Kingsley Holt Centre Summer Success
- 13 hours ago
- 4 min read
This Saturday, 22nd of August 2026, the Kingsley Holt Centre opened its doors for their summer fun day.
COGNEWS went along to chat with the people involved.
Kingsley Holt Centre formed as a community benefit society to rescue and repurpose the former local Methodist chapel so that it could be retained for community use. The centre is used every week for a wide variety of activities, community café, craft workshops, fitness classes, and fundraising events. They are working towards fully refurbishing the former chapel to secure its use for generations to come. The group can often be seen at events in Cheadle and Kingsley Holt is one of Cheadle's closest neighbours.
The event utilised all the space, inside the centre comprised cakes and hot food in the rear, with a seating area in the old chapel - joined by a number of traditional fundraising activities and stalls. Whilst outdoors, two small marquees offered visitors a curated collection of local crafts and a canopy for entertainment. Visitors could then access the rear sports field where Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, LUOSKO German Shepherd Dog Rescue, The Bubble Man, Bouncy Castles, Face Painting, and more delighted families. The fayre had a warm and friendly atmosphere showcasing local talent, great hospitality, and hopefully raising lots of funds for their building project.
A highlight of many events and fundraising activities is Karen's cakes, and the summer fair was no exception. One of the best ranges of cakes I have ever seen was on offer, and I was delighted to find a tray of 6 huge assorted brownies for a very reasonable price, which made a perfect packable gift for a family member venturing on a touring holiday this week.
I couldn't resist bringing home two slices of Biscoff cheesecake, which the family loved.
I chose to enjoy mine while listening to great live country music at the outdoor event space, while sipping lemonade on a very comfy chair with friendly, happy folk joining in classics like Lucille & The Gambler. For me, it was a perfect summer afternoon.
Discovering Intake Farm
We were delighted to meet Summer & Maria from Ipstones-based Intake Farm, who had brought along a wonderful group of friendly characters: sheep, goats, a Shetland pony, a llama, and my new friend, a beautiful Highland bull calf called Firenze, who was rather too fond of my summer dress, mistaking it twice for a tasty snack. (He's very much forgiven.)
Maria told us about the extraordinary space they have created in the last two years called Intake Farm. It's a therapy space where anyone who needs healing can go along and meet their animals or take part in a wide variety of activities organised by Maria. They support the HAF program for families and help people not only learn to grow their own food but also prepare it for the table.
They had an excellent display table, showcasing many of the activities they have been involved in. Maria told us that each time they host a workshop, she creates an information fact sheet. This acts not only as a helpful guide for learning but also as an excellent aid-memoir to create your own things after the event, a real aid to developing skills and confidence too. She is currently curating her well-used and loved recipes in the same way she told our reporter.
"Maria and Summer's passion for the farm, their activities, and the animals is clear, and their unorthodox, easy approach made me very keen to visit, not only to discover things to share with COG readers but on a personal level too. Look out for their upcoming activities on our activities page in the future." - Lori
Meet Iain, a Kingsley-based woodturner
Iain told us that he took up woodturning during COVID as a hobby, and it's clear he has developed his craft to a very high level, choosing to keep it as a hobby which enables him to offer his creations at a very affordable price. He makes everything in his shed and is based in Kingsley.
Iain has a Facebook page called Made by Iain
Putting a Face to The Name: Kerry from The Felted Piglet
Kerry is responsible for the needle-felt workshops at the centre and hosted a stand at the fayre with her handcrafted characters for sale. Needle-felt is a popular craft that uses special barbed or notched needles to sculpt unspun wool into 2D designs or 3D objects. Repeatedly poking the wool tangles and locks the loose fibres together, making the material firm and compact. It is an easy-to-learn craft for beginners but takes patience to produce complex characters. Look out for upcoming workshops from Kerry in our What's On and Events & Activities sections.
Meet New Business: Painted Treasure Co
Ipstones-based new business owner Lisa specialises in paint-your-own figure kits mainly for children; the range on offer includes vehicles, dinosaurs, under-the-sea, princesses, and Halloween, with other seasons to follow.
The kits come with everything needed for children to create their own little treasures and because Lisa creates her own kits, she's able to adapt to anything her customers might need, so while the kits have a special appeal for younger children, she is able to adapt to other ideas people may have. She can create names and add magnets so that they can be displayed vertically, making them a great gift from the child to a grandparent, etc. They range in price from £2.50 to about £10 for a large set.
Lisa casts all her designs herself; once painted, the kits can be sealed with a coat of PVA to protect them. She recommends acrylic paint because the colours are much more vibrant, but poster paint can be used, although a couple of coats might be needed.
If you'd like to get in touch with Lisa, she's on the usual social channels and also has an Etsy shop - Painted Treasure Co.
We were delighted to see SMDC Mayor Linda Malyon and District & Town Councillor James Abberly enjoying the day. Cheadle Mayor Philip Routledge also went along to support the centre.
Kingsley Holt Centre Summer Success
