Activities & Groups for Children at St Wilfrid's, Brayton

Mini Minims Treble Clefs

About 4 years ago, members of the choir (plus some other willing volunteers) started a music based activity group for children at the local Infants’ schools called the Mini Minims. The group meets before choir practice on a Friday evening for singing, dancing, stories, activities and games. All these help us to learn about music and about the Christian faith. We regularly take part in the monthly Family Service and proudly wear the tabards made especially for us by the Craft Group. Sometimes, we play our percussion instruments as well! We take part in the Christmas Eve crib service with the Sunday school, and in the summer we hold a concert for family and fiends. As some of the first members grew up and left Infants for Junior school, they wanted to stay on. Hence the start of the Treble Clefs! Some have joined the Junior Choir. Some are now learning instruments and bring them along to play together. We currently have 29 children on the books and we all go home tired and happy!

Sunday School

The Sunday School meets in the Parish Rooms every Sunday excepting the summer holidays and Family Services.  An average of 9 children attends each week with 17 children currently on the register.  Many of their parents attend St Wilfrid’s on a regular basis and the majority attend Family Services. After a short service the children split into 3 age related groups (ranging from 3 to 10 years) and generally use the Common Worship material from ‘Living Stones’ or ‘Searchlights’.  Currently there are 2 adult leaders, 2 teenage helpers and several parents who willingly help out on an occasional basis.  After their activities the Sunday School aims to walk over to Church in time for the children to receive a blessing and the leaders to receive Holy Communion. 

The Sunday School co-ordinator attends the Family Service meetings so that the children are directly involved in these monthly services.  Sunday School, along with the Mini-Minims, also has a major role in the Crib Service held on Christmas Eve.  Sunday School leaders are also present at the Good Friday activities, the summer and autumn fairs and in recent years have organised a Bring and Buy Sale for charity during February. 

Friday Fun Club

Friday Fun Club is held in church for parents and carers of the under 5s with their children. It has proved very successful and has been running since September 2001. We meet each Friday during term time between 1.45 pm - 3.00pm. On our books we have an age range from a few months to nearly 5 years old. There are 20 or so registered with a regular attendance of 8 - 12 with their carers. We are very fortunate to have one member who plays the guitar and leads our singing and our band. This is much loved by all and is central to our sessions with the children enjoying their instruments. There are 3 other adult leaders and some of the mums will help as well.The sessions start with singing, a story and prayer then a craft session with a break for a drink and biscuit which is followed by our collection for charity when the children drop their "pennies” into a tin. We then have our musical instruments and action singing and finally close with the same verse each week.