You can now discover the Palitoys of Christmas Past with a new trail in Coalville town centre.

There are 17 posters set into the windows of participating shops and businesses in the town.

Each shop has a poster about a toy made by either Palitoy or its parent company Cascelloid from 1920 through to the company's final days in the 1980s.

The posters feature toys such as Alfred Pallett's (founder of Cascelloid and the man Palitoy was named after) first doll Diddums, and future iconic toys such as Pippa, Action Man, Star Wars, Tiny Tears and the much loved Care Bears.

The trail has been created by the Coalville Heritage Society as part of its ongoing Many Faces of Palitoy project.

But it could not have happened without the support of the participating shops and the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

The trail can be seen through to Saturday, January 8 in the following participating shop windows: Belvoir Shopping Precinct – YMCA Shop, Electromist, Loros Children's Shop, Birds, Forces Support Shop, Insomnia, Argos, Ancient and Modern, MRC Furniture Warehouse, Escape Coalville/Rocket Railways; Belvoir Road – Busy Bees.

The Flower Garden, Strandz; High Street – Fast Cash; Memorial Square – Hermitage FM Café; Marlborough Square – Newmarket; Jackson Street – Heartwood Conference Centre on the site of the Palitoy factory.

Bob Brechin, former Chief Toy Designer at Palitoy, and honorary historian to the Many Faces of Palitoy Project, remembers the excitement of working at Palitoy in Coalville,

He said: "We had been developing toys through the year for our busiest time at Christmas when the toys were in big demand.

"The satisfaction of being a toy designer and working for a toy company was a fantastic job especially when a toy, like so many we created in the town, was a success and gave endless hours of fun and joy to children all over the country, as well as abroad".

Stuart Warburton, the Many Faces of Palitoy project manager, added: "The importance of Palitoy to the town can never be overstated.

"Many people in the town either worked at Palitoy or know someone who did.

"And the toys they created, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s, such as Star Wars, Action Man, Girl's World, Tiny Tears and Care Bears have become iconic and collectable with some of the toys that started life at the factory on Jackson Street today going for £1,000".

"The Coalville Heritage Society would like to thank all the shops and businesses for getting involved with the trail and for supporting the town's heritage".

The Coalville Heritage Society wishes everyone in Coalville a Happy Christmas and hopes that Christmas shoppers in the town will seek out the posters and either remember the toys or learn something of the history of the company and the toys it made.

For further information about the trail go to https://www.choosecoalville.co.uk/.

Or you can contact [email protected].