A new initiative in Bredon is bringing people together to play board games once a month on a Friday morning in the village hall.
Started by ALM worship leader and churchwarden, Angie Godsell, with the support of other volunteers from the church, the idea is to provide a warm and welcoming space where people can come together, play board games and enjoy hot drinks and cake.
The group started in October and meets on the last Friday of each month from 10am to midday. 19 different people have so far come to the sessions, 16 of whom aren’t currently part of the church community.
Angie said: “We know that playing games are good for mental health and it’s something that people enjoy, but it can be difficult when you live alone. Playing a game together also takes off the pressure to chat and it’s proving to be a great way to reach out to the local community.”
The team applied to the Kingdom People Fund for a small grant to start the games morning. This has helped cover the cost of the room and refreshments. Although many of the games have been donated, it also meant that there was some money to buy additional games if needed.
Angie continued: “We promoted the games morning by putting leaflets through doors in the village, in particularly focussing on a local complex for older people. We also put up notices in the bus stop, outside the village hall an advertised on our community Facebook page. We had planned to just run from October to February, but it’s been so popular that we’re now going to continue until at least the end of May. We’ll probably then have a break for the summer and restart again in September.”
Julie is one of the attendees. She said: “My husband passed away so I’m on my own and it’s great to get out and mix with people. I’m really enjoying having fun working out how to do the different games and having a chat at the same time.”
Another attendee Lynn added: “I’m relatively new the village after retiring and was looking for a way to meet people and make friends. I saw the board games morning advertised when I popped down to the village hall to see what was on and then was reminded by a Facebook post. I love games and I’ve also found friendship and acceptance.”
Elaine Simpson is an ordinand on placement in the Bredon Hill Group and has been supporting Angie in running the morning. She said: “It is a great way to reach people who might not come into church, but who want to spend time with other people. It helps them to find community and build relationships. It’s also something that suits all ages.”
Towards the end of each session, either Angie or another volunteer gives a short ‘thought for the day’.
Angie said: “It’s very light touch but is a reminder that Bredon Church is there for everyone in our village. A number of those attending the board games morning also come to our Coffee, Cake & Chat at the pub twice a month and seeing these people regularly has meant that we're getting to know them really well. It was great to see some of them at our Christmas carol service in church this year.”
