Pilgrim Primary Academy and The Salvation Army Unite to Strengthen the Stonehouse Community

Pilgrim Academy Staff and Governors welcomed The Salvation Army Plymouth Barbican team as partners & residents into the school to work alongside our Parent Support Advisor delivering Welfare and Wellbeing support at school level and offer a wider range of free services that are more widely available across Plymouth.

Our school held a special event on Friday the 19th of September 2025 to celebrate the start of the Salvation Army partnership by inviting numerous other local community outreach providers such as:

• Transforming Plymouth Together,
• The Oasis Project,
• Community Builders,
• Safe Families,
• The Plymouth Community Dental service; and
• Employment Plus 

This exciting new partnership aims to bring positive change and long-term, sustainable improvement and support to our Pilgrim children, their parents and wider families who live in the Stonehouse Community. The Salvation Army utilise the school as a hub for their Sunday services and also provide valuable support on the ground in school on a weekly basis.

As a major international organisation, The Salvation Army are well placed to offer a wide range of valuable family & community services effectively within the Stonehouse ward.

At school, families and their young children (aged 0 to 4 years old) can benefit from their “Baby Basics” collection service and the "Stars" Baby & Toddler group weekly on Thursdays at 10am in the HQ building, Union Street, which operates on a £1 donation. All parents with children under the age of 4 years old are welcome to attend.

Adults can access their ‘Listening Ear’ service which provides a friendly, volunteer-led, non-judgmental chat for anyone who would benefit. In addition, the Salvation Army can provide support services for debt management advice, housing support, and employment services, including help finding work or training, employment support, CV writing and interview preparation, work experience and apprenticeships, IT training, access to online learning, and in-work support. 

The Wellbeing & Life Skills services also provide Universal Credit and benefits advice, relationships support, money management guidance, housing advice, and signposting to wider local and national services.

All of these services are completely free to access via Pilgrim Primary Academy.

Pilgrim and The Salvation Army Music Partnership 

Pilgrim School and our amazing Choir and The Salvation Army also share a passion for all things musical. Pilgrim pupils will be singing at the Barbican Lights Switch on (15th November) and various Christmas Carol events will run across the city across the festive period.

Rachael Saim, Headteacher at Pilgrim Primary Academy said:

"Pilgrim Primary Academy sits within the heart of the Stonehouse community in the centre of Plymouth city. This exciting new partnership with The Salvation Army has been created to offer a wide range of support, signposting our families and children to all the freely available local services and events they can be part of. Through partnering with the Salvation Army, we can help create opportunities, provide practical support, and hopefully make a lasting difference for the children and families we serve. My thanks also to The Salvation Army for providing a hot food snack for every pupil to take home from this event."

Andrea Roe from the Salvation Army said:

"The Salvation Army has always been committed to walking alongside communities, and our partnership with Pilgrim Primary Academy is a powerful way to reach out to our families in their own community. We want this to be a hub of hope, care, and opportunity for everyone in Stonehouse.”

Local Stonehouse Councillor, Alison Raynsford is in full support of this new initiative.

“This new partnership between Pilgrim Primary and the Salvation Army is a groundbreaking and innovative approach designed to support children and their families in a range of ways. I wholly support them in this endeavour and know that they will make a positive difference to families in my ward.”

 

 

 

 

 

Pilgrim Academy would like to thank all the outreach providers who also attended this event to  support our school community.

Special thanks also to The Deputy Lord Mayor of Plymouth and Councillor Raynsford for attending and endorsing this partnership.