Welcome to Church!

Hello and welcome! We're glad you've found your way to our website. We know that sometimes, visiting a church for the first time can be a little daunting. We hope that we can answer some of the questions you may have about us on this page. Make sure to get in touch with us if you have any further questions.

Whether it be in person or online – we hope to welcome you soon!

Service Time: 10.30am

Where: Cavendish Drive, L9 1NB, our home in the Liverpool suburb of Walton since 1989.

About Our Meetings

At Liverpool Walton, our services (or meetings as we call them) attract a wide and diverse mix of people from many different backgrounds, ages and walks of life. Our church is full of friendly, loving faces who’d love to say a big hello. We guarantee a very warm welcome!

The Sunday meeting takes place in the Main Worship Hall. As you walk through the doors you’ll be greeted by our Welcome Team. They can help you find a seat if you wish. You’ll notice it’s a pretty easy going environment where some people are dressed casually, and some in Salvation Army clothing. The meeting will last between 75 and 90 minutes and will contain music, prayer and a short message.

Our worship style is aimed to suit all ages, with some traditional hymns, some traditional Salvation Army songs and some much more modern and recent worship. We like to have a mix of lively and reflective. We want our worship to be relevant. 

We also have a section in our meetings, KidsZone, designed to engage the kids in family worship. This section involves kids coming to the front and taking part in practical challenges or kids worship song with a biblical thought.

We love noise at Liverpool Walton, you don’t have to whisper in our church! 

Our church is for everyone, no matter what age you are or what background you come from. Why not come and check us out, we would love to see you! 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the meeting last?

Our meetings usually last between 75 and 90 minutes. 

What do I wear to church?

Come as you are; wear whatever you are most comfortable in. Bring a Bible if you have one. If you don’t, we have loads of Bibles you can borrow, or you could download the Bible App on your smartphone. It's free and we highly recommend it! Feel free to bring a note pad and pen to take notes if you like. We often use technology for interactive slots in our meetings so feel free to bring your iPads, tablets and smart phones. 

What time should I get to church?

As we're quite a busy church, about 15 minutes before the meeting starts (so around 10.15am) would be a great time so you can park your car, find your seats, have a chat and visit the toilets etc.

Where do I sit?

Anywhere you like! We have plenty of seating and a wonderful Welcome Team who would help you to find the seat you are most comfortable in. 

Are there kid’s activities during the meetings?

Yes, we have activities most weeks that start at 11am for children and youth up to the age of 18. Kids will be led out of the main meeting by our Young Peoples Team during a song. Our Youth Cell (11-18) also leave the main meeting and meet at 11am. Your child does not have to leave the main meeting if they do not wish to do so. There are plenty of children who stay in the main meeting. A Crèche is available in the Parenting Room at the back of the Main Worship Hall, but we ask that you supervise your own children. Please see the ‘Children's, Youth and YA Ministries’ section for more info about our kids’ activities. 

Do I have to pay to come to church?

There is no cost to attend church. There is an offering collection during our meetings as part of our biblical 'tithing', but this is free-will. No one has to give; you are welcome to let the collection plate pass you. If you do choose to give, money can either be taken in cash form or by contactless payment. Offering/tithing payments can also be made by scanning the QR code that appears on the screens during the offering time. 

Do you have accessible parking and seating?

We have 40 car parking spaces at Liverpool Walton along with plenty of street parking. We do have accessible car parking spaces in both of our car parks but we cannot guarantee that they all be available. As for seating, give us a call and we will reserve a space for you. 

Do you currently have any COVID-19 related restrictions?

There are now no restrictions. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, please feel free to do so. We are COVID secure to hold meetings, services and events which fill our church to its capacity of 450 people.

Parenting Room

This room is specially designed for mums and dads to take their younger children to so they can enjoy the meeting whilst attending to the needs of their children.

The Parenting Room is located at the back of our Main Worship Hall and is equipped with various toys and books.

The Parenting Room is soundproof. The room has one-way mirrored windows with blinds looking into the Main Worship Hall and its own speaker (with adjustable volume control for when children are sleeping) so that everything going on in the main meeting can be seen and heard in the Parenting Room. There is a door on the other side of the room to a corridor for access to the rest of the building for use of toilets etc. If you're interested in using this room, just ask someone from the Welcome Team and they'll guide you in the right direction.

If the Parenting Room is being used or is too busy, there are screens and speakers in the Foyer and the Lounge so you can still take part in the meeting.

Normal Sundays

Our building is open from 9.30am - 1pm on Sundays

(Please scroll past 'Our Programme' for a video and more detailed info about our Sunday meetings and activities)

Our Programme

• 10:30am - 12pm - Morning Worship Service

• 11am - 12pm - Crèche, Primary, KidZone & Youth Cell

• 12pm - 1pm - Refreshments (Tea, Kingdom Coffee, Cold Drinks and Snacks)

• 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Singing Company and YP Band Rehearsals

• 1.30pm - 2.30pm - Youth Worship Band Rehearsal (Once a month)

• Evening Time - Corps Fellowship (All Ages)

  • Monthly at various peoples homes, parks or places of interest around the city

• Evening Time - Youth Cell (High Schoolers) and YA (18-30's) Fellowships

  • Monthly at various peoples homes, parks or places of interest around the city

• Evening Time - Youth Cell (High Schoolers) and YA (18-30's) Praise 150

  • Monthly worship, word and activities event for people aged 11-30, where the youth and young adults of the Salvation Army's local churches in the North West Division join together at Preston Salvation Army.  

Welcome to Church Online!

Worship with us in real-time! Our in-house church services are livestreamed onto our YouTube Channel every Sunday at 10.30am. Watch on any smart device. Our YouTube Channel can be reached through this link https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSalvationArmyLiverpoolWalton

The Story of our Online Church Ministry

Since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have tried our absolute best to keep Sunday Worship accessible to all, despite the lockdowns and restrictions. Within weeks of our first pre-recorded online service, we noticed that although our church building had been made to close, so many more people can worship with us through the internet. Join with the hundreds of people who watch our services each week by subscribing to our channel. 

It all started a week or so before the first official COVID-19 Lockdown. On 19th March 2020, mass gatherings of over 30 people were banned in the UK. This obviously caused some issues in terms of our regular Sunday congregation of over 140 attending in-house worship. As a result, a number of our church leadership team anticipated the need for some online worship material. That same night, our worship band and media team were asked to come to the church and record a small number of worships songs which could be posted to our church members via Facebook. A total of 13 worship songs were recorded that night and a message of reassurance for our church members was also recorded. Fuelled by coffee and prayer, the worship band and media team spent 6-hours recording content. They finished recording just after 1.30am, with a small vocal group singing ‘Green Hill’ by Norman Bearcroft. After packing equipment and instruments away, the worship band and media team left the church building just after 2am. It was a very long, eerie, and emotional night. But through their trust in God, they were reassured of his presence amidst the uncertainty. 

The next Sunday (22nd March 2020) was the first Sunday where mass gatherings had been banned in the UK. We decided to have a drop-in church with prayer stations. Some people attended in person, but for those unable to come, we broadcasted videos from each prayer station onto our internal Facebook Group. This was our first form of online worship and went down with brilliant engagement within the church.

By the next Sunday (29th March 2020), we were officially in full lockdown, meaning that no type of gathering could take place in our church. Using some songs recorded on the 19th March, a small KidZone, and a short message, we premiered our first ever online service on our YouTube Channel. It was 30-minutes long and was originally intended to only be accessible to the internal church members. However, after a great number of positive comments and encouragements, within 3 hours of the online service going live, it was made public. This meant that anyone with internet access worldwide could watch our service. 

Over the following weeks and months, we published more online services, each service getting slightly longer until it was the same length as a normal in-house service. We had a growing online church, and saw new people join us, as well as some past members re-join our worship. At the peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, our services were reaching over 2,000 people weekly. 

Our worship band, songsters, band, and vocal groups were remotely recording content each week for the online services. These musical items for the services were also released as singular videos on our YouTube channel to encourage worship throughout the week. Our bible studies, daily thoughts, primary, juniors, and youth groups, as well as our social events all took to the internet through Zoom calls and recorded videos being uploaded to Facebook. Despite being physically separated for so long, we tried our absolute best to keep the church alive and thriving throughout the pandemic.

We continued our pre-recorded online services for 17-months. After this period of time, we were finally able to meet in person and so we debated whether it was time to stop our online ministry. After a lot of thought and prayer, it was evident that God wanted us to continue to reach out to those who had joined our online church during the pandemic, and so we continued with our online ministry. For the first two months of meeting in person, we were still unable to sing along during worship, and so the services still took the shape of watching pre-recorded worship content, with our church leaders speaking in between items. Our first in-house service had an attendance of just 50 people, but gradually grew until we had an average of 80+ people in services by August 2021. 

We decided after the summer holidays of 2021, that we would livestream our services direct from the church in real-time. After some weeks of technical hiccups and finding our feet, our first successful livestream took place on Sunday 12th September 2021 and have continued since. By November 2021, the Band, Songsters, YP Band, Singing Company and Worship Band had all returned to the services, meaning that no pre-recorded content was needed during services. This yet again enhanced our worship and helped us to connect with God through live worship. By February 2022, our in-house weekly church attendance increased to an average of over 100 people, and continued to climb throughout the year, even exceeding our pre-Covid average of 140 by the end of 2022. Yet again, God had helped our church to flourish during difficult times. Our ministry continues to thrive through our in-house and online church. Over five years after our online ministry commenced, we still love to invite everyone to be part of our church either in-person or online. Join us on Sundays at 10.30am for worship! We’d love to have you with us. 

We would like to say a big thanks for the dedication and commitment of our Church Leaders, our Media Team and anyone else who helps out with these online services. 

Summer Livestream Break

We’d just like to remind everyone that each year we pause our live-streaming during the school summer holidays. This allows us to install new technology, correct issues with software and hardware, and give our media team a well deserved break.

In the meantime, please feel free to look back at our previous services and musical worship content on our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/@salvationarmyliverpoolwalton

Our Hours

Monday: 9am - 4pm 

Tuesday: 9am - 4pm 

Wednesday: 9am - 9pm 

Thursday: 9am - 4pm 

Friday: Closed to the public (Open for key-holder groups only)

Saturday: Closed to the public (Open for key-holder groups only)

Sunday: 10am - 1pm (Sunday Service Starts at 10.30am)

Please note, we are closed on Bank Holidays. Our school holidays hours may differ slightly to our normal hours.

This section mainly shows permanent weekday events, courses, classes, activities and groups. There are many more groups, courses and adult learning classes on in the week that are run by different agencies and services. See the 'Community Centre, Groups & Courses' section.

For more information, call our Community Office on 0151 525 4785. 

Monday

10am - 12pm Employment Plus (Employment Advisory Service)

10am - 12pm Foodbank

10am - 12pm Legal Clinic Drop-in (Bi-monthly)

10am - 12pm Asylum Seeker Support 

10am - 11am Local Police Surgery (Monthly)

12pm - 2.30pm Ukulele Band

Tuesday

10am - 12pm Home to Home Project 

10am - 12pm Knit & Knatter

12pm Homecooked Meal & Quiz - All Welcome - £2

1.30pm - 2.45pm Singing By Heart - Dementia Friendly (First Tuesday of the Month)

7:30pm - 9.30pm Salvation Army Senior Band Practice (Church Brass Band)

Wednesday

9.30am - 11am Playbox - Tots Group (Scroll down for video)

10am - 11am Baby Massage

10am - 1pm Art Class

1pm - 3pm Diamond Art

5pm - 9pm Gravity Dancers (Aged 3 - Adults)

6pm - 7pm Local Councillor Surgery (Monthly)

6.30pm - 7.30pm Maximus Fitness

Thursday

9am - 10am Slimming World

9:30am - 11:00am Playbox - Parent & Tots (Scroll down for video)

7:30pm - 9:15pm Salvation Army Songster Practice (Church Senior Choir)

Friday

(Open on occasion for special event)

Saturday

9.30am - 1pm Mother Dough Culinary School (Please use the car park entrance as the rest of the centre is closed on Saturdays)

Corps Vision Statement

Through the Love of Christ, a place of Inclusion, Identity and Connection.

