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Major Ann Stewart was appointed corps officer at Horsham in 2012, but within a few years she felt the need to broaden her work.

‘About seven years ago I was praying for a way forward,’ she recalls. ‘I did a spiritual gifts questionnaire and with the results came the suggestion of becoming a chaplain. I contacted the local hospital chaplain and he told me he was just about to put a request around the churches for new volunteer chaplains, so I met up with him and offered to do the training.’

Ann is now the lead chaplain there and goes to the hospital each week, visiting a small ward with mainly older people who need rehabilitation.

‘It is similar to the pastoral care I give my corps folk,’ she says. ‘Most of the time I am welcomed by patients and staff, and they are happy to have a chat. Occasionally people tell me they are “not religious” but when they see my Salvation Army badge, they are happy to talk. When appropriate I will pray with them.’

Major Jonathan Greetham (Swanage) has been involved with St John Ambulance since his teens. Drawing on six years’ experience in the RAF Medical Services before becoming a Salvation Army officer, he has been a volunteer frontline community responder with South Western Ambulance Service since 2014.

In both these spheres Jonathan has developed an informal chaplaincy role by making himself available to personnel and other volunteers. He now also has a formal position as assistant county chaplain for St John Ambulance in East Dorset.

‘It involves visits to St John Ambulance units and being available for county events,’ he explains. ‘I also visit six ambulance stations and do crew visits to the A&E ambulance bays at Bournemouth and Poole hospitals. I respond to post-trauma calls as well, when crews have had a particularly difficult experience, and support families of crew members in a welfare and chaplaincy role.’

Jonathan sees his work as ‘a ministry of hope’, which includes daily requests from personnel for prayer and support.

‘There are many opportunities to speak of faith,’ he says. ‘And when people tell me they have no faith, my thought is, “Once we park that, the real work starts,” and conversations open up. I believe my chaplaincy brings Christ to the ambulance bays and the crew rooms.’

Jonathan recently received the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for services to the South Western Ambulance Service, but his greatest reward is the work itself.

‘Chaplaincy is a huge privilege,’ he asserts. ‘It’s a great gift from God as he allows me to use the skills he has blessed me with to walk with others and share their stories.’

Ann is also grateful for the privilege of chaplaincy: ‘It feels fulfilling and rewarding when you know someone has appreciated your visit or prayer.’

Stephen agrees: ‘I have found it most humbling to be a listening ear and a ministering agent of prayer, and sometimes to offer a comforting hand to hold – even through blue latex gloves!’

Major Ann Stewart

Major Jonathan Greetham with ambulance crew

LIEUT-COLONEL JONATHAN ROBERTS

Territorial Ecumenical Officer THQ

NOT NOT SITTING SITTING ON THE ON THE FRINGES

INTERVIEW INTERVIEW

AFTER the challenges of the past two years, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has returned. Running until 29 August, the festival’s 75th edition is a showcase for more than 3,000 shows, from theatre and comedy to music and dance.

At the heart of the hubbub – opposite the famous Pleasance Courtyard – is Edinburgh City Corps, which hosts events as an official Fringe venue: Venue 405. Providing a space for calm and hospitality as well as culture, corps officers Captains David and Jennifer Gosling explain the mission behind their innovative ministry:

WHEN DID YOU START YOUR OUTREACH AT THE FRINGE?

DG I think the first dates recording something at this corps are in the late 1980s. I remember there being things in the mid-1990s, because I came up for one of them. Otherwise there have been a handful of things, largely done through THQ or DHQ with some occasional smaller corps initiatives. When we were appointed to the corps in 2015, we looked out the window at the 1,000 people walking past the building and queuing across the road at the big venue there. We knew we needed to do something bold and present. We’ve managed to do something every year since – apart from, obviously, the past couple of years. The Fringe is now an integral part of our annual corps programme, and corps folk are used to rolling up their sleeves in August!

YOU’RE AN OFFICIAL FRINGE VENUE. DO ACTS APPROACH YOU?

JG We have the say over whether things happen in the hall or not, because we want it to stay within our mission. We want to be sure that we’re sending the right messages, that it’s gospel-based in some kind of way. Sometimes external groups, such as theatre companies, come to us and, if it fits, we work with them. The musical concerts we host are generally with people connected to us.

WHAT KIND OF AUDIENCE TURNOUT DO YOU GET?

DG It depends on the event. The anecdotal legend of the Fringe is that the average attendance is four to six people,

With the Edinburgh Festival Fringe back in person this year, Captains David and Jennifer Gosling tell Ivan Radford why Edinburgh City Corps is opening its doors

and we’ve had more than that! In recent years, we estimate that 1,200 to 1,500 people came through the doors over two and a half weeks. It’s a huge number. JG Theatre events can sometimes vary in attendance, but hospitality works well, because people are always after coffee and a cake – and the Army is good at that!

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS YEAR?

JG We’ve got three concerts, two choirs and a brass band, which all have a connection in some way or have been before. And an art and photography exhibition, in partnership with Bethany Christian Trust, a homelessness charity. DG Our afternoon teas always go down well – we’ve had people say we have better scones than the Ritz!

ARE YOU HOSTING ANYTHING NEW?

DG We’re doing something very different: a city walk hosted by Major Alison Raybould (pictured top-right), the anti-trafficking and modern slavery co-ordinator for Scotland. It links into the history and modern experiences of slavery and oppression. JG She led a meeting to set the context for the corps and a group of us went on