Celebrations for Beccles Salvation Army’s 140th anniversary

Celebrations will take place in Beccles this weekend as The Salvation Army celebrates its 140th anniversary of serving people in the area.

The local church and charity held its first meeting on June 16, 1883 and a weekend of special events is getting under way nearly 150 years later.

Harry Woods, church leader, explained why he believed The Salvation Army has had such longevity.

He said: “We have a rich history of being proactive and of being seen to help those who need it. That continues today. We are finding that we are supporting more people experiencing homelessness in the last year or two, giving out hot meals and sleeping bags and helping them to get their lives in order by applying for things like bank accounts.

“We’re still here and serving the community with the same purpose. We believe in Jesus and want to show love and compassion.”

Activities start on June 16 with a concert from the Anglia fellowship Band with guest soloist Juliet Parker. Tickets are available at Becclescorps140years.eventbrite.co.uk

The day after, the Norwich Citadel Band will lead a march through the centre and on June 18, a service of celebration will be held at The Salvation Army at 10.30am.

Harry said he is privileged to be able to lead The Salvation Army in Beccles at such an important point in its history and said he believes the future is bright.

He added: “We’ve seen rapid growth and in a short space of time, our congregation on a Sunday has gone up from 19 to 57. The growth through the week has continued as well when we are seeing people who need our help come through our doors. We are growing and serving the community in different ways and will be looking to expand what we are doing. We want to open up more community programmes.”

For more information on The Salvation Army in Beccles and events over the weekend, search Beccles Salvation Army on Facebook.