Corps Mission Statement

We seek to be transformed and empowered by Christ so that we can offer hope and change.

Therefore, regardless of race, creed, colour, gender or age:

We want our Worship to be spirit filled, relevant, inclusive, contemporary and participatory.

In our Discipleship, we seek a deeper sense of God’s presence and a focused, intense prayer-life.

Through our Evangelism, we will offer opportunities to discover and enhance a personal relationship with Christ.

Through Fellowship, we want to participate in people’s lives, working through developed relationships.

Our Ministry, will be integrated so that all we do will be based on serving God and serving others and we will be confident in God’s ability to work in us, through us and amongst us. 

On Sundays when kid's and youth activities start, children and youth will be led out of the main meeting by our KidZone and Youth Cell Teams during a song at around 11am. Please remember, children and youth do not have to attend these groups if they do not wish to do so. They are more than welcome to stay with their parents/carers in the main meeting. 

KidZone

KidZone is split into 4 different sections we call ‘zones’. They are Energy Zone, Story Zone, Creation Zone and Mission Zone.

Energy Zone

Energy Zone is a louder environment and kick things off with a bit of a punch. It starts with age relevant kids worship followed by some fun and energetic games. 

Story Zone

Story Zone is where things quieten down a little. Everyone is given a snack and something to drink, and then sit down to listen to a story from the bible. This introduces the theme for the days KidZone.

Creation Zone

Creation Zone is where the kids move into other rooms surrounding the Community Hall and can choose from a range of craft and design activities. Their items can either be taken home or can be used for displays in the rooms. 

Mission Zone

In Mission Zone, the kids come back together and discuss what they've done. After prayers, they are given a mission that they might wish to undertake during the week. After Mission Zone, parents must come to collect their kids.

Our KidZone Team

We are very fortunate to have a dedicated team of workers who are passionate about teaching the kids of our church about the love of God. They want our kids to have an awesome time in church and make some ace memories, as well as make loads of friends. Led by our Children's Ministries Leader (or Young People's Sergeant Major/YPSM in traditional Salvation Army terms) Alastair Grills, our KidZone Team also includes Becky, Danni, Erica, Hannah, Lorna, Emily, Chloe, Abigail and Natalie.

Youth at LWSA (Ages 11 - 18)

The Liverpool Walton Youth is a group of passionate young people with strong and courageous faith. Under the leadership of Corps Youth Secretary (CYS) Natalie Grills, they are about 15 in size. The youth meet every Sunday at 11am for their own teaching on the Bible and for social time at 2.30pm on Sundays once a month. Social time usually involves pizza, chatting and a short thought. Bible Study usually helps the youth to look deeper into their faith and their lives as Christian's using published resources, all with coffee, tea, donuts and cake.

YA (18+)

YA is our group for the young adults in our church who are in university, apprenticeships and moving into their first jobs. It was set up in January 2020.

Becoming an adult brings new challenges and responsibilities. Here they get support, support one another and explore how their faith can help them in this new era of their lives. The YA are about 20 in size and includes our students. The YA is headed up by our Assistant Corps Sergeant Major, James Griffiths, our Student Rep, Emily Holmes, and our Corps Youth Secretary, Natalie Grills. 

A normal day spent with the YA would involve going to a members house or staying in the lounge at the church and ordering a takeaway. They also visit places of interest around the city. During the time together they would have time to talk and catch up with one another, eat and have a laugh. After this they would have some time looking into their faith through bible studies and book series’.

History of The Salvation Army Liverpool Walton

We turned 140 years old in 2021! Watch as we take a look back at some of our never seen before information, photo's and video footage dating back to the 1880's. Our media team have created a short documentary video entitled ‘The Salvation Army Liverpool Walton – A History’, telling the story of our church from day one, to present. Why not take a look now? We may have changed over the years, but our message and purpose remain the same... to save souls, grow saints and serve suffering humanity.

The Salvation Army Liverpool Walton was founded in March 1881. On Sunday March 27th 1881 Captain Josiah Parsons Taylor, aged 26, opened Salvation Army Corps No. 187, then known as 'Liverpool 2', and conducted the first worship meeting in a converted stable on Walton Road.

The first Salvation Army in the city, Liverpool Toxteth Corps caused quite a stir when it first opened, being received both positively and negatively by the general public. This was certainly no different with Liverpool Walton. The opening meeting was described in The Salvation Army's newspaper, The War Cry, by Captain Ferry...

"Grand opening of Liverpool 2 (Walton), was half picked and very rough indeed. Twelve souls were saved (Old Salvation Army term for becoming a Christian) and there were hundreds who attended the opening."

Josiah married Captain Kate Watts in September 1881, who joined him as the second officers at the corps.

Captains Josiah and Kate Taylor

The corps flourished quickly, reaching the lowest of classes in Walton within weeks, something Liverpool Toxteth had taken months to do. Within those first few years, the corps found different ways of spreading the gospel. The first Sunday Schools were held in February 1883, and saw a huge increase in children's attendance and membership of the corps. The corps also established its very own brass band in 1885, under the leadership of Bandmaster J Lyons.

Sunday School Trip to the 'Rhubarb Field' in 1917

Liverpool Walton Band in 1911

The corps rented the former stable from 1881 until 1890 when they moved to a larger converted stable on Dane Street. The corps remained on Dane Street for 5 years and then moved back to Walton Road in 1895. Below is the only known photo of the original hall (the converted stable) on Walton Road. In the photo we see Corps Officer, Adjutant Fenwick, and senior soldier, Mr Stafford, standing in the centre of the hall. This photo was taken for a newspaper a few weeks before the hall was demolished in 1911 to make way for a new purpose-built building.

Original Hall (Converted Stable) on Walton Road

By the mid-1890's, Liverpool Walton was one of the larger corps in the city, with average Sunday attendances of up to 500 in it's halls, and thousands in its open-air services. By then, The Salvation Army being the most popular it has been so far, saw a huge increase in membership and attendance throughout the city. There were 11 Salvation Army Corps, and approximately 5,000 Salvationists in Liverpool.  

In 1911 the corps was able to purchase the land on which it was situated and demolished the old stable. Plans for a new hall were drawn up and the 'The Citadel' was built and then opened in 1915 costing £3,504 (roughly £415,000 in todays money). Between 1911 and 1915, the corps had moved to a temporary premises on the nearby Barlow Street. The Citadels design was very similar to many Salvation Army citadels and fortresses that were being constructed up and down the country between the 1890's and the 1920's. By 1930, 12 of the 17 corps in Liverpool had had their buildings replaced in the same style. This was made possible thanks to money left to The Salvation Army in Liverpool by the Fowler Family, a wealthy family with a particular interest in the army's work with the poor. 

The Citadel's worship hall was designed to seat 200 or 400 standing, and the Young People's Hall was designed to seat 100 or 200 standing. Additional rooms were added to the new buildings Young People's Hall in 1925.

The Walton Road Citadel Building

New ministries were founded on the opening of this new building. Liverpool Walton did regular meals for up to 600 poor and disadvantaged people from the surrounding areas, both children and the elderly, throughout the 1920's and 1930's. 

Liverpool Walton's Soup Kitchen

The 1920's also saw the commissioning of our Songster Brigade (Senior Choir), along with the corps first string band. The Songsters were commissioned by Mrs Staff Captain Ching on 2nd November 1921, and gave their inaugural festival on Tuesday 6th December 1921 under the leadership of Mrs Commandant Hannam. A week later, her son Stanley Hannam was commissioned as the first official Songster Leader of the brigade.

Liverpool Walton Songsters in 1924
Songster Leader - Ike Ward

Going into the 1940's, saw the Second World War affect our country. The building saw a complete renovation and blackout blinds and fittings were gifted in 1940. In 1948, the buildings original lighting from 1915 was replaced with florescent lighting, repairs were made to the sanitation and after a number of failures, the original 1915 central heating system was replaced. The building saw its final major renovation in 1977.

The building on Walton Road became in need of repair because of age and repeated vandalism. Dry rot, roofing issues, falling plaster and mould has begun to plague the building. After extensive assessments on the building, it became more than obvious that renovations were impractical.  

A new building was first discussed in 1983 but it wasn't until 1987 that the plans for our current building had been finalised. Corps members felt that it was best to move away from Walton Road at this time. They recall that there was no real community spirit in the area, as a lot of the Victorian housing around the old site had been demolished and people had moved to the newer estates built by the city council away from the centre of Walton. It also had no parking, and the main road was unsafe for children to cross.

Demolition of the old Victorian neighbourhoods

Walton Road Hall in 1989

And so, the search for the new location commenced. It took the corps a number of years to find land within Walton to build upon. After two years of praying and searching the streets, an area known as 'The Triangle' on Cavendish Drive (the main road through one of the councils new housing estates) was offered to the army by the council. The council had planned to build a pub for the community on the site, along with a post office, and a supermarket, but wanted to know what the army would build if they had the opportunity. The Corps Officer (Church Leader) at the time, Captain Ray Ebden, told the council, 'We will build a church for the community'. 

And so, the prayers were answered. Construction of the new building, on The Triangle, started on 12th October 1987 and completion was reached just over a year later in November 1988. The overall cost of the project came to £306,725 (that's nearly £700,000 in today money!). For the first time in a very ling time, the corps had a brand new, modern and much more adaptable space to worship and serve the city from.

The new buildings main worship hall was designed to comfortably seat some 250+ worshippers each Sunday. This could be increased to 400 by opening up the movable wall system between the main worship hall and the young people's hall. Corps members recall the smell of the fresh paint upon first visiting, and the overall sense of a new era. 

Back on Walton Road, after 74 years of use, the last weekend in the Walton Road building took place on 14th and 15th January 1989. The theme for the weekend was 'We'll praise him for all He has done, and trust Him for all that's to come'. Thousands of people came and found God at both of the buildings on Walton Road, and thousands of souls were saved for Christ. The works and memories from the ministry within these halls still live on today.

The building was then put up for sale. Many alternative uses were considered, even an application to turn the building into a nightclub. This application was declined in respect of the buildings history and the properties deeds stating that alcohol was not to be consumed on the premises. Eventually a trader bought the site and briefly moved in.

Sadly, not long after moving out of the building, in April 1990, it mysteriously burnt down and partially collapsed. It was later deemed unsalvageable and was demolished. Today, a branch of McDonald's occupies the land on which the hall was once situated. 

The weekend following the last in Walton Road was the official beginning of a new era for the corps. The new and current building on Cavendish Drive was opened on Saturday 21st January 1989 by Commissioner and Mrs Edward Read (Principle of the International College of Officers in London). The Opening and Dedication Ceremony was attended by over 400 people with standing room only. A Celebration Festival followed the opening ceremony in the evening, again attended by over 400 people.

Once moved and settled at Cavendish Drive, our church went through a period of reidentification and over a space of time, adapted to the needs of our local community in our new location. A small community programme was started up in our building in the early 1990's which involved the establishment of a Parent and Toddler Group once a week, a Body and Soul Group and some other activities for children, youth and over 60's. This all happened in our Young People's Hall and Lounge.

Corps members recall thinking the new activities would have quite some interest, but didn't expect them to be as well attended as they actually were. So obviously, it was a huge shock to the church youth workers when hundred of children and youth from the estate came to the first Wednesday night Youth Clubs.

