KEIGHLEY Salvation Army is planning three outdoor sales to raise desperately-needed funds. The first takes place on Tuesday, June 15, and it will be followed with further sales on July 6 and 20. All are being held at the High Street church, from 10am to noon. A wide range of items will be on sale, including bric-a-brac, clothing, shoes and new and second-hand toys. Chris Bown, for Keighley Salvation Army, said: “Although people have been hugely generous during the past year, because of the situation our fundraising programme has not taken place. We decided to try to bring in some funds through these sales.”
Dunelm, on the Alston Retail Park, has donated food to the church centre. Customers and staff were invited to donate items as part of the home furnishings retailer’s Feed a Family campaign – one thread of the Dunelm Delivering Kindness in our Community initiative. Keighley Salvation Army’s community manager, Chris Bown, said: “We are delighted that Dunelm has been able to help us. “We’re very grateful for the fantastic support of customers and staff.” The town’s Salvation Army, based in High Street, has seen a huge increase in demand for support from people during the pandemic.
EVERY January we put-up a banner outside the Salvation Army in Keighley that reads ‘Thank you Keighley. Together we make a difference’. It is to show our appreciation to our community for all of its support over the Christmas period. This time the banner isn t being taken down! 2020 was unlike any other in terms of the amount of support we had to offer to those in our community experiencing difficulties, but it was also unique in terms of the outpouring of support we received. At the height of the pandemic, the number of food parcels we were giving out each week more than quadrupled! An estimated seven per cent of Keighley’s population have had to rely on the food bank at some point this past year. There is no way we would have been able to meet this demand if it wasn’t for the outpouring of generosity from our local residents, businesses and organisations.
AN annual toy appeal staged to ensure no Keighley child goes without a present at Christmas has been a phenomenal success. Organisers of the initiative, spearheaded by the town s Salvation Army, say they have never witnessed a public response like it. Donations of toys and foodstuffs have flooded in – with groups, individuals, schools, churches and businesses across the Keighley district rallying round. As a result, about 350 disadvantaged youngsters will receive gifts and families meals. Most of the children are nominated by schools, but referrals are also received from family centres and agencies dealing with issues such as domestic violence. Chris Bown, community manager at Keighley Salvation Army, said she had been close to tears at people s generosity.