St Luke’s Post-Christmas Party – 15 January 2012

Click here or keep reading to watch a video of the party.

THE VENUE: For many years, the annual party has been held at the Magnet Leisure Centre. (IMG_1893)

Every year, St Luke’s PCC partly subsidise a party for Youth Church members, held primarily at the Magnet Leisure Centre. After a free swim to kick things off, the youngsters moved into the Main Hall where the bouncy assault course was inflated and ready to go.

SAFETY FIRST: Harriet ran through the safety procedures before allowing anyone on the bouncy assault course. (IMG_1877)

JUMP AROUND: Small and bigger kids played on the assault course. (IMG_1907)

 

Harriet – who’s worked at the Magnet as a summer job – led the activities and games. This included a relay race whereby the under-tens competed against each other in two evenly-sized teams, each making their way through the obstacles, collecting a bib at the other end, and passing it to their team captain to put on, before the next team-member did the same. The team captain who had all the bibs on the fastest won.

CRAWLING THROUGH THE NETTING: One team-member makes their way through the obstacles. (IMG_1941)

IN IT TO WIN IT: Rhys Bartholomew dons bibs to try and beat the other team. (IMG_1933)

After that, Harriet ran a few parachute games, such as Cat and Mouse. In that, one child (‘the mouse’) crawls around underneath the parachute, while the other (‘the cat’) crawls around on top trying to touch the quickly moving mouse. To mask mouse-shaped extrusions in the material of the parachute, and thereby make the game harder, the rest of the group sit around the circular parachute and flap it.

FROM ONE TO THE OTHER: Leaving the assault course, many instead played Harriet's parachute games. (IMG_1961)

THEY'RE OVER THERE: A mum helps locate 'the cat'. (IMG_1970)

LYING LOW: A child stays still as 'the mouse', while a material flapper peeks. (IMG_1967)

The children had about an hour in the hall altogether, before we walked them back to the Parish Centre for a party tea, laid on by the Sunday Club leaders.

A SPLENDID SPREAD: Table-cloths laid and cocktail sausages on plates, ready for the arrival of children. (IMG_2008)

CRACKING AFTERNOON: Being a post-Christmas party, there were a number of festive leftovers (including crackers and Quality Street) put out on the tables. (IMG_2013)

TUG: Two girls share a cracker. (IMG_2020)

JOLLY BEVITT: Jilly Bevitt lends a hand in the distribution of chocolate biscuits. (IMG_2082)

As ever, the party was a great success and all present – adults and children alike – had smiles on their faces during this: the biggest child-oriented social event of St Luke’s year.


Video

Like last year, I made a video of the afternoon for the church’s website.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVIyeTXF3_Q]

Andrew Burdett

Andrew Burdett is a twenty-something from Maidenhead in Berkshire, working for ITV News.