Cheadle has a number of parks and recreation grounds. This is a picture of Abney Hall which has extensive park land to wander around. Also in the grounds is a scout/guide camp and a small business park.

Each year the local scouts hold their Ram Roast in the grounds - a sort of extended garden fete - used to raise funds for the local Beavers/Cubs/Scouts.

Abney Hall has also been host to international scout jamboree camps and in the days it was actually someone's house, Agatha Christie stayed there.

Other parks include, Cheadle Park, which is a small park on Stockport Road, with some recreational facilities for children as well as two tennis courts (poor condition) and two bowling greens; Brookfield, with the swimming pool and leisure centre; and other smaller parks.

Cheadle's main park is Bruntwood with extensive recreational facilities for children. There is also plenty of gardens and park land, a BMX track and Archery club.

If it's tennis you're after, why not visit Brookside Tennis Club on Brookside Close. It's a small friendly club catering for all standards of tennis and always welcoming new members. If you happen to live in the Cheadle/Stockport/Wilmslow area and want to find out more details, please phone me on (0161) 428 9388

Club nights are on Mondays and Wednesdays, plus Saturday afternoons. The season is from April to October and the cost is only £52 per year. Juniors £16.50.

A club tournament is run in June and July. The 2000 Men's Singles Champion was Mr David Grindley. Other american tournaments, barbecues and activities are arranged throughout the season, with additional meetings at the David Lloyd centre during the winter..

As well as playing tennis, for my recreation, I very much enjoy crosswords and puzzles. I love creating new word puzzles and I have put together a booklet, details below. There is also an example of one.

TWENTY puzzles are available in a booklet form for only £5.00 (Five pounds sterling). That is the equivalent of 25p per puzzle! The puzzles cover the following subjects:

Here is an example

OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM

and on that farm he had some....................................

Hidden in the story below are sixteen animals that you may find on a farm, but they are hidden by sound not by spelling - e.g. “...grab it swiftly...” contains “Rabbits”. Remember to fit in with the song they are all plural and some species of animals are used more than once but with different names. How many can you find?

The committee of the Walberswick Housing Association met in Mrs. Peasbody’s front room. I know some like it tense, but tonight’s meeting begins in a very relaxed manner.

The chairman calls the meeting to order and asks the secretary to read the minutes of the previous meeting. Cicely stands up and opens her book. She puts her spectacles on, adjusts them and begins reading the minutes out loud.

When Cicely is nearing the end, now sounding slightly hoarse, Esther interjects and asks why no one has put his or her name down for this year’s annual outing to Duxford Air Museum. At this, Doug Oates, the chairman, slams his hand down on the table in front of him and rises to his feet.

“Perhaps it’s because of last year’s disastrous trip to Hoxne. Remember? It was a very cold day and nearly everyone turned up wearing Ipswich Town scarves, which meant that we were often mistaken for a coach load of football hooligans. Then we had that awful meal of soggy sandwiches served at filthy tables.”

“And we had to sit through that silly film,” Mrs Trumpington chips in.

“Brewster’s Millions wasn’t that bad. I thought it was very funny,” Mr. Barrington recalls.

“And to cap it all,” the chairman continues, “Miss Pinkerton lost her keys and couldn’t get into her house.”

(NOTE: For non-Suffolk people 'Hoxne' is pronounced Hoxen )