2024 Gala Day will be Saturday 8 June
THE 2024 VILLAGE GALA WILL TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY JUNE 8TH.
Preparations will be starting in the New Year. A number of loyal volunteers have retired this year, leaving the Team short of help on the day for setting up and other aspects of organization. We are therefore asking for new volunteers to come forward to help on the day with tasks which are needed to ensure safety.
If you think you could help please come along to the meeting at 7.30pm on January 8th in the village hall meeting room and meet the team.
The day of our 2023 Gala started with the threat of a thunderstorm at 3pm (or many variations on that depending on which weather forecast you use). We wondered how many participants would cry off for fear of being struck by lightning – the answer was none! Fortunately instead the sun shone relentlessly and people could be found sheltering in shady corners wherever they could find them.
We were pleased to be able to welcome performances from old favourites we have not seen since before covid. The ATC Marching Band set the tone with a rousing opening performance which was complemented by Weaverham High School band’s stunning finale at the other end of the day. In between we had the return of Hartford Gymnastics and, on the field, Winnington Bowmen. There were new displays to delight the audience too, from Unity Dance Academy and Lunar Dance UK who were experiencing the thrill of their first public performance. Barnton Circus provided thrills and spills for the audience and children trying out new skills.
No Gala would be complete without our local children. There was the joyous sound of the combined choir from our two junior schools, and of course the star of the show, this year’s Cuddington & Sandiway Community Queen, Ava Boylan and her entourage (see more pictures below).
New interest on the stall rows was provided by Mid Cheshire Beekeepers with an observation hive where crowds of people were fascinated by the bees going about their chores. Also very popular was a little hedgehog rescued by Northwich Hedgehog Rescue which, although too injured to be released back into the wild, seems to be destined for a celebrity life raising funds to help its brethren.
Each year we present two Citizenship shields at the Gala:
One is for an adult who has ‘demonstrated outstanding commitment to, support of and/or delivery of a service to the Cuddington and Sandiway community’, and
the other is a junior award for a young person under 18 who has done ‘something really special’.
These accolades are awarded by you, the residents of our village. The winners of these prestigious awards this year are:
Citizenship Award - Kathryn Holmes
Kathryn Holmes has been Musical Director at St John's for the past 30 years with all that that entails. She organises monthly musical concerts and lunches for the village and many other concerts besides. She also has been the driving force behind the Ark Community cafe and its team of volunteers which during Covid also prepared and delivered over a hundred lunches per week to our village community. Kathryn has been one of the main instigators behind us having a weekly food hub in the village for which we have seen an unprecedented demand in recent weeks.
She has the ability to motivate and inspire people to get involved in helping in the community with her boundless energy and enthusiasm.
Junior Citizenship - Emily and William Hamilton
Over the past 12 months Emily and William have been a huge help to mum and dad, helping with housework and caring for their 2 dogs while mum has suffered with a displaced spinal disc and been hospitalised on numerous occasions. William, then aged 6, phoned 999 when mum’s spinal disc displaced, and then rang dad to come home. Emily has helped with getting mum dressed on days when she couldn’t even get out of bed. Through all this they didn’t complain when they were unable to have holidays or days out and still carried on with their school work and even joined a community litter pick.
