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Afternoon Tea at Shrigley Hall, Thursday, 17 July 2025
The tea has been booked in the Pink Room at the Hall commencing at 2.15 pm. The cost will be £15 for members and £18 for guests.

Coach Trip to Trentham Gardens Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Please note that this outing has now been moved to July from June as was originally announced at the AGM. The cost of the coach trip will be £20 for members and £25 for guests. An additional cost of £11.50 will be required for entry to the Gardens, BUT if attendees can let Anne know by phone or at the 14 July monthly meeting it will be reduced to £10.50.
In the award-winning Gardens, you can see the Italian Gardens, Trentham Lake, meadows and woodlands. Much of it is accessible with either wheelchairs or mobility scooters (for example, the Italian Gardens and path besides the Lake).
If some only want to go to the Trentham Shopping village, there is no extra cost. A wide range of national and independent stores, plus restaurants and cafes are at the site.

Reports on Past Events

Coffee Morning in aid of MADYSS Gawsworth Church Hall, Thursday, 22 May 2025

Annual General Meeting, Macclesfield Tennis Club, Monday 12 May 2025
The meeting was held on Monday 12 May at the Macclesfield Tennis Club as usual. Our Chair John Swindell welcomed members and followed on with a review of the year’s activities. These included coach trips to Blackpool Zoo, Piece Hall and Llandudno. More local events were bowling, a quiz night and a bingo night, the latter two were held at the Tennis Club.
Judy Fleming then gave the Treasurer’s Report and referred to the £500 recently received from the Co-op Community Fund; this was in addition to the more than £1800 previously granted to us. She also mentioned the generous In Memoriam donations received in relation to members who had sadly passed away. Judy highlighted the £1,590 that members donated to the MADYSS Support Fund following her husband’s death in January and thanked members for their donations.
While MADYSS is financially solvent, the cost of coach trips does impact the Society’s financial position considerably. Judy emphasised how vital it was to fill the coaches. She gave the example of the Blackpool Zoo trip, which was subsidised to the tune of £645.50, but only a few members chose to participate. Unless coach trips are well supported in future, it may not be possible to continue with them.
Two members were voted onto the Committee. These were Colin Huck and Jim Borggren, who is currently Assistant Treasurer but also will take on the role of Deputy Chair. Kay Evans was thanked for overseeing the production and printing of the new MADYSS information leaflet. This is only the third leaflet created since the Group was established.
After the AGM business was concluded, members helped themselves to the buffet. The buffet came from the Windmill Café, which has previously catered for the AGM.
Our guest speaker this year was from the Cheshire AgeUK charity who gave a presentation on Scams Awareness and Aftercare. She covered a range of different scams and how to deal with them. Telephone, door, internet and mobile phone scams were all addressed.
Members each received a goody bag that contained a scams awareness card and Scam Update newsletter, a booklet on how to protect yourself, stickers for putting inside and outside your front door, and a useful pen.
As a final point, Kay has asked me to mention in this report that Ann, who did the bar for us at the AGM, said that we were one of the nicest if not the nicest group who hire the Tennis Club! So, thank you for your friendliness to those behind the bar.
New Trophy
Paul Sutcliffe has come up with the idea of having a Ten-Pin Bowling Cup for each year’s champion bowler. It has been kindly donated by Paul and has been engraved with all the winners’ names since Covid. As Kay was the winner of the bowling in 2025, she was presented with the Cup at the AGM. It turns out that Paul was a keen ten-pin bowler in his day, played for a team and was in a league when he and Diane lived in France.>br>

Members listen attentively to the Chair, John Swindell ime to eat! Kay Evans, the proud winner of the inaugural Bowling Cup donated by Paul Sutcliffe