Sunday Services also saw an increase in attendance as new families started attending from the estate. Over the remainder of the 1990's we realised our need to cater even more for our community as our community programme grew. As it grew, towards the end of the 1990's we came to the realisation that our building was no longer ideal for the number of people entering it throughout the week. More space was needed to house the programme and the building, now just over a decade old, needed a bit of an update.

After a study into the needs of the community in the 2001, an extension was designed and added to the original build on Cavendish Drive. Building work commenced in 2004. It heavily altered the appearance of the building and more than doubled it in size. The extension contained facilities for the new Community Centre, built to host the ever growing community programme. These new facilities included, a new main entrance, reception and foyer, three new general purpose rooms, a second community hall, extra offices for the additional staff required to run the centre, a second and larger kitchen and an IT Suite. The original 1989 part of the building was also renovated at this time. This involved reconfiguring the main worship hall, dividing one of the original general purpose rooms into four smaller rooms, and giving the rest of the building a much needed general facelift.

The newly extended building and community centre was opened in a dedication ceremony on July 2nd 2005 by Commissioners Keith and Pauline Banks.  

The newly opened Community Centre quickly became an even busier hub of activity. The corps teamed up with Liverpool Adult Learning Services and offered a range of GCSE and BTEC courses, as well as simple interest courses. Many subjects were on offer such as Maths, English, History, Modern Foreign Languages and IT, as well as more practical subjects such as Dress Making and Cookery. As well as all of this, the well established groups such as Playbox (Parents and Toddlers) continued to run and grow. As well as this, for the first time, the corps offered a self-service café which was open for the groups, classes and courses that used the building throughout the week. 

The success of the community centre again led to a number of new people attending our church on Sundays. Through helping others through educational and practical ways, people have come and found the love of God.

As time went on, new initiatives were started. In 2012, the community centre teamed up with the North Liverpool Foodbank and since then has been helping to feed those in our city, who otherwise would have struggled to do so. In 2013, The Hub Coffee Shop was opened. Run by volunteers from our church, the coffee shop has helped to build relationships with the people in the community. It provides a place for people to socialise. Greater partnerships were built between the church and the children's centre, and many other different social care and educational agencies who all began using the building for their groups, classes and activities during the week. 

After some structural issues, in 2019 our building's main roof span over the Main Worship Hall was completely dismantled and reconstructed using stronger materials. The Main Worship Hall was given it's third major facelift since it was built 36 years ago. Our worship space is now even more modern, light and friendly.  

Our church is constantly adapting to needs and changes of the local community. There was no bigger change than that of the COVID-19 Pandemic. We could no longer meet in person, something we have never experienced before. Despite all of this, our doors have remained open since the start practically supporting those who are in need. We are still here, and we are still serving!

Thanks to modern technology and gifted church members, the church and community centre have been able to continue operating online. Our virtual community centre can be found on Facebook and all of our church services and music can be reached on our YouTube Channel. 

As COVID-19 restriction were slowly lifted, and our church and community activities were able to resume, we were looking forward to what God had planned for us. 

Over five years on since the COVID-19 Pandemic started and our church has recovered fantastically, with even higher Sunday attendances than before the lockdowns. We are always welcoming new life at Liverpool Walton and are currently experiencing another baby boom at our church. God is ever blessing us!

All glory, all praise, and all thanks belong to our amazing God who has blessed us abundantly over the years. Our future is secure as we trust in His promises and His faithfulness. Many changes may have happed over the last 140 years, but our mission and ministry remains the same...

To save souls, grow saints, and serve suffering humanity
 
Key Historical Dates 

• Church Founded - March 1881
• First Sunday School - February 1883
• Liverpool Walton Band - Commissioned 1885
• Liverpool Walton Young Peoples Band - Commissioned 1892
• Liverpool Walton Singing Company - Commissioned around 1900
• First purpose built building opened - 1915
• Liverpool Walton Songster Brigade - Commissioned 1921
• We move to Cavendish Drive - 1989
• Our Community Centre Opens - 2005
• We celebrate 20 years of the Community Centre - 2025

 
​History of The Salvation Army in The City of Liverpool

The Salvation Army itself was founded in July 1865 in East London. The Salvation Army became active in Liverpool on 4th August 1879 when the first corps (church), Liverpool Toxteth (also known as ‘Liverpool 1’), was opened. Archives from The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre in London have shown that at The Salvation Army’s peak popularity in the early 1900’s, there were over 20 Salvation Army corps in Liverpool alone!

The corps were Liverpool Toxteth (1), Liverpool Walton (2), Liverpool Bootle (3), Liverpool Breckfield, later renamed Liverpool Beacon (4), Liverpool Roscommon Street, later renamed Liverpool China Street, and then Liverpool Everton (5), Liverpool Temple, later renamed Liverpool Congress Hall (6), Liverpool Seaforth (7), Liverpool Toxteth Park, later renamed Liverpool Dingle (8), Liverpool Kensington (9), Liverpool Waterloo (10), Liverpool Edge Hill, later renamed Liverpool Wavertree (11), Liverpool Garston (12), Liverpool Old Swan (13), Liverpool Aintree (14), Liverpool Clubmoor (15), Liverpool Tuebrook (16), Liverpool Knotty Ash (17), Liverpool Speke (18), Liverpool Belle Vale (19), Liverpool Childwall Valley (20) and Liverpool Stoneycroft (21).

There were also a number of Outposts in the city. Some examples include Kirkby Outpost (run by Liverpool Walton) and Netherton Outpost (run by Liverpool Bootle). 

Each corps in the city differed. Liverpool Temple/Liverpool Congress Hall was the most central corps in the city and opened in 1883. Being right in the heart of Liverpool it was often unofficially referred to as Liverpool Central Corps.

It was a very large corps which also, for some time, held the Liverpool and North Wales Divisional Headquarters. However, when living space in the suburbs became cheaper and more expansive, people moved out of the city centre. This led to the corps becoming smaller.

In the end, because of its facilities and sheer size (originally being a music hall with a 1000+ seater auditorium and a skating rink), Liverpool Congress Hall was used as a meeting place for huge divisional/regional Salvation Army events where hundreds of people from corps all over the Liverpool and North Wales Division, as it was known back then, would meet for special services and events like Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas and Youth Councils etc.

The Liverpool Congress Hall building was owned by The Salvation Army until 1994 when it was sold to the University of Liverpool. The auditorium was used as a lecture theatre, with the surrounding rooms and halls being used for seminars, workshops and office space. The building was demolished in the early 2000's to make way for a new building for the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. 

The Salvation Army in Liverpool also has an extensive and very impressive history of social work.

Many hostels were opened in the city like Ann Fowler Women’s Hostel and Norton Street Men’s Hostel. The Salvation Army also opened children’s homes like Strawberry Field which was made famous by the Beatles. We ran retirement homes such as Mary Fowler Eventide Home and the Oriel/Irlam Road Eventide Home in Bootle and had women’s hospitals and homes such as the Elmswood Maternity Hospital, Cradlehurst Home for Mothers and Infants and Chesterfield House.

Social centres such as Park Lane and Great George Square Men’s Social Services Building were also opened by The Salvation Army. A furniture warehouse was opened on Scotland Road in Vauxhall, just outside the city centre. From the 1940’s The Salvation Army even had a hotel and tearooms in Liverpool. The Salvation Army also had five Goodwill Centres across the city, in the suburbs of Dingle, Edge Hill, Everton, Speke and Wavertree. 

The Salvation Army continues to work in the great City of Liverpool today through its church & community centres, charity shops and its Lifehouses. Today Liverpool Walton, Liverpool Stoneycroft, Liverpool Valley and Liverpool Bootle Corps are still very active in serving the city. The Salvation Army still runs two Lifehouses (Hostels), Ann Fowler Lifehouse and Darbyshire Lifehouse helping those in need. There is a Salvation Army charity shop within the Liverpool Bootle building.

The Salvation Army has also reopened Strawberry Field to the public. Here there is a new facility featuring a training centre for young people with special educational needs, a new exhibition space dedicated to the story of the Beatles and grounds, a café and a gift shop.  

Check Strawberry Field out using the link below. http://strawberryfieldliverpool.com/
 
Over the years there have been corps in the following locations:

• Liverpool I (Liverpool Toxteth), Park Place, Toxteth, opened 1879. Later moving to Yates Street, Toxteth.
• Liverpool II (Liverpool Walton), Walton Road, Walton, opened 1881. Corps located on Cavendish Drive, Walton as of January 1989.
• Liverpool III (Liverpool Bootle), Stanley Road, Bootle, opened 1881.
• Liverpool IV (Liverpool Breckfield), Breck Road, Everton, opened 1881 and closed in 2006. Later moving to St Domingo Road, Everton and becoming Liverpool Beacon.
• Liverpool V (Liverpool Roscommon), Roscommon Street, Everton, opened 1881. The corps was renamed Liverpool China Street when it relocated to China Street, and then Liverpool Everton
• Liverpool VI (Liverpool Temple), Pembroke Place, Central Liverpool, opened in 1883. The corps was renamed Liverpool Congress Hall and was also unofficially known as Liverpool Central Corps. A large office block now stands in the corps place.
• Liverpool VII (Liverpool Seaforth), Seaforth Vale North, Seaforth, opened in 1888.
• Liverpool VIII (Liverpool Toxteth Park), Park Road, Dingle, opened in 1889. The corps was later renamed Liverpool Dingle.
• Liverpool IX (Liverpool Kensington), Coleridge Street, Kensington, opened in 1899. Now the home to Elim Church Kensington.
• Liverpool X (Liverpool Waterloo), 47 East Street, Waterloo, opened 1891.
• Liverpool XI (Liverpool Edge Hill), Earle Road, Wavertree, opened in 1892.
• Liverpool XII (Liverpool Garston), Woolton Road, Garston, opened in 1902.
• Liverpool XIII (Liverpool Old Swan), Prescot Road, Old Swan, opened in 1902.
• Liverpool XIV (Liverpool Aintree), Longmoor Lane, Aintree, opened in 1904.
• Liverpool XV (Liverpool Clubmoor), Daneville Road, Clubmoor, opened in 1907 and closed in 2006.
• Liverpool XVI (Liverpool Tuebrook), Chester Road, Tuebrook, opened in 1929.
• Liverpool ---- (Liverpool Knotty Ash), Longreach Road and Grovehurst Avenue, Knotty Ash, opened in 1934.
• Liverpool XVII (Liverpool Speke), Beaconsfield Road, Speke, opened in 1959. Closed in 2006.
• Liverpool XVIII (Liverpool Belle Vale), Mildenhall Road, Childwall, opened in 1961.
• Liverpool XIX (Liverpool Childwall Valley), Mildenhall Road, Childwall, opened in 1974.
• Liverpool XX (Liverpool Stoneycroft), Prescot Road, Old Swan, opened in 1997.

There are also records at The Salvation Army's International Heritage Centre of there being a Liverpool Stancombe Corps, opening in 1909. Little is known about where this corps was located. Liverpool Knotty Ash Corps never received its Liverpool Numeral despite being classed as a Liverpool Corps.

There was also a Outpost in Kirkby which was run by Liverpool Walton Corps. Kirkby didn't bare a Liverpool name or numeral as Kirkby wasn't considered part of the City of Liverpool at the time of opening. Shortly before it was destroyed by fire during an arson attack, Kirkby Outpost was granted full corps status. The Netherton Outpost, run by Liverpool Bootle Corps, was never granted corps status.

