Shirebrook Salvation Army Harvest celebration brings food, laughter and a little friendly competition

There was plenty of food, laughter, singing, dancing and good-natured competition when The Salvation Army in Shirebrook brought its community together for its annual Harvest celebration. 

The event, which followed Harvest Sunday, saw forty-plus people gather for a home-cooked Harvest meal before an entertaining grocery auction that had the room buzzing with excitement. 

Guests tucked into homemade mince beef and onion pie, mashed potatoes, mushy peas and thick onion gravy, followed by sticky rice pudding with jam – all prepared by the volunteers and church members of the local Salvation Army church led by Lorna and David White. 

Before the meal, David White spoke about the meaning of Harvest, drawing on Jesus' teaching and the idea of people being God's harvest. He encouraged those present to spread the word by sowing seeds of kindness and faith among the people they meet, just as a farmer sows seeds that grow and flourish. 

Then came the main event: the grocery auction. 

With Stephen Hicks taking on the role of auctioneer, donated food items went under the hammer, and the atmosphere quickly became wonderfully competitive. Friendly one-upmanship took hold as people battled to take home their favourite bargains. 

Even Captain David got caught up in the fun, paying £3 to lock in a box of Jaffa Cakes.  

He said: "We always look forward to Harvest here at Shirebrook! It was fantastic to see everyone enjoying the meal, singing, dancing and joining in the auction. The generosity and good humour in the room made it a special celebration, and we are delighted that the money raised from the auction will help support the work of The Salvation Army in reaching people in need." 

There was plenty of generosity alongside the competition, with everyone leaving happy with their purchases and the satisfaction of having contributed to the Harvest appeal. 

The event raised a total of £678.20, all of which goes into the support of The Salvation Army's wider outreach work with people experiencing homelessness, and other forms of need. 

The Harvest meal and auction is a tradition in The Salvation Army Shirebrook church, having been around for more than six years. It is one of several community meals held by the local church throughout the year. The Home League and Over 60s groups in the church also hold an annual meal to raise funds for the local community, while a Christmas meal open to the public is another regular highlight in the church's calendar. For more information, follow Shirebrook Salvation Army on Facebook.