• The Salvation Army is a worldwide Christian church and charity - they are one of the largest voluntary organisations which provides social care in the United Kingdom and Ireland and they work in 115 countries around the world.

• William Booth was a preacher in the Methodist Church when he realised that he had to do something about the terrible poverty that many people were living in. He left the Methodist Church and began preaching on the streets, only to find that the people who were becoming Christians were being turned away from other churches because they weren't clean and respectable.

• Every minute of the day the salvation army is caring for people in need. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland there are around 750 salvation army churches and community centres and more than 100 social work centres.

• Members of The Salvation Army use many different ways to show God just how much they love him and this is known as 'worship'. Worship can take place in people's homes, at Salvation Army churches - in fact, anywhere! Worship is used to describe anything that shows affection and admiration to God.

• Did you know that the salvation army can be found in 118 countries? Here are some facts about The Salvation Army across the world; Within the 118 countries that The Salvation Army is working in, 175 different languages are spoken

• When The Salvation Army started in 1865 it was actually called 'The Christian Mission'. It was a small group of people caring for the poor and preaching the Christian message in the East End of London. Then in 1878 the founder, William Booth, changed its name to 'The Salvation Army'.

• Catherine Mumford was born in Derbyshire in 1829 and was brought up in a Christian family. She only attended school for two years, and after that her mother taught her at home. Catherine was a very bright pupil and her mother didn't want her to be distracted by badly behaved children at school. Catherine later married William Booth.

• William Booth was born on 10th April 1829 in Nottingham. His father was a wealthy businessman and could afford to send William to school until he lost his job when William was 13 years old. William got a job as an apprentice in a pawnbroker's shop where people came to sell their possessions when they needed money.

• Members of The Salvation Army share the same beliefs as other Christians. They believe in a loving and caring God, and that every person is valuable because they were made by God. They also believe that Jesus came to earth to show what God is like. Members of The Salvation Army have decided to follow Jesus' teachings and to try to be like him in the way they live.