After having missed our last two Christmas parties due to Covid, we were delighted to be able to hold our Christmas party in St. Andrew’s West Parish Church this year!
The party began with board games and craft activities run by volunteers, followed by lunch in the church café which was catered by Desi Cafe and served by members of the congregation who volunteered at the party and made all our participants feel very welcome. As we enjoyed our food, Rev. Kleber Machado welcomed participants to the church and spoke about the Christmas story, putting the celebration in context for attendees, most of whom are from Muslim communities. One Christian Weekend Club volunteer from a refugee background then spoke about how she and her family use to celebrate Christmas in Nigeria, and how it differs from typical celebrations in the UK.
The group then returned to the main hall for storyplay games facilitated by Licketyspit Theatre Company. The games were lively, participatory, inclusive, and drama-led, and the whole families got involved and loved it! The session ended with some reflective drawing, where participants created a gallery of drawings of their favourite games and parts of the session. Following this, we gathered for tea and cake and were joined by Santa who gave the kids presents which had been fundraised for through the Weekend Club Christmas Appeal. A great way to close our 2022 Weekend Club event programme!
