On Saturday 29th August, St Nicholas Parish hosted a Family Fun Day in one of Oxford’s most popular parks in aid of the St Nicholas Orthodox Church Building Appeal. The event was advertised widely and promised a host of fun activities for children and their families on the Bank Holiday Saturday, the last before the beginning of the new academic year. Amongst the attractions, there were two bouncy castles, face-painting, mug-decorating, seed planting, running races and an unusual but extremely popular activity of hula-hoop making. Refreshments were available from the on-site barbecue and the ice-cream, cake and homemade lemonade stalls which were all doing a roaring trade in the August sunshine. The day concluded with a raffle, featuring a number of attractive prizes, including a voucher for a professional photographic portrait worth £145.
The event raised in excess of £1,650 which represents an important contribution to the ongoing appeal effort. Of comparable importance is the local publicity generated by such events; the people of Oxford were able to learn more about our plans to open a new Orthodox place of worship and, ultimately, about the Orthodox Church.
