Refurbishment set to begin at Clacton Salvation Army

Salvation Army leaders in Clacton say a planned upgrade and refurbishment of their building will enhance the services they provide to the community.

The planned work, which is due to begin next month, includes upgrading the toilets and extensive electrical work in the community centre and will take around ten weeks to complete.

After that, renovations to the secondary hall, entrance, toilets and upstairs room in the church itself will begin while the outside area used by the toddler group will also be improved. To enhance access to the upper room, a lift will also be installed.

All works should be completed by November.

Major David and Major Katerina Lennox lead The Salvation Army in Clacton.

David said the impact of the work will be minimised as far as possible.

He explained: “All community programmes will continue in areas of our building that are not affected at that time.  To facilitate this, Family Worship, Messy Church and Sunday School have been relocated and kindly accommodated by our friends at the local Trinity Methodist Church for the time of renovation work.”

After the renovation is complete, David and Katerina plan to allocate an area for training and equipping people which will include classes such as cooking on a budget and basic computer skills while other community groups will be able to hire the space.

Katerina said she is looking forward to seeing what opportunities arise to continue to serve the local community appropriately and effectively.

She added: “This is an exciting time for our church and community centre. The building has served the town well for many years, but these improvements will help us create a more inclusive, comfortable and functional space that better reflects the needs of the people we serve today.”