“Renovations to the kitchen and toilet facilities, supported by the National Churches Trust, will ensure our building is truly accessible. It will also allow us to play our part in combatting food poverty in Orkney while bringing the community together through shared meals and events.” Rebecca Mitchinson, Salvation Army church leader in Kirkwall

The Salvation Army in Kirkwall, Orkney is a lifeline to the local community. From parent and toddler groups, a community café and various support groups, the space is used by many. But demand for the services – especially post-Covid and during a cost-of-living crisis – has significantly grown, with the parent and toddler groups alone increasing from 3 families to 28 families the space of four years.

Thankfully, help is on hand. The much-loved church is to share in a £478,110 urgent funding pay-out from the National Churches Trust.

A £20,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for new kitchen facilities and a toilet block as the church extends its building, ensuring it can thrive today and tomorrow.

Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said: 

“The National Churches Trust is excited to be able to support Kirkwall Salvation Army to enable them to install a new kitchen and toilets and extend their building. This will help to keep the church open and serving local people.”

“Whether seeking quiet reflection, access to community services or a place to worship, the National Churches Trust helps hundreds of churches each year and with the support of local people, keeps them thriving today and tomorrow.” 

The community have been behind the church the whole way, with the National Churches Trust receiving a letter of support referring to The Salvation Army’s work with Home Start Orkney, which has used Kirkwall Corps (church) building to provide hot meals for their supported families through the summer.

It is hoped that this collaboration will resume once the renovated building is completed, with the improved facilities allowing The Salvation Army to provide an enhanced service. Age Scotland in Orkney has also written a letter of support, as they partner with The Salvation Army to provide a Christmas Day meal to combat loneliness.  This is increasingly popular, but numbers have had to be capped due to lack of space, so the extended building will give this service the space it needs to grow.

Orkney was identified as being the second most vulnerable Scottish local authority in terms of regional resilience and recovery from the pandemic. Orkney’s population is 22,540 with 44 per cent of people living in Kirkwall.

Karen Hind, Scotland Support Office for the National Churches Trust, said:

“Once the new kitchen and toilets have been installed, and the building extended, the church will be a much more welcoming space for the community to enjoy. We are excited for the plans that Kirkwall Salvation Army has to use the kitchen facilities to support local people. We look forward to working with them to help them to help keep their church open and in good repair.”

An expanded church is going to help reach even more people with the support they need to flourish. Once the church is extended, The Salvation Army in Kirkwall have plans to extend their community support, including providing more meals for children during school holidays. The Salvation Army is also looking to collaborate with groups such as Home Start Orkney, Age Scotland Orkney, Women’s Aid Orkney and the Orkney Foodbank to ensure their hub can meet the demands of the local community.

Salvation Army church leader in Kirkwall, Rebecca Mitchinson, said:

“We are deeply grateful for this grant from the National Churches Trust, which will help us to make vital improvements to our corps building. A renovated building will enable us to better serve the people of Orkney and meet the challenges they face in this unique community, particularly as they recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and cope with the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.”

“Renovations to the kitchen and toilet facilities, supported by the National Churches Trust, will ensure our building is truly accessible. It will also allow us to play our part in combatting food poverty in Orkney while bringing the community together through shared meals and events.”

“We are confident that this new building and the opportunities it will provide us with will have a positive and lasting impact on our community. We believe in transformation, and it’s our deepest hope that The Salvation Army in Kirkwall will see an increasing number of lives transformed as a result of its continuing and expanded service to the people of Orkney.”

How the grant will help the church: Installing new kitchen and toilet facilities in the church as the building is extended.

More about the church  : Kirkwall Salvation Army Corps opened in 1885, but the current building dates back to the 1960s.

The Salvation Army’s arrival on Orkney over 138 years ago was reported in the Orcadian as being heralded by the ‘unusual sound of instrumental music… heard on the streets of Kirkwall – the music being produced by the “captain” and the “Lieutenant” of the Salvation Army now “recruiting” here…

Ever since the Salvation Army has continued to play an active role on Orkney, supporting the community in Kirkwall and the wider island.

During the Second World War, the Salvation Army in Kirkwall ran a canteen service from the church building, and at the request of the Ministry of Labour and National Service, took charge of a hostel and recreational centre.

Significant help for churches: 43 churches across the UK will stay open and in good repair thanks to £478,110 of funding awarded and recommended by the National Churches Trust in this latest round of grants.

In 2023, the National Churches Trust made over 180 grant awards to churches throughout the UK, with funding totalling more than £2 million.

The National Churches Trust helps churches through our extensive grants programme. Grants are available for churches of any Christian denomination that are open for regular worship to fund urgent repairs, maintenance, installing toilets or kitchens and feasibility studies to develop projects. Full details are at: nationalchurchestrust.org/grants