YOUNG people from a borough church went bananas recently, handing out pieces of the fruit to runners taking part in Wokingham’s David Cliff Half Marathon.
Wokingham Baptist Church youth group, ReGen, handed out lots of bananas (with encouragements written on them), top quality hot chocolate, and homemade cake, to participants of the 13 mile event.
The church had noticed each year that there were always crowds of runners walking past its Milton Road building after the race, so members decided to hand out free goodies as a way to bless the local community.
One of the ReGen members, Tommy, said: “it was great to spread nice messages and to cheer on the runners.
“It felt like a good thing to do.”
Another youth group member, Chloe, said: “I really enjoyed being able to connect with the community, and supporting each other, especially after such a win like the half marathon.”
This is the second year that Wokingham Baptist Church members have pitched up at the end of their drive on Wokingham Half Marathon day (this time with a gazebo as the group was expecting bad weather).
Caitlin, who also participated in handing out the goodies to the runners, said: “I really enjoyed being part of the outreach event on Sunday.
“Although some runners initially declined our handouts, which felt a little discouraging at first, it was still great to meet so many people and give back to the community.
“We handed out bananas with motivational quotes and banana puns on them, like ‘You earned it’ and ‘You didn’t split under pressure,’ which made it really fun and helped bring smiles to people’s faces.
“It felt really positive and inspiring to see the ReGen youth group coming together to take on such a big challenge.”
Wokingham Baptist Church youth group plans to make its banana event an annual tradition as the group enjoyed it so much.
Revd Savannah Bell, pioneer and youth minister at Wokingham Baptist Church, said: “This event provided a great opportunity for us to bless our local community in a tangible way.
“Many of the runners said how lovely it was to have us there again, and have said that they look forward to seeing us again next year.
“And who doesn’t love a free hot chocolate after running 13 miles?”
Wokingham Baptist Church thanks SHARE for the donation of the bananas.
For information, visit: wokinghambaptist.org.uk and wokinghamhalfmarathon.com
