Kelsall Village, near Chester, Cheshire, UK

Ash-worth Time Bank - Linking People Together

Ash-worth Time Bank encourages local rural people to share their skills and time with each other and also help elderly people with a variety of tasks. Membership is free as are all services. Being a member of Ash-worth Time Bank is like having an insurance policy - you never know when you may need help! Members give any time that they have available and you do not have to give help before you receive help. Ash-worth Time Bank organise social groups, events, reminiscing groups (in Kelsall, Tarvin, Ashton Hayes & Kingsley), have a lending library, art group, craft group, reading group and a Holistic Therapy Day in Kelsall each month, which is free to all carers and people who has suffered a bereavement. We also organise a Pilates and Tai Chi class in Ashton Hayes each week. Ash-worth Time Bank have over 320 members and 10 organisational members. They are there to help you - why not give Susan or Caroline a phone on 01829 751398, or them, or visit Ash-worth Time Bank's website.

Barney's Buddies

Barney's Buddies meet every Thursday morning from 10am in the Upper Room at the Methodist schoolroom on Chapel Green. It's an informal drop-in for mums, babies and pre-school children - dads, grans and carers are just as welcome. There's a play time, things to make, stories and songs with Barney the Bear, and a healthy snack for the children. £1.50 per adult including refreshments, children free.

Bridge Club

Kelsall & District Bridge Club welcomes both experienced, intermediate and new players. Sessions are held at the Kelsall Community Centre on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, commencing 6:45pm till 10:00pm.

• Duplicate Bridge on Thursday evenings
• Chicago format on Tuesday evenings
• Guests welcome subject to space availability
• Lessons available for beginners

For further information, contact Nick Mayfield (01829-752105) or Pat Towey (01829-752112).

Committee : Nick Mayfield (Chair), Pat Towey, Carole Birchall, Martin Booth, Richard Elviss, Ann Tindall, Sue Ward

Clatterbridge Cancer Research Kelsall Branch

Based in the village of Clatterbridge, Clatterbridge Hospital provides cancer treatment to patients across the north west of England. As one of the dozen committees in the area Kelsall Branch help raise money to fund research and treatment in the race to fight this disease. Clatterbridge fund raising in the village of Kelsall is reaching its 30th year of support for the charity. The main event, the charity gala, grew out of a 'sale of work' which the co-founder the late Mrs Lilian Lightfoot started in her garden in the 1970s following the death of her husband from cancer. The Gala, which is like a very large garden fete, running alongside a 6-a-side football competition for primary aged children, has attracted a number of local celebrities and stalls over the years. This event along with jumble sales has enabled the Kelsall branch to raise a total of approximately £200,000 over the years.

If anyone in interested in joining our committee or helping at any of our fund raising events
please contact Angela Harrop (01829-752466).

Family History Group

Are you researching your family tree? Are you stuck and in need of some help? Could you share your successful tips with other researchers? Would you like to meet like minded people who are compiling their own trees? If you answered 'YES' to any of these questions then you may be interested in meeting up with other local people to share your experiences. We have started a Family History Group in Kelsall at the Kelsall Community Library & Resource Centre on Flat Lane to have a cuppa and to chat about our family trees. Your family does not need to come from Kelsall - we can discuss all areas. Beginners, enthusiastic amateurs and experts all welcome. Meetings are held on the last Tueday of the month, 7pm to 9.30pm. Cost £1 per person to cover refreshments and buy materials. Please ring 01829-752899 after 7:00pm for more information.

Flower Club

Kelsall Flower Club is now in its 27th year with a membership this year of some 57 members.
We are affiliated to NAFAS and to the Cheshire Area. We have top class demonstrations by both area and National demonstrators with the designs being raffled each month. We have a club competition four times a year which members enter, the winner being awarded a Cut Glass vase to keep for one year and a voucher. We have the opportunity to go to Area and National demonstrations and various social and educational events. We also have workshops and outings, and enjoy the company of our fellow members and friends. Do come and join us at Kelsall and experience the pleasure of fun and friendship through flowers. Click here for examples of our flower arrangements.
For further information please contact Mary Hall (president) on 01829-751136, or Pat Kettle (secretary) on 01829-752441.

