Click on title to expand………..Last year’s  chairman, Alan Jolley, has died after a short illness. He was 84 and had been a member for 15 years. His funeral will take place on Friday, November 23 (1.15) at the Vale Royal Crematorium.

At the last meeting of the club Mike  Harrison reported that the Discussion Group’s November subject “Nature or Nurture” attracted  a good attendance and plenty of views. The conclusion , he said, was that criminals  are more likely to be  influenced by their upbringing  and environment than by  their genes. The next meeting of the group will be on Tuesday, December 4. It will be an open meeting with members offering subjects on the night.

The IT meeting which takes place before the fortnightly club meeting , was well attended  as they discussed rechargeable batteries used in  laptops, tablets and phones.The  meetings enable members to pass on tips and suggestions  from their own experience.

John Beaumont was full of praise  for an interesting and enjoyable visit to Roberts Bakery. Most of the process is fully automated with very little  manual intervention.There were even robots  decorating  gingerbreadmen  prior to producing boxes of 45 miniatures for supermarkets.

Scott Martin said that seven members took part in the 5.5 miles walk  from Peover through  the Cheshire countryside to  Peover Hall and back for lunch at The Bells of Peover. Scott thanked Peter Maxwell who had organised the walk.

Richard Fenby infirmed the meeting that on  the social side there would be a visit to Water’s  Mass Spectrometry Plant on February 12.

“The Magic of Swans” was an unlikely subject for an hour long talk but David Cummings has been involved with swans  for 55 years.  His initial interest  came when he was appointed  a Primary  School headmaster , one of whose tasks was being responsible for the swans in the local pond.

David gave many fascinating  details of swans, how they live, what they eat , how they fly hundreds of miles to find food and breed as they pair up with a partner, normally for life.He described his work with schoolchildren including lake clearing and herding swans. He even clarified the origin of “Swan Song” when one of a mating pair is widowed. Colin  Bowman gave the vote of thanks.

The club has opened a new website knutsfordrexprobus.co.uk. The new format will include all the latest activities of the club and some useful information  for any gentleman interested in joining. The club meets on the second and fourth Thursdays (10:00)  of each month at the Mere and Tabley Club.