Deacon Selina, who volunteers with our TrinityLearning Kingfisher School singing group, decided she would like to offer the school a Christmas Service. Planning started last summer and we quickly realised that demand was high as nearly every class in the school asked to be involved.

In total we ran the Christmas service five times to pupils from 11 different classes. Some classes came to Trinity Church whilst others took part in the Service at school.

The service consisted of a simple retelling of the Christmas Story with songs adapted from nursery rhymes as well as some traditional Christmas favourites such as Little Donkey and Away in a Manger. We made a sensory pack for each child which included some pictures of a baby and a donkey, a bag of scented chamomile hay, a fleecy square (which felt like a sheep!) and a star. Children thoroughly enjoyed finding the things in their pack and holding them up as they sang along.

The commitment of the volunteers was reflected in the enthusiasm and involvement of the staff and children, many of whom had clearly been practising their singing! And, although it’s only January, we’re already starting to tweak our plan for the 2024 Christmas service.