The final event of our Summer 23 Activity Week was a curry night in the gardens at St Peter’s. Two starters and three choices of curry were provided by Gurkha New Delhi for our Curry Buffet along with Pilau Rice and Naan Bread. A real treat for all of us to enjoy. The atmosphere was relaxed and convivial. New friendships were formed and old ones revisited. A very fitting end to a busy and enjoyable week.

After our service of Sunday Morning Worship, we watched the end of the World Cup final – disappointed that the Lionesses were not able to overcome the superb playing of the Spanish side. Then we joined together for a community barbecue, playing some outdoor games as we enjoyed the Summer Sunshine and some beautifully cooked burgers and sausages.

Saturday evening took us in a completely different direction to the rest of the week as we gathered in St Peter’s Church for an evening of Piano music, song and poetry. John Strange led the evening from the piano with a wide variety of music. Mel Rowley recited poetry and we all got to join in with some audience participation singing. During the interval Cheese and Wine was on offer and there was the opportunity to give towards the work of Alex’s Wish – a local charity working to eradicate Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. A very good evening indeed.

We had a very special session of Muddy Church on Saturday and welcomed several new families along with a few rather more exotic visitors. Our theme was from Genesis 1 – God made all the animals and it was good. So we made friends with some creatures most of us had not held before and hunted around the Muddy Church orchard for other critters. There were even a few worms to be found in the mud pile. We picked some fresh blackberries and made insect water stations. As it was Muddy Church we also sang some songs, cooked some food (crumpets) on the fire and toasted marshmallows.

Older children and youth gathered on Friday evening for a pizza and movie night. Once the vicar had sussed out the finer intracacies of Domino’s App, he ordered and collected the pizzas. They were eaten in far less time than it took to order them, but they were well worth it. And the film kept us entertained right to the end.

The babies and toddlers returned to Christ Church on Thursday afternoon for their very own Soft Play session. The indoor bouncy castle and ball pit were a real hit with the children as were the ride on toys. Adults had a chance to enjoy a drink while supervising their children as they played.

Friday morning began with our regular Christ Church Coffee Morning augmented by board games. Families, individuals and couples gathered together to enjoy a nice cup of freshly brewed coffee or tea, some homemade cakes (thank you Liz), conversation and fun with table top games. There were a whole variety of games including some for children and others designed to get the old grey matter working. Lots of fun was had by all. The room was filled with the sound of chatter, laughter and the occasional cheer. Here’s just a few pictures of what was happening…

It was not your typical pub quiz and it certainly wasn’t a quiet night in!

Linda’s quiz was a fantastic combination of fun and laughter, joy and enthusiasm, puzzlement and contemplation. It involved building newspaper towers, answering riddles, guessing just how clever our mastermind contestents might actually turn out to be and searching for hidden clues in the picture rounds. We will never understand the scoring system, but it really didn’t matter, because everyone was having such a good time. Here’s just a few photos of the evening…