roadworks/church-hill-knutsford-winter-weather-closure.aspx

14Oct2026

New Visitor Information Information Launches

Knutsford Town Council has launched a new ‘Visitor Information Guide’ under its Discover Knutsford brand, designed to provide overnight visitors with essential local information for a seamless stay. Distribution is underway across the town, with copies delivered to local hotels, traditional pubs, self-catering accommodation, and cottages within Tatton Park. Designed to pair with the existing Town Centre Shopping Map, the guide offers a comprehensive resource for exploring the historical market town.

Kyri Miller, Tourism and Marketing Officer for Knutsford Town Council, said:

“Knutsford is one of Cheshire’s premier destinations. Whether visitors are staying for business, attending a weekend wedding, or enjoying a short break, we want to ensure they have essential local details right at their fingertips. This new guide perfectly complements our shopping map and the Discover Knutsford website.”

Local accommodation owners have welcomed the initiative, Natasha Kelly, of Tatton Kelly, who manages several self-catering holiday lets in the town centre said, “It is great to have these two guides to Knutsford in our places. Whether staying overnight for a wedding, travelling for business or making a weekend of it, having local up to date local information helps our guests make the most of their stay”.

Kath Gibb, co-owner of The Silk Rooms collection said, “We are a small boutique design led mix of 10 rooms in the heart of Knutsford. We welcome both leisure and business guests and additional information such as this helps our guest’s visitor experience.”

Local overnight accommodation providers, wishing to stock the guides can contact Kyri Miller directly at kyri.miller@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk

13Oct2026

Knutsford gets ready for Halloween as Pumpkin Path returns on 30th October

Knutsford’s popular family-friendly Halloween event returns in a spooktacular fashion on Friday, 30th October from 4pm to 7pm, with a revamped Wallwood area adding to this year’s Pumpkin Path.

Families can pick up an entry form and follow the map to discover 13 pumpkins hidden within selected shops around town. Each pumpkin is marked with a letter, which together spell ‘Trick or Treats’.

Completed entry forms can be dropped into one of the marked letterboxes for the chance to win a family ticket to Tatton Park’s Christmas Mansion – Around the World in 80 Days AND a hamper from the Knutsford Olde Sweet Shoppe.

Visitors can enjoy live performances from SMB Dance and Knutsford Beats Choir, while special Halloween characters will be making appearances along the route with fun interactions that are perfect for all ages. Don’t forget to grab a spooky picture!

A visit to Wallwood is a must, with the area revamped for this year’s event and transformed with a spooky graveyard, witches and a pumpkin patch.

The event is organised by Knutsford Town Council and supported by sponsors NFU Mutual and King Street Dental Practice, with pumpkins kindly donated by The Lambing Shed.

Oli Hinton, Principal Dentist at King Street Dental, said: “Trick or treat, don’t forget your teeth! We’re delighted to support Knutsford’s Pumpkin Path again and wish everyone a fun-filled Halloween – enjoy your treats, brush well afterwards and keep those spooky smiles shining!”

Mark your calendars, gather your costumes, and join us for an unforgettable night of Halloween magic, live performances, and family fun. We can’t wait to see you on the Pumpkin Path!

Event Information

To find out more about Pumpkin Path, visit www.discoverknutsford.com, email enquiries@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01565 653 929.

Road Closures

To enable Pumpkin Path to take place safely, road closures will be in place as follows:

King Street – from Church Walk to Drury Lane. Access to Drury Lane will be available for resident access only.
Minshull Street
Church Hill – from the Lost & Found.

Access to King Street Car Park will be via Church Walk during the closure. Road closures will be in place approximately from 3.30pm to 7.30pm during the event. All affected residents have been contacted directly.

A group of people walking amongst trees in Halloween costumes

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