Other nearby corps included:

• Birkenhead I (Birkenhead Central) Corps, Wesley Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, opened 1881. Now located on Vincent Street in Birkenhead Town Centre.
• Birkenhead II (Birkenhead Bidston) Corps, Birkenhead, Wirral, opened 1882.
• Birkenhead III (Birkenhead Park) Corps, Brook Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, opened 1947.
• Moreton Corps, Barnston Lane, Moreton, Wirral.
• New Ferry Corps, Back New Chester Road, New Ferry, Wirral.
• Ormskirk Corps, location unknown.
• Rock Ferry Corps, Old Chester Road, Rock Ferry, Wirral, opened 1882. First located in Booths Yard, then New Chester Road, moving to Oriel Road in 1915, then to its current location on Old Chester Road in 1955.
• Seacombe Corps, Demesne Street, Seacombe, Wirral.
• Skelmersdale Corps, location unknown.
• Wallasey Corps, Poulton Road, Wallasey, Wirral.

2025 Events

Keep an eye out on this website and our social media pages for details of events.

Only major events will also be advertised here on this website. For more detailed information and for more events, see our Facebook Page.

The International Staff Band of The Salvation Army at Liverpool Walton

Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th October 2025 

SATURDAY 7PM CONCERT NOW SOLD OUT!

There are still spaces for people to hear the ISB at Strawberry Field at 2.30pm on Saturday, at Sunday morning worship at 10.30am at our church building, and finally at the FREE Sunday Afternoon Festival at 2pm at our church building. 

See the second image below for all times and places to hear the ISB this weekend.

The International Staff Band (ISB) is the premier brass band of The Salvation Army. Based in London, UK, the band performs Christian music in concerts, worship services, television and radio broadcasts, and studio recordings.

They will be visiting us at Liverpool Walton on the 25th & 26th October as part of our 140th Anniversary Celebrations of the Liverpool Walton Band. On the Saturday at 7pm they will be in concert at our church. 

Tickets are £10 (under 16's are free) 

To get your tickets, head to Ticket Source using the following link or email Liverpool Walton Band. 

• Ticket Source - ISB at Liverpool Walton
• Email - LWSABand@outlook.com 

On Sunday they will lead us in worship at 10.30am, and then give a Sunday Afternoon Festival at 2pm. These Sunday events will also take place at our church building on Cavendish Drive.  

Remembrance Day 

Sunday 9th November 2025  //  10.30am

This special service will be led by Majors Will & Debbie Pearson. 

Christmas Craft Fair

Tuesday 14th November  //  1pm - 4pm 

We're holding our Christmas Craft Fair again this year! Plan ahead for Christmas and come along. We will have 20 stalls of beautifully crafted decorations and gifts, also personalised as required. Refreshments will be available with festive favourites!

We are also looking for Stall Holders for our Christmas Craft Fair on Tuesday 18th November 1-4pm.
Tables (provided) will be £10 and all money raised will go towards our Salvation Army Christmas Toy Appeal for local children.
Please message any of our social media pages, or call our Community Office on 0151 525 4785 (Monday-Thursday) to book a table and let us know what you’ll be selling!

First Sunday of Advent 

Sunday 1st December 2025  //  10.30am

This service will be led by Major Andrea Cooper. 

Come and celebrate the official start of Christmas! Our church will be beautifully decorated for the Christmas season, we'll hear our first round of Christmas carols and readings, and a Christmas message from Andrea. 

Toy & Gift Service

Sunday 7th December 2025 // 10.30am

This service will be led by Major Carl Huggins. 

Bring a toy or a gift to the service and have the opportunity to place it under one of our Christmas trees. These toys and gifts will be used to provide for families who need our support this Christmas. 

This is also our annual Christmas jumper Sunday so don't forget to dig yours our of your wardrobe!

Celebrating Christmas Carol Concerts

Sunday 14th December 2025

Afternoon Concert - 2.30pm

Evening Concert - 5.30pm

We're happy to announce our annual Celebrating Christmas Carol Concerts will be returning again in 2025!

Who said church needed to be quiet? These are lively and spectacular concerts where you can capture the joyous spirit of Christmas through Christmas carols, readings, dance, music and the traditional nativity. Why not take a look at some of the videos below or on our YouTube Channel from last years concert to see the joy of Christmas spread through the congregation. By the end of last years concerts, everyone was up on their feet and dancing along! A truly happy event to kickstart your Christmas. 

Your tickets will be FREE and we will supporting a local charity through a monetary collection during the concerts. 

Tickets will be available as of November. To get yours, call our Community Office on 0151 525 4785, email us at liverpool.walton@salvationarmy.org.uk or drop into our centre and speak to a member of staff or a volunteer. 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Traditional Family Carol Service

Sunday 21st December 2025

This special service will be led by Corps Sergeant Major, Heather Elliott. 

A slightly more traditional type of carol service when compared to our lively Celebrating Christmas Carol Concerts, this service will be full of your favourite carols, readings, items from our choirs and bands, and the traditional nativity. 

2026 Events

Keep an eye out on this website and our social media pages for details of events.

Only major events will also be advertised here on this website. For more detailed information and for more events, see our Facebook Page.

First Sunday of 2026

Sunday 4th January 2026  //  10.30am

Our first opportunity to meet together after the new year and thank God for his blessing on our lives. 

Covenant Sunday

Sunday 11th January 2026  //  10.30am

Break Ground, Bring Hope

Covenant Sunday provides the time, space and opportunity for significant moments in which we can all respond to God’s covenantal promises. It is a time of challenge in which we promise to learn, train, focus and follow – to make this a step on our journey as a follower of Christ. Courageous discipleship is not a destination. It's a journey - graced, guided and shared.

Who is Covenant Sunday for?

The invitation to respond to God’s covenantal promises is available to all. This is not an exclusive offer available for certain people or dependent on how long you have been a Christian, or if you have entered into a covenant with God in any capacity before.

Liverpool Walton Band of The Salvation Army

The Liverpool Walton Band of Salvation Army is a group of talented and dedicated brass players and as of 2025, is 31 in size. Players are all members of our church and range in age from mid-teens to their 70's. Members share a desire to praise God through playing their instruments. The band was established in 1885, 4 years after the corps opening. Still today, over 140 years later, the band plays an essential part in our worship at Liverpool Walton, and in delivering the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people in the great City of Liverpool.

The band is currently under the leadership of our Bandmaster, Neil Lacey. He is assisted by Deputy Bandmaster Glyn Griffiths, Band Secretary Brad Samuel, Band Sergeant Ray Collings, Band Librarian Matthew Elliott and Assistant Band Secretary Peter Knightley.

The Band can be seen bringing the message of the gospel at events in the city, such as LightNight, religious festivals like the Pentecost Pageant and at Christmas which is a particularly busy time for the band.

In recent years, the band has visited Leek Salvation Army along with our songster brigade. They both took part in the Leek Club Day Parades and in the evening gave a concert at Leek Corps. The band has also been continually supporting the relaunching of The Salvation Army's new centre at Strawberry Field on the other side of our city. They regularly take part in concerts in their grounds on the bandstand. In June 2025, they marched through Liverpool City Centre during the Pentecost Sunday Celebrations and are looking forward to hosting the International Staff Band in October of this year. 

Liverpool Walton Songsters of The Salvation Army

The Liverpool Walton Songster Brigade, was established in 1921 and is our churches senior choir. As of 2025, it consists of around 40 active members ranging in age from early-teens to their 70's. The songsters bring the message of the gospel to people through singing and can be heard each Sunday during our meetings. The Songsters play a vital role in our worship.

The brigade is currently under the leadership of our Songster Leader, Kevin Elliott who has recently taken over. We thank Songster Leader Lynsey Lacey for her faithful service. She will now join the alto section. Kevin is assisted by Songster Secretary Glyn Samuel, Songster Sergeant Margaret Lacey, Songster Librarian Lorna Richardson, and Songster Pianist Erica Elson.

The songsters often take part in special events and deliver programmes to churches and other Salvation Army corps and centres all over the UK. In the 2001, Liverpool Walton Songsters travelled down south to take part in the Boscombe Easter Convention where they sang the song 'Easter Tale' which had been specially written for them by Wayne and Darren Bartlett. They've even travelled over-seas, like when the brigade travelled to Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands to deliver festivals and programmes to corps and churches there. 

They visited Wigan Salvation Army in November 2017 as they celebrated 130 years of The Salvation Army's work in the town, and Nelson Salvation Army in February 2018 to help them celebrate 137 years of work. The songsters visited St Teresa of Avila RC Church in the December of 2018. They gave a programme which included a finale involving the children from St Teresa's Catholic Infant and Nursery School. All money collected during the event went to the school.

In February 2019, Liverpool Walton Songsters hosted the International Staff Songsters of The Salvation Army for a weekend. The weekend went down tremendously with packed out concerts & meetings and God at the centre of all that was done.

In March 2020, the songsters travelled down to London to take part in the 40th anniversary celebrations of the International Staff Songsters in the Fairfield Halls in Croydon. On the same weekend, they led worship at Penge Salvation Army in South East London. 

In September 2021, having resumed weekly practices after nearly 18 months, their first trip away after the COVID-19 Pandemic was to Macclesfield, Cheshire in November 2021 to join the corps there in celebrating 138 years of work in the town. After attending a number of local events throughout the first half of 2022, in July 2022, Liverpool Walton Songsters travelled to the International Conference Centre in Birmingham where they gave a foyer concert before the Saturday nights main sessions. It was fantastic for the songsters to be part of sharing the gospel amongst thousands of Salvationists, and many members of the general public passing through the centre. 

The songsters most recently travelled to Leek with Liverpool Walton Band. At Leek, the Liverpool Walton band and songsters took part in the Leek Club Day Parades and gave a concert at Leek Corps. The last engagement was a trip to St Philips Church in Litherland to give a concert there. 

If you would like to contact the songsters, please email them at LWSongsters@outlook.com 

​

Liverpool Walton Singing Company

The Liverpool Walton Singing Company is the junior choir and was established in the early 1900’s. It consists of 28 members, their age raging between 7 and late-teens. The Singing Company takes part in worship each week and delivers the gospel to our congregation through some truly fantastic songs. The Singing Company is currently under the leadership of our Singing Company Leader, Becky Billard.

Liverpool Walton Young People's Band

The Liverpool Walton Y.P. Band (our junior band) was started in 1892 and is another important section at Liverpool Walton, inspiring the younger generation through brass music. They are just over 26 in size and take part in worship on the first Sunday of each month. The Y.P. Band is currently under the leadership of our Young Peoples Band Leader, Jono Tonks, not to forget an amazing team of helpers constantly tutoring new members to play their instruments. The Singing Company and Y.P. Band work closely together and much is planned for them to take part in, in the future.

The Worship Band

The worship band at Liverpool Walton is responsible for our modern and contemporary worship. They lead several songs during Sunday meetings. Instruments include piano, keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, drums, brass and vocals. The worship band leads the congregation in songs produced by the likes of Hillsong, Bethel, Spring Harvest, LIFE Worship and many other contemporary Christian artists.

The worship band was established in 2002, in an effort to modernise the worship in our church. The aim was to make it more youthful and attractive for new members of the church and bring the worship style of our church into the 21st century. Since then, the worship band has seen a number of members. Today, the worship band consists of about 10 members. The worship band has expanded its use of technology to further enhance worship in recent years.

Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, the worship band has played a vital role in our online worship. Through the pandemic, it produced over 50 virtual songs which can be viewed on our church YouTube Channel or it's own channel. The Worship Bands YouTube Channel can be reached through the following link Liverpool Walton Salvation Army Worship - YouTube 

Take a look at one of their virtual songs 'What a Beautiful Name' below.

Some Oldies...

Liverpool Walton Band in 1911
Bandmaster - Charles Lockett

Liverpool Walton Band in 1911
Bandmaster - Charles Lockett

Liverpool Walton Songsters in 1924
Songster Leader - Ike Ward
One of our churches favourite old photos... it shows the spirit of our church that still exists 100 years later. Look at all those laughing and joking faces!