Piece Hall and Museum, Monday, 28 April 2025
Thirty-five members and friends assembled at the Flower Pot by 9.45 am as we had been directed previously, ready for boarding the coach. It wasn’t there and didn’t appear until 10.10 am! We were told evidently this was a result of technical problems with the wheelchair lift. Why hadn’t Belle Vue Coaches checked it the day/evening before?
Following a toilet break post departure, we only arrived at Piece Hall 45 minutes ahead of our tours arranged for 1.30 pm. It is a lovely Grade 1 listed building set around a Square with plenty of places for us to pause later, sit and admire the architecture. But we barely had time to wolf down a snack or sandwich lunch prior to the tours!
After gathering in the Square, we split into three groups each led by a tour guide. The guide of the writer’s group was named Sue, and she had a particular interest in the architecture of Piece Hall. It opened in 1779 and is the only Georgian cloth hall left in the world. It was built for the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth, a piece was a 30-yard length of woven woollen fabric produced on a handloom.
Piece Hall was a highly visible statement of the great wealth, pride and ambition of the cloth manufacturers, but the industrial revolution saw its use decline in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Hall was restored following the receipt of a substantial Lottery Fund grant, to which the then Halifax Corporation also made a large contribution. A pair of ornately decorated East Gates were funded by the Corporation.
The sunny, warm afternoon left participants with time for a sit down and cool drink in several of the many bars and cafes around the Square. A good return journey saw us arrive back at the Flower Pot by 6.10 pm, far quicker and less stressful than the outward trip.
Our thanks go to Kay Evans for arranging the outing. She should be commended for appearing outwardly calm and composed when she was doubtless experiencing much inner stress and turmoil with the coach delay and subsequent effect on the day’s schedule. Thank you also to Sue for printing off and distributing the coloured diagram of Piece Hall on the coach, which proved very useful.

Bingo Night, Macclesfield Tennis Club Saturday, 22 March 2025
We had a good evening at Macclesfield Tennis Club when more than 30 members and friends gathered for playing bingo. Before the bingo began, there were several Roll the Pound Coin competitions. Bottles of wine, port, whiskey, prosecco and beers formed the five rounds when players tried to get their coins nearest the bottle. The contests raised £80 for MADYSS funds.
Our bingo caller, Tracey Higgins, distributed sets of bingo booklets to attendees, which contained 10 coloured sheets with numbers. For each sheet, there were two games played: complete a line and then complete the whole sheet. This divided nicely into five sheets before the supper break and five sheets afterwards. Tracey was ably assisted by Mandy who collected sheets from those who shouted “Line” or “House” to check the numbers and then gave out to the winners a Line or House ticket accordingly. At the end of the evening, winners were able to collect their prizes of Easter Eggs.
However, as the evening wore on an air of incredulity surfaced among attendees when just two of the players won a large proportion of the rounds. If the crowd had been less polite, there may have been shouts of “Fix, fix”. In fact, the two players were vying to see who would dominate the contest as each player won FOUR rounds!
The meat and potato pie, red cabbage, mushy peas, or quiche and salad provided by caterer Debbie from The Windmill Café went down very well before the second part of the evening.
Our thanks go to Macclesfield Tennis Club for use of the venue and to bartenders Margaret and Jane to whom we gave flowers. Also thank you to Tracey our bingo caller and her assistant Mandy. We really appreciate the work of Anne Swindell, Kay Evans, Diane Thomas, Sue Pembery and Jenny in the kitchen who served up the food and, importantly, washed plates and cutlery afterwards.

Sue checking her coin roll as Tracey watches on. Easter Eggs await the winners

Chilli Banana, Macclesfield SK10 1JX - Sunday 23 February 2025 - Sue Stephenson
On a blustery Sunday lunchtime, 31 members and friends of the MADYSS group gathered for a meal at the Chilli Banana.
The buffet featured an impressive selection of traditional Thai dishes including fragrant curries, stir fries and very tasty starters such as satay skewers, spring rolls and tempura vegetables. Some members discovered new favourite dishes.
The meal concluded with ice cream and coffee. The friendly staff ensured that everyone was well taken care of.
It was good to see that Kay Evans was able to attend (with daughter Steph who did the driving!) following her recent knee surgery.
Events like these continue to foster strong connections within the group.

