Tag: news

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Govannen – they’re back ..

By popular demand Govannen are back in Thornton in June 2026.

They will be playing at Thornton Community Centre on Friday 26th June as part of a big fund-raising weekend for the Centre.

Space is limited at the Centre, so to avoid disappointment – email thorntonvillage@aol.com to reserve your tickets now.

Looking for the perfect Christmas present? Why not treat your loved ones to tickets and give them something to look forward to in the summer.

Thanks to local residents – McSmith Events – we are now able to offer a licensed bar for Centre events.

Who are Govannen?

Govannen – are one of the best Celtic music bands in the UK, blending jigs & reels with traditional & contemporary Irish songs. They celebrated 30 years together in 2024.

Concerts – a Govannen concert is a special mix of traditional & contemporary music & songs, delivered with good humour.

Ceilidhs & Barn Dances – Govannen are the perfect choice for ceilidhs and barn dances for weddings, functions and parties, where the emphasis is on fun.

Albums – Ranging from atmospheric Celtic chill-out music to live pub recordings, Govannen have sold over 10,000 albums worldwide. Two of their albums have won awards in the USA.
“Govannen play with passion, artistry and an easy going good humour, each in good measure for a night to remember” – Time Out

Govannen –
Dan Britton – vocals, guitar, bodhran
Adele McMahon – violin, vocals
Chris Conway – keyboards, Irish whistles, vocals
Roger Wilson – violin, vocals
Neil Rabjohn – percussion, vocals.
+
Ray Jane – dance caller, flute, tin whistle

This will be their fourth visit to Thornton – the band loves playing here, and always receive a very warm welcome. They are delighted to be instrumental in helping to raise much needed funds for the centre.

The next major works is the replacement of the 52 year old central heating system in the Main Hall, the old pipework has begun to spring leaks under the main hall wooden floor – big money required!

Thornton Artisan Festival – Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June 2026

Preparations are being made to follow the Friday evening event with the first Thornton Artisan Festival, hopefully to become an annual event to replace the old Thornton Carnival.

The Thornton Artisan Festival 2026 will be a two-day community celebration (12 midday to 5pm) showcasing the best of local creativity across art, photography, sculpture, craft, and food; with a strong emphasis on local artists, crafters and food producers; interspersed with entertainment for all.

If you have any ideas or would like to be involved please contact us on … thorntonartisan@gmail.com

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Exciting new venture at Thornton Community Centre

Thornton Community Centre Comedy Night – 11th October

Four local residents have approached the trustees at the Centre with exciting plans to bring regular comedy nights to Thornton.

The first Comedy Night will be on Saturday 11th October 2025 with four stand up comedians, Philip Simon, James Ellis, Charmian Hughes and Gavin Webster.

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 Comedy Hotspot Comedy Event.

There will be a licensed bar at the centre. A raffle – prizes include a £60 voucher for the Coach and Horses Inn, Markfield, table for 10 at Bistro Live and a hamper from Everards Beer Hall.

A portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the Centre towards the maintenance of the Centre

To purchase tickets follow this link : –

https://www.jokepit.com/comedy-in/leicester/thornton-community-centre-comedy-night/43064

Age Restrictions:
18+

Venue opens at:
7:00pm

Venue closes at:
10:45pm

Wheelchair accessible

Travel & Parking:
Plenty of on site parking

Other Information:

Unreserved Seating – Late comers will have to sit in the empty seats remaining, irrespective of their location. All audience members will be required to sit in the designated seating area. You are buying a ticket for the show, and not to see a specific act. Refunds are not given because of line up changes. 

For more information on the acts please see the links below.

https://www.philipsimon.co.uk/

https://jameselliscomedy.co.uk/

https://charmianhughes.co.uk/

https://gavinwebster.co.uk/

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St Peter’s – church news and notices.

It’s the first Sunday of the month, 6th July and so, as usual, it is the …. C𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 – 

𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲.  

Breakfast, (full English, Continental or both) is served from 9 to 10 am, with activities for everyone. 

This is followed by our breakfast church service from 10.15. 

Everyone is welcome. 

There is no charge for the breakfast, though donations are welcome.

This week’s service will look at St Peter, to whom our church in Thornton is dedicated, and whose ‘feast day’ was at the end of June.  The service is being led by Pauline. 

