William Booth College

Outlining a new vision

Principal Lieut-Colonel Judith Payne concludes her series sharing the exciting changes that have already begun to unfold at William Booth College

OVER the next 12 months, William Booth College is continuing to reshape and reimagine how we can best play our part in equipping God’s people for works of service for the next decade and beyond.

There are exciting plans and possibilities afoot. These include the embedding of the newly launched Certificate of Higher Education in Salvation Army Leadership. In September, a pilot cohort for this new award was launched with the aim of resourcing the learning and development of territorial envoys, pioneer leaders and other employed spiritual leaders. This enables new groups of people to access modules in doctrine and biblical studies – which were previously only available to cadets – as well as new modules in mission, leadership, preaching and pastoral care. It also sees cadets learning alongside other spiritual leaders. One of our priorities for the coming 12 months is to learn from this pilot and see a broader roll-out of this course.

The integration of the work of SISTAD is under way. We are listening hard to discern and reflect upon how we can best equip and support the vocational development of officers and employed spiritual leaders, and the professional and personal development of employees. We expect the new units to be in place by summer 2023.

All these changes are so that we can empower and release our WBC community to be even more effective. I am extremely blessed to have such a great team committed to fulfilling and supporting the mission of the Army. I have no doubt that God is at work in us and through us and it is our greatest privilege to serve in a community that exists to give him glory.

We want WBC to flourish as a community of practice for mission and spiritual life development. We want the college to be a vibrant, dynamic and exciting place that encourages the spiritual life of all who become part of our community here, whether they are working, studying or visiting for a short time. We’re developing the campus to make it an effective and hospitable resource and the newly established Spiritual Life Team, which includes a mission enabler for William Booth College, are exploring how we can enhance our rhythms of spirituality and mission.

We’re excited about the future and the role that WBC will play in sustainably, effectively and faithfully equipping God’s people for works of service.

This message is based on a video that can be viewed online at salvationist.org.uk

House of restoration

George Tanton investigates a community service bringing new life to a 19th-century mansion near Edinburgh

‘IT is a place of rest, recuperation and restoration,’ explains Karen Reid, the project development manager at Ashbrook. ‘People have said to me that they find peace here at Ashbrook.’

A mansion of ‘simple Italian style’, Ashbrook has – for nearly 70 years – been owned by The Salvation Army as a refuge for those suffering from homelessness, infirmity and illness. Designed in the 1860s by the architect Robert Reid Raeburn, it occupied five acres of land on the Wardie estate outside Edinburgh on Ferry Road. As early as 1886 the building was managed as a convalescence home.

In 1928, The Salvation Army assumed ownership of the house. It was purchased by General Bramwell Booth as the next phase in the Army’s Darkest England strategy. It was officially opened as a residence for older people on 17 March 1932 by Lieut-Commissioner Agnes Povlsen.

‘Ashbrook stopped being a Lifehouse about 10 years ago because it didn’t meet occupancy standards anymore and had been mothballed since,’ Karen explains. ‘The Army therefore wanted to do something special with the place.’

Earlier this year, the ground floor was formally reopened as a dementiafriendly café with other rooms allocated as conference spaces available to hire by local organisations, such as the Forget Me Notes Project, a local organisation that supports people who are living with dementia and their families through music.

Cathy and her husband, Geoff, are regular customers of the café. Geoff lives at Eagle Lodge, a residential home for older people built by the Army on the grounds in the early 1990s.

‘Ashbrook has made a real difference to us,’ says Cathy. ‘We used to go out for coffee a lot before Geoff’s dementia progressed to the stage where he needed full-time care. Ashbrook has given us back the chance to enjoy dates together again.’

Karen emphasises that there is no stigma attached to people who frequent the café: ‘Any behaviour is acceptable. We understand there may be times when people come and just cry in the corner. We don’t consider that odd; we just try and help them move on with their emotions and find some joy in their day.’

Karen’s role also includes recruiting volunteers for the therapy garden in the grounds.

The gardens

‘People may be referred to us from the Army’s homelessness services or external charities who work with people struggling with addiction, trauma and mental health issues’, she says. ‘They may have even been referred to us from their GP.’

As head gardener, Callum Neilson is responsible for the upkeep of the grounds, which includes restoring the rose garden. His work has so far been well received by the residents of Eagle Lodge.

‘I have been tearing out weeds and strimming down bushes for a blank canvas,’ he says. ‘We are hoping to plant a sensory garden and I am asking residents which plants they remember most from their childhood that they would like to see growing.

‘I have had a few suggestions for jasmine and honeysuckle. Many of the residents have shared their experiences of working in their own gardens when they were younger.’

In the near future, Callum’s role will include mentoring and teaching volunteers how to create a garden. Volunteers are being recruited from Pleasance Lifehouse in Edinburgh to help with building vegetable and flower beds, he explains:

‘Down the line we will encourage them to start working towards gaining