Gardening Club

The Kelsall and District Gardening Club welcomes everyone who is interested in plants and gardens. We aim to extend our knowledge and experience of horticulture with talks, visits and exchanges of information. Club members benefit from a 10% discount at Morrey's Forest Nursery and at Okells' Garden Centre (Duddon).

As Gertrude Jekyll said "...love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies but grows and grows to an enduring and ever increasing source of happiness". And according to Monty Don "Find an aspect of gardening that makes you happy - independent of what it looks like - and you will be hooked for life. And that is a promise".

Click here for our 2009 programme, and here for our 2010 programme. For further information please contact Jane Beattie (Chairman, 01829-751032) or Jenny Talks (Secretary, 01829-759470).

Good Companions Club

Kelsall Brownies

In the 100th Anniversary year of Girlguiding UK, Kelsall Brownies are still very much alive and active. There are currently 28 girls in the pack (24 being the optimum number) and the waiting lists for the next few years are filling up rapidly! This year is particularly exciting as we are working on all kinds of activities that lead towards special badges that are only available in the Centenary year. In September 2009 we took over the PGL centre at Boreatton Park in Shropshire along with hundreds of other Brownies to celebrate the start of the year, and had a weekend packed with all kinds of activities in perfect weather. We plan to close the year in the same way, but this time with a mixed group of Brownies, Guides and Senior Section.

During the year we choose badges to achieve as a Pack, and enjoy interesting craft evenings, sometimes with visiting experts. We spend time out of doors, in Delamere Forest, on adventure trails, on Kelsall Green with our parachute and other games, and we have Pack Holiday over a weekend each year. We always provide a 'small cakes' stall at Clatterbridge Gala and sing carols at Sable Cottage each Christmas, and try to raise funds for a particular charity every year - last year we raised over £800 for Camfed, an organisation which helps to provide education for girls in Africa. At the moment we are working on the Road Safety Badge and really enjoyed the recent visit by the Community Safety Wardens (see photo).

We currently have a Brown Owl, Tawny Owl and Snowy Owl as leaders, with a parent rota to give us the necessary adult/child ratio, as well as a young leader. If you would like to get involved in any way, as a leader, or as a visiting expert or enthusiast, please do get in touch with us, also to add your daughter's name to the waiting list.

Contact: Margaret Corlett, Brown Owl (01829-752931)

Kelsall Klub

Kelsall Klub provides facilities for Breakfast and Afterschool Clubs. We operate from Kelsall Pre-School, and cater for up to 24 children from the age of 3 years to 14 years. Our Out-of-School facilities are fully Ofsted registered to a high standard and operate from 8:00am to 9:00am and from 3:15pm to 6:00pm term time, and from 8:30am to 6:00pm during school holidays.

For more information please visit Kelsall Klub's website or ring 01829-759268.

Kelsall Ladies Thursday Group

Thursday Group has just celebrated their 40th year with a membership of 45 and a wide age range.
We meet fortnightly from September through to April, usually some 14 meetings including a Christmas Party meal and an annual Carol Service. Over the years we have had a very wide and varied selection of speakers and demonstrators on all subjects ranging from Adam Partridge (of TV's Flog It fame) through to medelling hats, cookery demonstrations, dancing techniques, learning about baby owls (and snakes) and all kinds of crafts. We welcome all ladies to our meetings which take place in the Methodist Church Schoolroom at 7:45pm. For further information please contact Mary Hall (president) on 01829-751136 or Sheila Railton on 01829-751817.