We have a couple of other notifications for you:

The funeral of our dear friend, Phil Reader, will be held in St Peter’s at 2.30pm on Thursday 24th July.

This will be a celebration of Phil’s life and the family have asked that people dress accordingly – in colourful, rather than sombre, clothes.

A forward notice, too, for Sunday 13th July – we have visiting preacher Jacob Hussain  joining us on for our J22 service!!

Exciting! Spread the Word!

Back to this weekend and we do hope you are able to join us this Sunday at the Community Centre!

Best Wishes,

Lis

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Thornton Community Centre Chairperson’s Report 2024/5

Welcome to this year’s AGM.

I’d like to start by looking at our achievements throughout the year.

Achievements:

Sports Hall Kitchen and Toilets Upgrade:

The work was contracted to TLB Construction Ltd and what an excellent job they’ve done. In addition to the existing disabled toilet, we now have two unisex toilets complete with wash hand basins and dryers, and a modern fully fitted and functional kitchen. These added facilities will hopefully make the premises more attractive to potential hirers and feedback from users and members of the public is very positive.

Sports Hall Replacement Acoustic Panels and Re-decoration:

The existing acoustic panels in the Sports Hall have been replaced by up-to-date panels installed by Sound Reduction Systems.

TLB Construction did an excellent job of taking down the existing roof and wall soundproofing and re-installing a flat ceiling prior to the new panels being fitted.

An excellent job also by Dave Goodburn, our local painter and decorator who finished the project by painting the hall throughout.

Our thanks go to Gill Tapping who project managed the whole process and kept everything running smoothly.

Main Entrance Front Door Replacement:

After many years we finally said ‘Goodbye’ to the old doors which had become shabby, slightly damaged and had a problem with the locking mechanism. Again, Gill project managed this in conjunction with TLB Construction Limited who organised the work through a qualified double glazing company.

Future Projects:

  • To provide decking at the rear of the hall – although plans were submitted to Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Planning Department in 2023 this is currently on hold due to insufficient funds at this time.
  • To extend the existing car parking – plans have been submitted for this too but, as the estimated cost is prohibited given our funds, will not go ahead for the foreseeable future
  • To replace existing chairs and trolleys in the main store room.

Challenges:

Currently, as we don’t have funds to take on the above and/or any other projects, our focus need to be on applying for available grants, promoting the Centre as a multi-purpose venue, e.g. wedding, parties, business use etc. so we all need to work towards those ends.

Finances:

Our finances have been excellently managed throughout the year by our Treasurer, Tadeusz Dobrowolski, allowing us to continue to maintain the fabric of the building and to make purchases to improve facilities for its users. Despite the financial support given by grant from the Parish Council for 2025 remaining at the same allowance as the previous year this will continue to reduce by £1,000 per year so we need to be self-sufficient and financially supported by 2030. Our thanks go to Andy for his diligence in questioning our energy contracts and sourcing the most financially beneficial deals.

Bookings

Our on-line Hallmaster booking system is regularly used by hirers and administered by Kate Sketchley who continues to do a fantastic job following up bookings and addressing queries, plus organising Trustees for opening and closing the Centre for hirers (including taking many of these on herself).

Our local websites – Thorntonvillage.com and Facebook – are managed and regularly updated by Gill Tapping and Amy Bakewell thus providing us with new opportunities to advertise the Centre’s facilities and events.

Our thanks go to all three mentioned for their commitment, help and enthusiasm in promoting the Centre.

Health and Safety

Weekly checks continue to be done on fire alarm points and monthly checks on emergency exits and lighting.

Annual PAT testing on all relevant electrical appliances has been completed.

Annual gas safety testing has been completed throughout the Centre.

In conclusion:

Finally, I would also like to thank the following:

  • all the trustees for their continued support;
  • Gill Tapping – project management and applying for and obtaining a number of grants throughout the year;
  • Alex Docherty of Sound Reduction Systems – Sports Hall sound proofing; 
  • Dave Goodburn, Painter and Decorator;
  • Tim TLB Construction Ltd.;
  • Jon Loseby of Losby Lectrics – statutory and ad hoc electrical testing;
  • Tom Orme of Charnwood Heating Services – statutory gas testing, plumbing tests, plus ad hoc repairs.

Mary Gibson,

Chair of Trustees.

