About Us
Faith, hope and love
We are a local, collaborative, Christian organisation that aims to inspire and encourage young people in faith, hope and love. We engage with young people in schools across Reigate, Redhill and Merstham, offering support in important areas of the curriculum and school life. Working as a team with local churches, we lead by example, lovingly demonstrating our own faith and supporting young people in all aspects of their lives.
We believe in the Christian message, and we strive to explain it relevantly and intelligently so that young people can make their own informed response. We work across all ages in education, from early years to sixth form. We seek to bridge gaps and build confidence, helping young people to grow emotionally and spiritually.
Our History
The vision for collaborative schools’ work in our area started in 1996. It began in prayer, moved on to planning, and in 1997 Encounters was launched as a local project of Crusaders. Three schools’ workers served with energy in the following years, but by 2009 Crusaders had become Urban Saints, and their focus had moved away from schools. With the help of local ministers, a review was undertaken of schools’ ministry, and – through God’s gracious provision of people and resources – SparkFish emerged.
SparkFish was launched in Autumn 2010. It soon became an independent charitable trust, supported by many local churches.
Since then, our team has grown and our work has expanded to include the great majority of local schools, primary as well as secondary.
A community wide collaboration
At the core of the SparkFish team is our Director of SparkFish, assisted by a full-time Co-ordinator for the Think strand of our work, a full-time Co-ordinator for the Learn strand of our work and a part-time Secondary Schools Worker. Our part-time Administrator looks after finances, communications and resources.
Our staff are at the heart of a wider team of youth and children’s workers from local churches. This partnership approach allows us to offer schools a diverse spread of skills and experience.
SparkFish is a charitable trust, with trustees drawn from local churches. The trustees meet monthly as a management committee to guide the strategic and financial development of the charity. They report back annually to local ministers whose advice they greatly value.
The work of volunteers in a range of roles is also vital to our work. Some help in schools on a weekly basis, or get involved in special projects once a year. Others act as our Champions in local churches, raising the profile of schools’ ministry and encouraging practical support. SparkFish also offers opportunities for gap year volunteers who are interested in schools or youth work.
