Clear out sale – Thornton Community centre
Sarah’s Paper Theatre – Thornton Community Centre
Sarahs Paper Theatre proudly presents a rare performance of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’
An English Toy Theatre play made and hand coloured from Victorian printed sheets, a charming atmospheric delight for the senses. It is a happy tale of how Jack rescues the fairies from the giant’s castle by climbing a beanstalk grown from magic beans.   Â
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, exhibitions and talks.
Show 25 minutes. Suitable for aged 8 years +
The evening will also feature a brief introduction to Victorian toy theatre before the show with a Q and A and a look behind the scenes after the show. Theatre style seating in rows, limited to maximum 30 tickets.
The performance date is Friday 30th January 2026 in the Meeting Room in the Community Centre, Thornton
Doors open 6.30pm for a 7pm start to the evening.
Tickets are available from Sarah via email: sarahspapertheatre@gmail.com £7.00 each
Featured in ‘Homes and Antiques’ magazine December 2024
TV – Channel 5 – Rich Lives, Poor Lives – Merry Lees
 Channel 5 series Rich Lives, Poor Lives, presented by Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman follows the stories of rich and poor through historical events/periods.Â
As part of our their new series they are filming an episode on Victorian Railways. Â
Ruth is following the story of working class family the Arguile’s (Argyle’s).
Mary and her husband Peter Arguile lived in the station house at Merry Lees, (Merrylees, Mary Lees) they believe in the 1840’s.Â
It is thought that Mary was in charge of running the station.Â
The production team are asking if anyone in the locality has any more information about the station and or the family etc.
Does the station house still exist?
Are there any members of the Argyle family still living locally?
Does anyone have any other old photographs of the railway?
Below is a copy of the photograph they have discovered of the Station House.
RCHS Online Media Archive » Railways & Tramroads » London Midland & Scottish Railway Group » Midland Railway » Stations & Infrastructure » Leicester to Burton-on-Trent & branches » Merrylees Original Station.1954 (KSL @ 106m 26ch) (Ref: 030272)Merrylees Original Station.1954 (KSL @ 106m 26ch) (Ref: 030272)
Collection: Spence (Jeoffry) ROMA ID:Â 030272E Â
Taken from Wikipedia : –
Merry Lees was a railway station on the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line in Leicestershire. It was opened in 1832 and closed in 1871.
The Leicester and Swannington Railway opened the first Merry Lees station on 18 July 1832. The Midland Railway took over the line in 1845 and replaced the station with a second one 150 yards (140 m) to the north on 27 March 1848. The Midland renamed the station Merrylees station some time thereafter, and closed it on 1 March 1871. For the entire period from 1832 to 1871 the station was run by a station mistress, Mary Argyle.
If you have any information of relevance/interest – please email Gill at thorntonvillage@aol.com
Bricklayers Arms, Thornton – 9th January
Charnwood Forest Geopark
New Local History Project Begins With Call for Volunteers
Earlier in 2025 we were pleased to fund a new project with the Leicestershire Victoria County History Trust (LVCHT) to undertake historical research introducing the history of the various communities of Charnwood Forest.
When complete, this will be made available online for the public.
This project builds on work undertaken between 2013 and 2017 as part of Charnwood Roots, with volunteers playing a prominent role in bringing records together and researching Charnwood Forest’s history.
For this new project some other historical information will also need to be collected, and that’s where volunteers have a new opportunity to get involved.
In early 2026 LVCHT will begin part of this project in Thornton and Botcheston.
If you’ve always wondered about how these places developed, who lived there and what they did for a living, this is your opportunity to help us find out!
You don’t need to have any experience of history research – although if you do, great!
You will be supported by a qualified historian, and free training will be provided.
Whilst some volunteers may wish to work locally, LVCHT can pay travel expenses for those wanting to explore the archive at the county record office in Wigston.
LVCHT would love to hear from you, so if you would like to find out more about joining them – please contact Dr Susan Kilby at sk565@leicester.ac.uk.
