BlueSky Radio

BlueSky Radio

Have you heard of BlueSky Radio?

BlueSky RadioThey are an exciting new commercial radio station for Staffordshire and Cheshire bringing you the very best music that is instantly familiar and gives your day an extra lift.

We at Uttoxeter Gateway Club were delighted to be contacted by Kevin Fernihough, one of their talented presenters, inviting us to take part in a Radio interview to promote our Club. So who better to put in front of the mic but our very own Club Secretary, Catherine, who has never been known to be short of a word or two when it comes to Gateway Club. Follow the link and have a listen to what she and Kevin had to say. – https://blueskyradio.co.uk/category/community-call-out/.

You never know you may learn a thing or two about us and you may discover an new station to tune in to simply ask Alexa to “Play Blue Sky Radio” (first time you may have to ask Alexa to “enable the Blue Sky Radio Skill”) or try their app on your mobile phone from your app store (search for Blueskyradio).

Glorious Chester Zoo Trip 2023

Glorious Chester Zoo Trip 2023

The Gateway Club Chester Zoo Trip 2023

Last Tuesday night’s bingo, whilst a success, was very much overshadowed by the excitement building about the trip to Chester Zoo.

Saturday dawned with the promise of a glorious day. Everyone met at the Tesco bus stop and boarded the coach. Eager smiles of anticipation in abundance and that was just the staff and volunteers. These smiles were clearly outshone by those of our members and chatter of excitement filled the air. The journey wasn’t much quieter.

Chester Zoo provides such pleasure for everyone. From a shy Rhinoceros, to a nosey Meerkat. Pretty Flamingos and swift swimming Penguins, there were so many delightful species of our wonderful animal, bird and insect kingdoms to take in.

Everyone entered into the spirit of the day experiencing the joy of being able to see these beautiful and exotic creatures.

Chester Zoo Trip - Tired after a long dayAll too soon the day was drawing to a close and it was time everyone to climb back on to the bus and head for home. With a reluctant last glance back we were Uttoxeter bound. On the journey home the atmosphere was a little more subdued and for some of our members the day had been particularly exhausting! Would they want to do it again sometime? A resounding yes!

Thank you to all our wonderful Staff, Volunteers and Trustees without whom special days out simply could not happen. Not forgetting our brilliant members whose obvious pleasure from events such as this, makes all the hard work fundraising worthwhile.

Our next adventure will be a Treasure Trail starting at Wilfred House.

Until next time…

Activity Schedule

Triumphant Day at Lark in the Park

Triumphant Day at Lark in the Park

The day dawned with promise, the sun was shining at Lark in the Park 2023.

However, as the clouds rolled in we arrived at Bramshall Park and started to pull our stand together. The team of volunteers helped Pauline and Fay set up as the rain started. Our Guess the Name of the Dog had a front row seat. We also had a celebrity guest in the form of Minnie Mouse, well Stacey dressed up as was good enough.

The rain came and it did put a bit of a damper on the start of the afternoon but before you knew it the sun broke through and the crowds started arriving.

The children certainly warmed to Minnie and she was a real boost in helping our Wheelbarrow Raffle sales. Volunteers, Carys and Andrew, supported Sue out front, persuading people to have a go on the Tombola, and before we knew it the list of names for the dog were growing too.

The day concluded with a delighted gentleman, called Paul, winning the Wheelbarrow Raffle and our lovely dog found a new home and is now called Binx. As the clouds and crowds drifted away, the afternoon drew to a close. Yet another successful Lark in the Park.

Thank you Uttoxeter Lions and a huge thank you to YOU the public for once again being so generous especially during this challenging time of hardship.

Until next time…

 

Amazing Prizes

Amazing Prizes

Amazing Prizes at Lark in the Park

Here is a preview of our candidate for guess the name of the dog for Lark in the Park on Saturday 26th August at Bramshall Park from 1.00pm. Come along and have a go and he could be coming home with you! Or try your luck on our Tombola or win amazing prizes including the contents of the wheelbarrow in our raffle. 

