 Batman and Superman with the Batmobile at Super Saturday.
Superhero Fun at Super Saturday
On Saturday, 30 August, superhero-themed fun filled Chatham High Street and The Pentagon Shopping Centre, where almost 28,000 children, young people, families, and the wider community joined us for the return of Child-Friendly Medway's largest flagship event of the year, Super Saturday.
Movie cars lined Military Way and the new Paddock, including the Batman VS Superman Batmobile, the Jurassic Park Jeep, Tow-Mater, Bumblebee, Lightening McQueen, and the Ecto-1. Children, young people, and families stopped to admire the cars and snap a photo of their favourites.
There were lots of activities to take part in, including the Hero Trail, where attendees answered questions to earn their exclusive Super Saturday badge!
Characters included:
- Wonder Woman
- Thor
- Batman
- Joker
- Superman
- Spiderman
- Velociraptor
- 30-foot tall ‘Stay Puft’ Marshmallow Man
Families also had the opportunity to see Iron Man with his Armoury of suits, and fellow heroes, including Captain America, Black Widow, Spiderman, Superman, and Batman could be seen wandering around.
There was so much to see and take part in, from the Artists Alley with local creators, to the incredible costumes, part of the Kent & Medway Cosplay Group.
The Leader of Medway Council, Cllr Maple and Councillors: Cllr Howcroft-Scott, Cllr Murray, Cllr Gurung, Cllr Nestorov, and Cllr Nestorova, visited Child-Friendly Medway at Super Saturday. We were also joined by officers from Kent Police.
Children, young people, and families could take part in the ‘Affinity Stone’ Hunt, where they followed a trail to collect six stones and complete their superhero mission. Craft workshops were also running, where children could create their own superhero mask.
Child-Friendly Medway consulted with children and young people, through our Children and Young People 2025 Survey about what it is like to be a young person in Medway, followed by a book giveaway.
The Child-Friendly Medway For the Love of Reading Book Swap Shelves and reading corner was open throughout the event providing families with quiet time.
Parents/carers attending on the day shared with us:
“We enjoyed the day a lot. Kids were kept busy and focused on the tasks while making some really nice pictures with the characters and cars. Few new books to read as well. Thank you Medway for making it possible.”
“It was brilliant we went with grandchildren, they loved it. There is a man who done drawings from photo's we had one done, again he was brilliant, the whole event was fantastic, from the superhero cars to the inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, everything was just perfect.”
Funded and delivered in partnership with UK Shared Prosperity Fund, The Pentagon Shopping Centre, and Love Chatham.
 Children and young people meeting Mojo, our Child-Friendly Medway mascot at Hoo Family Fun Day.
Family Fun in the Hoo Peninsula
Over 400 children, young people, and families joined the Child-Friendly Medway team at the Hoo Village Hall and Recreation Ground for our Hoo Family Fun Day.
Children and young people could enjoy lots of different activities, including:
- Soft play
- Bouncy castle
- Mega slide
- Assault course
- Penalty shoot out
- Inflatable basketball game
- Inflatable football darts
- Ball-in-bucket
- Play your cards right
- Face painting
- Colouring in
Children and young people were also invited to take part in our Child-Friendly Medway Children and Young People 2025 Survey, where we ask them what it is like being a young person in Medway. Once completing the survey, children could choose a book to take home and read.
The Chief Executive of Medway Council, Richard Hicks, visited the event, seeing all of the fun activities and even getting a photo with our Child-Friendly Medway mascot, Mojo, who came out to say hello.
11 partners joined us on the day, including:
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Kent Police, who brought along one of their police cars for children and young people to take a photo with.
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The NHS Immunisation team, who shared information on vaccinations and provided colouring in and bubbles.
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LV21, who provided an embroidery activity based on the heritage of the Hoo Peninsula.
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Medway Adult Education, who ran their popular ‘Lob the Loo Roll’ game, which the children loved!
- Public Health’s Stop Smoking team, Beside You, and NHS Health Check team, who offered advice and shared resources.
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Medway Community Healthcare Infant Feeding, Family Action Medway Universal Parenting Programme, Kumon Gillingham, and Medway Parents and Carers Forum, who shared information on their services.
One parent/carer attending the event told us that:
“Summer holidays can be long and expensive. Now that Child Friendly Medway is around, there is a lovely wide range of activities and a sense of community.”
Funded by The Medway Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.
Children, young people, and families watching a dinosaur show at Dino Day.
Dinosaurs in Chatham at Dino Day
‘Roar-some’ fun took to Chatham High Street and The Pentagon Shopping Centre on Wednesday, 13 August, where over 4,000 children, young people, and families joined us.
Across the day, three dinosaur shows took place, where the Jurassic keepers told the audiences what dinosaurs ate, where they lived, and what they looked like. They introduced us to Peepo the Parasaurolophus, Spike the Spinosaurus, and Bruno the T.Rex with children laughing and joining the dinosaurs for a song and dance.
The larger-than-life dinosaurs roamed around the High Street, roaring and stopping for photos. Children also had the opportunity to meet Jax, the baby T-Rex, and pose with Child-Friendly Medway's baby triceratops for a photo, dressing up with dinosaur puppets, explorers’ hats, and binoculars!
Children and families took part in a dino-themed scavenger hunt, which led families around Chatham High Street and The Pentagon Shopping Centre. As well as this, there was a fun, pre-historic themed craft activity to take part in, where you could make your own dinosaur mask and terra flyer.
Child-Friendly Medway consulted with children and young people about what it is like to be a young person in Medway through our Children and Young People 2025 Survey.
Families could also visit our Book Swap Shelves, where children could swap some of their own books for a different title that they haven’t read yet.
Kent Police joined us on the day, with their police-inspired, dinosaur-themed colouring sheets, and an inkpad where children could take their own fingerprint.
Family Action’s Medway Universal Parenting Programme provided information on their services and free giveaways.
Parents/carers attending the event said:
“I attended with my two girls and we absolutely loved it!! They ended up watching two shows! We felt very safe with the security and other attendees. Everything was run smoothly and the hunt and craft was great fun too! Thank you to everyone involved!”
“There’s so much good stuff in the Medway Towns. We’re lucky.”
“What a fantastic event, just what Medway needs. Safe fun and enjoyment for all, well done to all involved.”
Funded and delivered in partnership with The Medway Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, The Pentagon Shopping Centre, and Love Chatham.
 Children taking part in drawing activities at The Big Doodle.
The Big Doodle
On Wednesday, 27 August, the Child-Friendly Medway team were at Sun Pier House, Chatham for the return of The Big Doodle free drawing event.
This creative event was SEND-friendly and provided a quieter and more relaxed environment for a smaller group of children and young people to take part in a wide range of creative activities, including our very own Child-Friendly Medway mascot, Mojo, colouring sheets.
Children, young people, and families joined us for activities with local artists, including a superhero themed creative activity, drawing workshops themed around Medway, and artists from Sun Pier House, who were running their BIG Draw Little People ‘300 Steps to the River’ workshop.
Officers from Kent Police also visited us on the day and even took part in a bit of colouring in!
The Child-Friendly Medway team also used The Big Doodle event as an opportunity to hear the voice of children and young people when they completed our Children and Young People 2025 Survey, where we asked what it is like to grow, live, play, and learn in Medway.
Have you been to one of our events?
Don’t forget to share with us on our social media channels: @ChildFriendlyMedway on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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