Salvation Army helps Christmas take off at Glasgow Airport

The Salvation Army is bringing festive joy and practical support to staff and passengers at Glasgow Airport – while supporting struggling families living nearby. 

The church and charity’s chaplaincy team has long supported one of the UK's busiest transport hubs. Earlier this year, The Salvation Army appointed a new chaplain to offer practical and pastoral support to any of the 30,000 passengers who pass through the busy terminal on an average day – as well as more than 5000 staff who are responsible for keeping the airport operating 24/7. 

Major Iain Hudson is gearing up for one of the most hectic times of the year – although he’s no stranger to crowds, having held a role as chaplain looking after fans at The Reading Festival.

Iain’s plans for his first Christmas in the role were music to the ears of airport bosses after he arranged for Salvation Army brass bands and singers to perform in the departures lounge throughout the month of December. The chaplain is also working with staff at the airport to collect toys for The Salvation Army’s Christmas Present Appeal, which supports families in nearby communities whose children might otherwise not receive a gift.

Iain said: “The Salvation Army is honoured to be able to support the many thousands of passengers and staff at Glasgow Airport, especially at Christmas time. It’s been a fairly quiet period at the airport, but you can see it getting busier each day now with people starting to fly home and arrive for the holidays. I’ve been told to expect a hectic period running right up to Christmas Eve – but having been in post for a few months now my colleagues and I are in a good place to deal with it.”

Iain is supported by volunteers Marianne Harvey and Dawn Foxley – and the mission of the chaplaincy team is to be there for anyone who needs the service, irrespective of denomination, faith or creed.

Iain said: “The Salvation Army is synonymous with Christmas, so we are delighted to be putting on some festive performances at the airport including a special carol concert on Monday December 23 (11.3am-1.30pm). We will hand out carol sheets and hopefully have a big singalong.

“The staff here are always so generous in supporting charities and worthwhile causes. This year they are helping us by aiming to collect gifts for around 200 young people who might not get much this Christmas. The donations make such a difference and we’ll distribute them through our community church in Paisley.”

Iain and his colleagues have a special relationship with the fire and rescue team at Glasgow Airport. Mark Pettigrew is a firefighter at the station and for around 10 years has been encouraging staff and businesses to donate food, clothing, toiletries and toys to The Salvation Army.

"The volume of goods we have received has enabled our churches and centres to support individuals and families over Christmas,” said Iain.

“We are indebted to Mark and his colleagues for such generosity. The airport staff team is very much a big family that look to support each other. Once the festive period is over, I’m looking forward to spending some time with my own family. My son and daughter will be flying in with their partners and will be staying with us for a few days so I’m excited about that.”

Major Iain and his wife Major Alison, who has a separate role supporting Salvation Army officers across the Central and Southern Scotland Division, are pleased to be back in Scotland where they were first appointed as younger officers 29 years ago to Perth and then Edinburgh before working in England and attending the annual music festival on Reading, Berkshire.

He said: “When my wife Alison and I were the church leaders in Reading we supported the Reading Festival as part of a Salvation Army team where we were a church serving tea and coffee, food and providing a listening ear and support to many of the 100,000 festival goers over the August Bank holiday weekend. So, I'm comfortable in crowds and speaking to people who don't go to church and I love the idea of meeting different daily opportunities as they present themselves. Already the number of spiritual conversations with employees and travellers who have opened up and shared their concerns has been incredible.” 

Mark Beveridge, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “We’re delighted to have Iain on board. People recognise and respect the uniform of The Salvation Army and know it's an organisation that has always been very friendly and welcoming to people of all faiths and backgrounds. We know Iain will provide a friendly face and support for both passengers travelling and our staff.”