Easter Egg Decorating EventReport

Date: March 28th, 2016Co-Ordinator: Fatheha Rahman (Volunteer)

Original Plan:The original plan for the event was to bring families with children down to the community centre on Easter Monday to decorate Easter Eggs and baskets to take home as DIY ornament – completely free of charge. To organise the event, I bought the supplies a roughly month in advance and we collectively did outreach through the Yellow Pavilion pamphlet – distributing this in schools and the local area.

Expected Attendance:We were expecting an attendance of anywhere between a minimum of 5 people and a maximum of 25. This was a new event/project, so we weren't entirely sure of the correct attendance.

Budget: £50.00 (c.)

Supplies:The supplies included polystyrene eggs, woven baskets, stickers, finger paints, crinkle paper, ribbon, two sets of markers and disposable aprons.

Expense: £36.96 (The Works) + £3.75 (Amazon.co.uk)

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Problems: After the date and time had been agreed about a month in advance,

there was a mix-up in the different time of the event. On the Easter Schedule for the Yellow Pavilion the Easter Egg Decorating event was listed as being at both 10.30am – 12.30pm in one place and 2.00pm – 4.00pm. The mix-up could not be fixed as the schedules were printed late and had already been distributed – but we overcame this by providing the event at both times. We take from this the need to proofread, and to confirm times and dates.

Another problem we had was unsuitable materials. The finger paints were not particularly suited to decorating polystyrene. Thankfully, there were plenty of other materials and resources for the children to use, so this didn't become much of a problem. But a lesson to take away from this would be to test or research before putting them out for use.

The final problem we had was that we ran out of supplies. Due to the unexpected number of

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attendees, we ran out of supplies – which we overcame by running out on the day and getting more from a local shop. This led to some children having to wait for supplies to come in, but there were no complaints about this, and both children and parents showed understanding. A lesson to learn from this would be to over-order stock just in case more people than expected turn up for an event.

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Outcome:First Session (10.30am – 12.30pm): The morning session went well, with initially two children and a parent being present. As the sessions went on, others joined the session.Volunteers:Michael Stuart (Community Manager)DominiqueAttendance:In total, there were 12 people who came for the event, excluding the volunteers.

Second Session (2.00pm – 4pm): The afternoon session was a lot more chaotic. Initially, it was quiet with only two families participating – but attendance spiked at 2.45pm when 5 different families joined the event. It was chaotic and it was at this point that our art supplies began to squander – but it was manageable and overall a success. We were also entertained with some piano music thanks to some talented parents and children.Volunteers: Jenny DrinkeldAttendance:In total, we had a massive 46 people join us for the afternoon event, excluding the volunteers.

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Contributing Factors:Some of the reasons why the attendance may have been so large could be due to the fact that a children's event was going on at the London Designer Outlet. Many of the parents also said that they were first-timers at the Yellow Pavilion, and had only come in for the event because of the sign outside advertising it.

Additional Expense: £9.30 (Sainsbury's) + £1.20 (Sainsbury's).

Final Comments:I view the event as a huge success. We had loads of positive feedback from parents and all the children left with smiling faces. We parents saying that they'd never seen their children so focussed and quiet. It would appear that the event was an enjoyable experience for everyone. A number of newcomers had also come to the Yellow Pavilion, and this allowed myself and the volunteers to tell them about the Yellow Pavilion about their local community centre and the activities we regularly hold. It gained positive interest and I expect that many of them will return for our weekly activities. We even made contact with a woman who has experience in arts and crafts with children as a career.

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