Sigiriya Knutsford

Sigiriya joins Taste Knutsford

One of Knutsford’s newest restaurants, Sigiriya, has joined Taste Knutsford, a popular monthly food tour that takes place in Cheshire’s leading foodie market town.

Don Buddhika owner of Sigiriya said, “We are excited to join the Taste Knutsford team and meet the tour guests. We will be offering a lunch option with a range of our ‘small plates’ giving customers a true and authentic taste of Sri Lanka.”

Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager, said, “Sigiriya opened in late 2023 and has become a popular fixture on Knutsford’s hospitality scene. Our tour only champions our independent and small regional eateries and Sigiriya offers something a little bit different. We are sure this will be a popular stop!

Sandra, continued, “We love arranging these tours and our venues always roll out the red carpet to our guests. The feedback we receive regarding the tours is always positive with guests leaving very full! Our tour guides are knowledgeable about each venue and the town, encouraging quests to stay, linger and spend in Knutsford.”

Taste Knutsford was established in 2018 and promotes and supports a range of independent venues in the town centre including: April’s Kitchen, Cranford Café & Sandwich Bar, Dexter and Jones, Evuna, Morgan Edwards, Hot Cocoa, King Street Kitchen, Real Fruit Creamery, Café on the Corner, The Market Hall Butcher, The Market Café, The Tea Room, Detaljer and Tatton Perk.

Any small regional or independent hospitality venue can take part in the tour and if you wish to take part in a tour you can book via www.tasteknutsford.co.uk  Private tours for 8 or more can also be arranged.

Sigiriya is located on 15 Tatton Street Knutsford WA16 6AB and bookings can be made here https://www.sevenrooms.com/reservations/sigiriyagrill

Family Fest Knutsford

Fun family day out at Family Fest

The sun was shining on Sunday 11th August for the second Knutsford Family Fest. Families flocked to the town to take advantage of the variety of family friendly activities across shops, restaurants and community spaces in Knutsford town centre.

Attendees had options to start the day gently with a yoga session from Sataya Sanctuary or enjoy a morning story time at Waterstones. Stable Minds also opened their doors for the day allowing families to do some mindfulness activities and view their art therapy rooms and sensory area.

For the creatives there were music taster sessions from Popcat, art sessions hosted by Kim Smart Art and even pizza making at Gusto. Party Time punctuated the end of the day at Charlton Lodge with a party session hosted by Bunny Business and Disney character Stitch.

The Knutsford Fire Service was in attendance outside the Lost and Found showing children around the fire engine and Knutsford Police were positioned at the top of Minshull Street allowing families to view the police car. Minshull Street and the area outside The Lost and Found were both bustling with diners as restaurants hosted alfresco eating.

Knutsford Olde Sweet Shoppe hosted a fancy dress competition presenting a prize from Hal Whittaker for the overall winner and a little bag of sweets for each entrant. The competition was judged by former mayor, Cllr Peter Coan.

The sponsor of the event, Evuna, put on a special Family Fest menu especially for the kids. They also had a visit from Disney character Stitch over lunch time, much to the delight of the children.

Sandra Curties, Town Centra Manager at Knutsford Town Council said; We were delighted with the response to our second family Fest. The sun shone and children of all ages seemed to have a wonderful time. Thanks to everyone who collaborated on this event, we can’t wait for Family Fest 2025!

Natalie Abrams from Popcats Music Time said ’I loved being involved in Family Fest this year. Getting to know new families and exploring music and movement together. What a fun day we all had! As a family we also enjoyed the activities that were on too’

Business reps gather to promote Knutsford at Home

Knutsford At Home to return in September

Knutsford at Home, Knutsford’s home and interiors inspiration event, returns to the town centre this Autumn on Saturday 21st September. Designed to inspire attendees with their upcoming home projects no matter how big or small, the event is the product of a collaboration between local interior businesses and Knutsford Town Council.

