THE Salvation Army has praised the community for its support after an arson attack damaged its 18th Century listed church in Stroud.

Major Ian Harris, of the Salvation Army’s Severn and Somerset region, praised the emergency services and the community after a fire left the building severely damaged.

The incident happened around 4.15am on Thursday and was discovered by police on patrol.

“This has caused us a lot of sadness but the response from the people of Stroud has been very uplifting,” said Major Harris.

“On Thursday morning three church ministers turned up to offer their support and prayers and the police, fire and ambulance services were absolutely incredible.

“We’ve had lots of potential volunteers from the community offering their assistance who wanted to roll up their sleeves and help with the clean-up.

“We’ve had tremendous support from many local churches.

“I’d also like to thank the foodbank, furniture bank, Sainsbury’s and people for their kindness and the local media for being very supportive and professional.

“God bless you all.”

The cost of the damage is not yet known.

“Our estates team is surveying the damage,” said Major Harris.

“It’s still early days and so we can’t say how much it will cost to restore the building, which dates back to 1769 and is heritage listed.

“The Salvation Army’s founder William Booth and the founder of Methodism - John Wesley both preached here.”

The centre is used for baby and toddler meetings, a youth club as well as church services.

Parliament Street was closed and nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution as crews from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service dealt with the fire.

Speaking at the scene, Stroud fire station manager Russ Parker said: “There was no one inside at the time of the fire.

“The fire was mainly in the annex, and there is smoke damage to the main part of the building. We are investigating along with our police colleagues but at this time the cause is unknown.”

Three fire crews attended - two from Stroud and one from Gloucester.

The nearby Wesley Court retirement complex was evacuated.

Resident Edna Powell said: “We were evacuated out of our rooms at 5.15am and moved to the lounge.

“We didn’t know what was going on, I could hear the police helicopter above us and you could smell the smoke.

“Luckily the systems were all working and after what happened in London it’s good for your peace of mind to know that all the fire alarms worked.”

Fourteen residents were evacuated as a precaution due to smoke.

They were evacuated for around an hour before being allowed to return to their rooms.

  • Two men were arrested on Thursday in connection with the incident. Jamie Mills, 33, of Orchard Road, Ebley, and Ben Jones, 31, of Bowbridge Lock, Stroud have been charged with arson and burglary.