Thornton Community centre AGM
Thornton, transitions from spring to summer with plenty of excitement this year.
Thornton, transitions from spring to summer with plenty of excitement this year. Several events are scheduled at the Community Centre beginning at the end of May and continuing through June, offering something for everyone to enjoy.
On Friday 29th May the Community centre will host 2 performances by Sarah’s Paper theatre, of the Golden Goose , a light hearted adventure with a happy ending, suitable for all ages. Entry for adults £5 and £2 for children.
A brief respite before the Markfield and Thornton theatre group presents a stage adaptation of the Vicar of Dibley, by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter based on the original tv series written by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew. Produced by Tiger Aspect Productions. A beloved British comedy; the plot centres around Geraldine Granger, a lively and unconventional vicar who surprises the sleepy village of Dibley by taking over—despite the parish council expecting a male vicar. Much of the comedy stems from Geraldine’s encounters with the eccentric locals and the humorous clash between her progressive views and their traditional ways. The play runs from Wednesday 10th to the 13th June. Tickets £8.
Sunday the 21st June sees the return of the beloved biennial Open Gardens. A number of gardens will be open between 1pm and 6pm. There will be refreshments, stalls and other attractions around the village, a plant sale, and cream teas available at the Community Centre. Admission is by programme, available at various locations around the village. Programme £5. Organised by Friends of St Peter as a fund raiser for the maintenance of the church.
On the following Friday evening, the 26th June, Govannen, one of the UK’s leading folk groups, return to Thornton for another magical evening of Celtic music at its best. There will be a licensed bar provided by McSmith Events. Tickets £20. Raising funds for a new heating system at Thornton Community centre.
The month concludes with the first of what is hoped to become an annual two day artisan festival at the Community centre. The centre is open from midday to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday 27th and the 28th June, The main hall will feature artwork and photography, whilst the sports hall features crafters and makers, and childrens’ crafts. Outdoors there will be food stalls, a bar, and live music. Donations welcome. Raising funds for a new heating system at the Centre.
More information on www.thorntonvillage.org
Sarah’s Paper Theatre – Thornton Community centre
Following the success of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ in January this year, Sarah’s Paper Theatre returns for Half Term, proudly presenting 2 performances of ‘The Golden Goose’.
A light-hearted, fun and colourful adaptation of this classic fairytale with live storytelling and atmospheric lighting and sound effects.
‘The Golden Goose’
Friday 29th May 2pm and 3pm
Thornton Community Centre Meeting room (Max 30 per show)
25 minutes show, suitable for all ages
Adults £5, Children £2
Entry on the door or to secure your place please book in advance via sarahspapertheatre@gmail.com
Includes a FREE paper Goose character for children
Sarah is among a handful of paper & toy theatre maker-performers in the UK, a specialist of the craft with a repertoire of handmade shows based on short stories and fairy tales performing at a wide range of UK venues as well as international festivals.
https://sarahspapertheatre.co.uk/
Available for paper theatre workshops, demonstrations and talks.
Markfield & Thornton Theatre Group
Proudly present …..
Tiger Aspect Production presents an amateur stage adaptation of the beloved British sitcom, The Vicar of Dibley.
🎭 What’s the play about?
The plot centres around Geraldine Granger, a lively and unconventional vicar who surprises the sleepy village of Dibley by taking over—despite the parish council expecting a male vicar. Much of the comedy stems from Geraldine’s encounters with the eccentric locals and the humorous clash between her progressive views and their traditional ways. The script usually incorporates key moments from the TV show, such as:
- Geraldine’s arrival in Dibley
- Parish council meetings filled with quirky personalities
- Alice and Hugo’s budding romance
- Their famously chaotic wedding
✍️ Playwrights
The adaptation for the stage was written by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter, drawing inspiration from Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer’s original sitcom.
🌟 Main characters featured
- Geraldine Granger (the vicar)
- David Horton (the pompous council chairman)
- Alice Tinker (the lovable but scatterbrained verger)
- Hugo Horton (David’s timid son)
- Jim Trott (“No, no, no, no… yes!”)
- Owen Newitt (straightforward farmer)
- Frank Pickle (fastidious minute-taker)
🎬 Comedy style
This light-hearted production delivers feel-good British humour, often with rapid set changes between the parish hall and vicarage. It preserves the famous jokes and inviting warmth of the television series.
MTTG production features some new faces, alongside our regular performers.
For tickets, priced at £8 each, email us at mttg.theatre@gmail.com or ring Anne on 01530 469714 / 07450 137182
Thornton Primary School
Raising Funds for Thornton Primary School
Can you help the Friends of Thornton Primary School achieve their goal to raise £1000 to purchase new books.
St Peter’s Church, Thornton.
Can you help? Do you have a few spare hours in the week or the month? Then please read on.
Our ancient and beautiful church has an important place in the life of the village.
Maybe you enjoy a walk that takes you through the church grounds seeing the snowdrops,
beautiful trees including the copper beech, spotting the squirrels or hearing the
woodpecker.
Maybe it’s visiting the church for some solitude or quiet prayer.
Enjoying one of the church services.
Or maybe it’s the amazing heritage and history of the building.
Or even just the reassurance that it gives.
There is no doubt that this church is valued by many villagers.
This is our problem: the team ‘looking after’ the church is small in number, aging and needs help.
And it does need a lot of ‘looking after’.
From cleaning, gardening, odd jobs to fund raising for repairs.
We would be so very grateful if you could help in one of the many ways.
And you do not need to be a church attendee, just someone who is interested and wants to help this church building and its grounds survive for future generations to enjoy.
This is where we need help:
Cleaning – could you give a couple of hours every 3 weeks or so to help us clean the
church?
Church yard maintenance – We try to meet monthly on a Saturday morning for 2 hours to look after the churchyard. Odd jobs that need doing from time to time.
Fund raising – The happy band of people that make up the Friends of St Peter’s has been
raising money for the church building since 1995. But now we really need folk with
energy and enthusiasm to help raise the funds to keep this grade 1 listed heritage
building from crumbling.
Money is always needed. If it’s not the roof, it’s the stonework or the plaster work or the bees or death watch beetle, or mildew or …
There are always things that need doing in and outside this building which we all care
about.
If you are interested in finding out more, please do contact: –
shirley.garlick19@btinterent.com or phone 07925170803.
Thornton & Bagworth Parish council
Markfield and Thornton theatre group (MTTG)
Markfield and Thornton Theatre Group (MTTG) is based at Thornton Community Centre .
We welcome new members. We meet every Wednesday 7:30 – 10 pm at Thornton Community centre.
Our next production is “The Vicar of Dibley “on 10th to 13th June 2026.
Contact: MTTG. Theatre@gmail.com.
The theatre group are currently taking part in the all England 1 Act Play Festival.
They finished 3rd in the quarter finals this week and qualified for the Central Area semi final in May.
Paul Hurst and Wayne Roberts were nominated for best male performance and Wayne won.
Charlotte Parish and Katie Wells were nominated for best female performance.
The group received the adjudicator’s award for the best choreography sequence.
Why not pop along on a Wednesday evening and meet the ‘players’.
Annual Parish Meeting – Thornton Community Centre
Thornton 