Highlighting the vast collection of home interior shops and specialists available in Knutsford, the day includes artist workshops, architect consults, exclusive offers, and the launch of new collections.

Participants can also attend a talk by former Head Gardener at Tatton Park, Sam Youd. He will draw upon his vast experience in horticulture to present a talk titled ‘Plotting & Planning’ held in the Secret Room at Lost & Found.

There will also be several artist workshops including one focussed on ‘Alcohol Ink Art’ at Havwoods, a flooring shop on Regent Street. Hosted by Louise Williamson from Big Canvas Art, this day long workshop will take you through the process to create stunning artwork. At Holly Johnson Antiques decorative surface designer Diane Marsland will be demonstrating her techniques for hand painting chinoiserie silk. The next day on the 22nd September she will be co-hosting a taster Silk Painting Workshop alongside Julie Hamer where participants can further explore these painting techniques themselves.

Designer experts and architects will be available throughout shops in town to advise and inspire attendees with their projects. Many shops will also serve light refreshments for a relaxed shopping environment.

Business taking part include;

  • KQC, King Street
  • Havwoods, Regent Street
  • Detaljer, Princess Street
  • Oka, King Edward Road
  • Arthur Lee, Toft Road
  • R.I Home, King Street
  • Holly Johnson Antiques, Egerton Square
  • Oil Art Advisory, King Street
  • Susie Watson Designs, King Street
  • Terzetto Stone, King Street
  • Naturalmat, Tatton Street
  • Fired Earth
  • Bianca Morgan Architects
  • Hive Architects

The event has generously been sponsored by the Knutsford Family Law office of Slater & Gordon.

A leaflet containing information about the event including all booking details for  activities has been distributed around Knutsford Town Centre. There is also further information on www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk and on socials @discoverknutsford.

Alfresco Dining Knutsford

Alfresco Dining

The venues taking part in the final alfresco day of 2024 are hoping for a sunny August Sunday.

King Street (from after the junction with Church Hill to Egerton Place) will close to through traffic to allow the following venues participate in alfresco dining:

  • Rose and Crown
  • Gusto
  • King Street Kitchen
  • Wine and Wallop
  • Morgan Edwards
  • Smokehouse and Cellar

Ben Antoniak, General Manager of King Street Kitchen, said, ‘We are excited to take part in this event again. We are looking forward to greeting customers (new and existing) and offering our popular summer drinks and food menu. Last time the atmosphere was amazing so let’s hope the sun shines again!

Knutsford Town Council collaborated with local hospitality venues to organise four alfresco days for summer 2024. Two were for King Street venues and two for Minshull Street and outside the Lost and Found.

Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager said, “These Sunday road closures provide additional outside space for our hospitality venues’ customers to enjoy the amazing food and drink Knutsford offers while also enjoying the iconic surroundings of Knutsford town centre. We hope August 18th is busy and the town centre has a lively continental atmosphere.”

Sandra continues, “After each season we evaluate the programme with the venues and will plan for next year. We know the public would like more and if the venues agree (and the weather plays ball!) all we can say is watch this space. We do have factor in applying for road closure permission with Cheshire East and this does limit our flexibility to close roads when the sun is shining.”

Patrons are urged to contact their chosen venue direct to see whether they need to book a space in advance. If the evenings are cancelled due to adverse weather, the cancellation will be announced across both Knutsford Town Council, Discover Knutsford, and the participating venues social media platforms.

Arthur Lee

Knutsford Town Council recognises longstanding businesses

Knutsford Town Council has introduced a rolling programme to recognise Knutsford’s long-standing businesses. The retail recognition scheme celebrates businesses who have traded in the town from a minimum of five years to a 75+ “lifetime achievement” award. 

Town Centre Manager Sandra Curties said “Knutsford is home to independent, regional and national names who each contribute to the vitality of our town centre. This programme recognises the importance of the achievement of staying on our high street, especially in our post-covid, online shopping times. This will be a rolling programme that hopefully continues for an extremely long time!”

