Territorial Headquarters: New beginnings at Champion Park

Read the latest update on the THQ move to Denmark Hill.

This autumn sees the much-awaited move of Territorial Headquarters from 101 Newington Causeway in Elephant and Castle to the new office at 1 Champion Park in Denmark Hill.

The new office is built on land the Army already owns and brings THQ next door to William Booth College, the centre for learning in the territory.

As part of the territory’s commitment to caring for creation, the building has been designed using the latest environmental and energy efficiency standards. The site has significantly reduced running costs plus a capacity of 450, which means that three satellite London offices can also be closed or repurposed.

The new building also includes space for London Divisional Headquarters and the registered office of the Salvation Army Housing Association (saha).

The decision to build a new headquarters was taken when it became clear that the Army was facing many years of expensive repairs at the current headquarters. The 1980s building needed expensive refurbishment to make it safe to work in, including replacing the lifts, updating heating systems and other expensive projects.

Territorial Commander Commissioner Anthony Cotterill said: ‘Building a new headquarters was not a decision that we took lightly but we realised that it was the most cost-effective option.

‘We also had to consider what sort of office we needed for the post-pandemic world. We wanted to combine the flexibility of homeworking with the importance of maintaining face-to-face contact with colleagues to collaborate and work effectively as teams.

‘This new building is essentially the church headquarters for The Salvation Army as well as an administrative hub that supports our work in communities across the UK and Ireland. From ecclesiastical leadership to IT and finance, our head office focus is always supporting our officers, staff and volunteers on the ground who are running our churches, stocking up our food banks, providing company for lonely and isolated people and many other essential services.’

It has been essential that this new site was also a blessing to the community in Denmark Hill.

Local residents and visitors will be able to visit Cafe Hope which is situated on the ground floor of the new building. Cafe Hope will provide training and mentoring opportunities through The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus service, which supports people who have been struggling to find work.

Customers at the café can also choose to ‘pay it forward’ by adding a little extra to their bill. This extra money will go towards the catering costs for people using the Army’s Homelessness Support services.

Environmental considerations have also been made in recycling and reusing rubble, bricks and concrete from the two buildings that previously stood on the site. Trees have been planted to replace those lost by the construction and more than 25 bat boxes will be placed in the surrounding wooded areas.

Staff and officers are moving over to the new site on a phased move over the autumn to reduce the impact on the provision of support and resourcing of mission to the territory. There will be an annual open day for visitors who wish to visit the site for themselves.

Please pray that this new headquarters will be a place where those who resource the Army’s work are able to be effective, and that this new space blesses the community, the territory and brings glory to God as the Army continues to seek to love God and love others.