By Elisabeth Bainbridge, Ann Purves, David Pearson, Frances Dower
Kirkwhelpington and Cambo
We were delighted to be able to offer our local primary and first schools a rather different present this year: a Bag of Easter Joy as a gift from the churches near them.
Easter is an important festival for Christians. On Easter Day we normally gather in our churches to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.
Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, we cannot present a whole ‘Easter Trail’ as in recent years, but we have delivered a bag containing the ‘Easter Story’ and some special Easter-themed activities. We were in touch with all the schools in order to gauge the viability of the project and they were very thrilled to receive them.
We have been working in happy collaboration with Judith Sadler and Jane Abrams from the Bellingham Deanery, both with a long and rich experience of working with young children.
This year we have included the schools of Longhorsley, Whalton, Belsay, Cambo, Chollerton, Humshaugh and Wark. The bags have been given to Years 2,3,4, and in Belsay and Whalton also to their Years 5 and 6, making 305 children in all. Early Years have received an Easter egg and listened to the story.
Each bag contained an explanatory leaflet for teachers and parents. They were designed to help cover the RE Syllabus
and to be used either in class or at home. Inside each special bag will be found: the Story in a scroll, an Easter card to design, some spices, a little cross, a heart, a bookmark, and a foil-wrapped egg, of course, and much. much more… and we have included instructions on how to ‘Make an Easter Garden’.
Funding for this project has come entirely from our Easter Trail a/c held by Cambo PCC, and made up of kind donations from local sources and from the diocesan St Hild fund. Since we were unable to run the Trail in 2020 we have been able to finance this year’s bags for all seven schools completely.