This was a residential school held at the Bishop Mascall Centre in Ludlow, Shropshire. I was sponsored to attend by East Midlands Unitarians and Hinckley Great Meeting. I am very grateful to both these bodies for giving me the opportunity to participate in a unique and very rewarding experience.

Four excellent members of staff, including two Unitarian ministers led the school. Each of them had a different set of skills, which were complementary and resulted in a very effective combination of leadership and teaching styles. I was one of ten students who took part in small and larger group activities and discussions, in addition to listening to more formal presentations. The school also included personal writing and reflection.

We covered a range of subjects around the theme of ‘congregation development’ and learnt a lot about the theory and practice of worship. As part of the latter we participated in and contributed to different worship services, which was one of the highlights of the school for me personally.

I enjoyed every minute of the week and all the new experiences it offered. I learnt a lot about myself and others and my confidence increased. I also made many new friends. I would like to give heartfelt thanks to East Midlands Unitarians and Hinckley Great Meeting for enabling me to attend and would highly recommend the Unitarian Laypersons Summer School to others.

Jane Russell