“We had a brilliant day" says Jenny Collins who has been busy publicising the  Spring into Life Healthy Living Fair at Clarence Park Baptist Church on Saturday 19th April.
Side left: Mary on the 'try me and buy me' cake stall. Mary spent a lot of time talking to people about her cake making. Middle: the rep from Oakhouse Foods, who deliver frozen meals to home, was kept busy talking to individuals and also networking with other exhibitors. Bottom: The Spring into life team.

As part of the current ‘Hope 08’ initiative in Weston-super-Mare, Clarence Park Baptist Church organised a major event Saturday 19th April which was designed to foster relationships with the local community and bring together those with needs and those who can help meet their needs.

The recently appointed Parish Nurse, Mrs Jenny Beard was heavily involved, well supported by of a group of willing helpers, including the pastor Revd Steve Christian. In addition to its basic purpose for Holistic ministry (ministry to body, mind, and spirit) it was a real ‘Fun Day’ with activities for all ages and was well supported by the other churches in the area.

Over forty organisations were involved in one way or another including the North Somerset Primary Care Trust. The chairs were removed from the church and the whole premises was used to make room for more than twenty stands and displays; for instance the local library had a corner in the church where a librarian read stories to the children and gave out leaflets on the facilities available for adults; the ‘Crossroads’ carers organisation was talking to people who hadn’t realised they were officially classed as ‘carers’ and many were surprised at the range of facilities available to help them.

Even the Fire Dept and the police were present, although the Firemen were late arriving due to an emergency in one of the Christian residential homes linked to the church!

The ‘Parish Nursing’ stand was visited by many who were worried about health problems, and so many had their blood pressure checked that the batteries in the monitor had to be replaced before the end of the day.

The need for regular exercise was emphasised on several stands: a group demonstrated Chair Exercises and the Girls Brigade put on an impressive display of dancing. Not to be outdone the Boys Brigade were acting as stewards and ‘welcomers’.

Good food was featured and a local fruit shop provided a display of organic fruit and served samples of fresh oranges, melon and pineapples, while other food suppliers showed the range of foods which they could supply, together with recipe’s illustrating good practice. Jacket potatoes, with healthy tuna and cheese fillings, were served all day from the kitchen, and there was no charge for the food or coffee and tea - a box was provided for donations and surprisingly the costs were more than covered.

A Christian bookshop provided a stand with a good range of books, and many church members made efforts to talk to strangers; comments were overheard that ‘this is a really friendly church’.

There were activities and handicrafts for the children and the adults, so no one got bored.

Perhaps the item which provided the most enjoyment was a Fashion Show. The twelve ‘Models’ were all from the church, the oldest being in her eighties and the youngest aged seven, and ‘all shapes and sizes’. The clothes which they were showing were all selected from the stock of the nearby Hospice Charity Shop, and without exception they all fitted, were themed and very attractive. A number of people said ‘I didn’t know you could get that quality of clothing from a charity shop. I’ll be going in there myself from now on.’ The items displayed were available for sale after the show and the charity benefited by over one hundred pounds.

Estimates on the number of people who came onto the premises vary from two hundred and fifty to three hundred, and several of the organisations taking part said ‘That was great. Can we do the same next year?’