Today was my first event with Birmingham Active streets. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and had poured it down for pretty much the entire day. But that didn’t knock the confidence of the flood of kids that came running out to get stuck in with the activities and equipment we’d set out. In fact, I’d say they probably had more fun in the rain; whether they were battling it out in the tug of war, trying to hit the elusive bullseye on the archery set or even just smacking a ball around with the tennis/cricket sets. There was always something for them to do, and the fact that they already knew each other already made them all the more competitive and willing to take part.
The only downside of the afternoon (apart from the rain) was the turn-out of the parents and volunteers. We were however fortunate enough to be donated a bag of sand to make a sandpit with, which the kids loved (c’mon, we basically made a beach in their own front gardens if you count the puddles as the sea).
The road, Kinlet Avenue in West Heath, was one-way, making it easy to block the entrance of the road. Although that didn’t stop one rogue taxi driver (who claimed he lived on the road) from driving all the way down the one-way street in the wrong direction and exiting through the road block.
All in all, it was a great first experience despite the setbacks and I really enjoyed myself. Praying for warm, sunny weather for my next event and maybe a few more volunteers to lend a helping hand.