Liverpool Walton Songsters Circa 1930
Songster Leader - John Hardy Roberts

Liverpool Walton Singing Company & YP Band in 1933

Liverpool Walton Band Circa 1930
Bandmaster - Charles Lockett

Liverpool Walton Band 1981
Bandmaster - Brian Twist

Liverpool Walton Songsters 1981
Songster Leader - Tony Stephens

Liverpool Walton Singing Company in 1981
Singing Company Leader - Avis Elliott

Liverpool Walton YP Band in 1981
YP Band Leader - Kevin Elliott

Liverpool Walton Timbrel Brigade in 1981
Timbrel Leader - Betty Elliott

Liverpool Walton Home League Singers in 1981
Home League Singers Leader - Mary Elliott

Liverpool Walton Band in 1989
Bandmaster - Brian Twist

Liverpool Walton Songsters in 1989
Songster Leader - Tony Stephens

Liverpool Walton Singing Company in 1989
Singing Company Leader - Mary Elliott

Liverpool Walton YP Band in 1989
YP Band Leader - Jeff Pearson

Liverpool Walton Band in the mid-1990's
Bandmaster - Gordon Elliott

Liverpool Walton Songsters in the mid-1990's
Songster Leader - Brian Twist

Liverpool Walton Band in 2000
Bandmaster - Kevin Elliott

Liverpool Walton Songsters in 2000
Songster Leader - Brian Twist

Liverpool Walton Songsters at Blackpool Citadel in 2006
Songster Leader - Lynsey Lacey

Liverpool Walton Songsters at Blackpool Citadel in 2006
Songster Leader - Lynsey Lacey

Liverpool Walton Songsters at Moor Lane Methodist Church in 2007
Songster Leader - Lynsey Lacey

Liverpool Walton Songsters in 2010
Songster Leader - Mary Elliott​​​​​​​

Prayer changes things!

As one of our churches favourite songs say, 'Cast your cares on his shoulders'.

Here at Liverpool Walton, we have a committed group of people within our church who will pray for someone as soon as they possibly can. There will always be someone within the building who is willing to pray with you upon request and offer pastoral support. If you would like the church to pray for you or for a situation you find yourself in, please don’t hesitate to ask a member of staff or leave a prayer note on the prayer requests notice board in the Prayer Room. Prayers can be left anomalously if you prefer.

Our Prayer Room is open throughout the week during the centres opening times. It is a very calm and tranquil place.

Please feel free to use the Prayer Room for quiet reflection and prayer.

A warm welcome awaits all students at Liverpool Walton!

With over 80,000 students, Liverpool is by far one of the most popular and loved student cities in the UK. Liverpool has three large universities: University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Hope University. Liverpool also has the City of Liverpool College and Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), Liverpool Media Academy (LMA) as well as Edge Hill University just down the road in Ormskirk.

At Liverpool Walton we have the privilege of welcoming many students studying in Liverpool to our church each year. We have a fantastic bunch of youth, students and graduates who’d make you feel really welcome.

If you are coming to study in Liverpool and are looking for a church or looking to continue worshipping at a Salvation Army corps, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us by phone, email or social media. We'd be happy to answer any questions you have about our church or student life in Liverpool.

Our Corps Youth Secretary, Natalie, studied in at Liverpool John Moores University, our Young Adults Leader, James, graduated from Liverpool John Moores University in July 2019, and our Student Rep, Emily Holmes graduated from Liverpool Hope University in July 2025. They are happy to answer any questions you may have. Our YA Leaders contact details are below...

Email our Student Rep, James Griffiths - j.o.griffiths@ntlworld.com

Upon receiving an email, phone call or message on any of our socials, we'll get one of our Student Welcome Packs either emailed over to you or we'll mail out a paper copy to you in the post.  

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Free Sunday dinners easily arranged!!! 

Student Travel

We try our best to ensure that students coming to Liverpool Walton get a lift to church and back. However, here are some travel details in case this isn't possible.

Liverpool has a very extensive and reliable pubic transport network which covers the whole of Merseyside. There are buses, trains, trams and ferries to get you from A to B, all run by one company called Merseytravel. 

From the City - If you're living in student accommodation and are coming from Liverpool City Centre, use bus routes 20 to Tower Hill or 21 to Northwood from Queen Square Bus Station, Stand 7. These buses come every 5-10 minutes and take about 20 minutes to reach the Rice Lane, Cavendish Drive junction where we are located just behind the Sainsbury's Superstore. If you are using the Merseyrail local train network, go to either Liverpool Central Underground Station or Moorfields Underground Station, and get the Northern Line (blue line) train either Kirkby bound, and get off at Rice Lane Station, or Ormskirk bound, and get off at Walton Station. These trains come every 10-15 minutes. We are located a 10 minute walk down Rice Lane from both of these stations.

From the Suburbs - Many student choose to live in a house after their first year in university. There are nearly 40 suburbs in Liverpool so it would be impossible to list the directions from all of these. However, we do know that the suburbs of Kensington, Old Swan, Tuebrook, Vauxhall and Wavertree are most popular for student housing. If coming from Wavertree, get the 60 bus on Smithdown Road from the bus stops at either Arundel Avenue, Gresford Avenue or Hawarden Avenue towards Bootle New Strand. Alternatively, if Picton Road is closer to your house, get the 60 bus from Rathbone Road. This bus continue through the rest of Wavertree, and through Old Swan, Tuebrook, West Derby and Clubmoor.  After about 25 minutes, get off when you reach Queens Drive, Delf Lane bus stop. Then walk onto Rice Lane towards Cavendish Drive (Sainsbury's is on the right hand side) where we are situated behind the store.

Taxi - Taxis in Liverpool are usually quite expensive so we'd recommend public transport. However if taxis become a must, we recommend Uber which will usually cost no more than £15 per ride. 

Visit the Merseytravel Website for more information.

We currently have no Corps Officers (Ministers) at Liverpool Walton.

Our church is currently being led by our Leadership Team, Local Officers and Pastoral Care Team until we are allocated Corps Officers in the next set of moves. 

We have a long list of Officers/Ministers from other Salvation Army Centres and Churches who will be guest leaders on various Sundays.

Corps Sergeant Major - Heather Elliott

Heather has been our Corps Sergeant Major (CSM) since June 2015.

Being CSM is one of the most senior local officer roles in The Salvation Army. Heather assists in worship services and the general running of our church. She helps to keep the communication flowing within the church and has taken responsibility for our church whilst we have no Corps Officers (Church Ministers). She works closely with Lynsey, our Corps Secretary. 

Heather is also a member of the Corps Strategy Council (Church Leadership Team).

Heather works with our Assistant Corps Sergeant Major, James Griffiths.

Corps Secretary - Lynsey Lacey

Lynsey has been our Corps Secretary (CS) since August 2025.

Lynsey plays an important administrative and support role within our church. She assists CSM Heather with the running of our church whilst we have no Corps Officers (Church Minister). She is responsible for administration, record-keeping and communication to ensure the smooth running of our church. 

Lynsey is a member our Corps Strategy Council (Church Leadership Team), and has previously served on as Songster Leader. 

Recruiting Sergeant & Community Centre Manager - Jeanette Griffiths

Jeanette has been our Recruiting Sergeant since June 2015. She has been in full-time employment at our church since 2007, first as Community Programme Co-ordinator, and since 2013 has been our Community Centre Manager.

Through her voluntary role as Recruiting Sergeant, she heads up the Pastoral Care Team who are responsible for the pastoral care of our church members. Jeanette specifically helps others to take personal steps of faith and commitment. Part of her role is to offer spiritual encouragement and growth within our church community. She also has the role of introducing new church attenders to the idea of official membership. Jeanette is also a member of the Corps Strategy Council (Church Leadership Team). 

As Community Centre Manager, Jeanette see's through the day to day running of our community centre and the outreach programmes. She is responsible for building healthy relationships with agencies that use our building, planning and development, administration & compliance, and managing a team of staff and volunteers. 

Community Engagement Facilitator - Becky McGinnigle

Becky has been in employment at our church since 2013, first as Community Support Worker and since 2024 as Community Engagement Facilitator. 

She works full-time alongside Jeanette in our Community Office and helps to oversee the running of our community centre and much of the outreach programmes.

Corps Treasurer - Kevin Vane

Kevin has been our Corps Treasurer since 2025, having taken over from Graham Turner. As well as being Corps Treasurer, Kevin is our Deputy Safeguarding Lead. 

He runs the Finance Team within our church. Together, the Finance Team are responsible for managing our church and community centres finances, budgeting & reporting, compliance & stewardship, and working with other local officers such as the CSM and CS who have overall responsibility for our church. 

Other members of our Finance Team include:

• Assistant Corps Treasurer, Wally Stockley.

• Assistant Corps Treasurer - Natalie Grills

• Assistant Corps Treasurer - Major Carl Huggins

• Community Engagement Facilitator - Becky McGinnigle

Bandmaster - Neil Lacey

Neil has been our Bandmaster since 2022, having previously served as Young People's Band Leader from 2016, and is responsible for our Senior Band. Neil is also a member of the Corps Strategy Council (Church Leadership Team).

The Band consists of 31 bandsmen and bandswomen. It contributes to our worship every week and plays an especially important role at Christmas time.

Neil works with our Band Local Officers. They are: 

• Deputy Bandmaster - Glyn Griffiths

• Band Sergeant - Ray Collings

• Band Secretary - Brad Samuel

• Assistant Band Secretary - Peter Knightley 

• Band Librarian - Matthew Elliott

Songster Leader - Kevin Elliott

Kevin has been our Songster Leader since 2023, having previously served as Deputy Songster Leader from 2016. Kevin is responsible for our Songster Brigade (Senior Choir) and is also a member of the Corps Strategy Council (Church Leadership Team).

Kevin leads around 40 Songsters (Choir Members) and works with our Songster Local Officers. They are: 

• Songster Sergeant - Margaret Lacey

• Songster Secretary - Glyn Samuel

• Songster Librarian - Lorna Richardson

• Songster Pianist - Erica Elson 

Corps Strategy Council - Sol Gwatidzo

Sol, a lifelong Salvationist, has been a member of our church since the early 2000's, when he moved to the UK from Zimbabwe with his wife. He is a member of our Corps Strategy Council (Church Leadership Team).

Children's Ministries Leader - Alastair Grills

Alastair, or Ali as we know him, has been our Children's Ministries Leader or Young People's Sergeant Major (YPSM) since 2025.

He is responsible for the care of the children in our church aged 3 years - 11 years. In traditional Salvation Army terms, the children's church is called the 'Young People's Corps'. Ali's role involves the spiritual care, teaching and guidance of these children. 

Along with a large team of helpers, known as 'Young People's Workers', he facilitates children's church activities on Sundays and on special occasions. 

Other Young People's Local Officers include: 

• Lorna Richardson - Primary Sergeant

• Mary Ellison - Cradle Roll Sergeant 

• Sylvia Wills - Safeguarding Lead

Ali is part of our Corps Strategy Council (Church Leadership Team).

Corps Youth Secretary - Natalie Grills

Natalie has been our Corps Youth Secretary since 2025. She is responsible for the youth in our church aged 11 - 18. Natalie's role involves the spiritual care, teaching and guidance of these youth members. Natalie also helps out with the YA & Students Team.

Natalie is part of our Corps Strategy Council (Church Leadership Team).

Young Adults Leader - James Griffiths

James has been our Young Adults Leader since the group formed in 2020.

He is responsible for the YA Team, which looks after the 18 - 30's group of our church and is on the Tech Team. He loves to organise social events for the Youth and YA. He also helps alongside Student Rep, Emily Holmes, in welcoming new students studying in Liverpool at our church. 

