0:00:02 > 0:00:05My childhood ambition was to play the drum in the Salvation Army and work in a dry cleaner's.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07I've done neither of them.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11'I was a young lad when I first saw the Salvation Army band
0:00:11 > 0:00:14'playing outside Woolies at Christmas.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:18There you are, thank you, God bless!
0:00:18 > 0:00:20'And now, 150 years after they were founded...'
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Oh, here we go!
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'..I want to discover who they really are and what they do.'
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Vegetable soup.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'I'm going to work with the officers and the volunteers who have
0:00:29 > 0:00:31'dedicated their lives to helping others.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:33- That was fantastic.- Did you enjoy that?
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Oh, it was wonderful.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38'But what does it take to be part of God's Army?'
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Get your dogs in the bowl then, girl.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Come on, I'll give them a swill. You're welcome.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45'I'll find out as I hit the road with them.'
0:00:45 > 0:00:49If it hadn't have worked out for me, I could be in your position now.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51- 'Here in Britain...'- You're welcome.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Look at the size of him.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56'..and abroad...' Too much.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01'..I meet the people whose lives wouldn't quite be the same
0:01:01 > 0:01:02'without them.'
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I wasn't scared of dying, I was scared of living.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08There's only two options for yourself in that life.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11It's either, God forbid, you die or go to jail.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13CHEERING
0:01:13 > 0:01:16You're all good. 'And if I make it through all that...'
0:01:16 > 0:01:19- I don't look like a bus conductor, do I?- Not even slightly.- No?
0:01:19 > 0:01:22'..I'll get to wear a special Salvation Army outfit
0:01:22 > 0:01:25'and lead the band down London's Oxford Street.'
0:01:36 > 0:01:39The reason I've chosen the Salvation Army is
0:01:39 > 0:01:42because I think most people think the Salvation Army just stand
0:01:42 > 0:01:45outside chemists' at Christmas rattling a tin
0:01:45 > 0:01:48and banging their drum, which, of course, isn't the case.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51There's a lot more to them than that, and I wanted to get under
0:01:51 > 0:01:54the skin, and that's why I wanted to do this series.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58We are a strange alliance, but somehow it works.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04To become part of the Salvation Army is no easy task.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08It takes godliness, humility, and most of all, the ability to
0:02:08 > 0:02:11put other people's needs before your own.
0:02:11 > 0:02:12I've got my hands full.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Do I believe in God? Oh, dear.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21HE EXHALES
0:02:21 > 0:02:23I don't know.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Some people believe blindly. I can't, you see.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29You know, I have to know. So, I don't know.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I really can't answer that question.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34I'd like to say I believed in God.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Some days I do, some days I don't, although these days I think
0:02:37 > 0:02:41if I went to confession, you'd probably need a team of priests working through
0:02:41 > 0:02:45the night, with an exorcist thrown in there somewhere along the line.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50This is the William Booth College, the Salvation Army headquarters, and
0:02:50 > 0:02:55it's where up to 100 cadets a year train to become officers.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Captain Joan Wire is one of 12 full-time teachers here,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02and she's been saddled with the unenviable task of teaching me
0:03:02 > 0:03:04the ways of the Salvation Army.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Poor woman.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09In the Salvation Army, becoming an officer is two years here,
0:03:09 > 0:03:10residential.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Then there's five years more after that before you are affirmed
0:03:14 > 0:03:18as an officer, so it's actually a seven-year training altogether.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- Hello!- Hello, Captain Jo. - Call me Jo.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Hi, Jo, Paul O'Grady, nice to meet you.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25- Come on in.- Oh, thank you.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Come through, come and have a cup of tea.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Oh, I'd love one. SHE LAUGHS
0:03:29 > 0:03:32I'm so excited that you're here, though, it's going to be good.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Cheers, thank you. Say I was a complete neophyte
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and knew nothing about the Salvation Army and I've just come
0:03:38 > 0:03:41into you now and I've said, "So what, Jo, what do the Salvation Army do?"
