Church N ews Ayr Army couple on the move
S a l v a t i o n A rmy lieutenants Tim and Cheryl Stone are about to leave Ayr for Motherwell.
The hard- working couple from London arrived five years ago and took over the old Wallacetown Parish Church in John Street.
They will say goodbye to the community on Saturday after being involved in groundbreaking work in the town.
A foodbank, IT classes, befriending groups and a huge choir are just some of the projects they are involved in. Father- of- three Tim said: “It has not been an easy farewell. The whole family have loved Ayr.
“People take time to speak to you on the bus or the checkout. You feel part of the community.
“In London it is frantic. You are running from place to place.
“When we arrived here it was Wallacetown Parish and the Salvation Army had just bought the building. We had quite a lot of questions, including whether we wanted a pulpit, pews or to paint the walls.
“It was a steep learning curve as we had never run a building before. It has been exciting to build up a project.
“We share our hall with lots of community groups. The highlight is the relationships we have built up.”
Tim has carried out important roles as a chair in VASA, Seascape and the Ayr North Locality Planning Group among his long list of commitments. Provost Helen Moonie turned up along with charity representatives to wish the couple well.
And Tim’s parting advice was: “If people need help there are places to go for assistance.” His motto is “belief in action”.
Wife Cheryl, who travelled all over the world as a soprano with the Salvation Army’s premier choir, is also sad to leave, as are their children Bradley, Zara and Elissa.
The pair’s successor Major Linda Watson is due to arrive and take over the reins later this month.