DNEAT MAT News

Peterhouse Church of England Primary Academy in Gorleston is treating its pupils to a half term treat with ‘Pancake Packs’ for Shrove Tuesday.

Also delivering a Shrove Tuesday message, Rev. Matthew Price from St. Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston is providing activity sheets to go in each pancake pack and the vicar is recording a special family session which can be found on the church YouTube Channel and Facebook channel from Tuesday 16th 2021.

DNEAT Headteacher, Mr Ryan Freeman said: “We are putting together Peterhouse ‘pancake packs’ for families. The children have missed out on enough this year, and therefore, we have decided to put together free pancake packs that parents can collect. Each pack will contain all of the ingredients that they need to make pancakes at home with their children.”

He adds: “This year, Shrove Tuesday falls in half term and its noted that some families might struggle to buy extra ingredients or get out to the shops.”

Rev. Matthew Price from St. Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston said: ““In the past years we’ve hosted a community Pancake party at St Mary Magdalene church. Because of the pandemic we’re unable to do that this year, but we’re delighted to working in partnership with our friends at Peterhouse to mark Shrove Tuesday. It marks the beginning of the preparation for Easter in the Christian calendar and with all that has happened in the last year, we hope it will be the beginning of our communities celebration of the hope that is on offer in the death and resurrection of Jesus.”

He added: “We’re also encouraging families to use the period of Lent as a time to focus on self-care on this really challenging season. We’ll be sending out with the packs a sheet giving 40 ideas of fun self-care activities to boost their positivity as a family, each contained within a heart. Each time one is completed they can colour in the heart and mark the 40 days of lent in this way.”

Oliver Burwood, CEO of Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT) said: “We thank our local Vicar, Rev. Matthew Price for supporting our pupils and their families. Shrove Tuesday is an important time in the Christian calendar and it’s lovely we can combine this with giving out these fun pancake packs.”

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday, Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were ‘striven’ (absolved from their sins).

80 families signed up to receive a pack so far.

Find the service on the YouTube channel and Facebook at St Mary Magdalene Church, Gorleston.