Castel Church hosts Easter gardens event
CHILDREN were given the chance to make their own miniature gardens to celebrate Easter at a special family morning at the Castel Church on Good Friday.
Organised by the church's recently-formed Church On A Hill group, the garden creators were given plants and sand and stones and sent off to scavenge for twigs before creating their garden in a small container, augmented with a food or plant pot.
Each gardener also contributed to a larger one, which was created outside the main door of the church to stay there over Easter, said church warden Jan Roberts.
While every garden was different, all were based on the theme of the Easter story, and included at least one cross and a representation of the empty tomb.
'It's a tradition going back hundreds of years,' said Mrs Roberts. 'We've been doing it for some years. It comes in different guises every year.'
'I put sunflower seeds in mine,' said Pippin Roberts, who is nearly four.
'Afterwards we'll go in and have a story and some hot cross buns,' said assistant curate Bev Herve, who read the children The Story of the Three Trees after their gardening efforts.
Castel's Church on a Hill group was described by Mrs Roberts as '50% Christian, 50% environmental' and arose out of discussions over what could be done as a community to address environmental issues.
This was only their third event, following a one where they made a bug hotel, and an 'eco day'.