The programme was launched at the end of July with a mix of businesses receiving the first certificates and window stickers from Town Mayor Cllr Colin Banks. Colin said,  “I was delighted to present our first batch of business recognition awards. Of course, our high street has changed but it still offers both locals and visitors a vibrant mix of shops and services. Meeting local shop owners from Booths to Partners Hairdressing was a lovely way to spend a summer morning and I am looking forward to meeting more local shop owners over the coming weeks”

Amongst the first to receive their awards was Hal Whittaker, the Princess Street toy shop that first opened its doors in the post-war era. Owner Stuart Andrew said, “We are proud to be part of a family business that served the local community through the generations.”

Helen Dufton co-owner of Arthur Lee alongside sister Vicky Wragg said, “As soon as the Mayor left, we placed our sticker in the window! We love running our shop and know our parents will also be pleased with this recognition. We’ve been here since 1919 and even supplied LS Lowry with an armchair so if you haven’t visited us yet, please pop in.”

The programme recognises those who have traded in the town for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 75+ years. The certificates will be handed out over the coming months.

Space Chickens to visit Knutsford Park

An open-air show of Space Chickens is headed to Knutsford this September as part of the Picnic in the Park event.

Earth’s unlikely hero: an adventurous chicken who is blasted into space to solve all our planet’s problems. Sounds ridiculous? Not for our heroic hen who will boldly go where no poultry has gone before…With stunning puppetry and original banjo synth music follow this rocket-fuelled tale all on top of a van. The show promises an intergalactic adventure from the henhouse to the milky way!

The Puppet Van has been confirmed for Picnic in the Park a new event from Knutsford Town Council that takes place on Sunday 22nd September on St Helena’s Field (Longridge, adjacent to Adeleide Heath Academy). Picnic in the Park is a day of theatre, music and community.

Also joining us will be the brilliant Steel Drum Band, keeping everyone entertained in between performances and whilst they enjoy the other amazing activities on offer such as a Literary Tent, hosted by local author Kirsty Duncan.

A community picnic area will be set up in front of the stage and residents are encouraged to gather their friends, family, a blanket and chairs and enjoy a FREE fun day out for all the family!

The Mayor of Knutsford, Cllr Colin Banks will be making a visit to the Bake Off Tent to judge the best birthday cake creation. Keep an eye on social media for full details of how to enter the cake baking competition to mark 50 years of Knutsford Town Council.

Knutsford Town Council will be working with the community to build a Bug Hotel and they will need everyone’s help to create a 5-star luxury experience for the visiting insects so be sure to drop by and give us a hand with the construction!

More and more activities are being confirmed with our brilliant local businesses and community groups. For updates follow Knutsford Town Council social media pages or email enquiries@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk

Another great year for Knutsford Music Festival!

Knutsford’s own music festival hit the town in June for 4 days of music for the 7th year!

The festival, which was launched back in 2017 by Knutsford Town Council, returned between 13th – 16th June with a varied programme to please a variety of musical tastes. Many of the events were free of charge and hosted in the cafes and bars in the town centre.

A fantastic folk programme ran for its sixth year, hosted by BBC Radio’s Mark Radcliffe, who once again curated an outstanding programme of folk artists from the UK and beyond to entertain hundreds of attendees in St John’s Church and Knutsford Little Theatre.

Saturday Night Blues was back for a second sell out event, after the event also sold out in 2022. Blues artists from near and far, including two UK Blues Award winners, performed at the stunning Knutsford Little Theatre to a captive audience.

Music on the Moor was back on Saturday 15th June, the festival’s free event on the Moor which brings four hours of live music and activities for all ages. The event featured eight local artists and bands who performed a variety of original material, as well as performance workshops from Noodle Performance Arts and craft activities from Love to Craft Mcr. Despite the weather the crowds were in great spirits. More music hit the Moor on Sunday too, with free performances from City of Chester Brass Band.

