Every Wednesday in August St Mary’s welcomed people to our Family Picnic Days – culminating in the Family Fun Day on the 24.th
This community event attracted over 300 people who enjoyed good food and great entertainment – there were donkey rides, face-painting, bouncy castles, Greentop circus skills workshop and performance, traditional Indian dancers, football and basketball with SUFC, craft activities for children and musical entertainment by our very own George.
Afternoon tea was served in the marquee and a range of other hot and cold food was available throughout the event including burgers hot dogs sandwiches and ice creams – all catering for a variety of cultural and dietary requirements. All prepared and provided by Merys and the kitchen team and served all day by staff and volunteers.
We received a funding grant from Sheffield City Council and we welcomed additional and much needed volunteers from our local Waitrose store who worked alongside all the Community staff team and volunteers from St Marys.
St Mary’s vision and commitment is to provide affordable, accessible and welcoming events, bringing people together, celebrating our shared community life. It is important to us that we offer these at a free/minimum cost. We know from the responses that we get that all this is also valued and appreciated by those who attend – one example is this email received the day after the Family Fun Day
“I just wanted to say a very heartfelt thank you for the fun day today, it was absolutely brilliant, and thank you so so so much for having the activities free and the food low cost, it meant my son didn't have to choose the 1 thing he really wanted to do whilst watching his friends go on everything. I'd pulled together what I thought was enough for a donkey ride and a drink on the way home and I honestly had tears in my eyes when I realised it was free. We played, he had new experiences, i shared stories of my childhood, we gasped at the juggler and we had lunch, I can't honestly thank you enough.”
We are already planning for our Christmas event which will be on Sunday 18th December – building on the success of previous years it too will feature donkeys, good food, music and Christmas cheer.
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