"To be lonely is to be human": The Salvation Army's response to loneliness

by Andrew Wileman, Deputy Director for Older People and the Loneliness Lead for UK and Ireland at the Salvation Army

To be lonely is to be human. In a society where we’re increasingly and ever-closer connected, but we feel lonelier than ever before, clearly something is going wrong.

Writing about that from a perspective of a faith-based organisation it is uncomfortable to accept that the experience of faith does not automatically heal it either. The Salvation Army are seeking to address this very challenge of what the Catholic Theologian, writer and Professor Girard Etzkorn in his book ‘Reflections of a Christian Pilgrim’ interestingly calls a developing ‘soul-ache’? Do we seek help and talk to someone or do we just ‘get on with it’ in a hope to get through it somehow?

The Salvation Army is a worldwide Christian church and registered charity, which has been fighting against social inequality and transforming lives for almost 160 years. In the UK and Ireland we have 600+ churches and community centres where we offer friendship, practical help and support to some of the most disadvantaged people in our communities.

Arguably the Salvation Army and the wider Church in our various disciplines have been providing for many years the proven and recognised interventions in addressing loneliness at the local level and we have a compelling ‘story to tell’ of community, connection & friendship.

The Salvation Army logo

Commissioning new research

However, the start of our renewed response to Loneliness came at the back end of restrictions and lockdowns from COVID 19.  In an unprecedented era of our history where we intentionally were asked to avoid one another, I started to hear so much more about the topic of loneliness. I was aware that despite our very active work we hadn’t always ‘joined the dots’ in our services at a local level.

We set about commissioning new data and research reports and subsequently published our ‘No One Alone’ website in 2024. By the end of 2023 our internal data showed us there were over 12,000 recorded interactions at Churches corps across the UK and Ireland linked with loneliness and social isolation. This topic was the second highest issue at the local level where our Corps (churches) were supporting people within their communities.

We further established that loneliness does not treat people equally. In our reporting we saw heightened loneliness among members of marginalised groups, including carers, racial and ethnic minorities, older people, younger people under 25, people living with disabilities, those with physical health and mental health problems, and those with low individual socio-economic status.  In addition, our work at our 600 + local communities found people were reporting social stigmatisation. Such stereotypes associated with loneliness further stigmatise those already marginalised by society, compounding its effects.

The Salvation Army's response to loneliness

In collaboration with Marmalade Trust, we welcome the spotlight of Loneliness Awareness Week. The stigma around loneliness prevents many people from admitting how they feel to themselves, let alone others. If you add that to the stigma that many in marginalised communities already have, then this can create a chronic situation.

The Salvation Army daily works towards a situation where the stigma of loneliness is far less a mark of separation; rather it is an outstretched hand of friendship and relationship. But how does that work in reality? 

Well, friendship is seen from our Sports Ministry team who work in partnership with our Salvation Army Modern Slavery safe houses to provide sport and well-being activities for very vulnerable victims of human trafficking.

Connection is developed in many of our Corps (Churches) who use food as an offering for refugees and asylum seekers to come together in safety and share experiences and friendship.

"The stigma around loneliness prevents many people from admitting how they feel to themselves, let alone others. If you add that to the stigma that many in marginalised communities already have, then this can create a chronic situation."

Places of community and friendship are here specifically for young people who identify as LGBTQ+ within the Salvationist community. Our Children and Youth Department have found that many feel unsure or even reluctant when it came to engaging with young people around identity and gender. Our research has highlighted systematic Loneliness and Isolation is growing as a result.  We are now rolling out training that seeks to help people gain a deeper understanding of what it's like to be an LGBTQ+ young person and to give youth workers the tools and the knowledge to make all young people feel safe, happy and less lonely.

Our Enabled team provides spiritual and social fellowship for anyone with a disability and their carers. A key message of the group is that it is open for anyone from any age or background. The group has multiple events throughout the year including its Summer School of Arts and the Music Man project. Isolation can be a significant challenge here, so volunteers and enabled members are linked and are regularly in contact with each other either by phone call or messaging. Social media is also used for enabled members and carers to offer each other support through the challenges they are facing.

The Salvation Army welcome being allies in this shared vision with Marmalade Trust and others on this profound public health and pastoral challenge. Our aim is to work together to destigmatise the experience of loneliness and empower individuals and groups to build meaningful connections.

About Andrew Wileman

Andrew Wileman

Andrew is an Assistant Director for the Salvation Army Older People’s Services Team. He manages the work relating to people in later life in the 600+ Corps (Churches) and Centres across the UK and Ireland Territory.

Andrew is the policy lead on Loneliness and Isolation and has led the ‘No One Alone’ project launched in 2024 outlining research, data and good practice within The Salvation Army, particularly focused on Loneliness inequalities amongst marginalised groups.

Andrew is a member National Working Group advising the Campaign to End Loneliness, based at the Centre for Loneliness Studies at the Sheffield Hallam University. 

He is also Chair of the International Older People’s Collaboration Network, a global Salvation Army response to themes of ageing, including Loneliness and Isolation.   

Andrew was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his work in his local community in the Queen’s Birthday Honours of  June 2021. 

Born a Yorkshireman, Andrew now lives with his wife and family on the South Coast in Dorset.