Looking back at our Come and See Diocesan Mission (12-15 March), Helen Goodman remembers the Saturday’s Family Fun Afternoon in the Ampleforth Benefice, “for children 1 to 100”.

Rural church numbers are often small but the young people and parents filled our village hall with plenty of activity, laughter, noise and fun.

Our theme was celebrating our local saints connected with our churches and schools. We had plenty of craft materials and plenty of helpers and the young people took home everything they had made. St Oswald – wooden painted and decorated swords (oddly popular with the boys) and brightly coloured crowns. Decorated clay ammonites for St Hilda; St Aidan enjoyed his island of Lindisfarne, made on a paper plate with wooden cross, sand, pebbles and painted water. St Benedict, distinguished by a large cave, took up most room with several children bringing in branches, ivy, mud and wood and other materials; messy, noisy and useful for children to rest in out of sight. Holy Trinity Church - lots of symbols and colouring, and then Holy Cross Church lent itself to a variety of wooden, plastic and paper crosses made and decorated.

Bishop of Middleton (Manchester) Mark Davies was our guest who mingled with everyone, wore his crown, talked and listened, joined in the games and singing, making as many things as he could, then shared his faith with us. Two young people, interviewed about their growing faith and asked if they were Christians, emphatically answered ‘Yes’.