Want to run a holiday club but don’t have enough volunteers? A church in Swindon may have found a solution.

Toothill Church, a Local Ecumenical Partnership in Swindon, was given a Home Mission funded project grant three years ago to equip a toddler group that has proved very successful. On the back of that and the schools work the church does, they wanted to hold a bible club in the summer holidays but did not have enough personnel and skills to look after children on their own.

As a solution they decided to hold two ‘stay and play’ days where parents and children could drop into the church from 10-2 and take part in a variety of activities and get a free lunch. Activities included Messy church style crafts, stories, songs and prayer and an Olympic themed decathlon with egg and spoon races, tug of war etc.

On the first day aimed at 0-5 year olds, they fed 100 people with more coming and going throughout the day. The second day, aimed at 4-10 year olds, saw 60 people attending. Nearly all that attended both days do not normally attend church.

‘We have made very good connections with the community,’ says minister, the Revd Anne Carter.

‘I’ve had some lovely conversations with people. Two people said to me "I want to become a Christian but don’t know how to go about it”. We had four new families in church the Sunday following the days.'