22nd May 2025

New Chairperson and Vice Chair Thornton Community Centre

At the AGM, Mary Gibson stood down as ‘Chair’ after a 5 year term of office.

The trustees thanked her profusely for presiding over the many improvements at the Centre especially post Covid and for all her hard work in overseeing the day to day running of the Centre.

At the AGM Dan Smith was elected as the new Chair, and Delia Geary the Vice Chair, of the Community Centre Trustees – we wish them well in continuing to oversee all the improvements, renovations and repair work and day to day running at the centre.

Although most of the work has been completed there is still more to be done.

Urgently required are fund raising ideas for the centre – we need to replenish our depleted reserves to get the decking and car park extension built, the kitchen/toilet flooring replaced and new tables and chairs and trolleys purchased. COULD YOU HELP TO SECURE THE FUTURE OF THIS WONDERFUL VILLAGE RESOURCE? – Then please contact the trustees – thorntonvillage@aol.com

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Markfield History Society

MARKFIELD LOCAL HISTORY GROUP – 2025 PROGRAMME

FROM JULY

Tuesday 22nd July                VILLAGE WALK   ***meet on The Green (opposite the Methodist Church) from 7.15PM for a 7.30PM start ***

Join us for a walk of discovery, looking at the history of Markfield.  This will again be part of the Festival of Archaeology. 

We will explore part of the old village, encompassing the lower and upper Green, lower Main Steet, Forest Road and Queen Street. Providing a glimpse into village life in times past, we will pick out notable older buildings, together with more recent changes and the expansion of housing over the years.

There is no charge for the walk which will last for approx. 1 hour – all are very welcome.

Tuesday 16th September    MAINTAINING AND REPAIRING BRITAIN’S HISTORIC BUILDINGS DAVID SLEIGHT

Find out how Britain’s historic buildings and monuments are protected and repaired as part of our heritage, to protect them for future generations to enjoy and cherish.

David worked for English Heritage for many years and now has his own building conservation business.

Tuesday 18th Nov                HISTORY OF MARKFIELD QUARRIES                                COLIN SHARPE

Granite has been quarried locally at least as far back as Roman times and has shaped the landscape. Commercial quarrying started at Hill Hole in the 1850s and at Cliffe Hill in the 1870s, employing many people. Some innovations made the national and international news.

Colin is a member of our history group and will tell us about the history of the quarries in Markfield and the surrounding area.

Annual membership is currently £8 for individuals and £14 for couples/ families. This includes all the talks during the year, so no extra to pay.  Non-members are asked to pay £3 on the door at each talk.  Please note these fees are subject to change at the AGM in January.

All meetings are at Markfield Methodist Church, Main Street (Opposite The Green) at 7.30 unless otherwise stated.

Website – www.markfieldhistory.org 

FB – Bygone Markfield

Further details for each talk nearer the time

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A ‘thank you’ from Thornton Community Centre trustees

Regular users of the Centre will notice just how much work has taken place during the past 12 months at the Centre, especially in the Sports hall, where the ceiling failed a fire safety test and was in danger of closing. The decision was made to replace the ceiling and insulation and install new expensive sound absorbing pads. Finishing off with repainting throughout. A new kitchen was created in part of the old storeroom and two new toilets created where the old kitchen had been.

The trustees would like to thank builder Tim Baker (TLB Construction Services Ltd) and his team for the magnificent work they have done on our behalf – on time and on budget.

We would also like to thank local decorator Dave Goodburn for re painting the Sports hall at short notice after the ceiling was replaced.

Electrician, Jon Loseby, from Bagworth, has continued to sort out all the electrical installations at the Centre for us, not always straightforward with a 51 year old building.

J.S. Lectrics – contact Jon Loseby on 01530 230103 or 072825 588599 or email jonloseby@gmail.com.

Gas safe registered heating engineer, Tom Orme from Thornton also continues to look after the Centre’s heating, thermostats and boilers.

Email: – charnwoodheatingservices@gmail.com Tel: – 07968 231991

Last but not least, we give thanks to Danny Jeffrey (DJ’s garden maintenance).

Earlier this year the trustees engaged Danny to take over mowing the grass at the rear of the centre and to keep the hedges trimmed. Prior to this the Parish Council were responsible for this work and it was a bit ‘hit and miss’; now the trustees have control we can ensure that the grass is kept neat and tidy especially for special events at the Centre. Danny has done a great job in licking this overgrown area into shape, hopefully by next summer it will look even better.

