A hapless inventor whose inventions either do not work or have no useful purpose, by name Professor "Farley Eustace" was a daily visitor to Eynsham Churches Holiday Club from July 24-29. Fifty children took part during the week in “Maker Fun Factory” with a team of over thirty teenagers, sixth formers, university students, teachers and seniors drawn from St Leonard's Church, St Peter's Church and Eynsham Baptist Church.
On arrival children had to go through a ‘car-wash’ complete with bubbles. Mornings started with an ‘assembly’ with songs in which various inventions were tried out with varying degrees of success: who will forget the Bible-verse Pingmatic 5000, made of a plastic bottle and two bungees, which was upgraded to the Trebuchet version and finally the air-powered (leaf-blower) Pingmatic 10000?
Each day had a bible memory verse, illustrated in twenty minute sessions at various stations: games, an imagination station with crafts, home-made snacks, a video and a dramatic retelling of bible stories such as the Spies in Jericho, and Gideon and the 300. Children and their leaders were divided into crews of 5 or 6 who travelled between each station hopping or flying or even, where appropriate, crawling.
Points were awarded to the crews for effort, noise, memory, saying ‘thank you’, original handshakes and winning races. The prize at the street party (with ice cream) on Friday was to throw wet sponges at two chosen leaders, one of whom turned out to be the hapless Farley Eustace.
The final event was a Holiday Club All Age Service on Sunday at St Leonard’s with puppets, balloons, the Pingmatic 5000 again and a rocket which worked first time but not again.
A big thank you to all who supported the Plant and Cake Sale and Coffee Bar in May which provided some of the funds and to the Parish Council for their generous support to this community venture.