Little Mice' was formed in 1998 when a need was found for a service for young children and their families aside from the regular Sunday services.

Why 'Little Mice' you might ask? We needed a name and as Holy Trinity Church is the home of 27 wooden 'mice' (by courtesy of the Mouseman of Kilburn) we thought it was an appropriate name for our group.

This is a fun Service for the 0 to 5 year olds and their parents, grandparents or carers held in Church on the first Thursday of every month from 9:15 a.m. During the school holidays, we are usually joined by the brothers and sisters of our 'regulars'.

Our numbers have grown steadily over the past 10 years. We see the children come as little babies and then going to school. From January 2007 to December 2008, we have 57 children on our register. Thankfully not all come at the same time!! Many have now progressed to Pre-School or Nursery but they do return at holiday times.

This is an opportunity for children to get to know the Church, to feel comfortable and happy there so that when their parents feel the time is right, they will enjoy attending Church on a Sunday.

We try to use the whole of the Church building so that the children can explore and get used to these unfamiliar surroundings.

The Service is very informal. We start at the back of Church with a time for singing nursery rhymes, giving people time to arrive for the Service itself. The next part of our proceedings is always popular with the children, ringing the Church bell (which is located near the Choir pews). We sing an opening rhyme "Ring-a-ring-a Church Bells" and everyone has a turn to ring the bell, telling the people of Meanwood that 'Little Mice' are meeting. We then proceed to the Lady Chapel where we hold the Service proper. We use three items (a candle, a Children's Bible and Prayer Bear) in our Service and the children take it in turns to carry them into the Lady Chapel.

At the commencement of our Service, we light a candle and sing "You are the light of the world". The children each take a story mat and sit round in a circle in front of the altar. We have a large selection of musical instruments used in our singing, which the children join in with gusto. Most of the songs are to well-known nursery rhyme tunes which make them easy for the children to learn. They have a great time singing and doing the actions. Then follows a story which is usually accompanied by some visual aid. Prayer bear is the visual aid used at prayer-time. He's a much loved bear and it is not surprising that, when it comes to prayer time, he's gone 'walk about' with some child or other! It is surprising how quickly the children grasp what they have to do and the usual routine of the Service soon becomes second nature to them.

At the conclusion of the Service, the children and their parents/grandparents/carers go to the back of the Church again, this time for craft activities (usually something connected with the story), a welcome drink/biscuit and a chat, and a time for everyone to get to know each other.

We have a wonderful, friendly, happy time together. If you are interested in joining us and would like more information, please contact Sandra Glassby (tel 0113 2759029) or Joan Eales (tel 0113 2944363)