The buffet at the Chilli Banana

Ten-pin Bowling, Superbowl UK, Lyme Green, Macclesfield, SK11 0TB - Wednesday 23 January 2025
Fifteen MADYSS members attended bowling at Lyme Green on Wednesday 29 January where, as usual, a good time was had by all. We played two games, cheering and clapping each other as great shots were achieved.
The winner this year was Kay Evans with a score of 126, proving it’s never too late for a first. There was much teasing of Kay as she was wonderfully coached by Paul who should share the victory! Kay had decided that due to a very dodgy knee she probably wouldn't play. What a mistake that would have been! This was followed by a good second place for Keith with a score of 116. Credit going hugely to Colin who, as well as bowling for himself, gallantly bowled on Keith's behalf. Third was Don with a score of 114, so all were very close. It was a very enjoyable afternoon for everyone.
Colin's wrist was complaining by the end of our tournament so Keith owes him. Whilst Colin was working on Keith's behalf, Keith socialised and chatted with Alan and Barbara who joined us to enjoy the afternoon whilst Mark bowled. It was lovely to have them all with us again and to catch up and chat.
It was also lovely that Margaret was able to come and enjoyed watching the games being played. Thank you, Sharon for giving your Mum a lift to join us.
After bowling, 17 of us went to The Rising Sun for tea and as usual we all enjoyed our food and being able to relax and chat. As we arrived, the Tina Turner Tribute Act had just finished. The artist was still in her wig and sparkly dress and we cheekily tried to persuade her to give us a song! Sadly, we didn't get one but she was very chatty and asked about our group. Evidently, she also does Whitney Houston together with another well- known singer.
Maybe one day we can have a MADYSS outing to one of the events put on by this venue. There are many different styles of performance. Here's looking forward to next year. Who's turn will it be to take the bowling crown?

Members relaxing in between bowling frames Paul prepares to bowl as Anne watches his technique

Christmas Meal - Wednesday 11 December
Forty-five members assembled at the Davenport Golf Club for the group’s Christmas meal. Not present, unfortunately, were Michael Fleming and Alan Stansfield who were both in hospital (see Notes of Our Members section). It was lovely that Judy, Barbara and Mark felt able to attend despite worries about their loved ones. We were seated at six round tables that were each festooned with alternating red and ivory crackers, red serviettes, and an attractive table centre piece of a Father Christmas face made from wood.
A choice from four starters, four mains and four desserts had already been made by attendees, but we didn’t have to remember what we had ordered luckily. Anne Swindell had painstakingly made individual place holders and neatly written the chosen starter, main and dessert on each one, for which we were extremely grateful as it was several weeks previously that we had made our selections!
Following collecting our drinks from the bar, which was conveniently positioned at the side of the function room, we naturally had to pull crackers, don paper hats and share the inevitable corny jokes while awaiting the first course. The waiting staff distributed starters of prawn cocktail, patè, melon or soup to MADYSS diners.
If the writer’s table of eight people was typical, the starters ranged across the entire selection with the patè and prawn cocktail proving popular choices although all were represented.
The selections made for the main course were less diverse with most choosing the turkey dinner apart from our one vegetarian at the table who of course had opted for the nut roast. To finish the meal, we had desserts: yule log, lemon roulade, fresh fruit salad or traditional Christmas pudding, followed by tea or coffee and mince pies. All in all, quite a sumptuous feast was delivered! Anne, thank you for organising the event and all the work beforehand creating the place cards and noting members’ menu choices originally.

