Holiday activity plan begins

Press, 7 January 1983, Page 5

Holiday activity plan begins

The Adventure Bus Company took to the road yesterday with a new holiday programme for Christchurch children.

The programme is a smaller version >of the defunct Children's Holiday Activities Programme, and the "bus” is really a rental van which five tertiary students use on their weekday tour of city public libraries.

Yesterday afternoon was to be spent decorating the van with a special commercial paint so that it could be removed when the scheme finishes at the end of this month. Instead the students were too busy entertaining about 30 children who arrived for the first A.B.C. session at the Shirley Public Library. Its organiser, Mr Ross Henderson said it was a promising turnout at a time when families traditionally took their children away on holiday. “We have had to go to

the libraries where the children are," he said.

Getting the show on the road had been a struggle, said Mr Henderson. There had been little planning time but ■ fortunately Labour Department funding and a $4OOO subsidy from the Christchurch City Council would cover costs.

Library morning and afternoon sessions (9.30 a.m. to noon, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) were aimed at organising story telling, films, art and craft work, and outdoor sports for children aged six to 11.

The programme timetable for this month is: Fendalton library, Wednesday mornings; Hornby library, Thursday mornings and Friday afternoons; Papanui library, Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings; Shirley library, Wednesday afternoons; Redwood library, all day Tuesdays; Spreydon library, Monday mornings, January 10 and 24.