Divine Shelter: Gala Tent's Year-Long Church Marquee

Shelter and Support for a Year.

We were recently delighted to receive some great words from David at St Peter's church in Bethnal Green, one of our customers, along with some images, of the marquee the church has been using, week after week, for almost exactly a year.

The church, which was recently added to Historic England's list of "At-Risk" buildings, suffered a collapsed ceiling in late 2022, ahead of their annual Christmas service, Carols by Candlelight. Not to see their festive celebration defeated, David purchased a top-of-the-range Elite PVC Gala Tent marquee in 6m x 12m size.

With the help of several water weight bags, storm kits and ground bars, the church was able to leave their marquee up all year round, with weekly services and other celebrations held within the marquee. To ensure the comfort and safety of the congregation, several of our marquee heaters were added to the shelter combination, and services continued as the vital repairs were made to the church building.

David had this to say about the investment, "We bought the marquee following the forced closure of our church building following a ceiling collapse.  For over a year the marquee was the venue for our weekly services and other events.  Although it suffered a little in the high winds this last weekend, it has remained solid and functional throughout.  The first service in the marquee was our Carols by Candlelight service in December 2022 and the final one was Carols by Candlelight in 2023.  The church building was re-opened in time for Christmas."

That St Peter's Church in Bethnal only saw minor damage, despite a full year of sometimes-horrendous weather, is testament to the strength and durability of Gala tent marquees, and for the good work they do in their community, it may also have been a case of divine intervention to ensure all of the great services, celebrations and events could continue week in and week out.

Thanks to David for his feedback, and for these great images of the marquee in use. We're very pleased, though, that the congregation can now continue their services back inside the historic old building once again.

David's story is just one example of Gala Tent saving the day with our robust and durable marquees. Our structures have been used at schools during the highly publicised RAAC crisis and to help churches to provide warm spaces for their congregations, as well as saving the day for thousands of businesses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide additional space to allow guests, students, customers and friends to continue with freedom and air flow.

In Gala Tent's magnificent January Sale, you can get hold of one of our party tents or marquees with up to 30% discount, so if you're considering a temporary shelter then take a look at the available bargains, or give our team a call like David did, and chat to them about what you'll be using your tent for, how often, and where you'll be using it, and they'll offer friendly, honest, expert advice. Just call 01709 911948 and chat to our team now.