The Salvation Army UK and Ireland Territory

Congratulations to our Villa Adastra care home, who recently won first place in a upcycling fashion project competition! The rules were: - £100 to spend in a local charity shops purchasing clothing items- residents were to accompany staff on the trip to help with the selection process; - Fabric/clothing had to be upcycled into a new outfit- completely different to the items originally purchased; - A care home resident(s) had to model the created outfits for photographs. Our Villa Adastra residents and carers enjoyed visiting their local charity shops to buy curtain and bedding fabric to create four reversible outfits. They were based on designs and patterns created by residents and made in collaboration with our staff. Phyllis, 99, our oldest resident, a former dressmaker, utilised a sewing machine to help stitch together shorts and jackets. Despite the original plan to create four outfits, Team Villa Adastra also made two handbags, a purse and decorated a hat! All the outfits were modelled by glamorous resident, Joan, and everyone at Villa Adastra was delighted to win first place in the upcycling competition. The prize was afternoon tea, which the victors thoroughly enjoyed last week! At The Salvation Army we believe that later life should be a rich and fulfilling time. Learn more about our care homes: https://lnkd.in/eTcWq4eT

Parents are busy rushing around trying to get shoes, stationery, and uniforms as they prepare to get their Children ‘Back to School’ ready in time for September. But for many families, the expense of buying a new school uniform for their child will push them into financial difficulty. As costs spiral out of control those with more than one child in school will have to fork out hundreds of pounds they simply don’t have. One of the many Salvation Army projects helping to tackle this issue, the school uniform hub in Clitheroe, is trying to ease the financial pressures faced by many families in their community. One of the church’s leaders, Brenda Wise, has said: “Our school uniform hub provides a helping hand to people around us who need it. A weight off their shoulders and a welcome relief. We hope to ease that financial burden for the families who might struggle to buy uniforms as well as provide food and keep on top of household bills. “People are welcome to take what they need, and we encourage others to leave what they no longer use, meaning that the uniform hub also ensures that clothes in good condition don’t go into landfill. We wouldn’t be able to run it without the generous and kind donations from the community, and this is a key example of people helping others.” We are doing everything we can to support struggling families in your community, and we are campaigning for the Government to prioritise support for families in their first Budget this Autumn, join us today: https://bit.ly/4bEOOAO

We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Paul O’Grady’s family for generously donating his personal belongings including clothes and shoes to The Salvation Army. Paul O’Grady was a lifelong supporter of our work, and we were incredibly moved by this wonderful donation. Over the years, SATCoL, our trading company, has responded to requests from people who have lost a loved one, and asked for help when sorting through loved one’s clothes and shoes. Each year we help hundreds of families and friends during their time of bereavement. Our colleagues will deal with your request with sensitivity and your donation will help The Salvation Army support people in need in communities across the UK. We are very grateful to Andre and Paul’s family for their generosity at this sensitive time and continue to keep them, and all those who are journeying through grief, in our prayers.

We’re proud to announce that our charity shops have been honoured with Outstanding Charity Retailer of the year and Environmental and Sustainability awards at the Charity Retail Award! This recognition highlights our ongoing commitment to sustainability, community engagement and innovation in the charity retail sector. As Kirk Bradley, Head of Retail Operations states “This is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and volunteers”. A huge thank you to our incredible team and loyal supporters for making this possible. Find your local charity shop at: https://brnw.ch/21wLVHC

Sue wanted to donate to The Salvation Army in memory of her late mother directly to the services we provide helping vulnerable women and children in the UK, as this is a cause her mother passionately cared about. Sue made a tribute page in remembrance of her, and together with the rest of her mother’s friends and family, raised over £500 towards our work helping vulnerable women and children. Create your Tribute Page at: https://lnkd.in/eQzBu7s7

A big Sally Army shout-out to marvellous Max who recently skydived from 10,000ft to fundraise for his local Salvation Army in Nottingham! “Jumping out of a plane is not something I envisioned myself doing when enrolling at Nottingham Uni!” Max says, “Still, I was blessed to have met a wonderful group of people through the local Salvation Army branch. They have helped the community, including students, in so many ways and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to give back and raise money with them. "I have seen first-hand the inspiring ways in which the hard-working people behind this charity have been helping our communities and...I'm very lucky to have met these loving people, who work so hard to raise our communities.” Max absolutely smashed his £500 fundraising target- raising a grand total of £722! Want to take to the skies for a good cause? Sign up to ‘Jump For Freedom’ and fundraise for our work with survivors of modern slavery this summer: https://lnkd.in/e5qXVxxN

We are delighted to announce a new partnership between our trading company, Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL) and Dunelm the UK’s largest homewares retailer, to launch an online textile takeback scheme which will help tackle textile waste. The new partnership will encourage customers to help divert more items away from disposal by separating textiles into ‘reusable’ and ‘non-reusable’ items, with clear guidelines given. The items do not have to be exclusively from Dunelm, they can be from any brand, making this a convenient solution to tackle nationwide textile waste. The profits received from the resale of items will be given to The Salvation Army to continue to support the services we offer across the UK. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/e92X4RtM

The hot weather we are experiencing this week is dangerous for people who are living on the streets as it puts them at risk of sunburn, dehydration and even heatstroke. Here are some ways you could help. We are also doing all we can to support rough sleepers in this extreme heat. For many people, a place to cool off with a bottle of water is an essential lifeline. Please donate to support this work: https://brnw.ch/21wLC8A

We are concerned that some of the measures announced by The Chancellor on Monday could drive even more people further into poverty and place the burden of the budget deficit onto vulnerable families. Families are already facing rising costs and are struggling to provide for their children. As Lieutenant Colonel Nick Coke says: "We recognise that difficult decisions will have to be made but for our whole society and the economy to thrive it must invest in our most marginalised families, not drive them further into poverty. “We hope Government will use its review of the welfare system to make sure benefits properly cover the cost of housing and other basic essentials – and to remove the two-child benefit cap. We must ease the burden of those who have been suffering for too long.” Join our campaign urging the Government to rethink how public services and the welfare system can level the playing field for families marginalised by poverty; and invest in the services that will give families and children a chance to live life to the full: https://lnkd.in/eUM8KT-w

Congratulations to Ali Thornton-Dean, (pictured centre) our Outreach Mission Partner for older people, a dementia ambassador, who has been recognised for her awareness raising work at the National Dementia Care Awards. Ali was named finalist for a Dementia Outreach Award at a ceremony held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The awards acknowledge incentives that support people affected by dementia and rewards the people who have made a real difference in the field. Ali was honoured for her longstanding dementia outreach work in Salvation Army churches and centres across the UK and for being a national lead for the dementia friendly Singing by Heart Programme, which enables people with dementia to communicate, encourages them to recall good times and have fun through a mixture of secular and religious songs. Over 100 churches and centres across the UK now run Singing by Heart. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eCbi5ECj