Holt school makes space for interactive prayer
Students at Gresham’s School in North Norfolk have been exploring spirituality, prayer, and life’s biggest questions with their very own interactive ‘Soul Space’ in the school chapel.
Back for a third year, the interactive Prayer Space has become a popular part of the schoolcalendar with staff and students alike, and took place this year from 5 to 19 February.
The historic interior of Gresham’s Chapel was transformed with stunning and immersive light and sound. The space was also filled with creative, tactile prayer ‘stations’ which gave the students an opportunity to develop skills of personal reflection and spirituality in a fun and creative way.
In addition to regular service and lesson time, the Prayer Space was also open to all staff and students every evening, providing an important space for stillness, quiet and reflection in the busy day of a boarding school student’s life. The initiative has proved to be very popular with hundreds of students choosing to take part.
One year 9 student said: “Soul Space is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
A year 11 student commented: “I was so pleased to see that Soul Space is back. It is one of the highlights of life at school.”
A Sixth Form student said: “I loved it. I can’t explain the way it made me feel but it was an amazing feeling. I left Chapel feeling like a new person.”
School Chaplain, Rev Jack Branford, said: “It has been another very successful week. Chapel is at the heart of school life here, but there is no doubt that this is the Chapel highlight of the year for many of our students. The positive feedback we get from staff and students is really quite overwhelming. Young people have an innate sense of spirituality and I love the way Prayer Spaces in Schools provides a safe and inclusive place for this to flourish.
“This is the third year of ‘Soul Space’ at Gresham’s, and my sixth year facilitating Prayer Spaces in Norfolk schools. I would strongly encourage others to give it a go. There are lots of resources and help locally which you can draw upon and you could make a huge difference to young lives.”
The pictures are courtesy of Greshams School
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Tony Rothe, 01/03/2023
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