Mr Bond

Mr Bond was the final lay preacher at the Glad Tidings Mission Hall before it was demolished in January 1968.

On New Year's Eve 1967, Mr Bond put up a notice at the building's entrance relaying the news that the council had bought the mission with a compulsory purchase order. Minnie Caldwell, the first person to see it, was bewildered by the formal wording of the notice and had to ask the softly-spoken Mr Bond to explain it to her. Devastated that Ena Sharples was going to lose her home, Minnie turned down an invitation from Mr Bond to accompany him to the vestry to see Ena. In any case, Ena wasn't there.

Mr Bond caught up with Ena at the Sunday Service, where he he passed on the sympathies of the trustees. Ena was surprisingly accepting of the demolition, viewing it as a natural consequence of the mission's ever-shrinking congregation. Another soul had been lost a few moments earlier when Mrs Thacker went home due to the draughts. Mr Bond was resigned to the mission's closure but questioned Mrs Thacker prioritising comfort over her spirit.