Fingers crossed for good weather.

fingers crossed

 

 

 

We hope to see you at The Uttoxeter Lions ‘Lark in the Park’ on Saturday 26th August starting at 1.00pm. We will be there so why not drop by and check out the wonderful array of goodies in our wheelbarrow raffle and better still buy a ticket or two! Other surprises on our stand are worth a visit too and of course smiles in abundance, after all we are Uttoxeter Gateway Club.

Until next time…

The Barratt Foundation Donates £1500

The Barratt Foundation Donates £1500

The Barratt Foundation has been very generous

Paul and I were delighted to attend on a damp day in August to accept a cheque for £1500.00 at the Barratt Homes new Poppyfield development in Uttoxeter.

Collection the Barrett Foundation donationDonations like this make so much difference to Uttoxeter Gateway Club. Our Club can only operate when we have sufficient funds to run it. The Trustees and Volunteers focus on raising those funds year on year, coming up with new money raising ideas, but donations like the one received today make us smile and it takes the pressure off, for a week or so at least.

Could you help?

For more information about volunteering, becoming a trustee or making a donation

Contact the Club Secretary on 07711 916288 or email: 

Volunteering

Thrilling Night at the Gateway Summer Ball

Thrilling Night at the Gateway Summer Ball

Thrilling Night at the Gateway Summer Ball with DJ Paul Nixon

Whilst another great night was had down at our local, The Steeplechase, catching a quick game of dominoes or cards with our members, the excitement for this week’s thrilling night at the Summer Ball was tangible.

Indeed, the Summer Ball and Disco was an opportunity to celebrate summer! Okay, maybe the sun has been a little absent from our skies compared to last year but that certainly didn’t stop our members from being rays of sunshine at Wilfred House on Tuesday evening.

The music was resonating from the speakers thanks to our resident DJ Paul Nixon, soon toes were tapping and fingers drumming and before you knew it members were on the floor dancing the evening away. Sue, Fay and Pauline knew all the moves and joined in the fun. The volunteers were not to be left out and soon there was laughter and happiness in abundance, who needs sunshine when we have friends to share our time with!

Thrilling Night Lark in the Park 2023Talking of a week or so we hope to see you at The Uttoxeter Lions ‘Lark in the Park’ on Saturday 26th August starting at 1.00pm. We will be there so why not drop by and check out the wonderful array of goodies in our wheelbarrow raffle and better still buy a ticket or two! Other surprises on our stand are worth a visit too and of course smiles in abundance, afterall we are Uttoxeter Gateway Club.

Until next time…

uttoxetergatewayclub

Roaringly Successful Nights

Roaringly Successful Nights

Roaringly Successful Nights at the Club

It has been a busy month for me so we’re playing catch up.

The last two club meetings have been roaringly successful nights.

July 25th – Bowling at Cinebowl

The monthly trip to our local Cinebowl showed a striking result.

Bowling Scores

 

August 1st – Games Night at the Club

The games night has also flagged up that the Uttoxeter Gateway Club members have hidden talents.

Duck watching proved to be a popular sport, along with a string of bullseyes with the Kurling.

The holiday day season is upon us, with one or two members lucky enough to be popping off to warmer countries for a well earned break. Meanwhile, we will be popping off to the local pub next week. Then dust off your dancing shoes for the Summer Ball and Disco the week after.

Until next time…

Gateway Club Barbecue

Gateway Club Barbecue

Uttoxeter Gateway Club Barbecue 2003

As I sit here in the sunshine reflecting on last nights summer Uttoxeter Gateway Club Barbecue, it seems so unfair that the venue needed to be changed at the last minute to somewhere dry! However, you can always rely on Wilfred House providing a dry and safe haven.

Club spirits certainly didn’t seem affected either, with the usual beaming smiles arriving through the doors.

Julia and her family had provided a lovely spread with a little help from Di too. Hot dogs (sausages and a half!), Aberdeen angus steak burgers no less and kebabs were hot favourites on the menu, along with a generous dollop of tomato ketchup and the healthy option of a side salad, our members were swift to devour and were lucky enough to have seconds for some.