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Special Guests & Awards
Gala Year |
Theme |
Opening Guest |
Gala Queen |
Gala Princess |
Citizenship Award |
Junior Citizenship |
Best Stall Award |
2010 |
Africa / World Cup 2010 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
??? |
|
2011 |
??? |
Rev. John Hughes |
Shannon Steele |
Natasha Jones |
Michael Harwood |
St. John’s Church |
|
2012 |
The Olympics |
Shirley Strong & Andrew Carter |
Natasha Jones |
Nadia Jones |
Dr. Peter Chivers |
St. John’s Church |
|
2013 |
Showtimes |
Cllr. Charles Fifield |
Charlotte McDonald |
Keira Coppeck |
Linda Smith |
Cuddington Primary School PTA |
|
2014 |
Children’s Stories |
Lee Jones |
Emma Lea Bennett |
Bethany Hulm |
Thelma Mannington |
Sandiway Primary School PTA |
|
2015 |
Animals |
Lee Jones |
Hannah McDonald |
Hannah Rich |
Val Godfrey |
Sandiway Pantomime Group |
|
2016 |
Olympic Carnival |
Lee Jones |
Nadia Jones |
Isobel Ridley |
Elaine Beech |
The Neuro Muscular Centre |
|
2017 |
Superheroes & Princesses |
Lee Jones |
Layla Parks-Smith |
Penelope Eaton |
Ruth Taylor |
Beau Rachel Griffin |
Cuddington & Sandiway Primary Schools |
2018 |
Cinema |
- |
Evie Whittaker |
Millie Hubert-Powell |
Ken Nixon |
Amy Vaughan |
Sandiway Pantomime Group |
2019 |
Storybook Animals |
Councillor Gillian Edwards |
Scarlett Joice |
Beatrice Macleod |
Gerry & Margaret Card |
Tilly Rees |
Cuddington & Sandiway Tennis Club |
2021
|
Oscar Jones |
||||||
2022 |
Platinum Jubilee | Freya Whittaker | Amy Spruce | John and Eileen Kerrigan | Mason Karpinski | Royal British Legion | |
2023 |
Wonderful Wildlife | Ava Boylan | Tilly Belshaw | Kathryn Holmes | Emily & William Hamilton | Cheshire Bee Keepers |
In 2017, the "Dr Peter Chivers Award for Junior Citizen of the Year" was introduced.
Scarecrow Competition Winners
Gala Year |
Theme |
Household 1st |
Household 2nd |
Organisation 1st |
Organisation 2nd |
Voluntary 1st |
Voluntary 2nd |
2010 |
Africa / World Cup 2010 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2011 |
??? |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2012 |
The Olympics |
The Hough family Javelin thrower |
The Morris family Judo combatants |
Hollybank Vet Surg Relay runners |
Network Nurseries Archer |
- |
- |
2013 |
Showtimes |
The Purkiss family Peter Pan |
The Liddle family Captain Jack Sparrow |
Sandiway Methodist Church Fiddler on the roof |
St. John’s Church Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat |
- |
- |
2014 |
Children’s Stories |
The Liddle family Winnie the Witch |
Brotherton family The Gruffalo |
Sandiway Lodge Long John Silver |
Four Paws Spot the Dog |
- |
- |
2015 |
Animals |
The Cole family |
Brotherton family |
Sandiway Library |
Four Paws |
- |
- |
2016 |
Olympic Carnival |
Kershaw family |
Griffin family |
Hollybank Vet Surg |
Pettypool Trust |
The MCSME |
The Youth Club |
2017 |
Superheroes & Princesses |
Brotherton family |
Powell family |
Four Paws |
Cuddington Boarding Cattery |
The MCSME |
St John's Church |
2018 |
Cinema |
Smith Family |
Brotherton Family |
Hollybank Vet Surg |
Petty Pool Trust |
Methodist Church |
The MCSME |
2019 |
Shirley & Jacqui |
Smith Family |
Hollybank Vet Surg |
The MCSME |
Sandiway Lodge |
St John's Church |
|
2021 |
Clarke Family |
Whittaker Family |
|||||
2022 |
79 Ash Road The Queen and her corgis |
24 Foxhill Cl. Emmeline Pankhurst |
Village Youth Club Florence Nightingale |
The MCSME Florence Nightingale at Blakemere |
|||
2023 |
54 Sandown Crescent Fox |
22 East Lane Owl |
Sandiway Primary Wendy the Wildlife Warrior |
Village Youth Club Bees |
(We would be grateful to receive any information which might 'fill in the blanks' in these tables!)