Father Christmas Table Decoration MADYSS members at the Christmas meal Our Chair John (in red top hat) speaks to the assembled company

Quiz Night, Macclesfield Tennis Club - Saturday 9 November
The evening got underway at 6.30 pm when 25 quiz aficionados arrived. After splitting into four teams (all bar one had six members), we armed ourselves with drinks and prepared with some trepidation for the 7.00 pm start. Tracey Higgins, our quiz master, introduced us to the format that the quiz would take: four categories before a break for pizza and then a further four after the supper break.
The eight categories were General Knowledge, Geography, Initials of Organisations, TV and Film, Sport, Music, Chocolate Bars, and Pot Luck. Each of the teams chose a name: the Secret Seven, the Demmicks, Stephenson’s Rockets, and the very originally named Team Four who, you’ve guessed it, happened to be positioned at the fourth table! Tracey also distributed sheets with photos of famous people and another containing the real names of well-known people to each team.
Half way through the evening attendees devoured the various pizzas that were delivered at just the right time from 73 and Pizza. These were extremely tasty and went down very well. At the end of the night, only 13 points separated the last and first teams but the winner – drum roll please – was Team 4. Each member of the team was awarded, appropriately, a large tube of Smarties.
Organising 80 quiz questions, finding, sorting and printing photos of well-known people and names to solve is no mean feat. Tracey, who also did a sterling job as quizmaster, was thanked warmly by attendees and received flowers and chocolates from Kay. Diane, who had arranged the evening, also received the same tokens of gratitude. Our sincere thanks must go to Margaret and Ann from the Tennis Club, who acted as bar tenders. MADYSS gave each a Poinsettia plant as a thank you for providing an excellent drinks service to the participants.

Quiz participants awaiting questions from Tracey (positioned near the curtain) Team 4 winners, front right (minus one member)

Afternoon Tea, Sutton Hall, Sutton - Tuesday 22 October
Twenty-five members gathered at the Hall on a lovely and sunny autumn day to tuck into a sumptuous afternoon tea. Tea and coffee were served at each table and some members also obtained cold drinks from the bar.
We sat at four tables and eagerly awaited the delivery of the three-tiered cake stands. We were not disappointed: a variety of white and brown finger sandwiches formed the bottom tier. These included chicken, smoked salmon, ham and egg.
Separately, our waitress delivered warm spicy cocktail sausages and a tray with slices of sausage roll to each table. Adorning the middle tier was an array of cakes. Brownie bites, carrot cake, and lemon drizzle cake were all available to tempt us, with a meringue, cream and raspberry centre piece.
Of course, no afternoon tea would be complete without scones, jam and clotted cream, which crowned each tier. It would be surprising if any attendees felt they needed an evening meal afterwards! Our thanks go to Anne Swindell for arranging the outing and to Sutton Hall for providing the delicious spread.

Smiling faces pause before consuming the afternoon tea delights

Blackpool Zoo Coach Trip - Monday 16 September - Tina Yearsley
We struck lucky with the weather on Monday, 16th September. It was sunny but not too hot. With kids back at school it was nice and quiet, so no jostling to see the animals.
I love Blackpool Zoo, lots to see, but much smaller than Chester Zoo, so easier to get around. As usual, MADYSS members split up into smaller groups. I really enjoy these trips, when you mooch around, bumping into friends.
The zoo is designed particularly well, so you can watch the giraffes feeding from above, and also have a great view of the elephant base camp.
The guide introduced us to certain animals by name, not only giving us information about each species but also personal habits and traits. The huge silverback gorilla for instance doesn't like getting his feet wet. So, he makes slippers out of the straw bedding, ingenious!
You could follow the guide giving talks or do your own thing. I particularly loved the otters’ antics, especially at feeding time.
We had fun watching the ring-tailed lemurs sunning themselves. You actually walk in a compound with them, rather than viewing them in a cage behind bars. I did have to be very careful taking photos as some were a bit X rated, as Kay can testify.
The two mother Orangutans with babies were absolutely delightful, and the tapirs having a swim were entertaining too.
Back to the cafe for an ice cream in the sun, then to the shop, buying cute soft toys for the kids, grandkids or just ourselves as a lovely reminder of a terrific day out.