The overall project is being run by Dr Pam Fisher and Dr Susan Kilby at LVCHT.
This project is made possible thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund support provided to the Charnwood Forest Landscape Partnership Scheme that underpins the Geopark.
Who are the Leicestershire Victoria County History Trust?
We are a registered charity (number 1128575) and a company registered in England and Wales (number 6683052).
Our aim is to research and publish the history of every town and village in Leicestershire, from earliest times to the present day.
This is part of a great national project which began towards the end of the reign of Queen Victoria, who accepted the dedication of the history. Since then, over 6,300 parish histories have been produced for places across England, each covering more than 1,000 years of history. Our aim is to ensure Leicestershire is fully represented in this national series.Â
So far, Leicestershire has five of the iconic ‘big red books’, covering general themes in the county’s history, and more detailed accounts of the city and 43 towns and villages in south-east Leicestershire, including Market Harborough and surrounding villages. These were published between 1907 and 1964, and the parish histories can be read online. Leicestershire Victoria County History Trust was formed in 2008 to continue the series. Working with volunteers across the county, we have published paperback histories of Castle Donington, Buckminster and Sewstern, and Ibstock. We have also published online histories of Kirby Bellars, Leire and Welby, and some shorter sections for a number of villages near Leicester.
Leicestershire Victoria County History Trust is reliant on grants and personal donations to fund our work? You can become a Friend of Leicestershire Victoria County History Trust in exchange for an annual donation of at least £20, or join our 200 Club for £50 annually, when you will be entered into a quarterly draw for a cash prize. Terms and conditions can be found on our application forms for the Friends or our 200 Club. Donations can also be made through Paypal.
Bricklayers Arms – Xmas & New Year
The Thornton – Thornton Club – 20th December
Thornton Teas with a Twist (3T’s) – Thornton Community Centre
The bells, the bells ….
Resident of Thornton?
Have you noticed the sound of silence on a Sunday morning lately ?
The reason is a lack of bell ringers at St Peter’s church.
Tower Captain – Eric Roberts is appealing (pardon the pun) for new members to join the team in the New Year.
Anyone over the age of 15 years and under the age of 70 years are capable of being taught to ring the bells.
No strength required.
It is great exercise, and very sociable to be part of an important village team.
Bell ringing practice is at 7.30pm every Monday evening.
Interested? Then please contact Eric Roberts – email : – roberts.eric3@googlemail.com
The role of a Tower Captain typically includes the following responsibilities:
- Leadership: The Tower Captain leads the bell ringing team and is responsible for organising practices and performances.
- Training: They often train new ringers and ensure that all members are competent in ringing techniques.
- Maintenance: The Tower Captain oversees the maintenance of the bells and ringing equipment, ensuring they are in good working order.
- Safeguarding: They have safeguarding responsibilities to ensure a safe environment for all participants, particularly younger or vulnerable members.
- Communication: The Tower Captain acts as a liaison between the ringing team and the church or organisation, communicating schedules and events.
- These responsibilities may vary slightly depending on the specific organisation or church context.
Comedy Night – Thornton Community Centre
They’re back .. following the success of the first Comedy Night at Thornton last October McSmith Events & Comedy Hotspot are proud to present a new act at the Centre on Friday 20th February 2026.
Space is limited so make sure you buy your tickets early – an ideal Christmas present perhaps.
Comedy Hotspot only bring the very best comedians to their shows, and our show at Thornton Community Centre is no exception. A line up of varied styles, who are all hilarious in their own right. Add a wonderful audience to that and it only means one thing, a superb night of live comedy. We will run the evening like a professional comedy club, ensuring we have the best possible atmosphere and conditions for live comedy.
We cannot wait to welcome you to what is going to be a great second Comedy Hotspot Comedy Event.
There will be a licensed bar at the centre.
Proceeds of a raffle will be donated to the Community Centre.
Thornton 