Shipley Salvation Army lace up shoes for building fundraiser

Shipley Salvation Army has organised a 30-mile walking challenge to raise money for a building refurbishment which will help them support more people in the community. 

The building upgrade at the church and charity in Rhodes Place will increase accessibility, as well as provide a sensory room, kitchen, seating area and a multi-use community room. 

The ‘Pass The Flag’ challenge will see participants walk 30 miles over three days covering the Leeds to Skipton section of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. The first three-mile family walk took place in July from Shipley Salvation Army to Myrtle Park via 3 Rise Locks, with the next 13.5 mile challenge taking place on Saturday 27 September from 3 Rise Locks to the Skipton Canal Basin. The final 13.5 mile walk, on Saturday 11 October, will start in Leeds and finish at Shipley Salvation Army. 

Captain Laura McLean, who leads Shipley Salvation Army, said: “Shipley Salvation Army is having a much-needed refurbishment to increase accessibility and provide greater support for the needs of our church and local community. We’re really pleased to see the project starting to take shape.” 

The work will include replacing both ground and first floors, creating a new toilet block, outdoor decked area, a new link walkway from the pavement to the first floor and making the building more energy efficient. 

The major works are funded for, so the team are raising money to pay for some of the internal improvements that include a sensory room to provide a safe space for families, a well-equipped kitchen, comfortable and welcoming seating, a multi-use community room for groups and a spacious, inclusive, accessible worship hall for intergenerational worship.

The 30-miles Pass the Flag challenge is a Salvation Army organised fundraising challenge where participants walk a set distance and pass a flag along the way. 

Laura continued: “Thank you so much to the community who have already supported us with this and took part in the first walk. Our next two walks are a bit more challenging, some of us are doing all of them and others are doing one or two sections. We’d love you to join us, or if you can donate we’d really appreciate it.” 

Dawn, Community Assistant who runs Shipley Salvation Army Uniform Support Hub from its standalone unit in Westgate, will be overcoming her own health challenges to take part. 

She said: “Shipley Salvation Army has supported my family in many different ways over the years, and is always striving to be an inclusive and community-focused Christian church where all are welcome. 

“I will be walking the whole 30 miles. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, an auto-immune disease which affects my joints and can cause pain and stiffness. I am determined to complete all of the walks and am completing lots of training to ensure I have the stamina and fitness to do this. 

“I love being a part of Shipley community, seeing many families in our Uniform Support project weekly, and I know that Shipley and its surrounding areas deserve to have a Salvation Army building that meets their needs as a community.” 

Shipley Salvation Army provides toddler groups, an after school club, craft and chat sessions and brass band lessons. 

You can donate here