Today I bumped into our good friends from the Salvation Army on one of their many Christmas outings, they do sooooo much at this time of year. And just by chance I caught the great caption behind them.

So what's their story?

The Salvation Army's beginnings date back to July 2, 1865 when a Methodist minister started work in East London. William Booth, the organisation's Founder, preached to the poor and underprivileged and by 1867 it had developed into a ministry offering basic schooling, reading rooms, penny banks, soup kitchens, and relief aid to the destitute.

The Salvation Army has grown into a global movement with extensive social services. It now works in 106 countries and 160 languages, offering spiritual counsel, a sense of community and practical support to many thousands of people, regardless of race, creed or conviction.

In the UK alone, the Salvation Army has 50 centres which help people without homes and provide over 3,000 beds. They are full almost every night.

The Salvation Army has 60 social programme centres which provide residential accommodation and rehabilitation for people with substance misuse problems. These are part of the National Addiction Service.

Work with the elderly - The Army operates a wide range of services for older people including, Sheltered flats, 18 residential homes, Home care services and Over-60s lunch clubs.

Disability work - The Salvation Army Fellowship of Endeavour (SAFE) is open to all children and adults together with their carers, whether they are members of The Salvation Army or not. This fellowship has about 1,000 members and works to works to cultivate a right attitude between the public and people with mental or physical disabilities and their families.

Prison work - The majority of prisons in the UK receive regular visits from a Salvation Army chaplain. The Salvation Army Care and Support for Prisoners' Families Group offers practical and spiritual support by visiting families of prisoners, assessing needs and trying to help.

Disaster and emergency work - The Salvation Army maintains a number of purpose-built emergency mobile units which are equipped with resources which would be needed at a major incident such as a fire, flood, bombing, chemical incident, train or plane crash. These units carry supplies of food, blankets and first aid and other equipment.

Family tracing service, established in 1885. The aim is to restore family relationships by locating relatives who for various reasons have become out of touch. Around 5,000 enquiries are received each year and approximately 85% end in success. Over 20,000 family members now enjoy restored relationships as a result of enquiries carried out by the Family Tracing Service in the UK.

Now that's a good story!