Welly Walks at St Denys
Welly Walks are about seeing families engage with the wonder of God’s creation.
Thanks to the Diocesan Growth Fund, the St Denys Welly Walk/Making Events have run on a half-term/summer holiday basis with the aim to connect attendees to the wonder of God’s creation and encourage creativity.
There have been four themed events in total, which have run for two hours, and have been well attended and met with enthusiasm. The format combines walking and making, which last for one hour each, plus refreshments, and are facilitated by Leicester Print Workshop artist, Serena Smith, forest school leader, Jodie Knight, and a friendly group of volunteers sourced from St. Denys Church and the local community.
Encouragingly, these events are bringing families together within a church environment allowing St Denys to establish contact with young families, and building new relations between church and community. The walking/making events are also strengthening discipleship amongst the volunteers through a positive response to God’s calling by doing good work together and recognising God’s vision for St. Denys church.
In the coming year, we are exploring doing more Forest School themed activities. Outdoor forest school style learning is rising in popularity and there is room for the church to develop activities along this route, making the most of our beautiful setting by the Shady Lane Arboretum on the very edge of the city.
Furthermore, the move towards reconnecting with the environment appeals to all-ages and is inclusive of diversity – everyone in church and beyond can benefit from an outdoor worship church ethos. Families of different faith backgrounds engage with our prayer tree while we share stories from the Christian tradition over a hot chocolate.
A number of families have asked questions about the church and shown an interest in attending other events. Those who have attended the welly walks have commented on how delighted they are to see adults and children involved in something together in an outdoors environment. Overall, this all points to the gifts that God has given to us in our church and location to reach out to the wider community and build connections with our neighbours in Evington.
Look on the calendar to find out when the next Welly Walk is happening and contact us for more information.
