The Salvation Army emergency response unit has been busy helping the public and emergency crews following the bomb attempt on Glasgow Airport last the weekend.

The church and charity was on standby from 5pm and called out by Strathclyde Fire Brigade at 10pm on Saturday 30 June.

Within an hour Major Stephen Huyton, leader of The Salvation Army in Rutherglen, and two volunteers were on site providing hot food and refreshments to fire crews from a mobile canteen.

Major Huyton said: "Many of the fire brigade had not eaten for many hours so we were extremely busy as soon as we arrived right up until 1am on Sunday morning when most of the fire brigade was stood down."

Later that morning at the request of the police The Salvation Army vehicle moved to the AVIS car hire building where many travellers had stayed since the bombing. The Salvation Army team handed out food and refreshments to hungry members of the public who were waiting for buses to take them to a temporary shelter at The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.

The team then toured the perimeter of the airport to give support to police crews.

Major Alex Still and two volunteers from Bellshill Salvation Army took over the mobile canteen at 2am on Sunday morning and worked on until 4.30am to provide final refreshments for the fire brigade until the incident was finished.

Divisional Director for Social Services in West Scotland, Mrs Patricia Simpson, and Emergency Response Coordinator Major Ian Patrick were in charge of Salvation Army operations throughout the weekend.






[Re-printed in Christian Today with the kind permission of The Salvation Army]