Mini Vinnies

The Mini Vinnies are quite literally mini St. Vincent de Paul’s. At St John's, we are proud to have a Mini Vinnies group each year.

‘Mini Vinnies’ can be children aged between 7 to 11. At St John's, our Mini Vinnies group is made up of a group of pupils from Years 4 and 5 and is led by Mr Molloy and Ms Dunlop. If children wish to be a part of the Mini Vinnies group, they are invited to write a letter of application each September to Mr Molloy, sharing why they believe they would be a wonderful member of the Mini Vinnie’s team, what personal attributes and skills they believe could help them in this role and share with me one fundraising idea they have.

Our Mini Vinnies group come together to form a part of the St. Vincent de Paul Society England and Wales, a voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty in all its forms. Mini Vinnies meet to pray, discuss and support however they can to help make a difference in their communities. 

Mini Vinnies is about doing good works in the community. The Vinnies model of ‘See, Think, Do’ is a great way to get young people thinking and talking about their spirituality; by connecting their beliefs and values with service activities and issues in their community, they can help to make their faith real, meaningful and relevant. 

 Our Mini Vinnies in action

Christmas Cards

During our Advent preparations, the Mini Vinnies organised the creation of Christmas cards to be sent to local care homes. With the aim of spreading joy in their community, the children recognised that some residents may feel lonely and need cheering up during the festive period.

 Pentecost Party

The Mini Vinnies helped to set up our Pentecost Party on the last day of the Spring term. All children wore flame themed clothes and carried out a Pentecost-themed Celebration of the Word in their classes. At the end of the day, many families contributed to our celebration of our multi-cultural parish community by sharing traditional foods from many countries around the world.