News

We are holding a Clear Out Sale on Saturday 1st March 

11 am until 2 pm at Thornton Community Centre, LE67 1AH 

It’s an opportunity to find new treasures and gifts at bargain prices.  There will be two rooms full of a huge variety of items for sale.  

Bacon and sausage baps, and hot drinks will be available

It’s also a chance to meet up with friends.

What’s not to like!!  Do hope that you can come along. 

Entrance is 50p for everyone over 14.

Last year the church was placed on the Heritage at Risk register due to internal cracking of the walls.  The Historic Churches Support Officer has requested that we monitor these.  Hopefully it will be shown that these cracks are not a problem.  The building is between 700 and 800 years old after all. 

This event is being run by the Friends of St Peter’s fundraising group, raising money for St Peter’s Church, Thornton.  We are currently raising funds to help repair a roof gully and for some internal plaster works.  There is also some work to be carried out in the churchyard which involves moving a bank of soil.  

For information about the church visit http://www.j22churches.org.uk

Shirley Garlick

Wednesday 5^th February 2 to 4 pm

Our next afternoon is this Wednesday 5^th February.

Please do come and join us for a happy afternoon at Thornton Community Centre, LE67 1AH. 

Everyone is welcome, including well behaved dogs on leads, to drop in at any time and stay for as long as you like.   Just come along and see what we are all about.

Cake, tea & coffee and time to chat.  Games, puzzles and books (to borrow too).  No charge.

Please do let us know if you need a lift.  Email shirley.garlick19@btinternet.com

Hope to see you.

The rural hub offering advice on finances, well being,  health, family, schooling or just for a good chat will visit us this time.

 

Thank you Thornton Nurseries!

Thornton ladies luncheon group met at their cafe for a light lunch and natter last Monday.

If you haven’t visited yet, do go.

As well as being stocked with a variety of very well-nurtured, really good plants and shrubs, the cafe is excellent.

I have visited the cafe with two different groups of people in the last 2 weeks.  On each occasion we have been made most welcome and the accompanying dogs feel very at home mingling with the nurseries 3 dogs. Thank you.

The two different homemade soups, and the sausage and bacon baps, cooked as needed, were all delicious, really tasty and the hot chocolate is the best for miles around. Oh and don’t forget the cakes!

Excellent hosts. Thank you from us all.

We will be back.

Shirley G

Thornton luncheon & book club

Dust off your “blue suede shoes”, break out of your “jailhouse rock” for “one night” here at the Bricklayers Arms.
“It’s now or never” to come and “rock a hula” with us.
You won’t have “suspicious minds” at this “heartbreak hotel”. Enjoy a night of “burning love” where “you’ll never walk alone” in “the promised land”

Groby players next production will be performed in the Village Hall, Groby on March13th/14th/15th 2025.

The play is a comedy  entitled ‘The fall and rise of Gordon Grimshaw  by Sandy Truman.

Mr and Mrs Grimshaw have retired to the seaside in a bungalow, for a quieter life, but they are soon in the drawn into the colourful lives of their neighbours, and have to deal with a used car salesman and his amorous wife, excercise enthusiasts, obstructive sisters, seagulls and thats not all……

Tickets priced £8 will be available by email grobyplayers@yahoo.com  or message on our FB page

Or Tel 0116 2877373 . Tel/text 07790861033

Also in Groby Library from February 8th every Saturday morning  10am-12

Cafe style seating, BYO refreshments 

Happy New Year to you all.

I think we will have a working party this Saturday, from 10 am to 12 md,  but to just collect up fallen branches etc. and rake up the leaves on the public path to try and make things look a bit tidy after all the storms.

If you are able to join us that would be great even if it’s only for 30 mins or so. 

Please wear stout shoes and gloves and bring anything you might find useful – and a drink.   Oh, and wrap up warm!!!

I will sort out future dates for the year shortly.

Shirley G

Saturday 1st March ~ 11 am until 2 pm

The Friends of St Peter’s Church, Thornton are holding another Clear Out Sale on 1st March at Thornton Community Centre, LE67 1AH.

Its an excellent opportunity to come and make some money selling those bits and pieces you once loved but now need new homes for, or gifts for which you have no further need.

To book a table, 6Foot for £5 payable on the day) contact Shirley via email churchwarden.thornton @gmail.com or phone4 01530 230 422. 

Pleased don’t wait; book as soon as possible! 

Alternatively, come along on the day and pick up a bargain.  50p to enter.  Enjoy games, sausage and bacon cobs, hot drinks and much more.

See you there!

The Friends of St Peter’s fundraising group

Martin Foster, who has been organist at St Peter’s Church, Thornton, since1979, retired at the end of December 2024, carrying out his last service on Sunday 22nd December.  He had previously retired in March 2010 but continued to play for church services, weddings and funerals as no one had come forward to take over.  Now in his 90s, Martin feels it is time to stop playing for church services. 

On 22nd December, Martin played and sang along to the 4 hymns he had chosen for the occasion, hymns that all held particular significance to him.  The church was filled with people wanting to be part of this momentous occasion.  At the end of the service Martin spoke a few words, and was presented with gifts from church and Thornton village people. It was a happy celebration of Martin’s years of service as organist and his gift for music.

Martin grew up in Thornton in the 1930’s and even then music featured largely in his life. At an early age he was raising funds for WW2 troops with his music at the Working Men’s Club.  He told us that at age 15 he was organist at Holy Rood Bagworth with the then vicar’s wife as choir mistress.

He has held various appointments at school and college, and at the churches of Ratby and Glenfield.

Martin played for a service at Thornton for the first time on 13th October 1968.  When organist Miss Seal died in 1979, he became St Peter’s permanent organist.

He says he has lost count of the many church services, weddings and funerals for which he’s played.  Through music he has also raised funds for The Friends of St Peter’s and for the restoration and preservation of the organ, “a fine mid-Victorian instrument”, for posterity.

Martin, you will be so greatly missed as our organist, though I know we will continue to see you worshipping at our services. 

We all thank you so very much for all the wonderful music you have provided for so many people in so many settings over the years.  

If you are at all interested or know someone who might be interested in playing the ‘Grand Old Lady’ as Martin describes our organ, please do get in touch.  

These precious organ keys need to be played.

Shirley G

Happy New Year St Peter’s and Friends

It’s the first Sunday of the month, 5^th January, so, as usual, its C𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 – 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 Centre.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟵-𝟭𝟬𝗮𝗺.

Come and enjoy a hot breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, beans and mushrooms or a continental option. Your choice. All washed down with copious amounts of cafetière coffee or tea, and fruit juice with toast and trimmings. No charge at all and no ‘catch’!

Activities available for all ages or just come and chat and listen to the music whilst you tuck in.

Followed by our breakfast church from 10.15.

This week we are celebrating the first Sunday of Epiphany when the Magi brought gifts to celebrate the birth of Jesus and we’re going to be looking at ‘hope’.

Hope to see you there. 

Do take care in the ice and possible snow.

Shirley  

Wednesday 8th January 2 to 4 pm

Our next afternoon is Wednesday 8th January – the first of 2025..

Please do come and join us for a happy, warm afternoon at Thornton Community Centre, LE67 1AH.

Everyone is welcome, including well behaved dogs on leads, to drop in at any time and stay for as long as you like. Just come along and see what we are all about.

Cake, tea & coffee and time to chat. Games, puzzles and books (to borrow too). No charge.

Please do let us know if you need a lift. Email shirley.garlick19@btinternet.com

Hope you can join us.