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…

This afternoon (Thursday 17 August), in the beautiful and peaceful setting of St Peter’s gardens, members of the community gathered for Afternoon Tea. A wonderful time was had by all. Copious quantities of tea and coffee were drunk and mountains of sandwiches, cakes and scones were consumed. Although there was no charge, those who were there gave generously towards the work of a local charity, Alex’s Wish, which raises funds to help eradicate Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Thursday began with our Children’s Cinema opening as a place for parents and children to come and watch a film together in a relaxed environment. The children enjoyed sweets, popcorn and juice while the adults indulged in tea, coffee and biscuits.

Over two hundred people gathered in the grounds of Christ Church for our Summer Event – Mountsorrel-by-the-sea. At our new (for one day only) ‘seaside’ resort, we enjoyed splashing in the water, building sandcastles, mini golf and a bouncy castle. Fish and chips were provided by Ocean View Catering and, in the words of one of our guests, “better than chip shop chips.” Steve’s Ices were on hand to ensure everyone had an ice cream to help cool down. There were shells to make necklaces, a tattoo stall and lots and lots and lots of fun and laughter. Thanks to Nick from the Charnwood First Responders who was there to provide first aid cover – just glad you had nothing to do and were able to enjoy watching the lionesses romp home to victory in the World Cup semi-finals. Here’s a few photos of what we got up to….