INFORM to Transform - Resources Fair

20/10/2009

The Inform Resources Fair on Saturday 17th October was organised by the Board of Education and provided a wealth of workshops and resources for those working with children and young people.

This year it was held at Durham High School for Girls.

The day began with a brief welcome from Archdeacon Stuart Bain, Chair of the Board of Ed, together with opening worship led by the music group from St Andrew's, Haughton le Skerne, and some very lively, enthusiastic young singers.

Then followed a fascinating 'keynote' session with inspirational storyteller Taffy Thomas. Taffy, (pictured right) who is originally from Somerset, now lives in Cumbria, and was recently appointed as England's first ever Storytelling Laureate. He has over 300 stories of all shapes and sizes, several of which he shared on this occasion. He also loves riddles and kept his audience guessing on several occasions.

The rest of the day was taken up with a variety of workshops on such things as Godly Play, Messy Church, Working with Difficult Children, Fundraising, and Organising Youth Events.

The school library was used as a showcase for the various organisations that came along with a multitude of resources to display.

Among these were Christian Aid (above), the Children's Society, Scripture Union and CLC Bookshop from Newcastle.

There was also a Manchester based organisation called 'Make Jesus Known' which aims to do just that, working in schools, organising fun days, and training people in how to share their faith. They also have rap band and use a combination of music, testimonies and talks to present the gospel ina relevant and powerful way.

The day ended with a short time of worship led by St John's CHurch, Hebburn.

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