Churches and Charities Aim to Tackle Children's Problems

A coalition of churches and charities working with children will run a series of events aimed to help children who are facing problems such as bullying.

The Building Strong Towers events this March will be presented by the Methodist Church, Scripture Union, the Church of England, the United Reformed Church and children's charity NCH.

Author Robert Harrison will lead an interactive workshop on his book The Strong Tower, which uses Bible stories of people in hard situations to show how we can support others. Local and national experts will offer practical support around the tough issues children encounter in the world today.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Doug Swanney of MethodistChildren said, "Life has always been hard for many children but it seems even tougher these days. Family problems and divorce, pressure at school and the expectations of society can add up to an impossible burden for children. We have a duty to help them in ways that they want, and we are pleased to be working with our partners on this."

Building Strong Towers will show people how to tell Bible stories creatively and interactively, how to support children struggling with life at school, and how to use 'The Strong Tower' effectively.

"The Bible has many stories of people who coped with incredible problems, but it takes skill to use that knowledge in ways that children understand and appreciate," adds Swanney. "Building Strong Towers will help give those skills to teachers, children's and youth workers or parents."

For more information, go to www.scriptureunion.org.uk.