#FaithinPartnership Week

11th – 15th September 2023

See what happened during our week celebrating and championing cross-sector working!

Project Highlight: Salvation Army, Ilford Corps

The Salvation Army’s Street Drinking Team in Ilford, with the support of a Together in Service grant, has been working to combat an issue that has greatly affected local residents – the sale of cheap, strong alcohol in the town centre and the effect it has on street drinking in the town.

The Street Drinking Team was comprised of 32 local volunteers, drawn from the Salvation Army, City Gates Church and The Welcome Centre, who received training from the Salvation Army, and then led the campaign, building relationships with the police, local community and faith groups, and local business.

sa_01Their work, such as collecting evidence and testimonies of the impact that cheap alcohol was having on their community, was presented to the local Redbridge Council, who then agreed to the ban of high-strength low-cost alcohol in the town centre. To celebrate their success, the team presented a thank you card, signed by over 300 people, to the council in September, which was covered by the Ilford Recorder.

With their campaign was a success, the team has decided to keep working together, focusing on a new issue. They will now be looking at housing and homelessness in the area, working with the local council to set up a community land trust.