Spark In The Park is the younger brother of Lark In The Park (which is based in Sidcup Place) and it’s been running for more than 20 years in Danson Park, just next to the children’s playground.
I remember Lorraine taking our girls there when it first started and having great days out … for free!!
Well now I have “retired” I decided to volunteer, as the Spark Committee contacted 24 local churches asking for assistance in organising this massive annual event back in May 2024.
Before the big event a number of requests for items such as toilet rolls, jam jars etc. were put in all the various church newsletters, and then a plea for helpers to get the Arts & Crafts items prepared a couple of weeks beforehand.
I signed up to be a helper for the whole week, but many others selected specific days or just evenings and you could select which area you preferred to assist with … I chose the Inflatables, Sports and Refreshments (but I was rejected for the latter once known I was a chocoholic)!!
The number of roles you can select is extensive in these sections …
- Prayer Tent … what is says on the tin
- Meet & Greet … just wander round the surrounding area talking to the families about Spark
- SEN Tent … a quiet area for children with additional needs
- Arts & Crafts … to be there to guide the little ones, or the adults too
- Under 5s area … which was enclosed and inside the main tent
- Youth tent … which had computer games and other fun activities for 11-18 year-olds
- Inflatables … managing the bouncy house, the big slide or the long activity course
- Sports … which included two football pitches for the under/over 10s, plus hockey and volleyball
- Mini Games … with Giant Connect 4, Garden Jenga, plus other outdoor favourites
- Refreshments … which provided hot/cold drinks and treats at very low prices
- First Aid tent … which didn’t get used much luckily (or Security duty for overnight shifts)
There was a big set up project on the Saturday (27th July) and a special Thanksgiving Service on the following day, which I couldn’t attend due to prior engagements, so my first day was on the Monday (29th July) … Lorraine sent me off with my sun hat and packed lunch, telling me to be a good boy as I was representing St Stephen’s!!
I must admit I was a little nervous going into the unknown, so I arrived quite early … before the 10.30am registration slot. I was able to assist with the final preparations and get to know a few people, which worked out great. I got to meet Alice, who was in charge of Admin and Rotas so a great person to be friends with. (Then on the last day I found out she lives at the other end of our road!!) Her hubby Martin was in charge of the Inflatables (my favourite) and I met other members of the Exec Committee.
At registration we received our passes, which included our photo, and you either purchased a brand new Spark yellow t-shirt for £15 or borrowed a clean one for the week for free … then at 11:30 we had our first team meeting where we received a very warm welcome from Rev Adam and Pastor John, before singing a couple of upbeat gospel songs, led by the talented Jacob. Rev Jim then gave a sermon linking it to Spark, and this took place every day before the “fun” started at 12.30.
All the helpers then went off to prepare their sections ready for 1pm and I was shocked to see how many families had already camped under the trees, trying to find some shade in the amazing heat we experienced that week. We were advised by our “meet and greeters” that we had approximately 500 visitors per day.
We would have a break from the activities from 2.30-3pm so that all the families could listen to an appropriate story from the Bible and have a song and dance, before a fun game between the helpers ending with one of them getting soaking wet … there were plenty of volunteers due to the high temperatures!
I was on the two big inflatables most of the week, and also assisted with the football on both pitches. I even came out of retirement for the over 10s in one match to even up the sides and was pleased with my performance, plus no injuries to report. Also, I did a shift on the Mini Games, which was a doddle and in the shade.
There were a couple of evening events too … on Tuesday it was Family Fun Games, with a Quiz Night on the Wednesday and I stayed on to help out with Spark Extra on the Thursday night from 7pm until 9pm. This was where we allowed the older children and even the adults to play the sports, go on the Inflatables and even try the Arts & Crafts. It was a great night, but the weather changed dramatically with heavy rain, thunder and lightning which all started dead on 7pm – perfect timing!
However, this just increased the fun had by all, and made my giant slide even faster … but we did have to close that ride at 8pm after little Aiden went so fast he landed in Bexleyheath Broadway!!
I must admit I was ready for the final shift on Friday afternoon. It had been a long week and the sun/30+ degrees every day didn’t help, but our little helpers (aka minions) did a fantastic job of keeping us hydrated during the day with regular visits of water or squash.
We finished off with a special team meeting and a number of people spoke re special stories that came up during the week, plus there was a special presentation to Rev Adam Foot and his wife Kate (St John’s), the founding members of Spark who are retiring this year, before the famous team photo (see above).
Will I go back next year? … definitely … God (and body) willing. During that week I made a large number of new friends from the other 23 churches, I met some fantastic children (even some better footballers than me). I saw the appreciation on the adults’ faces when they heard it was all free and I witnessed the great work all the 139 volunteers did for their local Community … totally the opposite of what I was watching on the News on TV from around the UK, with all the riots going on.
As you have seen, you can be young or old, but don’t need to be ultra fit to volunteer at Spark … you just need a good heart. There are so many roles you can assist with … even if just for one day that week. This year it was just me and Gwen from St Stephen’s Church … so next year can we at least double that number please?
Minions Assemble …. 😊
Paul Harris
Aged 60 ¾
To view a PowerPoint photo video of Spark 2024 please go to: