We kick off the festive season in Devonport with a weekend of celebration and fun; Friday After 5 on Friday 4th December and Devonport Santa Parade & Christmas Festival on Sunday 6th December.  On Friday, come along to Clarence St for Devonport’s favourite street party with games and activities for all ages, food trucks and live music.  On Sunday, the Lions Santa Parade commences at 11am, from Clarence St, parading down Victoria Rd, followed by festivities in Windsor Reserve until 3pm.  Including Devonport Craft Market, plus there will be food and interactive/educational stalls, a preschool play zone and Dance in the Park.  Also happening on Sunday 6th December is the Ethical Christmas Market at Devonport Community House.

The calendar is jam packed full of community activities this month!
 
Starting things off is our Summer/Raumati Fun Preschool Play mornings, commencing on Tuesday 3 November, 9:30am-11am, at Windsor Reserve, Devonport.  Raumati Fun also takes place at Bayswater Park, Bayswater on Thursday mornings, 9:30am-11am.  The free, casual attendance sessions, are a great way for tamariki and caregivers alike to be active, have fun and meet new people.  The mornings are weather and alert level 1 & 2 dependent.  Find more info here. 

Calling all spring equinox swimmers! Come along in your best swimming costume and join us in celebrating the spring equinox!
The dip in the sea will be followed by a free cup of hot soup for all swimmers and prize giving, plus sausage sizzle for sale.
No registration required, and attendance is free.
Follow this Facebook event for updates; event will only go ahead if Auckland is at Covid Alert Level 1!
For more info contact Amanda on 0211847271.
https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/devonport-spring-equinox-swim-tickets-118117519681
Thanks to Donna Gustafson, Amanda French, The Officers Mess, Druid of Devonport, the Devonport Peninsula Trust and the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board for bringing the event together.

Bayswater Halloween Trail takes a break for 2020
​Earlier on in the year, the team at Devonport Peninsula Trust needed to make some decisions about the event programme for the coming 2020/2021 season.  After much consideration, it was decided to give the Bayswater Halloween Trail a break this year and we plan to bring it back next year. 

There were a number of reasons that informed our decision. One of the key reasons was the feeling amongst our team to provide a lower key event in a Covid-19 Alert Level 1 environment.  Another key reason is that the Bayswater Halloween Trail depends heavily on the generosity of sponsors, and in the current climate, we did not feel comfortable relying on our supporters in this way.

We want to thank the community for all their wonderful participation in this event and we look forward to bringing it back full steam next year.

Our Winter Fun Preschool Play mornings held at The Rose Centre in Belmont start this month.  Sessions will be held on Friday mornings, 9:30am-11am starting 24 July and continuing until 30 October (including the September/October school holidays). 
The free, casual attendance sessions are the perfect way to keep little ones active and socialised during the colder, wetter months.  Caregiver supervision is required, and extra precaution is being taken at Covid-19 Alert Level 1. Please visit our website for more details: www.devonportpeninsulatrust.nz

During the Covid19 lockdown, Trevor Villers local photographer has been around taking photos of our very quiet and peaceful Devonport. Below is a collage of these special moments, and if you click on "Read more" below, you can view the individual photos one by one. Our big thanks to Trevor for sharing these images with his community.

Learn the simple steps you can take to unite against the virus and slow its spread, see what help is available and get the latest advice and updates at Covid19.govt.nz.
For information on ways to look after your and your families mental wellbeing, how to get financial, accomodation, and other support, download the Welfare Fact Sheet here. 

With the weather still relatively warm and fine, its a great time to spend in your garden at home - whether it be garden beds or a potted balcony garden. We have heard about lots of families getting inventive with ways to keep the kids entertained - old fashioned board games, puzzles, reading and some time on media can help us keep connected to the wider community or be entertained. Below are also some great ideas and resources from around the world that you might find useful (this list gets updated regularly so do pop back here every now and then...):

Primary School Artwork for Aotea Station
City Rail Link is calling on all primary school-aged kids (ages of 5 to 11) from across New Zealand to paint and draw images that will then be fired onto ceramic tiles and used to decorate the CRL Aotea underground station. 
CRL is looking for artwork from kids showing where they'd want to go on a train once the new underground rail project is built. They have some awesome pictures already – from taking a journey to a neighbourhood dairy, to under the sea, to the moon, and even the Eiffel tower. Watch the video below for some inspiration:
https://youtu.be/T9H7P5CK5js

​Free Educational Online Magazine for Kids
This free educational resource from Aquila is full of fun and engaging topics to keep kids busy, entertained and thinking clever clouds! Homeschooling might not seem so scary after all is it? :-)
Visit the online magazine here