Songs of Praise TV slot for church pair

HELP in emergencies . . . Susan Tansley and her husband Nigel Tansley featuring on Songs of Praise

CHURCH leaders from Shaw will feature on television for their instrumental relief work during crises.

Husband and wife, Majors Nigel Tansley (61) and Susan (58), co-ordinate the Salvation Army's emergency services across the North-West.

On BBC One's Songs of Praise they speak with Josie d'Arby about their response to incidents such as the Manchester terror attack and the Christie Hospital fire earlier this year.

They were also responsible for deploying a team of nine to provide vital support during the 25-hour armed siege in Shaw this week.

Major Tansley said: "We were interviewed for the programme during a major 24-hour exercise at the new Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) training centre in Bury.

"We serve everyone involved in an incident.

"Our first priority is getting to an incident with an initial stock of food, such as sandwiches and drinks. We then assess what the need is going to be and provide hot dogs, pies and burgers at larger incidents.

"We do this first and foremost to make sure the teams doing a very difficult job get the support they need. We are there to support fire crews and their families in any way we can.

"As part of our Christian faith and in our roles as GMFRS chaplains we also support people's spirital needs."

The couple have worked with GMFRS for around 30 years although Major Tansley began serving in a voluntary capacity in 1977 while living in London.

At the time of our interview, Major Tansley was busy serving cups of tea to firefighters tackling a blaze on a farm in Little Scotland, Blackrod, near Horwich.

Majors Nigel and Susan will feature on the Songs of Praise Love, Light and Unity episode this Sunday at 3pm.