Tag Archives: Community

Knutsford will once again be on the Heritage Open Days map as the Town Council is working to coordinate a programme of activity for the country’s largest festival of culture and heritage.

Heritage Open Days takes place every September with the aim of providing free events that bring history to life and provide access to interesting historical places. The 2024 festival runs from 6^th to 15^th September.

The council is setting up a working group of interested parties to develop activity for the festival and is keen to hear from anyone who would like to take part.

Town Clerk, Adam Keppel-Green said “Knutsford has so much heritage to celebrate, from incredible buildings to links with multiple notable people from history and Heritage Open Days is a great opportunity to showcase what we have.”

The council is also keen to hear from owners of historic properties who would be willing to open them up to the public as part of the festival to small tour groups, offering a rare chance to see part of the town’s history that isn’t routinely on show.

Anyone who is interested in delivering an event as part of Heritage Open Days or able to provide access to a historic site, can contact Sara Frith on sara.frith@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk

Flash Fashion Knutsford is set to return this year on the 18^th May, providing the perfect opportunity for shoppers to get inspired and refresh their wardrobes for summer.

The day-long event started in 2019 as a collaboration between Knutsford Town Council and local boutiques to highlight the wonderful collection of independent fashion retailers in Knutsford.

The day will kick off at 11am in Lost and Found with a fashion show featuring the latest looks from local boutiques, compered by Katy Rickitt of Dexter and Jones. Attendees then peruse the shops and enjoy a variety of complimentary services in store including on-hand stylists, beauty treatments, a glass of fizz and goody bags.

Participating stores include

• Kanoa Living
• Cocaranti
• Redress at Dexter and Jones
• Blossom Boutique
• Paris Ladies Boutique
• Bare Necessities
• Willow Boutiques
• Smook Styling
• Chalk 33
• Milania Boutique
• Roberta Beauty Redefined
• Zapatos
• Milania Boutique
• Second Hand Styling
• Clare and Illingworth
• L ’Atelier London
• Smook Styling at Gusto
• Lanigan and Hulme

Sean Spooner, General Manager, of The Lost and Found, said, “We are delighted to host the catwalk show again. We love being able to support our wonderful independent fashion boutiques. It is great fun and there is such a lovely buzz during the show. We also offer 20% of our brunch menu for all the fashionistas on the day too!”

Davina Armitage from Cocaranti said “We are so excited to be involved in Flash Fashion Knutsford again this year. The shop always has a lovely vibe with customers enjoying an extra special shopping experience from all the fashion indies in town. And we can’t wait to show everyone our Spring Summer collections” .

New for this year is a talk by Laura Davies of Smook Styling which will focus on 5 steps to Unforgettable Style which is kindly hosted by Gusto Restaurants.

Maps will be available from shops and eateries around Knutsford shortly to allow shoppers to plan their day. There will also be free parking for the day at Silk Mill Street, King Street and Princess Street car parks from 10am.

This January, Knutsford will experience its first Wellness Week. Organised by Knutsford Town Council, this weeklong event will showcase a range of talks, presentations and taster sessions focussing on physical and mental health. The pop ups, from a broad variety of Knutsford based health and wellbeing businesses, will take place across different venues in Knutsford town centre starting on Saturday 20^th January and running until Saturday 27^th January.

The activities will start off at Lost and Found with informative pop-ups from Helen Jones Nutritional Therapist, Jem Gunn Body Image Therapy, Sian Winslade Coaching, Reflexology Manchester and Just Drop in. As sponsors of the event, Slater & Gordon Knutsford Family Law will also be there to talk about the services they offer.

Georgina Chase who runs the Slater & Gordon Knutsford Family Law office at 10 Church View said “Slater & Gordon are proud to be sponsoring the Knutsford health and wellness week, raising awareness of how important wellbeing is to people in the community”.

Throughout the week there will be opportunities to book onto sessions such as fitness, yoga, podiatry, life coaching, hearing checks and counselling to allow Knutsford residents to try out new services related to their wellbeing. Many of the taster sessions will be complimentary or discounted.

Roberta Dyer from Roberta Beauty Redefined said “January is the perfect time to evaluate your health and wellbeing.”

“We are excited to be part of the wellness week showcasing taster treatments that help health and skin concerns.”

Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager at Knutsford Town Council said “We are delighted to facilitate this week long event to shine a light on the health and wellbeing services available in Knutsford.”

“As many of the taster sessions are complimentary or discounted, this collaboration will allow residents the opportunity to easily try new techniques or support services to improve their wellbeing.”

“Booking is essential for some events; this can be done directly with the host. A full programme, including all booking details, will be available to pick up from town centre businesses from early January.”