0:03:41 > 0:03:43One of our mottos is "Heart to God and hand to man",
0:03:43 > 0:03:47and that's kind of, that kind of gives you the gist of who we are.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50So it's a faith-based Christian group who believe we've got
0:03:50 > 0:03:52to roll up our sleeves if we're going to reach people.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55It's all well and good to kind of preach at people down like this,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58"You're a terrible person." But actually what people need
0:03:58 > 0:04:00is for someone to get down to where they are.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Our paths have crossed a lot in my lifetime, the Salvation Army.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06When I left school I worked for the social security,
0:04:06 > 0:04:11but we had a hostel nearby called 10 Norton Street. Long gone.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15It was a hostel for homeless men, and I ended up volunteering in there.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19When AIDS hit London, I'll never forget the Salvation Army,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22because in the Westminster Hospital, and this was a time
0:04:22 > 0:04:25when they had yellow tape across doors and you were expected
0:04:25 > 0:04:29to wear a mask as protection because they didn't know anything about it,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and you frequently got nurses who wouldn't work on AIDS wards.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36They'd say, "No." And who was there? The Salvation Army.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38They really were amazing.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Seriously. So I've a lot of respect for the organisation.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43We're an odd bunch, you do know that?
0:04:43 > 0:04:47You do know that you're going to be spending time with some slightly weird people because...
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Do you think I'm the full shilling? THEY LAUGH
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Because we're... The things that we do,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53they're not what people would expect us to do.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56I think God's got a sense of humour with me because I think, some
0:04:56 > 0:04:58mornings, the Virgin Mary goes in and says, "What's up with you?"
0:04:58 > 0:05:01He's lying on the bed, he says, "I'm fed up." And she says, "I know,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03"let's annoy Paul O'Grady."
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I've got just three months to do my training with Jo.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11I only hope I've got what it takes.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19The Salvation Army were founded way back in 1865 by Methodist
0:05:19 > 0:05:22preacher William Booth in response to the terrible
0:05:22 > 0:05:24poverty that he saw around him.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27He created a Christian charity organised like an army,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30with military ranks, uniformed, marching in a band.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36From these humble beginnings, the Salvation Army now operates
0:05:36 > 0:05:41in 127 countries across the world, working with governments, charitable
0:05:41 > 0:05:45organisations and communities, and helping people in need.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49So it's no pressure, then!
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Now, it's no secret that I want to play with the Sally Army band,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00so before I start training for real, Jo has the perfect incentive.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01I thought it might be nice
0:06:01 > 0:06:04if you could see a band that you could guest with.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08- So is this why I've been asked to bring my bugle?- Yeah, this is the only church on Oxford Street,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and they happen to have a rather marvellous band.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13- Really?- I thought you could maybe come visit, see if you like them,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- play a few instruments.- So they're going to let me loose with the band?
0:06:16 > 0:06:20- Let's go and see what they say. - Come on, then, Jo.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22MUSIC: Give Me Joy In My Heart
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The Salvation Army have more than 2,500 bands
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and choirs around the world, including
0:06:29 > 0:06:33the Regent Hall Band, who march down Oxford Street every Sunday.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Their musical groups have recorded countless CDs,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41and they've even had a Eurovision song entry.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44# When the times are getting rough... #
0:06:44 > 0:06:48I won't mention how they scored, but let's just say, I hope I do better.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55HE CHUCKLES
0:07:01 > 0:07:03And this is them.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05SHE LAUGHS
0:07:09 > 0:07:10They're just brilliant.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17I can't believe this.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19THEY CHEER
0:07:19 > 0:07:21THEY LAUGH
0:07:21 > 0:07:25- Do you want to give it a go?- I wouldn't mind, yeah.- Come on, then. - Are you ready for this?
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Why are they all shaking their heads like that?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29SHE LAUGHS
0:07:29 > 0:07:32So, Steve's the bandmaster. Steve, this is Paul.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- Steve!- Pleased to meet you.- Pleasure to meet you. That was fantastic. - You enjoy that?
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- Oh, it was wonderful. - Now, that looks interesting.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42- You won't say that, Steve, when you've heard me.- I want to hear it.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- Are you ready?- Yeah, absolutely.- Are you ready, guys?- Don't look at me because I'll get embarrassed.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48HE PLAYS REVEILLE
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- Fantastic.- He's got potential, he's definitely got potential. - Absolutely.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Have you ever played anything else, any musical instrument?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00- My dad used to be a drummer in an Irish band.- Oh, really?
