Some examples of past events

For information of more recent and future events, scroll down for month by month information. 

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July 2025

Open Garden

Littlethorpe Manor will open to the public on Sunday 6th July from 1.30pm - 5pm as part of the National Garden Scheme. The cost of entry for adults will be £8 but children will be free (cashless payment accepted). Homemade teas will be available in the marquee, provided and served by villagers and friends of  Littlethorpe Village Hall and St. Michael & All Angels Church, and plants will be available to buy.

April 2025

'Cooler King' are back!

'Cooler King' will be returning to the village hall on Saturday 12th April for another evening of 60's music and dancing not forgetting the sharing supper (please bring a contribution). Doors will open at 7pm. As the hall isn't licenced, please bring your own drinks. 

Tickets are £10 each available from: 

John Downes - mobile: 07927 574722 

Many Downes - mobile: 07512 814503 or email: mandy.downes@gmail.com

Chris Winterburn -  mobile: 07968 089941 

UPDATE - Their enthusiasm and enjoyment of performing was, once again, evident and a brilliant night was had by everyone. There was the opportunity to chat with friends, dance or just listen to the music and we must not forget the wonderful supper. Cooler King performed some different music this time with acoustic guitar items and solo vocals by each of the three members along with their usual repertoire.

A Talk by International Documentary Photographer Peter Caton

UPDATE - Not only is Peter Caton an amazing photographer but he is also a wonderful speaker. He spoke with passion about his work introducing humour into the mix.

Trevor Vaughan started by welcoming Peter and saying that the evening would be "Food for our thoughts and food for our prayers". 

Peter began by explaining that this was his first talk outside his hometown of Scarborough. He began his photography career at Harrogate College and has become, very much, an environmental photographer, mostly photographing the disadvantaged and spending 19 years living out of a suitcase all over the world. He has spent 15 years highlighting the effects of climate change. The first half of his talk illustrated his work all around the world then, after a break for more wine and nibbles for everyone, he concentrated on the 5 years of continuous flooding in South Sudan which he has visited more than once. 

Many thanks to Peter for giving me permission to publish some of his photos. He also supplied the following information:

Photographer Seeks Final Support to Publish Award-Winning Book on South Sudan Floods

After four years documenting the devastating impact of floods in South Sudan, award-winning photographer Peter Caton is preparing to publish a 148-page coffee table book that brings global attention to one of the most underreported climate crises of our time.

The project, which has garnered multiple international awards, been widely published, and exhibited around the world, captures the human toll of a disaster that has affected over 1.5 million people. Now, with the support of esteemed publisher Dewi Lewis, this powerful body of work is set to be published in Verona, Italy, renowned for producing some of the world’s highest-quality photobooks.

To fund the production, Peter launched a Kickstarter campaign. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with the initial funding goal already met. However, with just one week remaining, additional support is crucial—not only to complete the publication but also to enable a return to South Sudan to continue documenting the ongoing crisis.

“This book represents years of work and personal risk,” says Peter. “But it’s more than a book—it’s a platform for raising awareness and giving voice to communities facing displacement, loss, and uncertainty.”

Supporters can pre-order a signed copy, choose from a range of exclusive rewards, or simply make a pledge. Every contribution will help ensure these stories are seen, heard, and remembered.

To learn more or support the campaign, please visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/35974461/unyielding-floods

Peter Caton

Web : http://www.petercaton.co.uk

Skype : petercatonuk 

Instagram : petercatonpix

February 2025

SHOWTIME - A MUSICAL TRIBUTE EVENING 

On Saturday, 22nd February we are holding a charity night in Littlethorpe Village Hall in aid of St Michael’s Hospice.

This is to be a Live Musical Tribute Night with a variety of songs from the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s performed by a local singer,

Chris Crow. 

As the hall isn’t licenced, please bring your own drinks (and glasses) and a contribution to a shared buffet. As well as a raffle, there may be a little quiz about the songs being sung so make sure you have some cash with you and spend freely.

Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are £6 each available now from: John Downes 07927 574722 or Mandy Downes 07512 814503 email: mandy.downes54@gmail.com or Chris Winterburn 07968 089941 email: c.winterburn@sky.com 

ALL MONEY RAISED IS GOING TO ST MICHAEL’S HOSPICE

UPDATE: The recent charity night in Littlethorpe Village Hall in aid of St Michael’s Hospice was very well attended and enjoyed by everyone. It took the form of a Live Musical Tribute Night with a variety of songs from the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s performed brilliantly by a local singer, Chris Crow.

It was a very entertaining evening with plenty of audience participation in answer to questions posed by Chris about the songs he was singing. There was also lots of songs that the audience sung along to (hope Chris didn’t mind!)

As usual, we had a wonderful “bring & share” buffet with a wide selection of both savoury and sweet items.

All in all, it was a fun & friendly evening that raised £450 for St Michael’s Hospice

Sadly, there was only about a dozen people from Littlethorpe who were there – You missed a treat!

If you were unable to attend but would like to support St Michael’s Hospice please contact me or any committee member for details of how to donate.

Chris Winterburn

07968 089941

October 2024

August 2024

Quiz Night

There is to be a Quiz on Saturday, 6th April starting at 7.30pm. No need to book - £2.00 entry on the door.

There is a maximum of six to a team but we can always find a team for you to join if you come on your own.

Please bring your own drinks and a contribution towards a communal supper. The combined effort means that we usually have a fantastic spread. There will also be a raffle.

There are goodies and a trophy for the winners and a consolation prize for the bottom team.

Please can the previous winners bring back the trophy.

