Seaside Special Celebrates 50 Years!
One of our Community Based Missions ran for its 50th time at Bethesda Christian Fellowship in Helensburgh from 5 - 9 July 2026. ‘Seaside Special’ was started by Ken Newbury. This year, volunteer, Samantha Davies, told us what it was like to be part of its ‘golden year’:
“There’s always an air of anticipation, fun and excitement before Seaside Special, but somehow this summer it was heightened as everyone had recognised with thanks, the previous years of this faithful outreach to primary school children. This 50th golden year felt different: we were at capacity with 60 children enrolled and volunteers, young and old, were blossoming in their unique ways.
Bethesda Church hall had been transformed into an underwater scene, as we were all invited to become ‘Deep Sea divers’, the theme for the holiday club. The club was planned months ahead by SU Scotland staff member, Cammy Swinton and his wife Emily, who oversaw the whole operation, supported by the wider Church family.
When you volunteer for something like this, you can naively think you’re there to teach the children, which is true, but God is also teaching you. The older and younger volunteers were all invited to be more childlike with our heavenly Father, to trust him more. At least four churches were represented and it’s true that unity commands a blessing (Psalm 133:3)”
Each day, the holiday club ran from 10am until 12.30pm and consisted of a drama with fun, eccentric characters, and a journey through the ocean zones from the ‘Sunlight Zone’ right through to the ‘Abyssal Zone,’ as Cammy shared about the life and teachings of Jesus. Children then spent some time in groups exploring the Bible further, drawing or writing in their ‘logbooks’. The rest of the morning’s activities included memory verses, games, exercise, songs, crafts and, of course, ‘messy play’, with shaving foam, custard, slime.
Samantha shared:
“Overall, it was a blessing to be part of this. A special mention goes to the fun, young leaders who were excellent, especially in connecting with the children who seemed withdrawn.”
The Seaside Special has been impacting children’s lives in Helensburgh for 50 years. We hope that it continues to have an impact for many years to come.