Thornbury Fun Palaces is coordinated by JIGSAW Thornbury, a charity that works with children and young people with additional needs or disabilities, and their families. Now in its sixth year of making Fun Palaces, the Thornbury community has grown into a wonderful network of Makers, community groups, small businesses, volunteers, and local organisations who all join forces to provide interactive, creative, and fun opportunities for the whole community.

What began as a small community initiative has developed into an event that many local families now look forward to each year. One of the most special things about Thornbury Fun Palaces is that it continues to evolve through the people involved in it. Every year brings new ideas, new activities, new partnerships, and new faces, while still keeping the same welcoming and community-led spirit at its heart.

Fun Palaces is built on the idea that everyone has something valuable to share, and that creativity belongs to everybody. That message feels especially important within our community. As organisers, we want Thornbury Fun Palaces to feel inclusive and accessible, whether people are leading an activity, volunteering behind the scenes, trying something new for the first time, or simply spending time with others in a positive and welcoming environment.

In 2025, Thornbury Fun Palaces was our biggest event yet. Activities took place across five venues, with 15 local organisations generously sharing their time, skills, and resources to benefit the local community. Over 1,000 visitors attended throughout the day, taking part in a huge range of free activities and experiences.

It is great to see such a wide variety of activities sit naturally alongside one another. Visitors could move from interactive coding workshops with DigiLocal to woodland clay art sessions with Woodland Makery, before heading to JIGSAW Thornbury’s Community Café and Lending Library to discover how to become a radio presenter with Thornbury Radio.

At Thornbury Library, families joined Makaton-signed storytelling sessions delivered by Better Communication Together, explored fascinating artefacts from Thornbury & District Heritage Trust, and interacted with Rotary in Thornbury’s giant mosquito display. Elsewhere, the St Mary Centre was filled with the sound of live music and workshops from the Panache Steel Band, creating a lively and joyful atmosphere throughout the day.

The event also included free swimming sessions, ball games, acrobatics demonstrations, and health and wellbeing workshops, including birth preparation sessions with Moon & Lotus. Krunch Pod helped create a warm and welcoming environment by providing free food and craft activities for families to enjoy together.

While the activities themselves were fantastic, the real magic of Fun Palaces came from the connections happening around them. Throughout the day we saw children and parents learning together and local organisations supporting and celebrating one another. There was a real sense of togetherness across all of the venues.

One young child shared that their favourite part of the day was “working with their Daddy on the computer,” followed by drawing a heart picture. Other visitors described the event as full of “happy faces, old and new” and praised the “warm and welcoming community feel.” Those comments captured exactly what we hope Thornbury Fun Palaces creates each year.

Fun Palaces has also reinforced the importance of creating spaces where people feel comfortable contributing in their own way. Some people love leading workshops and sharing specialist skills, while others enjoy volunteering, helping visitors feel welcome, or simply joining in with activities. Every contribution matters and helps shape the atmosphere of the event.

One of the things that makes Thornbury Fun Palaces work so well is the shared sense of ownership. Although JIGSAW coordinates the event, it genuinely belongs to the community. The willingness of local organisations, businesses, volunteers, and providers to contribute their time and energy each year is what allows the event to continue growing.

Of course, organising a large event across multiple venues comes with challenges, but the enthusiasm and generosity of everyone involved always shines through. Seeing people come together with a shared goal of creating something positive, inclusive, and joyful for the community is incredibly inspiring.

Thornbury Fun Palaces continues to remind us that creativity can be found everywhere; in music, coding, crafts, storytelling, wellbeing activities, conversations, and shared experiences. Most importantly, it reminds us how important community connection really is.

In a world where many people can feel isolated or disconnected, creating welcoming spaces where people can come together to learn, create, and celebrate alongside one another feels more important than ever. Looking ahead to Thornbury Fun Palaces 2026, we are excited to continue building opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and community connection, while welcoming even more people to share their skills, ideas, and passions.