WHEN Alicia Lea first came to holiday club aged four, she never imagined that 11 years later she’d be helping to lead it.

But the 15-year-old was one of two presenters introducing the mix of games, songs, drama and stories at the four-day holiday club hosted by Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn.

Children aged four to 11 have flocked to the annual February half-term get-together there for more than 20 years. This year’s was the first full-length holiday club since before the pandemic, after a series of digital and then one-day versions in recent years.

“All I can remember of being here in Year R is that I had the time of my life,” she said. “I was quite shy to start with but by the end of the week, I'd be engaging with the activities. I’ve been here every year since. When I was in the youngest groups, I couldn’t wait to be in the older groups, and then I wanted to be one of the group leaders.

“I was a bit nervous when I was asked to be upfront, but it’s great to be able to fill in the gaps and hold everything together. It feels like I’ve got more confident as the week has gone on.”

The theme of this year’s holiday club was ‘The Great Transformer’, with Bible stories examining how Jesus transformed the lives of people he met. Crafts, drama sketches and games were based on similar themes, with the chance to design butterflies in paper and clay, and play games based around transformations. The drama serial was based around the transformation of a rubbish tip.

The holiday club ran from Tuesday afternoon to Friday afternoon, with a special family session on Friday evening. The fun then continues with a holiday club service at the church on Sunday morning.