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Yeah, and that's the instrument I'm sort of drawn to, the drums, I'll be honest with you.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Look at the size of this.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Do you wear this and walk down the street?- Absolutely.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10I'd get about 200 yards
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and then you'd have to call an ambulance.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I'm like a kid here in Hamleys.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17THEY LAUGH
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- Well, actually, it's not too bad. - Just have to lean back.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25I am... Like this. I'm having a baby.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26Do you want to have a go at it?
0:08:28 > 0:08:32There we go. It's fabulous. I've always wanted to do this, you know.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35When I was a kid and I used to watch the Salvation Army band,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39I was green with envy, green, at the drummer.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42And my mum would say, "Go and ask him, can you have a go?"
0:08:42 > 0:08:44- Marvellous.- And is that all you do? - That's all you do.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46THEY LAUGH
0:08:46 > 0:08:49On the march, obviously it's the drum that's the leader.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52- Do you want to show? - A double tap, bang, bang?
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Quicker. Bang, bang, quicker. Yeah.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58One, two, three, four, five.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03THEY START PLAYING
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Not yet. No! You're too early.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14I've got a feeling I'm going to get a trombone in the back of my head.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19- One, two. One, two.- Yeah.- One, two, three. No, one, two.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23- Yeah.- One, two. One, two, three, four, five.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25That's it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29'Ah, I've got it!'
0:09:31 > 0:09:34It's fantastic, I can't tell you. Absolutely fabulous.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40- He's laughing at me.- No, no, no.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41THEY LAUGH
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- Did you keep up with that?- Yeah, just about.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48You know what'll happen? We'll go down Oxford Street, they'll turn down Regent Street to
0:09:48 > 0:09:51get away from me. And I'll be on my own going,...
0:09:53 > 0:09:57I'm going to come back and have rehearsals with the band properly, because I'm determined to
0:09:57 > 0:10:01sail down Oxford Street, leading that band, giving that drum what-for.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13APPLAUSE
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I think I'd be better off with a triangle, don't you?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I thoroughly enjoyed that, I'm high as a kite now.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21That was better than sex. No, no, take that out.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22PAUL LAUGHS
0:10:22 > 0:10:24I keep forgetting where I am.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30It's a lovely sunny morning, and it's the first day of my training.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Jo is starting me off with something easy but vital to their work.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Apparently, making the perfect cup of tea is their secret weapon.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Welcome to the Salvation Army tea van.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43It's very smart, look at it.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45We've been doing this for 150 years.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47We will just turn up with our wagon wherever we're needed
0:10:47 > 0:10:51and we'll make tea, but there's more to it than that. So say it was during the war,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54when they saw the Sally Army rock up in their canteen, they knew
0:10:54 > 0:10:57there was a bit of reality, there was a bit of normality.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01# There's nothing like an army cup of tea... #
0:11:01 > 0:11:05The Sally Army's tea traditions go right back to its beginnings.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09In 1917, mobile units like this started to spring up.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13They supported British troops during both world wars.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16They even produced their own brand, Triumph.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Nowadays when there's an emergency, the Salvation Army gets called
0:11:19 > 0:11:23out, so things like the 7/7 bombing in London, we got called out to go
0:11:23 > 0:11:28and support the emergency services, but it's not just about the tea.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30It's about starting a conversation with somebody
0:11:30 > 0:11:34and saying, "What happened, are you OK, what do you want to talk about?"
0:11:34 > 0:11:37How many cups of tea have the Salvation Army made over the years?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40We make a quarter of a million cups of tea a week.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43That's a lot of tea. How many teabags?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- They're quite strong, these ones. - So, four?- Yeah, that'll do, yeah.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Because they're in shock, they need a good strong cup of tea.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Whilst you've been making their cup of tea, that's when you'd be
0:11:52 > 0:11:55having a conversation with somebody, starting your journey with them.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56So I'll give that a stir.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- Now, milk first, or milk last? - It's last, isn't it?
0:12:01 > 0:12:06Jo has set up a bit of role play to see if I have the right patter.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08There's been a fire in a factory.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11- Right.- And the fire brigade have put it out,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- everybody's safe, but they're exhausted.- And they're in shock.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17They are, they've seen some hair-raising things
0:12:17 > 0:12:19and they want someone to give them a cup of tea.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Now, look at this brave fire officer here. How are you doing, kid?