As well as being the Student Rep, James is the Assistant Corps Sergeant Major and works alongside CSM Heather Elliott. 

Student Rep - Emily Holmes

Emily came to Liverpool Walton from Winsford Salvation Army when she was studying at Liverpool Hope University. Having graduated in July 2025, she is staying with us at Liverpool Walton and has agreed to take on the role of Student Rep, taking over from James Griffiths. 

She is responsible for inviting and welcoming student studying in our city to worship with us and attend social events. 

Young People's Band Leader - Jono Tonks

Jono is our Young People's Band Leader, having taken over from Steph Samuel in 2024. 

Jono is responsible for our Young People's Band (Junior Brass Band). He leads, develops and nurtures the young brass players. Some of these young brass players later choose to join our churches Senior Band, led by Neil.   

Singing Company Leader - Becky Billard

Becky has been our Singing Company Leader since 2023 having taken over from Kat Samuel. She is responsible for our Singing Company (Junior Choir). She leads, develops and nurtures the members of the Singing Company. Some of these members later choose to join our churches Songster Brigade, led by Kevin, or sing with the Worship Band.   

Becky has a team of helpers who assist her in her role and support the group in singing. 

As well as being our Singing Company Leader, Becky helps to run our Youth Worship Band.

Welcome Sergeant - Graeme Elson

Graeme has a been our Welcome Sergeant since 2023, a warm and people-focused role. He is responsible for the Welcome Team who greet people upon arrival to church, helping them to feel welcome, included, and valued.

Collectively, the Welcome Team work to help make people comfortable in church. Whether it be finding a seat, answering any questions or assisting with directions around the building, they are happy to help.

Harvest Weekend 2025

A brilliant weekend at Liverpool Walton celebrating Harvest! Last night we enjoyed a meal together with some games themed on Taskmaster. It was so good to spend time together where we had good laughs, beautiful food, and some great memories were made. This morning we had our Harvest Celebration led by Majors Ged and Jayne Nicoll where Ged gave a message entitled ‘What’s Growing Here?’. We thank Ged and Jayne for their preparation for this weekend and for taking the time to travel down from Blackpool. We also thank everyone who helped to contribute to the setting up of our Taskmaster night whether it be catering, décor, games or tidying up. God has blessed our church.

Children & Youth Weekend 

The young people of our church were treated to a great day of fun and games as part of our Young People's Anniversary. We first had our 0-6 year olds session, followed by the 7-11 year olds, finally our youth cell. On the Sunday, the children and youth received their gifts during the prizegiving ceremony. We thank God for blessing our church with so many young people. We pray that he will bless them and their leaders as they grow in their faith. 

Visit of our Territorial Leaders, Commissioners Paul & Jenine Main

What a privilege it was to have our Territorial Leaders, Commissioners Paul and Jenine Main lead worship today. The energy at church today was wonderful and the presence of God was so evident in the worship and the word. Paul and Jenine spoke fondly of their time in Liverpool in the late 1980’s, leading Liverpool Clubmoor Corps and it was great for many people to see them again at Walton today. This mornings worship also included the acknowledgment of the retirement and service of two of our longest standing local officers, Megan Birchley and Geoff Kendal. We thank them for their ministry over the years and pray that God will continue to use them and their gifting within our church and beyond. Commissioner Paul gave today’s message where he spoke about how loving all people is what God requires of us all. Please take time to listen to this great message. The livestream from this morning can be reaching through the link below. We as a church continue to pray for Commissioners Paul and Jenine as they lead our territory in the United Kingdom and Ireland. 

https://www.youtube.com/live/IqCWnQkknbw?si=K8sVIsfgeggTjDoJ

Summer Holiday Club

Well... what an awesome four weeks it's been! We've welcomed over 40 children each day to our holiday club and they've had the best time! Amazing team, and amazing children. We pray that God will bless them as they return to school in September.  

140th Anniversary Weekend of Liverpool Walton Band

On Saturday evening, we had our Sounds of Liverpool concert celebrating 140 years of the Liverpool Walton Band of The Salvation Army. What a great evening this was! After a day of catching up with past band members, and lots of rehearsing, the hall was packed out for the concert. The current Liverpool Walton Band kicked off the first half of the concert with a combination of Salvation Army music, songs from Gerry Marsden and the Beatles. This continued in the second half bringing together the current band and some of its past members to make a 140th anniversary band of over 50. A wonderful sound! Of course the anthems from the blues and reds were played, to the enjoyment of many. The evening finished with the playing of the classic, Light of the World with a challenging thought beforehand which led to a very special moment for all. A powerful and inspirational night.

Pentecost Sunday March

What a fantastic and meaningful act of witness as our band marched through the Creative District and the Georgian Quarter of our city centre for Pentecost Sunday! We first joined with members of the two cathedrals and other churches from across the city region at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral for a Pentecost Service. We then marched through the streets to the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. This year’s theme, Pilgrims of Hope, invited us to reflect on the Spirit’s call to walk together as people of faith, peace, and purpose. A very powerful theme as we just happened to march down a road called Hope Street. We saw hundreds of people standing in restaurants, shops, bus stops and their apartments to watch as the huge procession moved through the streets. A powerful reminder that the church is very much alive in our great city. A very Happy Pentecost from all of us in Liverpool!

VE Day

Our VE Day 80th celebrations with a beautiful home cooked community meal and VE Day quiz. Followed by Singing by heart that included the good old songs and stories from wartime memories. An anniversary to remember and thankfulness for peace that cost so much.

Easter Holiday Club

We had a fabulous Easter Holiday Club last week with 3 days of indoor fun! Bird box building, pizza and pancake making, Disco dodgeball, crafts and lots of energetic and active games.  Healthy food and snacks and life values at Carpet time  

Day 4 was out and about in Crosby and a trip to the Cinema to watch the new Disney's Snow White.  Thank you a wonderful team who made this happen!

Easter Sunday

At Liverpool Walton, we have a tradition... Each year after the Easter Celebration Service, we move our beautifully decorated cross into the front garden between our two car parks. This serves as a reminder to everyone who passes by our building, and shows the beauty and life in the cross.

Self Denial Sunday

What a pleasure it was to have Captains Jevry & Febe Ambitan (International Headquarters London) with us for Self-Denial Sunday. Jevry & Febe are from Indonesia and gave us a glimpse into their country and the work of The Salvation Army there. Today our church gave their offerings for the Self-Denial Appeal. The money raised today will go towards helping the mission of The Salvation Army in Indonesia in their churches, social services, educational facilities and medical facilities. As well as this, the Ambitan Family blessed us by playing their Angklungs and singing as they brought to us ‘Thou Art Enough For Me’. We had a great KidZone of course featuring chocolate and the message was given by Captain Jevry based on Psalm 92. We thank Jevry, Febe and their family for leading our worship today in what was a very special and joyful Self-Denial Sunday.

Carolling Around Cavendish Drive

We’ve braved the storm! Some of our band and singers carolled to the residents in the neighbourhood surrounding our church today, spreading the message of Christmas. We started with sun, and ended with gale force winds, hail and rain… but we didn’t let this ruin the Christmas spirit. A lovely afternoon.

Celebrating Christmas Carol Concerts 2025

Here’s a glimpse at our Celebrating Christmas Carol Concerts 2025! It was a truly amazing day where we saw our church packed to the rafters as we all celebrated Christmas with Jesus. As previously mentioned, we managed to raise £2000 for Zoe's Place Baby Hospice Liverpool and we’re so happy that we’ve been able to support them. Our media team are currently working on the video footage and hope to release it onto our YouTube Channel very soon.

Band at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

What a privilege it was for our senior band to take part in the Marie Curie Lights to Remember Service at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. A truly beautiful evening as we sang carols, heard from the Mossley Hill, St Julie’s High School and Marie Curie North West Choirs, heard reflections from families who’ve lost a loved one, and remembered those no longer with us. A huge well done to Marie Curie UK for all the work they do. God bless.

We Will Remember Them.

Disney 100 and Last Night of the Proms Concert

A brilliant evening yesterday as we had our Disney Proms Concert supported by our band, the girls chorus and our special guest, Mezzo Soprano, Lucy Northwood. It’s was truly amazing to see our church filled with people, many of whom wouldn’t usually find themselves in a church in their day-to-day lives. The band opened the concert with ‘Breezing Down Broadway’ which certainly set an exciting mood for the evening. We heard a number of Disney pieces from the band and some beautiful songs performed by Lucy, accompanied by Richard Woodroffe of Warrington Salvation Army. The Liverpool Walton Girls Chorus contributed a lovely song called ‘I See the Light’. After an interval with some great drinks and snacks, the hall was filled again as we heard more music from the band and Lucy. Our new Church Leader, Major Marcus Mylechreest then gave a thought to all of our attendees. He expressed thanks to God for the fantastic music enabled by our God-given gifts. Marcus also spoke about how whilst people love Disney and travel to its many theme parks such as the Magic Kingdom each year, we as Christians know of another kingdom that is much greater… the Kingdom of God. He reminded us that in this kingdom, God will bring peace, harmony, fullness of love, grace and mercy for all. We are all invited to this kingdom, from the east, west, north and south. All can come to the Kingdom of God. The band then played the beautiful ‘They Shall Come From the East’. Marcus had told the audience the words of this song… ‘They shall come from the east, they shall come from the west, and sit down in the Kingdom of God’. These word appeared on the screens throughout the band piece. Marcus encouraged people to read these word and allow them and the music to stir within. This was received so well by all at the concert. After this, the band and audience joined in singing some classics from the Proms. Overall, an incredible evening filled with a mix of Disney magic, Proms classics and most importantly Gods word. Thank you to all who attended last night, to the catering team, the people involved with set up, Lucy, the band, the girls chorus and Marcus.

Summer Holiday Club 2024

What an awesome four weeks we've had at holiday club! Over the last month, we've welcomed nearly 100 children through our doors, and what a privilege it's been to see them make our church their home. Here is a small selection of photos. For more, see our Facebook page. Roll on holiday club 2025! 

Diamond Art Group

Need to switch off? Relax and chill?

Then try out our Diamond Art craft afternoon on Wednesdays at 1pm.

Everything is FREE and provided with lovely refreshments too! Everyone is welcome to come along and relax with us!

Farewell to Majors Chris & Lin Herbert

What a wonderful way to end five years of ministry at Liverpool Walton under the leadership of Majors Chris and Lin Herbert. A God-centred and spirit filled meeting, in worship, the word and hearing from members of our church acknowledging and giving thanks for the past five years. The farewell meeting was followed by an indoor barbecue with great food, lots of fun and laughter. We pray God’s blessing over Majors Chris and Lin as they move to their new appointment as leaders of Peterborough Citadel Salvation Army.

A Welcome to More Official Members

Yesterday we had the privilege of officially recognising and welcoming 14 Adherent Members to our church! It was a wonderful service where they all took part and we thank God for the evidence of his presence in their lives. The journey continues…

New Senior Soldier & Dedication

A fantastic day at Liverpool Walton as we welcomed our newest Senior Soldier member, Abigail, and dedicated a baby boy. God is blessing this church! Our teenagers are stepping out and committing themselves to him in many different ways. We also thank him for the constant renewal of life in our church and give back by the dedication of this beautiful baby boy. Good things are happening in this place!

Liverpool Walton Band at Strawberry Field

Yesterday, our band had the privilege of performing a programme of music on the bandstand at Strawberry Field as part of their Summer Sounds Music concerts. What a blessing it was to spread Joy, Peace and Happiness to those who came along to listen. Our band have been playing in the gardens of Strawberry Field since the 1930’s, and it’s amazing that they can still spread God’s message on those grounds through their music playing.