Businesses involved include:

• Helen Jones Nutritional Therapist
• Jem Gunn Body Image Therapy
• Sian Winslade Coaching
• Reflexology Manchester
• Just Drop In
• Yogi with Sho
• Nxtep Gym
• Saks Hairdressing
• Knutsford Iyengar Yoga Centre
• NaturalMat
• Roberta Beauty Redefined
• Outside the Box Therapies
• Nancy Camp
• Carrot Banana Peach
• The Wellness Web
• Carmichael Clinic
• Healthwatch
• The Mum Club Knutsford
• Lotus Blossom Gift Co
• Knutsford Hearing Centre
• Stable Minds

Shoppers are urged to put December 10^th in their diaries as Knutsford shops and businesses host their first Festive Sunday for the Christmas period.

The day is jam packed with seasonal activities to suit every age group including:-

• Chester Brass Band
• Elf on the Shelf
• Knutsford Little Theatre’s Red Riding Pantomime cast
• Christmas Carols from Knutsford Beats
• Christmas Bake Off with The Tea Room
• Knutsford Royal May Day Grotto at Knutsford Methodist Church

These attractions sit alongside the wonderful gifts available from Knutsford’s unique shops. Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager for Knutsford Town Council said, “Knutsford is well known for its Christmas Markets, but this year we wanted to showcase our existing shops too.  Festive Sunday is all about discovering what is, for Knutsfordians, on their doorstep and for those further away it is about having an independent not an Amazon Christmas! ”.

Most shops are staying open on the day with many offering mulled wine, mince pies and other seasonal treats. Hattie Cufflin from Hot Cocoa, said, “We are looking forward to Knutsford’s first Festive Sunday and we’ve lots of chocolatey treats planned. Hot mince pies, ice cream, homemade sweet and savoury treats are on offer plus if you spend £30 you get a 10% discount on the day. Please support Knutsford’s indie shops this Christmas”.

Sandra Curties, continued, “The shops have worked extremely hard and have put together a great day with mulled wine, wine tasting, discounts, festive treats, plus live music on the menu. There will also be a raffle when you purchase in selected shops to win prizes from Lanigan and Hulme and a Christmas Eve box courtesy of Knutsford Stationery and Art Shop and Scene in Knutsford, plus some other great prizes. It has been a difficult trading year for some our much-loved independents so let’s give them our support this festive season”.

The day has been made possible by the kind sponsorship of Knutsford Admin.  Helen Rogers, Director said, “The team at Knutsford Admin Limited have chosen to sponsor the festive shopping event as they are huge fans of the many shops and eateries in town. Not all the team live in Knutsford, but they all feel part of the community and enjoy knowing many of the retailers and hospitality venues owners and teams by name”.

Rebecca Mallon, Director of Knutsford Admin added “We really enjoy our town centre location, particularly in the run up to Christmas when the streets & shop fronts look so pretty and there’s a real festive feel”.

For Festive Sunday, King Street will be closed from 9am to 6pm from the junction with Church Walk to the junction of Dury Lane.  Church Hill will remain open and there will be traffic measures in place to allow cars to access King Street car park.  The parking bays on King Street from Tatton Street to Drury Lane will be suspended to enable two-way traffic enabling access to properties of Drury Lane throughout the event.  Access to King Street carpark will be via Church Hill and Church Walk. 

Those interested in attending Festive Sunday should keep an eye on Knutsford Town Council’s social media pages, and via leaflets and posters coming to the town centre soon.

Flash Fashion Knutsford is set to return for the Autumn Winter season on Saturday 4^th November, providing the perfect opportunity for shoppers to refresh their winter wardrobe and get inspired for Christmas.

The day-long event started in 2019 as a collaboration between Knutsford Town Council and local boutiques to highlight the wonderful collection of fashion retailers in Knutsford.

The day will kick off at Lost and Found at 11am with a fashion show highlighting the latest looks from local boutiques. The show will be presented by Katy Rickett (Dexter & Jones) and feature Darren Proctor (Happy Radio). Attendees can then peruse the shops and enjoy a variety of complimentary services instore including on-hand stylists, beauty treatments, a glass of fizz and goody bags.

Participating stores and businesses include:

• The Edit Boutique
• Cocaranti
• Redress at Dexter and Jones
• Blossom Boutique
• Paris Ladies Boutique
• Glamorous of Knutsford
• Willow Boutiques
• Lanigan and Hulme
• Pulse of Perfumery
• Smook Styling
• Chalk 33
• Milania Boutique
• Roberta Beauty Redefined
• Kanoa Living
• Cancer Research
• Zapatos
• Second hand Styling
• Clare and Illingworth

Roberta from Roberta Beauty Redefined said “We are so excited to be involved in the Autumn Winter edition of Flash Fashion Knutsford. The Fashion Show in May was such a wonderful collaboration between local businesses and the town centre had a lovely vibe. I loved holding pop ups in Willow and Cocaranti and I can’t wait to do it again.”

Maps will be available from shops and eateries around Knutsford shortly to allow shoppers to plan their day.

Flash Fashion is kindly sponsored by Redrow and Happy Radio.