Alice in Wonderland Women and Children's Afternoon Tea
 Children and young people with an Alice in Wonderland giant teacup.
On Monday, 8 April, Child-Friendly Medway were joined by over 200 women and children for our free Alice in Wonderland Women and Children's Afternoon Tea event at the Rochester Corn Exchange.
The venue looked truly magical, with life-sized sculptures of the whimsical Cheshire Cat, the punctual White Rabbit and curious Alice!
We were visited by two officers from Kent Police, who spoke to attendees and, of course – couldn’t resist snapping a photo with some of the sculptures. Free safety equipment was given to attendees, including high-visibility sticker packs and waist bags, along with card and key protectors.
Colleagues from Medway Adult Education were also in attendance, providing Alice in Wonderland themed worksheets and quizzes to promote their Multiply programme: a national scheme that offers maths support to adults. We wanted to extend a special thanks to Medway Adult Education for their involvement.
Children, young people and families could explore the room of wonders and snap a photo with characters including life-sized Alice, Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. A magical afternoon tea was also provided with sandwiches, scones and other tasty treats.
Photos could also be taken with our Child-Friendly Medway Wonderland backdrop, where children and families could accessorise with our props, including rabbit ears, top hats and pocket watches.
Parents and carers commented that the Alice in Wonderland event was an “Excellent event at the Corn Exchange”, with “amazing staff”. Many commented that they appreciated the free activities programming provided by Child-Friendly Medway, especially throughout the half term.
One mother shared with us “We had an amazing time and my daughter said it’s the best day out she has ever had, thank you sooo much”.
This event was funded by Medway Safer Streets. The criteria to use this funding was to organise activities specifically for women and girls, women and children, or families, in support of their Violence Against Women and Girls campaign.
All children received a free book as part of our 'For the Love of Reading' initiative, encouraging children and young people to develop a passion for reading and getting more books into more homes.
If you have any photos from our ‘Alice in Wonderland Women and Children’s Afternoon Tea’ that you would like to share with us, please tag @childfriendly on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Strood and Gillingham Spring Fundays
Children taking part in a 'make your own modelling dough' workshop.
Child-Friendly Medway and Medway Council's Town Centre Team welcomes Spring with free and fun family events in Strood and Gillingham.
Strood High Street:
On Wednesday, 10 April, over 350 children, young people and families joined us in Friary Place by Aldi in Strood for our Spring Fun Day with the Medway Town Centres Team.
Families were entertained by the Child-Friendly Medway Puppet Theatre shows, performed by Pretending People Theatre Company, following the story of Professor Ego and his team. Children could have a go at Tin Can Alley and Giant Jenga, as well as taking part in an Easter Egg Hunt – with prizes to be won! There was also face painting and craft activities to be enjoyed.
Child-Friendly Medway also carried out a book trail in Strood High Street, placing books for children and young people to find and take home, as part of our ‘For the Love of Reading’ initiative, encouraging children and young people to develop a passion for books and to get more books into more homes.
Gillingham Library:
On Friday, 12 April, Child-Friendly Medway joined the team at Gillingham Library to continue celebrating the arrival of spring with another Spring Fun Day!
With over 200 attendees, children and families could take part in arts and crafts, including decorate your own plant pot – and there were some very colourful creations. Families could also enjoy face painting and get messy with our “make your own modelling dough” workshop.
Child-Friendly Medway delivered a book trail in Gillingham High Street, with a member of the public commenting that this was “such a thoughtful way to inspire a lifelong love for reading”.
Both Spring Fun Days were funded by Year 2 of Medway’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. More than £260,000 has been allocated to 27 programmes across Medway to make a difference to local communities.
Rabbit Run
 Child taking a photo after completing the Rabbit Run course.
Child-Friendly Medway celebrated Easter with the Pentagon Shopping Centre, welcoming over 400 children, young people and families.
Children were invited to follow a trail around the shopping centre to collect their rabbit ears, rabbit tail, basket to decorate, and to paint their face with whiskers and a pink nose! Then, it was off to shops to collect some tasty chocolate eggs.
When the trail was complete, children and young people could visit the Rabbit Run photo opportunity and take a picture with the spring-themed set-up, with hay-bales and giant sunflowers! Children could also have a go at the egg-and-spoon-race.
Children and young people joined the Child-Friendly Medway team for some Easter-themed colouring in and could visit our Book Swap shelf to do some reading, or to exchange a preloved book.
Safety equipment such as high-visibility stickers, card protectors and bag tags were available for attendees, as well as information on services available, such as Victim Support.
This event was funded by Medway Safer Streets. The criteria to use this funding is to organise activities and events specifically for women and girls, women and children, or families, in support of their Violence Against Women and Girls campaign.
Free Screening of Matilda the Musical
 Children, young people and families holding up their copy of 'Matilda', while seated ready for the screening to begin.
Child-Friendly Medway hosted a free screening of Matilda the Musical at MidKent College on Thursday, 11 April, where we were joined by over 150 children, young people and families.
The magic of Matilda is inspirational for all, and reflects the values of our 'For the Love of Reading' initiative, showing how fun reading can be, encouraging children and young people to pick up a book. Matilda the Musical follows the story of “an extraordinary girl who dares to take a stand to change her story. Matilda loves to lose herself in the pages of her beloved books and is inspired to create her own fantastical tales”.
Before the film, attendees could take part in a Roald Dahl quiz, with the chance to win a prize. Every child/young person was given a free copy of Roald Dahl’s Matilda, with our youngest guests sharing that they love our film events and were excited to start reading the book when they got home. Pairing our book giveaways with free screenings is also a great way to inspire and encourage reluctant readers.
This event was funded by Start for Life and is part of our programming to narrow the gap, providing free opportunities for all children, young people and families in Medway.
Medway Town Scout Fun Day
 Young people sharing their ideas on how to make Medway even more child-friendly with the Child-Friendly Medway team.
On Saturday, 20 April, Child-Friendly Medway joined Medway Town Scouts at Buckmore Park for their Scout Fun Day!
Many organisations were involved in making this day a exciting one for Medway Town Scouts and their families, such as Medway Youth Service with their escape room and Kent Search and Rescue, who performed search dog displays. Young people could also take part in activities such as archery and a disco - or a game of GIANT Jenga with the Child-Friendly Medway team!
With over 1,400 children and young people in attendance, this was the perfect time for Child-Friendly Medway to ask young people their ideas on making Medway even more child-friendly! Attendees could write their ideas on a postcard and put it in the Child-Friendly Medway post box; feedback included more sports and drama clubs and cooking classes.
Child-Friendly Medway also ran a Book Trail at Buckmore Park, where 200 books were hidden around the park for children and young people to find and take home, as part of our 'For the Love of Reading' initiative.
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