Some members were reluctant to stop and smile for the camera, the food was so delicious. All washed down with a welcome can of 7-up or Pepsi Max. But no BBQ would be concluded without a pudding! The rich chocolate gateau was extremely popular and lovely and if that wasn’t to your liking a selection of donuts were on offer too!

In a gesture of our appreciation, Julia was presented with a colourful bouquet of flowers by two of our regular members. The evening continued with a club favourite, an impromptu game of music statues, musical chairs, and finished off with a quick boogie on the dance floor thanks to ‘DJ’ Andrew!

It was a great night and huge thanks to Julia and her family, and Pauline for stepping in to cover for a poorly Sue. Get well soon Sue ! See you all at Cinebowl next week don’t forget it’s £6.

Until next time…

Epic Gateway Grand Adventures on the Isle of Wright 2023

Epic Gateway Grand Adventures on the Isle of Wright 2023

Gateway Grand Adventures – Pirates, Palaces, and Plastic Ducks

For those who have been paying attention to our website news page, Gateway has had a break, but we are back and itching to bring you up to speed on our goings on!

Whilst some of our members had a week’s break, a few of the members and indeed our hard working staff Sue and Di, not forgetting Fay, went gadding off to the Isle of Wight. Travelling down on a coach to catch the ferry across. That was the first adventure for some of the members. A few braved it out on deck and the others looked comfy inside.

The First day was another adventure with pirates this time but they weren’t brandishing swords, they were brandishing golf clubs! Anyone for a round of crazy golf?

This was followed by a journey back in time and a fascinating tour around Osbourne House. It is a former royal residence in East Cowes and it was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer house and rural retreat. The gardens are lovely too if the picture is anything to go by.

The Needles was the next destination on their tour of the Isle and some of our brave members ventured onto the cable car too.

The week was rounded off with a trip to the donkey sanctuary – I can think of one member in particular who would have enjoyed that day for sure.

Take a look at what else the Isle of Wright has to offer at the Visit the Isle of Wright website.

The evenings were eventful with dancing, singing comedy and mime. All that was left was the ringing out voices saying please can we do this again we had a great time. Let’s face it, that’s what we at Gateway want to hear. We are so proud of our members and our Staff who make these magic moments happen. Not forgetting our wonderful supporters whose donations and grants help us make the magic happen.

hook a duckBack on the mainland now and another Gateway evening in our ‘home,’ Wilfred House. Rain stopped the planned events but not to be put off it was clearly weather for ducks. Who knew what fun could be had with fishing rods and a plastic duck or two? Look at the concentration on those faces, this is serious fun. A gateway friend has given us a Hook a Duck game which we tried out and it caused great laughter when we actually managed to hook a duck, it took a bit of practice and a steady hand.

Then we made good use of our new Ghetto Blaster (shout out of thanks to Uttoxeter Town Council for the Sundry Grant which enabled us to buy this for our members to use) and played musical statues and musical chairs, well done to Nat and Ben for winning.

We finished the night with some running around trying to match up 2 halves of cut up cards, the most difficult part of the night seemed to be separating them when we had finished !

Our next adventure will be the family evening at Uttoxeter Racecourse ST14 Residence Race Evening. Thank you to Uttoxeter Racecourse and their lovely lady at reception who saved us valuable time by printing our tickets off in advance. Now our members can move swiftly through the turnstiles and get on with the task of having a good time. Looking forward to reporting back as to how their evening went.

Until next time…

Club Night at Cinebowl

Club Night at Cinebowl

The Cinebowl in Uttoxeter has a magnatism of it’s own

Once again our members are drawn through its doors for their monthly fix of excitement and noise!  They were not disappointed as the scores crept up and strikes rang out to cheers of jubilation.  It once again was clear that their enjoyment of bowling never wains.

 

As prevously mentioned there will be NO CLUB NEXT WEEK as some of our members are of on a Gateway trip to the Isle of Wight.  I am sure there will be a news report on there experience there soon.  In the meantime the rest of us will be taking a break, so see you back at Wilfred House on the 4th July 2023 for a stroll up to the park for a picnic.

Until next time…