Fringe events including an electronic night at Detaljer, the Music Train from Chester to Knutsford which arrived at The Angel at King Street, as well as programmes of music all weekend inside the Lost and Found, The Builders Arms and Evuna ran alongside the main programme, filling the town with music for 4 days.

As part of this year’s festival there was also the opportunity to engage in some Art themed events including workshops from CNC Cheshire, Olivia Goodwin Art and the sell out alcohol ink workshop from Steph Clare Art. The new Oil Art Advosry Gallery in town hosted works by the renowned photographer Scarlet Page, featuring iconic musicians.

Alex Molloy, Events Manager at the Town Council, said: “A huge thanks to everyone who got involved and supported this year’s events especially to the ticket buyers and attendees of Music on The Moor, the weather was against us, but the crowd were in great spirits! Thanks also goes to our sponsors this year Knutsford Hearing Cnetre, Ibiza Classics, Slater and Gordon and QV Skin care without which we would not have been able to produce the event! Here’s to 2025!”

The Town Council welcomes any feedback or suggestions for how the event can be improved for 2025. Simply email alex.molloy@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk.

To find out more about the other events organised by the town council, check out their events calendar on their website now: https://www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/events-calendar

Mark Radcliffe & Co

Knutsford Music Festival – Less than one week to go!

Knutsford Music Festival is finally upon us! After months of planning and excitement the doors will soon be open for our first gig, on Thursday 13th of June followed by four days of fabulous music and community events with something to appeal to everyone!

Our Festival Gig Guides have been distributed around the town so be sure to pick up yours when you are out and about. Copies are also available in the foyer of the Town Council offices, so head on down and collect yours to plan your weekend. Alternatively, you can head to our website to download a copy and book tickets.

Returning this year are our ever-popular Folk music events curated by Mark Radcliffe, Saturday Night Blues and the free community event ‘Music on The Moor’. And, if that isn’t enough, the local venues of Knutsford have pulled together an epic line up for our fringe festival. It’s a weekend to remember, putting Knutsford on the music map!

Our festival opens Thursday 13th June at Knutsford Little Theatre with Frankie Archer and Virginia Kettle’s Rolling Folk.

Friday night at the beautiful St John’s Church Thea Gilmore and Andrew Rumsey will be putting on an awesome show.

Music on The Moor, from 12-4pm is a chance to bring along a picnic blanket and enjoy some local talent in one of Knutsford’s beautiful green spaces. Knutsford Beer Festival will be setting up a bar and the local Scouts are firing up the BBQ. Love to Craft Mcr and Noodle Performance Arts will be running workshops throughout the afternoon, bring the family and make musical memories.

Saturday Night Blues is headlined by the award-winning UK Blues artists Alice Armstrong. Supported by The Nightcreatures Duo, join us for a night of strong, soulful UK talent.

Closing the festival on Sunday evening are The Magpies and Paul Armfield. A fitting end to four excellent days of music.

Don’t forget to follow us on the socials to check out some of our artists and keep up to date with the festival as it happens!

Mayor of Knutsford Colin Banks said “Knutsford Music Festival is one of our key events of the year and offers a wide choice of music to suit everybody! Please support this fantastic live music event that will once again bring our community together!”

For tickets and full listings, including information of support acts and ‘Music on the Moor’, please visit the festival website at www.knutsfordmusicfestival.com.

Knutsford Town Council and The Royal Cheshire County Show

Knutsford Town Council partners with The Royal Cheshire County Show to boost tourism

Knutsford Town Council is excited to announce a new partnership with the prestigious Royal Cheshire County Show, with the aim of promoting Knutsford as a premier destination under the newly launched Discover Knutsford brand. This contra-deal is designed to enhance the visibility of Knutsford and attract a wide audience of visitors to explore the town’s unique offerings.

