Narnia comes to Christ Church Waterloo

Nov 26 2009 by Kathryn Carr, Crosby Herald

THE Old Christ Church in Waterloo was transported to the magical world of Narnia at the weekend.

The Bishop of Liverpool, The Rt Rev James Jones, paid a visit to the church to see it transformed into Narnia, complete with a real-life White Witch, castles, icy waterfall and 40-tree forest.

Schools from around the city were invited to attend free interactive sessions, where they could step through the wardrobe into Narnia and meet characters such as Mr Tumnus, the White Witch, Mrs Beaver and the Professor, as well as learning more about the story, and taking part in discussions and craft activities.

Organisers enlisted the help of more than 150 people in the building of the set, making props and helping to construct the forest, an icy waterfall, two castles, Mr Tumnus’ house, the beavers lodge, snow and statues.

Local churches, Ykids and New Directions, in partnership with In Another Place, which specialises in presenting the Christian message in an accessible way, teamed up to run the Narnia experience, in the hope that it would help children explore themes such as love, loyalty, choices, and friendship, and how they can use their own talents and gifts.

Annie Spiers, from In Another Place said: “This has been a real team effort and we have done this to bring the story to life and to bring life to the meaning behind the story.

“We hope that it will help people understand the hidden messages in the story and how they still apply to us today.”