Danny has his own Facebook page (DJ’s garden maintenance) or can be contacted on 07938 806203 (email – dannyjeffrey144@yahoo.co.uk)

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Thornton Community Centre – Sports Hall – building works

The trustees apologise for any inconvenience caused by the recent building work in the Sports Hall at the Community Centre.

The work has been carried out in three phases to minimise disruption.

PHASE ONE

To remove the Sports hall ceiling tiles, insulation and the brown felt wall and ceiling covering.

Earlier in the year there was a fire inspection at the premises and it was found that the tiles etc were not fire retardant,

The hall was in danger of being closed if the trustees had not taken remedial action. The old tiles, felting and insulation was removed and replaced with new fire retardant tiles and insulation (Tim Baker TLB Construction Ltd) and the hall decorated throughout (Dave Goodburn).

COST – £13,080

PHASE TWO

To provide two unisex toilets in the Sports Hall (additional to the disabled toilet) by utilising the space of the existing small kitchen and using a third of the Sports Hall storeroom space for a new modern, fully equipped kitchen with eye level oven and microwave, induction hob, and large fridge freezer. (Tim Baker TLB Construction Ltd).

COST – £24,500

PHASE THREE

After phase two was completed the trustees realised that there was an unacceptable level of noise (reverberation) in the hall, making it ‘uncomfortable’ for users to hear and concentrate. The decision was taken to engage a specialist company to address the problem.

Sound Reduction Ltd will be installing white, Sonata Aurio absorber panels across the whole of the ceiling. This work will take one day to complete and will take place on Wednesday 6th November in time for the two major forthcoming events – The Christmas Fayre (16th November) and the School pantomime.

COST – £5,577.60

TOTAL COST OF THE THREE PHASES OF THE PROJECT – £43,157.60

It is hoped that this work will lead to more bookings for the Sports Hall which can now be used independently of the Main Hall.  The hall is already very popular for childrens parties with the  safe use of a bouncy castle indoors. The trustees would welcome new user groups to the hall, especially for sporting activities such as ‘pickle ball’ the new sporting craze sweeping the country.

SECURITY

We now have the capability to lock the new kitchen and storeroom doors to enable regular user groups equipment to be stored safely.

FUTURE PROJECTS

There are a few minor internal works that still need completing (new main hall door, new flooring in the Main hall foyer, toilet and kitchen,  bricking up an obsolete rotting door and frame plus major works outdoors – the erection of a decked area off the Main hall patio doors and the extension of the car park.

FUND RAISING

All the works completed so far have seriously depleted the Centre’s funds and no further projects can be carried out until we raise the necessary monies .

More than ever we need new fund raising ideas and helpers.

If you have any ideas or think you can help in any way, then please contact the trustees through this website.

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Working for the Community – Thornton Community Centre

A small group of trustees manage the centre on behalf of the Community, and just prior to Covid they were working on a lengthy programme of refurbishments to be carried out at the 50-year-old Centre which was looking tired and dated.

As these plans for refurbishment began to take shape Covid struck, and the centre was closed for 16 months.

(The two halls are owned by the village community and sit on a plot of land extending to the hedgerow behind the centre and to the left of the path, leased from the Parish Council for a peppercorn rent).

The trustees apologise for the untidy state of the driveway borders. They have located architects’ plans at the Parish Council offices, which indicate that the land is not leased from the Parish Council, making them responsible for maintenance. If you are unhappy with the borders’ condition, please inform the Parish Council. Despite repeated requests to tidy the area, the response has been “there is no money available.” This situation reflects poorly on the Centre and the village.

Since reopening in July 2021, the trustees have created an online presence with this website and an associated digital booking system (Hallmaster).

New signage was erected above the hall doors and noticeboards on the driveway facing Main Street.

The felt roof on the Sports Hall was replaced.

Overgrown borders and hedges were cut back.

A large screen and projector were purchased for the Main Hall with a grant from Forterra Brickworks.

A freezer was purchased for the kitchen.

Two benches were purchased from grant money, and placed by the front door together with a planter donated by the Parish Council.

Continual blockages in the toilets for several years led the trustees to have the drains ‘scoped’, and it was found that they had collapsed in part and the whole drainage system had to be replaced

During the autumn of 2022, MDJ Developers and Johnson Wellborn decorators started major works refurbishing the main hall toilets and decorating the main hall, kitchen, toilet, storeroom, meeting room, foyer and sports hall foyer.

