Chris Knight

Chris Knight talks are factual yet fun, drawing the audience into his world. The outgoing personality of Chris Knight shines as he leads you through his life; from the austerity, ration filled post war years when he was written off by the education system. His drive and personal endeavour have taken him to where he is today both professionally and in leisure activities.

Chris was born at Burton on Trent and he grew up in Swadlincote and attended the Pingle School. He was part of a close knit family, with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all living a couple of hundred yards away from each other and sharing family holidays.

From an early age he enjoyed music and the theatre and this love remains today, with visits whenever possible to both local theatre groups and to the West End in London. Chris has been a member of a well known panto company in Burton for the last fifteen years.

Favourite roles are panto dame especially one of the ugly sisters, Widow Twankey, all with BASE at The Brewhouse in Burton-on-Trent. He has performed with groups since 1972 and played in semi-pro show both with Roy Hudd in 1998 and Don MacLean in 1999. “In 2006 I was asked to speak for a WI and the rest is history, and I now offer three talks ‘My Olympic Dream’, ‘Music Hall to Variety Theatre’ and ‘Auntie the Wars Over’.

2012 was a very exciting year for Chris as he has compared Newlands House Fete (Leonard Cheshire Disability) where he has been involved for the last 46 years. He then took part in the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games in London; in the Autumn he spoke at a Rotary Conference in Avimore and comparing a Charity Concert for McMillan starring Jean Martyn (BGT).

The Rotary Club of Ashby Castle invited him to join them in 1996 and he had the honour of being their President in Centennial Year of Rotary in 2004-2005. After having completed 3 years as an Assistant Governor 2006-2009, Chris joined the District Conference Committee as Stage Manager, he was also the Conference Manager in Southport for October 2011.

He says his greatest achievement in Rotary was “my own club awarded me a ‘Paul Harris Fellow’ which is the highest award in the world for achievement within Rotary”.