Deputy PM joins Church Army project for panto fun

20 Feb 2007

The Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, surprised members of Trinity Church in Page Moss, with a special visit when he joined them to enjoy the panto performance of Cinderella earlier this month.

The performance, directed by Adrian Prescott (pictured left), a Church Army evangelist who is also the deputy PM’s brother, drew some 200 guests and raised £600 in funds to go to further community initiatives. The show was a celebration of talents and abilities; residents of Page Moss had starring roles in the performance and got the opportunity to make the show’s costumes.

In a news article in the Huyton and Roby Star, John Prescott said: "Seeing the children act so well made the show what it was, being part of the community. It took me back to the days when I played Grumpy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

Adrian Prescott added, "It’s about celebrating the community which we are part of, involving local talents and encouraging families. After the show it was great to show a few of the children how the technical side of it worked."

Adrian Prescott joined Trinity Church, after his commissioning as a Church Army evangelist in 2005 and has since been making a difference in the community working alongside Church Army evangelists Phil Clark and Dave Collier. Trinity Church runs a children and youth’s club, Kidz Klub, which has been working to transform the lives of young people on the Page Moss estate for over six years. Each week over 350 children flood through its doors to experience a type of ministry that is closer to Saturday morning TV than traditional church or Sunday school.

Speaking about the impact of Church Army’s work at Adrian’s commissioning, John Prescott said, "As a cabinet minister charged with the responsibility of investing millions of pounds into our communities I am delighted to see that Church Army is focussed in making a difference where it counts - out in the real world with real people."

The work of the team on the Page Moss estate also recently featured in a new book about churches that refused to die. The church was featured alongside some ten other stories in the publication Back from the Brink published recently by Christian Research.

Picture credit: Group photo is the copyright of Phil Owen.