Kelsall Pre-School

Come and join the fun at Kelsall Pre-School where we learn together through play. We are open during term time from 9am until 3.15pm daily (except Fridays when we close at 12 noon) for all children between the ages of 2½ and 5 years. Our team of highly qualified and experienced staff pride ourselves in operating a professional, welcoming and inclusive environment for all families. No two days are ever the same! Our learning opportunities are driven by the children's likes and we make the most of our environment both indoors and in our new purpose built large outdoor space. During the summer term we liaise closely with Kelsall School's reception class to ensure that the children become used to the school environment and the teachers.

For more information please visit Kelsall Pre-School's website or ring 01829-759268.

Mothers & Toddlers Group

We would like to welcome you to our weekly Wednesday morning meetings held at the Kelsall Community Centre during term time between 10.00 am to 11.30 am. There is plenty to do for all, from bike & tractor rides to dolls and crafts for the older ones and mobiles, playmats and rattles for the babies. No baby is too small!!

It is a group run by Mums for Mums and gives the children a perfect opportunity to meet their future school friends. Drinks and snacks are available for the little ones with a nice cuppa for Mum (or Dad) for which there is a small charge per family. Regular events are held with Christmas and End of Year Parties and well earned nights out for Mums (or Dads)!

For more information please telephone Nicky Moore (01829 759179) or just pop into the Community Centre. Come and Join in on the Fun!!

Royal British Legion, Kelsall Branch

Kelsall has an active branch of the Royal British Legion. For membership details or how to make a donation to this very worthwhile charity visit www.britishlegion.org.uk, or telephone Don Barden, the branch secretary, on 01829-751055. More information can be found here.

"Kelsall War Memorial"© by Gordon Wilkinson

Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Kelsall Branch

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity which exists to save life at sea. It provides, on call, the 24-hour service necessary to cover search and rescue requirements to 50 miles out from the coast of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. There are over 220 lifeboat stations. In its 176 years the organisation has had an outstanding record of rescues performed by volunteer crews who put to sea in extreme conditions to help those in danger or distress. Funding for lifeboats, lifeboat stations, protective equipment and a host of other essentials is provided entirely by voluntary contributions. A considerable proportion of the funds needed is raised by the efforts of almost 1,500 local RNLI fundraising Branches like ours in Kelsall. The voluntary committees of these Branches organise a wide range of fundraising events including flag days, coffee mornings, barbecues, theme evenings, fashion shows, garden parties, sponsored walks and so on - the list is almost endless.
New members are always welcome to take part in organising and running our local events. If you feel you might like to help with this enjoyable and very satisfying voluntary work please contact Chris Wardle, the branch chairman, on 01829-740303.
To find out more about the RNLI, its lifeboats and its life-saving work please visit www.rnli.org.uk.

Scottish Dancing Group

Scottish Dancing tuition and social dancing takes place for two hours on a Wednesday evening from 8pm in the Community Centre, from September to May, under the excellent local tutelage of Sue Duckett of Kelsall. There is no age limit so long as you are willing to have a good time and have abundant enthusiasm. You don't have to bring a partner. There is no strict dress code, but light shoes are a distinct advantage. The object is to enjoy yourself, to keep fit and keep healthy, and to share in the invigorating rhythms of the music.
So if you feel you want to know more, contact either Lin Sensicle (01829-752647) or Rosie Humphreys (01829-752784) for more information, or come along on for a taster.

Society of Bookbinders, North Wales and North West Region

The Society generally meets one Saturday each month from 10:30am to 4:30pm in Kelsall Community Centre for workshops, demonstrations, talks etc. It also arranges visits to private presses and close-up sessions in libraries such as John Rylands, Manchester or the Hornby, Liverpool.

Women's Institute

The Kelsall WI, affiliated to the Cheshire Federation of Women's Institutes and the National Federation of Women's Institutes, provides a varied programme of activities for women in Kelsall. Monthly meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm in the Methodist Hall on Chapel Green. In addition other smaller groups meet to enjoy specific interests and hobbies such as walking, bridge, crafts, public affairs and outings. New members are very welcome. Contact Anne (01829-752090) or Kath (01829-751601). Some of Kelsall WI's activities are featured on this poster. Kelsall WI's successes at the 2008 Cheshire Show are described here.