Her majesty has a connection to the SA in Scotland going back many years. In 1965, the opening ceremony of The Salvation Army’s International Centenary Celebration was attended by Queen Elizabeth II. This was the first of 15 meetings held at the Royal Albert Hall to mark 100 years of our movement.

In 1980, the Queen opened the Hopetown Hostel in London – originally for women, and later for men who were homeless – and in 1996, she also opened Edward Alsop Court, a Salvation Army housing centre. 2005 saw the tragic bombings of the transport network in London. The Queen later awarded an OBE to The Salvation Army’s Major Muriel McClenahan for her work co-ordinating support from faith and voluntary sectors in the aftermath. In 2020, during the pandemic, a Salvation Army band played a selection of carols for the Queen at an event for charity and key workers that was held in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Speaking of the occasion, Commissioner Anthony Cotterill said: ‘It was an honour to meet Her Majesty on behalf of The Salvation Army and as a representative of all voluntary organisations who have done so much icredible service throughout the pandemic.’

During our service this morning we sees a video including some of the above engagements. After our service to mark Pentecostal Sunday we celebrated the jubilee with tea/coffee sandwiches and all sorts of nice things we really shouldn’t have.

So all in all a good time was had by all!