New modern, white doors were fitted throughout the centre and painted.

Glenfield Electrical rewired the Centre and installed LED lighting throughout the inside, and new external lighting.

After this work was completed a window cleaner was engaged to clean the fascia’s and windows on a monthly basis and the Main hall curtains were dry cleaned.

All this work contributing to the centre having a fresh, clean, spacious look making it more appealing to hirers.

In August 2023 another part of the flat roof had to be repaired, and a replacement extractor fan had to be fitted in the main kitchen.

The obsolete, external cameras were taken down.

Earlier this year a fire inspection was carried out it was found that the Sports hall ceiling and wall tiles were no longer compliant with fire regulations. To avoid closure of the hall the ceiling and wall tiles were taken down and replaced with new tiles and insulation, and the hall was redecorated throughout.

Currently major works are taking place in the Sports Hall. A larger fully equipped kitchen is being built, and  the former small kitchen is being converted into two toilets.

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS TO FOLLOW ……..

In December last year plans were submitted to HBBC for permission to construct a decked area to the rear of the hall and to increase the car parking space by a further 27 spaces.

Planning permission was granted, however the unforeseen costs of replacing the drains and the Sports hall ceiling (£30,388) mean that there are insufficient funds to carry out these works, until fund raising, and grants allow.

The trustees have spent £98,000 over the past 3 years to ensure that the Centre is fit for purpose for the next 50 years.

Both halls make superb venues for all kinds of events, they can be used together or separately, with arguably the best view in the county overlooking the National Forest and the reservoir.

The Sports hall is a particularly safe space for childrens’ parties with room for bouncy castles inside the hall. The photographs show a recent Spiderman themed party.

Could you help your Community with fund raising through organising events, grants or donations to make these final proposals happen?

Would you like to be involved in securing the future of this wonderful resource for your community?

Then please contact us on email thorntonvillage@aol.com

For more information about the Centre (hire costs/photographs/booking system etc), check out the pages on this website dedicated to the Community Centre.

Gill Tapping (Trustee)

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AGM – Thornton Community Centre

Thornton Community Centre – Trustees

Do you have a couple of hours a month that you could spare to help with the running of the Community Centre?

We have the most wonderful village resource at the Centre with two halls available to the local, and wider, community and a large plot of land to the rear, which although owned by the Parish Council is leased by the Trustees of the Community Centre for the benefit of the village.

Over the past two years the trustees have overseen a great many improvements at the centre (these include a new Sports Hall roof, replacement LED lighting throughout, new toilets in the main hall, decorating throughout, new drainage system), but there is still more to do to modernise this old building. The next major project is to replace the Sports hall sound proofing, create 2 extra toilets in the Sports hall and create a new, larger, improved kitchen area for the Sports hall. In recent months this hall has become increasingly popular as a safe space for childrens parties and we wish this to continue by improving these facilities.

Two major projects for the future is the creation of a decked area to run from the patio doors of the main hall, and to increase the size of the parking area by a further 20+ spaces. Whilst planning permission has been granted for these projects, the centre does not have sufficient monies to fund them without donations, grants and fund raising efforts.

We need your help to help make these things happen for the community.

Do you have time to help us raise funds, have any ideas on the type of events you would like to see at the Centre?

Please contact us at thorntonvillage@aol.com or join us at the AGM to have a conversation.

We are a small, friendly group of 7 trustees, but we really do need help and would welcome new members to join us to ensure the future of the Centre for years to come.

The trustees meet once a month at 7pm on (usually) the third Thursday evening of the month.

Thornton Community Centre – Mowing/Hedge Cutting

The trustees have recently agreed to take over from the Parish Council, the responsibility of mowing the grass, to the rear of the Community Centre.

It is hoped that by doing this the grass can be cut on a more regular basis and cut shorter to make that area more ‘usable’ to residents and visitors.

The boundary hedge will also become the Trust’s responsibility and will need attention 2 or 3 times a year.

But this comes at a cost.

Is there anyone local or do you know of anyone nearby that would be prepared to mow the grass on a regular basis for the village and/or trim the hedging when that becomes necessary. Terms to be negotiated.

Contact us please by emailing thorntonvillage@aol.com