Summer Fun!

I’m Annie, and I’m one of the team here at Canaan Project. As I sit and write this blog (the word “sit” being all important here!), it gives me a chance to reflect on a busy few weeks with our amazing young women this summer.

Not only have we offered a fun programme of activities this year (but more on that later!) we hosted the party of the year and saw the first ever Girls Club Festival. There was plenty of food, a tonne of glitter, flower crowns, a bouncy castle, photo booth and some solid tunes – and over 50 young women in attendance! The girls who came to celebrate the summer holidays with us seemed to really enjoy the atmosphere and different activities on offer at our festival; most of these young women have been attending regular provision this year which is why it is always a joy to celebrate the end of the year with them, but there were also a few newer faces who are always more than welcome at Girls Club too. We couldn’t have done it without the amazing volunteers who joined us to cook, paint glittery faces, host the bouncy castle and just simply chatting to the young women. Thank you!  

We opened our doors to the public for our annual Summer Showcase to celebrate another fantastic year of work. Some young women shared what they love about Girls Club, and we heard from our new Chair of Trustees, Bex, about why she’s involved too. The young women wanted to raise money for another charity – the Women’s Environmental Network –  through a yummy bake sale, and now the WEN are £13 better off than they were before. Well done, girls!

As promised, here’s a snapshot of some of the exciting things we did during our summer programme. During our first week, the girls went head to head in the Girls Club Bake Off and showed off their skills in a signature, technical and show-stopping challenge. Tessa and I played the parts of Paul Hollywood and Pru Leith for the afternoon, while Tess kept us organised as our host. We also visited Victoria Park for a picnic and some games and took to the cool water for a swimming session. Our second week saw us tie-dying some beautiful bags, t-shirts and socks, as well as basketball, a visit to Hyde Park for another picnic and some games, and a Southbank photo challenge and enjoying some art at the Tate Modern.

Phew! Now as we embark on the quieter end of summer, and we start to prepare for the new term, all I can say is how excited I am to see what adventures we’ll get up to next – and a huge thank you to all who have supported and loved us this year.

Annie