Palm Sunday & 143rd Anniversary of our Church 

Incredible Palm Sunday in church today as we also celebrated our Corps Anniversary... 143 years of Liverpool Walton! Major Gavin & Captain Ali Friday led a God-filled meeting where we were encouraged to speak Jesus over the lives of people we see in everyday life, and speak Jesus over the people who no longer attend our church. The worship hall was packed to capacity, the worship and word were brilliant, and we had some lovely food afterwards as we also celebrated the wedding anniversary of two lifelong Salvationists. God has blessed our church over the years, and continues to bless it in so many ways. For that, and so much more, we are forever grateful.

Singing By Heart at Liverpool Walton

We've recently relaunched our Singing By Heart Group, and it's going down tremendously!

Singing By Heart is a monthly singing group that encourages people living with dementia to revisit memories locked in history. Attendees sing classic songs and well-known hymns encouraging a powerful form of music therapy, allowing people to remember songs from their past by recognising familiar music, locked in their memories. 

The ‘Singing by Heart’ sessions are drop-in, free of charge and start at 1:30 pm followed by refreshments, welcoming anyone living with dementia and their carers to reminisce in a safe space. 

We pray God's blessing over this special time together and also pray to reach more people in the coming months. 

Celebrating Christmas Carol Concerts 2023

What a fantastic Sunday we had at our Celebrating Christmas Carol Concerts on the Sunday 10th December. We were still delighted to have well over 200 people at each concert and are so happy that £1,600 was raised for the Marie Curie Hospice in Liverpool. As a church, we love to share the message of Christmas and share the joy that we all know and experience through Jesus. This Christmas, let's celebrate Jesus, the Greatest Gift.

We celebrated with carols, dance, readings, Christmas songs & of course it isn’t Christmas without the Salvation Army Band & Timbrels!

Toy & Gift Service

Today, our church had the opportunity to bring toys and gifts which will go towards out Christmas Appeal. Thanks to everyone at church, and if anyone would like to donate towards our Christmas Appeal, please drop your toys and gifts into the centre.

Christmas with Strawberry Field

We had a brilliant time last week when our senior band and some of our singers took part in Strawberry Field's Christmas Concert at St Georges Hall. It was fantastic to share the story of Jesus birth to attendees through the music we brought to the concert that night. We also loved teaming up with The Salvation Army's Charlie Green in a phenomenal rendition of 'Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy'. We pray that all who attended took something of away with them from the concert, and felt the love of Jesus surround them through the music, readings and message from Major Kathleen Versfeld.    

Youth & YA BBQ and Worship at Crosby Lakeside

Yesterday our Youth Cell and YA Group met at Crosby Lakeside for a barbecue. It's the first time they've been together for a social event in quite a few months, but it was so good for them to spend time together! There was football, food, chat, frisbee and some even found themselves on the kids playground (Yes, we know) After some food and social time, they enjoyed some acoustic worship thanks to Joy and Sammy who brought their guitars. So good to be back together after the summer. As always, we thank God for blessing our church with all of these amazing young people, who are in so essential our big family of God. Those of you who couldn't make it where missed! Keep an eye out for the October event!

Visit of the East of England Youth Band and Chorus

What a brilliant weekend we just had with the visit of the East of England Divisional Youth Band and Youth Chorus. On Saturday they gave a concert at Strawberry Field, and then came to lead our worship service here at Liverpool Walton on the Sunday. What a lovely bunch of people! Fantastic worship and music throughout the meeting where God's presence was so evident and the faith of these amazing young people shone bright. We listened to some lovely readings and testimonies from some youth band and chorus members, and a great message from Gill McCredie (Church Leader at Grays Salvation Army in Essex). We want to say a big thank you for travelling all the way up north in the sweltering heat and spending the weekend with us. We had a great time with you, and hope you felt very welcome in our church.

Opening of the Strawberry Field Bandstand

Our band had a great time at Strawberry Field Liverpool on Saturday as they officially opened the new bandstand in the gardens. We've had a long history of supporting The Salvation Army's work at Strawberry Field going right back to the 1930's, and it was a privilege for our band and some of our corps members to be there on Saturday.

Summer Holiday Club 2023

Well... that draws an end to a fantastic summer holiday club here at Liverpool Walton! We've had the joy of welcoming over 100 children into our building over the last 4 weeks and we've loved every minute of it. From bike workshops, bouncy castles, and construction activities, to trips to the beach, the farm and the arcade, we've had a blast!

We'd like to thank everyone for coming, to all the staff and volunteers and to the providers.

Songsters & Band Visit to Leek 

Well what a weekend we've had... Yesterday our Band, Songster Brigade, Worship Band and Timbrellist's travelled to the lovely town of Leek in Staffordshire to take part in the Leek Club Day Celebrations. Leek Club Day is a town-wide christian event where churches of different denominations meet together in the Leek Market Place for a service, and then a march of witness around the town. Each year a different church leads the event, with this year's leaders being The Salvation Army Leek Corps. They were fantastic hosts and we want to say a huge thank you to them for inviting us to take part. We met at Leek's church building and together with their Band, Young People and Corps Folk, marched up to the towns Market Place. Captain Leanne Wallis (Leek Corps Officer) led a short service which saw the Leek and Liverpool Walton Bands play, a brilliant song from the Leek Young People, a contemporary song led by Liverpool Walton Worship Band and a short message given by Captain Leanne. After the service the combined Salvation Army bands, led the march through the town, with thousands of people in the town square and lining the streets. All together, there were 5 Salvation Army flags on the march... Three flags from Leek, and two flags from Liverpool Walton. The combined bands played some great marches and the Liverpool Walton Timbrels were fabulous to have on the march. After the march, we received a lovely meal prepared by the corps folk at Leek. In the evening the Liverpool Walton Band and Songsters gave a festival of music, with a capacity congregation. God presence was evident throughout the day, and we pray that our music touched the souls of those who heard and saw us. All we do, is for the glory of God.

Foodbank

Foodbank drop-in every Monday from 9.30am to 12pm. 

Please ensure you are eligible for a food parcel by obtaining a Trussell Trust Foodbank Voucher, either from Liverpool City Council, an agency that has referred you, or The Trussell Trust itself.

Employment Plus

Struggling to find employment?

Each Monday between 10am and 12pm you can meet with Dee Gunning, our Employment Development Co-ordinator, right here at our centre.

She is available for support with finding work, job searches, writing CVs and so much more! 

She can be contacted by emailing her at diane.gunning@salvationarmy.org.uk

See the video below for an example of how The Salvation Army has helped people in Liverpool, not only with employment, but with food parcels and emotional support.

Levelling Up | Phil's Story

Phil from Liverpool had always found work in factories but in the last 10 years he noticed that jobs have become less secure, with many only offering zero-hour contracts. With his hours drastically cut during the pandemic, Phil could not afford to eat and turned to The Salvation Army for help.

“Years ago, you would get full time hours, but the last 10 years it’s always been zero-hour contracts, so you could get three days one week and a full week the next. Jobs are less secure now and it’s hit and miss depending on the company you work for. It used to be you’d work for three months and then get a permanent contract after that, but it’s rare that happens now.

“I found myself having to go to The Salvation Army for food parcels for the first time. Without them, I would probably be dead because I had no food. I lost about a stone and a half because of the stress. It’s amazing what they do, but people are still struggling.

“The Government need to reassess things and look in a different way. It’s all very well putting people on furlough, but the people who are working for agencies aren’t getting that. The agencies are making money, but the workers aren’t really being treated well.”

When the Government announced earlier this year its plans to ‘Level Up’ the country, by allocating funding to address the geographic inequalities across the UK, we knew what a difference that could make to people like Phil.

However, we’re concerned that under current plans, the majority of the funding will end up being spent on big infrastructure projects instead of projects that help communities recover by upskilling people and helping them access employment.

Our report into the #LevellingUp Agenda reveals specific areas requiring investment include access to childcare, training and progression into high wage/high skill sector jobs and entry level job opportunities for young people.

To find out more about Levelling Up and our recommendations visit: https://bit.ly/2WgDklX

Legal Advice

Legal Drop-in every second Thursday of the month from 9.30am - 12pm 

We are pleased to be able to offer a monthly drop in Legal Clinic with Bell Lamb & Joynson.

We've been running our Community Centre since its opening in 2005.

Our Community Centre is a hive of activity! There is something for all ages. We provide support, advise and a place to connect with others, building community together.   

If you would like to rent a room for a course, group or conference please see the 'Room Hire' section of our website for details.

Please call the Community Office on 0151 525 4785 for accurate information relating to what courses and groups we currently host.

Alternatively, take a look at our Facebook page through the link below...

Liverpool Walton Salvation Army Facebook Page

The Hub Coffee Shop was established in 2013 and is run entirely by a group of hard working volunteers from our church. The hub offers a range of reasonably priced snacks, hot and cold beverages as well as a listening ear. 

The Hub Coffee Shop is open Monday to Thursday (9.00am – 3.00pm)

Please note that The Hub Coffee Shop is only open during term times and is therefore closed throughout all school holidays.

Food Hygiene Rating – 5/5 (Very Good) by Food Standards Agency

We'd Love to Host you!

At Liverpool Walton, we have a number of agencies and groups who rent our rooms. Our rooms are available for hire from Monday to Thursday from 9am - 5pm (Please contact us for extended hours)

There are buffet options available for all of the rooms below at some extra cost. See the end of this section for buffet details. 

To book a room or for more information, please contact Jeanette Griffiths (Community Centre Manager) by calling our Community Office on 0151 525 4785 or via email at jeanette.griffiths@salvationarmy.org.uk 

(Please be aware that our building has been redecorated and some rooms completely refurbished over a period of time. We are awaiting new photos of these rooms to upload to this website.) 

Our Facilities

Main Worship Hall

Ideal for conferences, award ceremonies, school assemblies & productions, examinations and gala/banquet meals.

Our Main Worship Hall is in the heart of our building, and has been the home of our church services and events for 36 years. It forms part of the original section of our building which was built and opened in 1989. 

The Main Worship Hall was completely renovated in 2019. It's a spacious, bright and modern environment. There are six Velux windows in the ceiling. These are equipped with blackout blinds and can open to allow ventilation. The windows are controlled using control switches on the walls.  

The AV system is equipped with digital Martin Audio, Allen & Heath and BlackMagicDesign technology.

• Audio - There are two passive Martin Audio loudspeakers suspended from trussing in the ceiling and two Laney monitors on the floor for stage/band use. In terms of microphones, we have 2 head-sets, 4 hand-held mics (2 wireless and 2 wired), room ambiance mics and a digital mixer. The AV system in the Main Worship Hall is connected to speakers in the foyer and around the rest of the building. These can be used or switched off depending on your needs.
• Visual - We have one large 16:10 screen & overhead laser projector in the centre of the front wall, and another 16:10 overhead bulb projector pointing to a smaller screen on the back wall for stage use. There are screens located in the Foyer and Lounge which can be used as overflow areas.
• Camera - We own a Panasonic HC-MDH3 camera. This can be used for recording events and can be set up as a camera feed for the screens in the building. There is a BlackMagicDesign switcher which has four inputs. This can be used for camera or any other input. We will require a member of our church Media Team to be present when this is used.
• Streaming - Please note that we require a member of our church Media Team to be present for this technology to be used. We have the capability to stream high quality audio and visual to any social media or video platform.
• Lighting - We have twelve dimmable houselights (Colour - Daylight), four warm white spotlights & seven LED colour pars all suspended from trussing in the ceiling. There is also the option to put either black or silver uplighter floor lamps around the perimeter of the room.

The Worship Hall costs £30/hour.

Capacity: Theatre Style - 250, Cabaret Style - 100. 

Secondary Hall (Young People's Hall)

Ideal for use for smaller conferences, a classroom and for children's activities. There is a servery area through the wall to Kitchen 1. The exits at the back of the room lead to our new garden area. 

