New beginning for Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is temporarily based in Horsell Village Hall

A ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of work on a new home for the Salvation Army in Woking, Surrey.

The branch's new site for its headquarters is at Sythwood, in the Goldsworth Park area of the town.

Commanding officer Wendy Clark said the Christian group's previous home, at Walton Road, was an outdated money pit.

The organisation has existed in Woking for 109 years, and Sythwood will be its third home. The new building is expected to be ready for use by 2008.

'Fantastic' support

Mrs Clark said: "We started looking [for new premises] about six years ago, because we felt we were really not part of a community anymore.

"Woking Borough Council said they felt we would fill a gap between Horsell, Lakeview and the Goldsworth Park area where there were very few community facilities.

"We had the income from the sale of the Walton Road building, but we had to find another half a million pounds.

"The council have been very supportive to us and our own members have been fantastic in their giving and fundraising."

The ground-breaking ceremony at Sythwood on Thursday saw a time capsule buried in the new building's foundations.