Chris Winterburn

UPDATE - Another good evening with some regulars and yet more new faces, which was brilliant, along with the usual excellent supper. Steve Roberts was question master this time as Sandra was unavailable. There was a new winning team and a new booby prize winning team - congratulations to them all. Thank you to Liz Tite for providing the photos and captions. Read the comments on the 'Guestbook' page.

December 2023

“Songs for a Winter’s Night”

On Saturday 9th December, there is to be a concert in Littlethorpe Village Hall by the community choir “All Together Now”. They will entertain us with a mixture of songs, some with a festive theme, others not, and some which will encourage audience participation.

There will be 2 halves with an interval for a “Bring & Share” supper.  Please bring a contribution to the supper along with your own drinks.

To get everyone into the festive mood and add atmosphere, please wear your Christmas Jumper and/or other suitable festive attire.

There is NO CHARGE for entry but, because of fire regulations, there is a restriction on numbers. Therefore, you MUST have a pre-booked ticket. Tickets will be available from me from Monday 13th November on a 1st come, 1st served basis. We anticipate a lot of interest in this function so book early to ensure your place. There will be no entry on the door without a ticket.

As already mentioned, there is no charge for this concert, so we would strongly encourage you to support the choir’s charity for this year which is the Harrogate District Foodbank/Helping Local People in Crisis. There will be a raffle (some lovely prizes!) £1 per ticket. A generous donation would also be very welcome so make sure you have some cash with you!  

Doors open at 7pm and the concert starts at 7.30pm prompt.

Chris Winterburn 07968 089941

c.winterburn@sky.com

UPDATE - What a fantastic night! Chris Kemp led the choir (which included Helen Myers, who used to live in the village, and Mandy Downes, who does) through a variety of Christmas songs with amazing energy involving the audience in three of them. Five year old Hayley joined mum in the choir and even 'helped' Chris conduct! When the singing ended, it was time for supper and what a spread there was. The evening finished with the drawing of the raffle and then an auction of a Christmas shirt modelled by John Downes. Hayley won it and immediately put it on!

UPDATE - The evening was a success and well attended. It began with drinks and nibbles with an opportunity for people to chat and Christopher Orme did a brilliant job keeping everyone's glasses topped up. Trevor gave an interesting talk interspersed with poems from his book - some serious, some 'daft', to use the word that Trevor used. Afterwards, there was the opportunity to buy a signed copy.

September 2023

Litter Pick

There will be a village litter pick on Saturday 30th September meeting in the village hall car park at 10am. The actual picking normally takes less than an hour and there will be tea and sausage butties upon completion.

UPDATE - Because of a clash with the harvest festival preparations at St. Michael's Church, only a few people were able to turn up for the litter pick. Jackie and Dave Laugher went directly to do Green Lane while others spread out around the village. Not much litter this time round which is good news. Thank you to all who turned out.

Littlethorpe Manor Gardens Open Day

Littlethorpe Manor will, once more, be opening its gardens on Sunday 10th September as part of the National Garden Scheme. Enjoy a wonderful afternoon in the colourful surroundings of Littlethorpe Manor. Ample car parking available.

There will be homemade refreshments (Tea, coffee, biscuits and cake – served in the marquee – £3.00 per head) provided and served by villagers and friends of  Littlethorpe Village Hall and St. Michael's Church.  10% of takings will be donated to NGS with the rest providing much needed funds for the church and the village hall.

There will also be plants for sale.

Opening Times: 1.30pm – 5.00pm. Entrance fee:  Adults – £7.00 each with children getting in free.

UPDATE - Approximately 600 people flooded through the gates with queues forming at the plant stall and tea tent almost immediately. Christin Thackray was thrilled with the day's success as were the visitors (see the comments on the 'Guestbook' page). The sale of teas raised £1,613.70, 10% of which will be donated to NGS with the remainder being shared equally between St. Michael's Church and Littlethorpe Village Hall. The final total raised on the day for NGS was £4,151. Many thanks to everyone who donated cakes and/or helped on the day.

May 2023

Littlethorpe’s Coronation Celebrations - Sunday 7th May at 4pm

Because the Coronation is taking place in early May and the weather may not be kind, we have decided that the celebrations will take place INSIDE the village hall. In keeping with the wishes of the king to have a less extravagant affair, our celebrations are also going to be less extravagant. It will be “Coronation Tea and an Evening of Magic”.

For £20 you can book a table for up to 12 people or £10 for up to 6 people (including children). There will be a prize for the best decorated table and the hall will be open from 3pm for everyone to come in and decorate their own table. The hall will already be patriotically festooned in bunting etc. Please bring your own “Coronation Picnic Tea” and any drinks and glasses you may want for your table. We will provide a slice of cake and some fizz to toast the new king. We have also organised a magician, Rob Hutchinson, to come along and entertain us all – young and old alike.

Please come dressed in patriotic colours- it adds to the fun – be as outrageous as you like!

Tickets are available from Chris Winterburn, Holly Bank, Pottery Lane now until 19th March (unless they run out sooner).

Limited availability - Due to fire regulations 

UPDATE - If you weren't there, you missed a real treat - music, fun, food, drink, singing, laughter and magic. Tables had been decorated and many people entered into the spirit of the afternoon/evening by wearing red, white and blue. The magician, Rob Hutchinson, was very well received, particularly by the children who were eager to help him! There was singing of traditional songs from Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales and also a toast to King Charles III was proposed by Trevor Vaughan. There was a wonderful cake in the form of the Union Flag. A big thank you must go to all the people who contributed in any way - too many to mention.