The Secondary Hall costs £20/hour. 

Capacity: Theatre Style - 80, Cabaret Style - 54. 

Main Worship Hall with Expansion Zone (Secondary Hall)

The wall between the Main Worship Hall and the Secondary Hall is a bi-folding wall and can be opened to increase the size of the Main Worship Hall from 228m² to 320m². This setting is ideal for the larger conferences & events we host and for examinations etc. In terms of multimedia, there are speakers in the expansion zone that are linked to the main sound system. There are no screens but the screens in the Main Worship Hall can still be clearly seen. The ceiling in the expansion zone is a dropped/suspended ceiling and so is lower than the ceiling in the Main Worship Hall, but again this doesn’t obstruct acoustics or view.

The Main Worship Hall with Expansion Zone costs £40/hour

Capacity: Theatre Style - 350, Cabaret Style - 160, Examinations - 100

Community Hall

Ideal for smaller conferences, a classroom, a training room and a canteen. There is servery area through the wall to Kitchen 2.

The Community Hall costs £20/hour. 

Capacity: Theatre Style - 70, Cabaret Style - 50.

General Purpose Room 2 

Ideal for use as a classroom, larger meeting room and training room. GP2 has a sink and worktop area as well as its own private WC. 

This room costs £20/hour.

Capacity: Theatre Style - 20, Cabaret Style - 12.

General Purpose Room 3 

Ideal for use as a classroom, larger meeting room and training room. GP3 has a sink and worktop area as well as its own private WC. 

This room costs £20/hour.

Capacity: Theatre Style - 20, Cabaret Style - 12.

Catering Kitchen (Kitchen 1)

Ideal for culinary courses for around 8 people and for catering for your own event, the Catering Kitchen (Kitchen 1) is the largest of the three kitchens in our building. Kitchen 1 is fully equipped, containing refrigerators, freezers, a large gas oven and six ring gas hob (with industrial extractor fan), a chinaware warmer & heated buffet server (six buffet pans), a gas grill, a microwave, two sinks (utensil wash & food wash), a hot water urn, a large dish washer and a washing machine. Utensils such as knives, rolling pins, pots, pans and trays etc are available.

We provide cleaning products (washing up liquid and sterilising surface spray) and towels. There are plates (small, medium and large), bowls, mugs, glasses and cutlery etc also available. In the centre of the kitchen are two stainless steel prep tables. Toasters can be provided.

This kitchen has one serving area opening to the Community Hall.  

Kitchen 1 costs £20/hour

Capacity: 8  

Small Meeting Room

Ideal for small meetings of up to 6 people or a one to one room.

This rooms costs £20/hour.

Capacity: 6

The Lounge

The Lounge is a modern and comfortable setting with sofa seating for around 20 people. The Lounge has four 2-seater and four 3-seater sofas, 4 large oak coffee tables, oak sideboard, and a 80-inch LG smart TV with Freeview & a DVD Player. There is a servery area through the wall to Kitchen 1.

This room costs £20/hour. 

Capacity: 20

The Garden

A new project which has been part of our building improvements since the start of COVID-19, is our new garden around the back of the building. This area will be primarily used in the summer for our churches social events such as barbeques, campfires and for use after Sunday meetings when the church gather for tea and coffee.

Contact the Community Office for information on the rental details for this space. 

Car Parking

We have two car parks at Liverpool Walton, consisting of 40 spaces, plus plenty of street parking on Cavendish Drive and the side streets. Car Park A (front of building) has 10 spaces and Car Park B (Back of building), which is shared with the Early Years Centre and School next door, has 30 spaces. There is Blue Badge & disabled parking in both car parks. Both car parks are well lit at night by the street lights along Cavendish Drive and have good drainage systems. CCTV cameras cover both car parks. Walkways around the perimeter of the building are well lit and are gritted during icy weather.

Vehicles are left in the car parks at the owners risk. The Salvation Army will not take responsibility for theft or damage to vehicles. 

Buffet Options 

• Refreshment options are available from £1 per head.
• Lunch options are available from £5 per head. 

If you'd be interested in adding this to your room hire, please enquire by contacting a member of staff.  

Clothing & Shoes Bank

Whilst we do not have a charity shop at Liverpool Walton, we do have a Salvation Army Clothing & Shoes bank in our front car park.  

From your generous donations, we'll make sure your old clothes and shoes are reused or repurposed. 

Other Donation Options 

If you'd rather, you can donate your old clothing and shoes to one of our charity shops. The following charity shops are all located a 10 mile radius from our church building at Liverpool Walton. They are located at 

• Liverpool Bootle Salvation Army Charity Shop

  318 Stanley Road, Bootle, L20 3EF

  Open Tuesday's and Thursday's from 10am - 1pm.

• Birkenhead Salvation Army Charity Shop

  19 Oxton Road, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 2QQ

  Open Monday to Sunday from 10am - 3pm

• Rock Ferry Salvation Army Charity Shop 

  179 Old Chester Road, Rock Ferry, Wirral, CH42 3TB

  Open Monday to Friday from 10am - 4pm 

• Moreton Salvation Army Charity Shop

  240-246 Hoylake Road, Moreton, Wirral CH46 6AF

  Monday to Saturday from 9am - 5pm

• Ormskirk Salvation Army Charity Shop

  13 Aughton Street, Ormskirk, L39 3BH

  Monday to Saturday from 9am - 5pm

• St Helens Salvation Army Charity Shop

  21A Ormskirk Street, St Helens, WA10 1BQ

  Monday to Saturday from 9am - 5pm

Being situated in the inner suburbs of Liverpool, it's pretty easy to find your way to us from all directions. Here is some travel advice...

By Car

Sat-Nav or Smart Device - Enter the address below into your Sat Nav or Smart Device. This will take you to the front of our building. If you don't have access to a Sat Nav or Smart Device, more details for car travel are at the bottom of this section.

The Salvation Army, 95 Cavendish Drive, Walton, Liverpool, L9 1NB.

By Bus

If your coming from Liverpool City Centre, use bus routes 20 to Tower Hill or 21 to Northwood from Queen Square Bus Station, Stand 7. The 20 and 21 buses come every 5-10 minutes and take about 20 minutes to reach the Rice Lane, Cavendish Drive junction where we are located behind the Sainsbury's Superstore. Another option is the 345 to Waddicar/Melling from Queen Square Bus Station, Stand 10. This bus comes every 30 minutes and takes 20 minutes to reach us. An extra bus for late travel, the 20X to Knowsley Industrial Park/Kirkby from Queen Square Bus Station, Stand 7 is a late bus that operates 2 services from Queen Square between 9pm and midnight. All bus services throughout Liverpool City Region (Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral) end each day between midnight and 1am. They gradually restart from 4.30am onwards. 

The bus routes 159 to Fazakerley and 215 (North Circular) will drop you off right on our doorstep at Cavendish Drive Terminus. The 159 reaches us after its passed through the following Liverpool suburbs- Fazakerley, Old Roan, Netherton Old Roan Station, Netherton Magdalene Square, Litherland, Seaforth, Bootle Stand Shopping Centre, Kirkdale and Walton. The 215 reaches us after its passed through the following Liverpool suburbs- Warbreck, Fazakerley, Croxteth, Norris Green, Townsend Avenue, Clubmoor and stops at Cavendish Drive Terminus. These two buses do not enter Central Liverpool. 

By Train

From the city - If using Merseyrail, the local train network, go to either Liverpool Central Underground Station or Moorfields Underground Station, and get the Northern Line (Blue Line) train Kirkby bound and get off at Rice Lane Station or Ormskirk bound to Walton Station. These trains come every 10-15 minutes. We are located a 10 minute walk down Rice Lane from both of these stations. All local train services end each day between midnight and 1am. They restart at around 5am. 

National Rail Services - There are two terminal stations in Liverpool, Liverpool Lime Street Station and Liverpool South Parkway Station. Liverpool Lime Street offers services to and from all major towns and cities over the UK, including Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London. Liverpool South Parkway offers services to and from most North Western towns and cities such as Blackpool, Wigan and Warrington. National Rail services run into Liverpool Lime Street from around 3am til around 1am. The station only closes for 2 hours each night. National Rail services to and from Liverpool South Parkway run from around 6am til midnight, with the station closing for 6 hours each night. 

By Plane

Believe it or not, we have had people travel to us from other parts of the country and overseas by plane. Liverpool John Lennon Airport, situated in South Liverpool, is just a 30 minute drive from our building. The airport offers flights to and from most European countries, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and many other city airports within the UK. Taxi's from the airport to our building cost around £25. Bus route 81A from the airport to Bootle, would drop you off just a 10 minute walk from us.

Car (No Sat-Nav) 

The M62, M57 and M58 motorways are all located within a 15 minute drive of our building. Other key routes close by include the East Lancs Road and the Queensway and Kingsway Tunnels. 

M62 - The M62 ends at the border of Liverpool, in Broad Green. Exit the motorway onto Bowring Park Road and follow the road under the flyover and onto Queens Drive (A5058). From here its pretty simple, follow signs towards Bootle/Docks along Queens Drive for 4 miles until you see Alsop High School on your left. Soon after passing the high school, exit Queens Drive onto the Breeze Hill Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Rice Lane. Carry on down Rice Lane 500 metres until you see Clock View Hospital on the left and a large Sainsbury's store on the right. Take a right turn onto Cavendish Drive at this junction and we're just behind Sainsbury's. 

Switch Island (M57 and M58) - Once off one of the motorways, you are on what is known locally as Switch Island. Follow sign posts to City Centre or Liverpool Central Attractions. Go onto the A59 (Ormskirk Road) where you will see a large ASDA Supercentre on the left. Continue down the A59 until you reach Sainsbury’s at Rice Lane. You will see a road sign reading ‘Salvation Army’ pointing to Cavendish Drive. Turn left onto Cavendish Drive and continue past Sainsbury’s for a minute. You’ll see our building on the left, behind Sainsbury’s, just beyond a relatively new housing development.

East Lancs Road - The East Lancs Road leads straight to Queens Drive (A5058). When at Queens Drive, turn right onto it. Carry on down Queens Drive until you see Alsop High School on your left. Soon after passing the high school, exit Queens Drive onto the Breeze Hill Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Rice Lane. Carry on down Rice Lane 500 metres until you see Clock View Hospital on the left and a large Sainsbury's store on the right. Take a right turn onto Cavendish Drive at this junction and we're just behind Sainsbury's. 

Queensway/Kingsway Tunnels (From The City) - The Queensway Tunnel ends right in the heart of Liverpool City Centre at Old Haymarket. The Kingsway Tunnel ends a bit further away from the city centre in Vauxhall. For Queensway Tunnel users, at the end of the tunnel, take the second exit on the roundabout onto Byrom Street (A59). You will know you're on Byrom Street when the road opens out into a huge 10-lane boulevard with one of Liverpool John Moores University's campuses on the right. Continue to follow the A59 all the way from Byrom Street past the Kingsway Tunnel onto Scotland Road. For Kingsway Tunnel users, once out of the tunnel, exit the expressway using the first slip road. Here you will end up on Scotland Road. From here both tunnel users route is the same. Continue down Scotland Road, then onto Kirkdale Road, then Walton Road, then County Road until you reach Breeze Hill Roundabout with the Queens Drive flyover crossing the centre. Take the 2nd exit onto Rice Lane (still the A59). At the junction with Clock View Hospital on the left and Sainsbury’s on the right, turn right into Cavendish Drive. Continue on Cavendish Drive for a minute and you’ll see our building on the left, behind Sainsbury’s, just beyond a relatively new housing development.

For more information on public transport in Liverpool, visit the Merseytravel Website, the Merseyrail Website or the Mersey Ferries Website

For more information regarding national travel, visit the National Rail Website or the Northern Railway Website