For the last couple of years, on Halloween, the village of Trull has held a ‘Trick or Treat’ trail around the village. The trail shows families where the decorations are, and which houses will have treats if people ring the doorbell. On Halloween this year All Saints Church opened its doors between 5 and 8pm for a special drop-in café. Parents were invited to bring their children for refreshments, crafts, toys and to shelter from the rain.
The event was hugely popular, with over 50 goody bags were handed out to children and more than 60 hot drinks sold. Parents said they were grateful for a rest and shelter from the rain, and the children were excited to take part in biscuit decorating and paper lantern making. The hot drinks were a hit with everyone. Dressing up was the order of the day with a variety of costumes including one boy who arrived riding an inflatable dinosaur. Even the parents joined in the dressing up fun.
At the end of the evening many of the parents thanked the organisers and commented that it was a very kind thing it was for the church to do, others said they’d really appreciated the shelter and free activities.
Libby Cuthbertson, Children’s and Families Worker said, “It was great to serve the community and have a chance to connect with local parents. We ran the café because we wanted to do something alongside the community and get involved, not to run an event in competition with them, and it was a great success, with many parents saying how much they appreciated it.”
Andy Dunningham, church staff member and volunteer echoed Libby’s comments, he said, “There was a really good buzz when we arrived. There were lots of parents with children, and it was busy with plenty of activities. It was brilliant to see what was on offer for families, and a great opportunity to share the Gospel through the booklets included in the goody bags that were handed out. The pumpkins shining light through the cut out crosses showed everyone they were coming into a place where Jesus was, and it was a real outreach opportunity.”