The Salvation Army is a national charity that is committed to providing social services throughout the United Kingdom and a significant part of its activities is dedicated to its Church and Community Centres that have been set up for children and families.

The Commanding Officer of one such centre is Captain Malcolm Martin of the Preston Salvation Army. In a recent interview, Malcolm told us what motivated him to install Fingershield devices and how Fingershield has improved life at the centre.

Malcolm explained that a lot of children visit the centre on a day-to-day basis to take part in the many activities offered by the Salvation Army. The centre attracts children of all ages, from toddlers upwards, and so finger trapping was naturally always a worry. He said: “The doors we have are all fire doors and they are all quite heavy, so we installed Fingershield devices to make sure nobody got their fingers trapped.”

Of the difference that Fingershield has made to the dynamics of the centre, Malcolm said: “The Fingershields have made everyone at the centre feel a lot more confident about letting children run around more freely.

“Before we had Fingershields installed, we were very conscious of the danger posed by the doors and everyone had to be extra careful, especially since the doors are very heavy. People just have more confidence now.”

Like a lot of churches, the community centre has many varnished as opposed to white-coloured door frames and so Malcolm decided to install our beige colour device, which has “blended in perfectly well”. Malcolm commented: “You know they’re there but they don’t stand out in any way that would detract from the look of the doors.”

Spreading the word

When asked would he recommend Fingershield to other centres and establishments involved with the care of children, Malcolm replied: “We would do and we have!” He informed us that a Salvation Army centre in Morecambe was recently looking to protect their doors and so he introduced them to Fingershield. Malcolm continued: “In fact, I think a Fingershield Door Safety Surveyor was carrying out a door safety survey over there this week.”

Malcolm affirmed that he is always more than happy to spread the word about Fingershield and let other people know just how simple it is to create an environment where children can play both freely and safely, saying: “When people from other Salvation Army centres have come here and they’ve noticed the Fingershields, we’ve said, ‘these are the people to contact’ and we’re happy to pass the details on.”

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