Worthing Salvation Army Band hosts special concert to celebrate 135th anniversary

Worthing Salvation Army Band is celebrating its 135th anniversary with a special concert featuring a visit from the Salvation Army Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Worthing Citadel is lucky to have a strong brass band, as many Salvation Army Corps do not have a band any more.

The band has always prided itself on its standards and has maintained a membership of around 30 throughout the years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Alan Slator is in his tenth year as the bandmaster but has been involved much longer, having moved to Worthing in 1984.

Worthing Salvation Army Band is celebrating its 135th anniversaryWorthing Salvation Army Band is celebrating its 135th anniversary
Worthing Salvation Army Band is celebrating its 135th anniversary

He said: “In music, tastes are changing and brass bands are not as popular as they used to be. We are fortunate, we have five or six young ones, including one girl whose relatives have been involved for four or five generations, one of them being in the original band.

“We have always prided ourselves on our standards and play on Sunday mornings in the town centre, then march back to the Citadel. We also do a number of songs of praise in other churches around the area.”

The anniversary celebrations include a concert at the Salvation Army Citadel in Crescent Road, Worthing, on Saturday at 7pm. Admission is £5.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There will also be the usual Sunday worship at 10am, again featuring the SASWE, which is celebrating its own 25th anniversary.

Salvation Army Symphonic Wind Ensemble is celebrating its 25th anniversarySalvation Army Symphonic Wind Ensemble is celebrating its 25th anniversary
Salvation Army Symphonic Wind Ensemble is celebrating its 25th anniversary

Royce Warnes, the longest-serving band member, has been playing the cornet since the age of four or five and has been in the band for 72 years.

He came to Worthing as a baby in 1932, when his parents moved from Wales, and his family has always been involved with the Salvation Army.

Royce said: “We have a junior band and we learn to play at a young age. There is nothing like it. It is all part of our faith and our religion and it helps us. We accompany the congregational signing, so you have the words to the songs, it is all part of the church.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“That is how it started, when we had no televisions or radios to spread the word. That is what William Booth said, we will go out on the streets.

“We have almost maintained having 30 players over the years. Through the years, we have toured around Switzerland, Norway and Holland, and, of course, in my time we have visited 60 or 70 different army corps across the country.”

Alan said visits to other army corps do not tend to happen now, due to the expense.

He explained: “We would rather put the money into our community. We feel part of the community and it is nice to share with the people.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad