Garden Shelter volunteer, Blair Silverlock, said: “We ended up with nine guests, they gradually trickled in up to about 9.30pm. Most had heard of the Christmas event, so even those who arrived a bit later were taken in by the residual atmosphere still present in the hall. And all guests enjoyed being given gifts, some practical items for the cold winter days. The feedback on the choir was great. After the event, a mostly peaceful night was had by all … [E]veryone was warm and comfortable.”
Mr Silverlock added: “One of my gurus, Rev. Graham Long, emphasises the importance of ‘meeting people’ in the work done at the Wayside Chapel. This is in contrast to the tendency of workers/volunteers to want to ‘DO something FOR, or ON the guests’. It is actually a lot harder to just ‘meet’ people, really hard.”
After talking with members of the congregation, Chairperson Heather Robinson hopes this type of event is something the church might do again. “People are saying they’d be keen to get involved next time,” she said. She thanked the many people who helped with preparations for the night – cleaning, cooking, wrapping presents – and said: “Meeting the guests of the Shelter made a big impact on me, also meeting the volunteers, and simply enjoying the meal together.”
