Holy Histories Holiday Club told some of the stories of the past of the local Christian community. The idea was to help people learn about the church and how it has played an important part of the Dunbar community for centuries. Many folk walk past the different churches in Dunbar daily, or even attend them regularly, but know little about their story. In the first week the story of the Parish Church fire and a treasure hunt around the graveyard gave families an insight into the rich history of that church. In the second week they went further back in time to the 17th and 7th Century to learn about the grim tale of the Witches’ Stone, and to the 7th Century to find out about Dunbar’s patron saint, St Bey. The final week looked at John Wesley and his visit and fond regard for Dunbar and its “cheerfullest people”.  Labyrinths were set up at Belhaven Church and St Anne’s to encourage families to visit.

Fifty children, from thirty families, took part in this year’s online version of Holiday club, Holy Histories. Online due to Covid-19, it meant Holiday club couldn't happen as usual but the team were determined to do something! It was a real mix of regular holiday club attendees and those who were new to the club. Some from Harbour Lights, some from the two Messy churches at Cockburnspath and Belhaven, and around  a third of families with a local Sunday church connection. Around half the children had no links with any church. The nature of the Holiday club meant that families were more involved, and were encouraged to go out exploring Dunbar Parish Graveyard, the Witches stone at Spott and the Eye cave beach where St Bey was reported to live.

Volunteers, as ever, were a great asset this year. Along with Richard and Kathryn, four people planned and delivered the club, from four different churches including Belhaven, St Anne’s, Discovery and Cockburnspath. Volunteers from different churches also helped deliver the activity packs each week for three weeks, and engaged parents and children in conversations. This was a good point of contact and was particularly well-received by volunteers and families alike.

The Holiday club was delivered via a facebook group, Holy Histories 2020, as well as by email. Interested local people also joined the group and watched the videos that Richard produced each day. A volunteer from St Anne’s church acted out the role of John Wesley, and another volunteer talked about the fire at Dunbar Parish Church.

Quote from Richard 

“We knew holiday club had to be different this year and our creative team hatched the idea of telling the story of Christianity in our own town here in Dunbar. Using short films, games, crafts and other activities, families are invited to find out more about some of the different churches. We have given them a weekly bag full of resources to help them, and they can take as long as they like, and do much as suits them, all in their own time. Blended into this mix are Christian themes and practices such as prayer, forgiveness and kindness. There is a lot to learn from the past. There are mistakes and regrets such as when the Kirk was complicit in the murder of women they called witches and it challenges us all to think about our actions to others and to keep check on how we could do better. One parent told us that the visit there had given them a lot to talk about with her children. And stories such as that of St Bey, remind us the importance of self sacrifice and getting away from it all to be closer to God. The crafts will help people do that too and might encourage them to continue to do so after this week. It has been a lot of fun to put together and I myself have learnt loads about Dunbar and the people here.”

Quotes from parents

"I thought the holiday club was excellent, given the circumstances! So much work has been put into it. The videos were incredibly professional, and we loved getting the craft packs delivered – they generated real excitement to see what they would contain and guess what could be made with the contents. Even as a grownup, I learned loads of fascinating things about the history of Dunbar, its churches and its people. I feel much better-informed now. If you ever had the time to roll out a version of the trails and videos to older church members I’m sure it would go down really well!"

"My daughter has attended the holiday club from the very start and always looks forward to it, it really is very welcoming, well organised and overall really good fun.  Perhaps, having carried out the activities differently this year outside and as a family, there could be an element of this incorporated into next years club should it go ahead in 2021 as normal in the church hall."

"We enjoyed having projects to do as a family, particularly at a time when my own ideas are running low. "

" It was lovely chatting to our neighbour who we’ve not really met when she dropped off the weekly bag (Alison).   Well done to all involved in setting this up!"

"I felt it showed real compassion and care towards worn out families, with fatigued parents and restless children. Bags of ready crafts and ideas of places to go in Dunbar, with a Christian message, was a breath of fresh air at the end of five months of ‘home school!’ "

This year's Holiday Club is online and includes a craft pack for each family for the three weeks it will run for. Starting on Monday 20th July, there will be videos to follow and a facebook page to share what we are all doing.

The three main videos are here:

Week 1 - Dunbar Parish Church Fire https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=kinnvDvGoKo 

Week 2 - The Story of Spott - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK5-WECBrgc

Week 3 - John Wesley film: https://youtu.be/lGGhFss5q9M

Feedback so far has been great, and it's been a great way to explore Dunbar's Christian Heritage.