The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church
What is the War Cry? The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.
WAR CRY Issue No 7523
Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies Published weekly by The Salvation Army ©The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. Printed by Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper
Your local Salvation Army centre
INFO 2 • WAR CRY • 1 May 2021
EDITOR From the editor’s desk
THIS time last year, lockdown restrictions meant that many people who had a garden were spending far more time in it than normal. Lacking anything else to do, they ensured lawns were regularly mown, flower beds were meticulously weeded and hedges were kept trimmed and tidy. People rediscovered the benefits of having even a small amount of land attached to their homes. However, there were also people who did not have a garden of their own to enjoy. They often found themselves isolated and stuck inside for much of what proved to be Europe’s warmest year on record. But, as we report in this week’s War Cry, The Salvation Army in Sale, Greater Manchester, was offering members of the community a way to escape into the outdoors. The organisation’s church had converted some land into allotments and, although it had to follow Covid guidelines, it was allowed to keep them open. ‘Even though it has been a rotten year in many respects, it has opened up this opportunity for people to come and enjoy themselves,’ Valerie Jones, a member of the church and part of the gardening community, tells us. ‘It really is a community-based place.’ Of course, gardens were popular before the coronavirus lockdown and will no doubt continue to be afterwards. Plans are already under way for this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and in this week’s issue we report on Bible Society’s plans to sponsor a garden based on the Bible’s 23rd Psalm. The Chelsea garden is part of its campaign to encourage people to create their own community gardens as a positive way of emerging from the pandemic. As we emerge from almost 14 months of the necessary restrictions on our community life, it is encouraging to see Christian groups doing what they can to maintain interactions or rebuild some of the connections that have been lost. And gardens, whether private or public, would seem the ideal place to allow communities to grow again.
CONTENTS
What is The Salvation Army?
FEATURES 3
Jackpot jeopardy
Who’ll be in the money at the end of BBC One’s
The Syndicate?
5
A real tweet
Bird lovers look forward to International Dawn
Chorus Day
6
‘My wife’s heart had stopped’
A young father’s story of bereavement
8
A blossoming project
How gardening has kept a community together
REGULARS
4 12 13 14 15
War Cry World Team Talk Keys of the Kingdom Puzzles War Cry Kitchen
6
8
Front-page picture: BBC/ROLLEM PRODUCTIONS
15