Our Philosophy
All our work with children and young people is founded on the Charter for Children in the Church. This charter sees children and young people as equal partners with everyone else in the life of the church.
We have a robust Safeguarding Policy based on the URC’s Good Practice 6. Safeguarding training is undertaken by all who lead or support our work with children and young people, and they all have a DBS Certificate. We have systems in place to ensure that our premises are safe for everyone.
In 2013 we received a Child Friendly Church award under a nationally recognised scheme which acknowledges churches that can prove they truly welcome and involve children. In 2024 we began to work towards the URC’s Children and Youth Friendly Award Scheme. We are always looking at ways to improve and develop our work with children and young people.
Our Activities
Sunday morning activities for children begin with joining the adults for worship in the church at 10 am. There is a children’s area within the church where you can find activity bags for babies and younger children and bags of instruments that can be played during the hymns. A rug and cushions make it a comfortable area. There are always a range of books and activity sheets available. Parents and children are welcome to come and go from the service at any time, according to their needs.
Our group for school-age children is called ‘Footsteps’, which meets during term time. Younger children are very welcome to bring along their parent/carer if they would like to join in with our activities. The resources in the children’s area are always available.
Children usually leave the service to go to Footsteps after the second hymn. We aim to make Footsteps a fun and exciting time, and we encourage the children to share their experiences with each other. Our sessions may include discussions, activities, a Bible story, age-appropriate crafts, games, learning or Bible study, singing and prayer. If you would like to know more, then you are welcome to join us on a Sunday morning.
A term time Toddler Group meets in the church hall on Friday mornings from 10 am, where pre-school children can play and parents and carers can meet. All are welcome! During the schools holidays we often have Family Fun Mornings. These are for parents and carers with children 0-11 years old, from 10 – 11.30 am. We provide a variety of indoor and outdoor activities based around a story from the Bible with play, craft, food and fun.
The 3rd Fleet Guides, the 4th Fleet Brownies and the 1st Fleet West, 6th Fleet and 8th Fleet Rainbows are affiliated to our church and meet on our premises on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
For more information about any of these groups, please see the individual section in the drop-down menu above, or contact the Church Administrator on 01252 623629 (ansaphone – please leave a message).