Thornton residents who regularly walk through the churchyard will have noticed a new addition by the footpath.
There is now a three-seater bench sited half-way along the footpath overlooking the reservoir. A wonderful location to sit a while for quiet contemplation (and to get your breath back if you are walking up the hill!).
Over £800 was raised by resident Gill Tapping from her friends amongst the Ratby Ramblers and the Glenfield U3A, after the death of a dear friend last June, and it was decided that a fitting memorial would be the purchase of a bench which would benefit the community.
Sufficient funds were raised from donations, a quiz night, sales of books and other items, enabling Gill to purchase two commemorative benches. One dedicated to her friend, Sandra Bond, and the other to friends from the Ratby Ramblers and the Glenfield U3A who are no longer with us.
Gill asked for permission for them to be located in Thornton churchyard; this was granted recently, and work was carried out to lay slabs upon which to site one of the benches permanently.
The benches are made from 100% recyclable material and are maintenance free.
Gill continues to fund raise for a proposed ‘Garden of Remembrance’ in the churchyard, and once created the second bench will be sited there. A Ceilidh at the Community centre on Saturday the 11th of March raised another £359 towards this aim and there will be a quiz night with fish and chip supper on the 1st of April.
Shirley, the Churchwarden organises regular working parties at the church on a Saturday morning, to tidy the paths and the grounds – if you would like a bit of gentle exercise then why not come along and join us. The dates are usually announced a few days before hand on the village website – www.thorntonvillage.org
If you are retired or semi-retired and looking to keep active and interested in life, then take a look at the U3A website https://u3asites.org.uk/glenfield/welcome there are 55 activity groups, with something for everyone; a very sociable organisation.
Thornton 