Giraffe Orangutan mother and baby Ring-tailed Lemure

Avro Heritage Museum, Woodford - Tuesday 20 August and Tuesday 27 August - Jim Groggren
This trip was very popular with MADYSS members and friends, meaning that we had to split the outing over two days. There were 13 attendees on Tuesday, 20 August and 16 went on the following Tuesday, 27 August. I think that most people found it very interesting, even those without a keen interest in aviation history.
There was a great deal of information on display, far too much to take in given that most of our time was taken up with the very interesting tour, which was led by our guide, Roger.
In the first part of the tour, we were escorted into a replica cockpit of a Lancaster Bomber, and also into the cockpit of a Vulcan Bomber, where the knowledgeable guides explained the duties of the various members of the air crews. We were also given the chance to operate an actual Nimrod Tactical Navigation System and simulate launching sonar buoys to locate enemy submarines. Apparently, this system was accurate enough to detect an empty beer keg in 400 square miles of ocean.
The second part of the tour was a chronological exposition on the history of aviation technology, beginning with the Wright Brothers and quickly moving on to A.V. Roe building his first gliders in 1907. The talk proceeded through early aviation, WW1, the inter-war years, and WW2.
The talk finished with two of the final missions of the AVRO Lancashire bomber. The first was Operation Manna, where food and supplies were air dropped to help alleviate the suffering of the Dutch in the German occupied Netherlands. The second was the repatriation of British prisoners of war, and we learned that this included our guide’s father.
Following the museum visit we all made our way to the nearby Aviator pub where we had a very nice lunch (even if they ran out of white bread for John’s ham sandwich!).
Our thanks go to Anne Swindell for organising both tour dates and for arranging the lunches at The Aviator pub afterwards.

Some of the numerous exhibits and displays A Vulcan Bomber (with Monica to show scale) Roger explaining the history of aviation

Fryers Garden Centre and Gauntlet Birds of Prey, Knutsford - Tuesday, 16 July
On 16 July, 12 members enjoyed chatting over lunch at Fryers Garden Centre. Three tables were grouped together for us at the rear of the restaurant and Anne had helpfully made name cards with our food choices in case we couldn’t remember what we’d ordered weeks ago!
A short walk next door brought us to Gauntlet Birds of Prey; Sheila and Geoff Blamire who live close by joined us here. During the private display in the field behind the aviary cages, the falconers showed several birds of prey. Sam, the presenter, gave us lots of detail and data for the different birds. It was rather too much to take in, and as Gauntlet Birds of Prey is on the Manchester airport flight path, he was often drowned out by planes that had just taken off!
First, we were introduced to Gibson, the barn owl. We learned that the barn owl is also called the ghost owl as it flies silently so prey doesn’t hear the bird approach to attack. The owl’s 50% success rate at catching prey is very high. Then we met Kevin, a Seriema bird who likes to stroll around not fly, and is an expert snake killer.
Other birds that were brought out included the Secretary Bird, black and while cranes and a white-headed vulture. Sam informed us that two common terms: 1) wrap you around my little finger and 2) under the thumb are derived from falconry. The leash is used for 1) and jesses for 2). Many thanks to Anne for arranging an informative outing and to Geoff for the bird photographs.

Gibson the Barn Owl Kevin the Seriema bird with snake (rubber!)

Llandudno Coach Trip - Monday 24 June - Tina Yearsley
Once again, the sun shone brightly in Llandudno. As the coach dropped us off near the seafront, the group dispersed in different directions. A few of us headed straight to the tram station to be taken up to the Great Orme. We enjoyed lunch taking in the spectacular views.
My friend Susan and I were feeling adventurous, so we took a return cable car journey down to Happy Valley. The stone circle, gardens, waterfall and Alice in Wonderland sculptures were indeed a joy.
We surveyed the vista knowing that all MADYSS members were there, eating fish and chips, out on boat rides, engaging in a spot of retail therapy, perusing the pier, enjoying the prom and taking in the many delights Llandudno has to offer.

Glorious weather for the glorious view from Great Orme Cable car down to Happy Valley Welsh dragon illustration by Tina, our Artist in Residence

Reports on Events in 2025
Reports on Events in 2024      Reports on Events in 2023      Reports on Events in 2022
Reports on Events in 2021      Reports on Events in 2020      Reports on Events in 2019
Reports on Events in 2018      Reports on Events in 2017      Reports on Events in 2016