The agreement will see The Royal Cheshire Show promoting Discover Knutsford on their platforms. In return, Knutsford Town Council will promote the Cheshire Show to enhance the event’s reach and impact in the local community. This collaborative effort aims to highlight Knutsford’s charm, history, and attractions to the thousands of attendees at the Cheshire Show.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Cheshire Show,” said Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager at Knutsford Town Council.

“This collaboration is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of Knutsford to a diverse audience. With the new Discover Knutsford brand, we aim to highlight our town’s rich heritage, vibrant community, and unique experiences, and this is an excellent platform to help us achieve this.”

The Discover Knutsford brand was launched on social media earlier this month to encapsulate the essence of the town, offering visitors insights into its historical landmarks, picturesque settings, and a variety of events and activities. A website will follow later this year.

Rob Davenport the show Director said “The Cheshire Agricultural Society is thrilled to appoint Knutsford Town Council as Principal Partner of The Royal Cheshire County Show.”

“The new partnership will enable us to forge closer links with our local community and to provide mutually beneficial promotional opportunities for both parties. Visitors to the Show come from all over the UK and we look forward to encouraging them to explore the wonderful town of Knutsford as part of their visit, playing our part in boosting the local economy and raising the profile of the of the beautiful area in which the Show is based.”

For more information on The Royal Cheshire County Show visit their website www.royalcheshireshow.org and for more information on Knutsford follow Discover Knutsford on Instagram @discoverknutsford and Facebook Discover Knutsford.

Flash Fashion Photo Credit John Horsely

Flash Fashion highlights Knutsford as a destination shopping town

ITV presenter Katy Rickitt hosted the third Flash Fashion Knutsford catwalk show on Saturday 18th May. Once again, the fashion show attracted a remarkable turnout, with The Lost & Found packed with spectators both inside and out. Organised by Knutsford Town Council, this event had the town centre a buzz with shoppers.

Spectators queued up to get a glimpse of the outfits showcased at the event, reflecting the enthusiasm surrounding this fashionable affair. The vibrant atmosphere was further enhanced by the diverse collection of boutiques featured, cementing Knutsford’s reputation as a destination for shopping.

After the show attendees visited the shops and appreciated the dynamic retail scene that Knutsford has to offer. With shops covering multiple fashion categories, the event highlighted what a broad spectrum of fashion retail there is available in Knutsford.

An example of the unique shopping experience you can encounter in Knutsford comes from Redress who holds regular ‘Swap Shop’ pop ups at Dexter and Jones.

Owner of Redress Fiona Jackson-Gray said “Flash Fashion has become an unmissable event of Knutsford and Redress is so honoured to be a part of it.  We had a fantastic day at the fashion show and later in Dexter and Jones for our Swap Shop event.”

“To be able to be invited to walk alongside the boutiques of Knutsford with our preloved brand and for people to not only accept but absolutely relish in its unique qualities is an exciting concept and we hope to be a key part of the event for many years to come.  Thank you to the whole team for putting together a true fashion extravaganza and to everyone that came along to support our local independents.”

Sally Feeke from local designer footwear boutique said “We’ve been involved in every Flash Fashion event since 2019. 

“It is a great day and both the town and our shop had a real buzz meeting customers old and new. We love the event and we’ve benefited hugely from it so thank you to everyone involved.” 

Clare & Illingworth showcased their designer sunglasses, highlighting the premium brands that Knutsford has on offer. Richard Clare said. “Participating in the Flash Fashion event was a fantastic experience for Clare & Illingworth Opticians. The show brilliantly highlighted the amazing independent shops in Knutsford and we had the opportunity to meet many new people plus remind everyone that you can find luxury sunglasses right here locally, without the need to travel.”

For more information about Knutsford’s upcoming events and shopping opportunities follow the Discover Knutsford socials: Instagram @discoverknutsford, Facebook Discover Knutsford.