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Look at your face, you're covered in muck.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26- I bet you've been breathing in smoke.- I have, terrible.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- And what you badly need is a nice strong cup of tea, isn't it? - I would.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- Would you like a biscuit with that? - Yes, please.- I bet you would.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- Bet your blood sugar's in your boots after all that.- Thank you very much.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38You get that down your neck, and we're here for you any time, do you hear?
0:12:38 > 0:12:40- Thank you very much.- OK.- Thank you.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41How was that, my first client?
0:12:41 > 0:12:45He needed somebody just to show him some kindness
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and offer some comfort, and you did that.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- Black tea, no milk, no sugar? - No milk, no sugar.- You're easy.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52If you want to lie down, we've got plenty of space here.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54You can get your head down for half an hour.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57- So, have you had a bad time? - It's been a long day.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- If you want anyone to talk to, we're always here.- Thank you.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02- So come over.- You got it.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05All their ears are singed. Get a biscuit, you're welcome.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- Take a biscuit.- Thank you.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I think we can say you've well and truly passed this test, Paul.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- Really?- Aye.- Oh, well, thank you very much, I've enjoyed myself.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Right, we're shutting the shop now for ten minutes, if you don't mind.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19We're on our break, we've been working for 24 hours.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Even the Salvation Army has to have an hour off.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Oh, preach it, brother!
0:13:22 > 0:13:24PAUL LAUGHS
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Hallelujah, sister! Let's get these shutters down.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30How do you do it?
0:13:30 > 0:13:32'So far, so good.'
0:13:35 > 0:13:38For a real taste of what they do on the front line,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Jo is sending me to Bournemouth, where the Salvation Army
0:13:40 > 0:13:45regularly feed and offer care to the town's homeless population.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46To prepare for this, I'm joining
0:13:46 > 0:13:51my first cadet class, where I'll be doing more than serving tea.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Can I come in? Oh, are you busy?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54No, come in, Paul.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57You told me you were willing to roll up your sleeves
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- and see what we really do.- Yeah. - We're going to do some foot washing.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- Do you want to...- Yeah. Is this all for practical reasons?
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Practical, but it's also because it's what Jesus did.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10He washed all his disciples' feet
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and he said, "This is to show you that you're actually really
0:14:13 > 0:14:16"important to me, that I can go really low, I can become a servant
0:14:16 > 0:14:19"in order to teach you something really important." So that's why
0:14:19 > 0:14:21we teach it in the Salvation Army, to kind of...
0:14:21 > 0:14:25- Is this like an exercise to humble you as well?- I don't want to humble you,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28but I want you to maybe think about, are you willing to show humility?
0:14:28 > 0:14:30That's a different thing, because I can't humble you.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33You're looking at somebody who's washed an elephant's bum!
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Seriously, a baby elephant called Incarna of three months,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- so your nice, clean feet are not... - I don't know, I've been on my feet all day.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43When I was in social services, I was washing all parts of anatomy.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47'Officers and volunteers regularly wash the feet of the homeless
0:14:47 > 0:14:49'and elderly across the country.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51'It seems like a strange ritual to me,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53'but it's something that lots of cadets have to do.'
0:14:53 > 0:14:57You guys, are you all right? You feel quite happy about handling feet?
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Are you all trainee Salvation Army officers, then?
0:14:59 > 0:15:04- I am.- Are you?- Yeah.- Lizzie, how long have you now been training?
0:15:04 > 0:15:06About six weeks. Six or seven weeks, yeah.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09And what was it that made you decide to join the Salvation Army?
0:15:09 > 0:15:10Did you have a calling?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Did you wake up one morning and a voice said, "Elizabeth,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16"you get yourself up to Denmark Hill!"
0:15:16 > 0:15:18That would be my mum, because only Mum calls me Elizabeth,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22but at a young persons' event, actually, that I was leading,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26I...I remember standing there and feeling an incredible
0:15:26 > 0:15:30sense of purpose, an incredible sense of peace, and knowing
0:15:30 > 0:15:33that unless I came here and unless I did this, I wouldn't ever be
0:15:33 > 0:15:36truly at peace and I wouldn't ever be in the centre of God's will.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38It's an amazing thing, and a privilege.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Yeah, but get your dogs in the bowl, girl.- Are you ready?- Come on, I'll give them a swill.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- I'm not really sure if my feet are all that nice and...- Well, I've seen worse.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Now, if I had my nail kit with me, I'd do your nails as well,
0:15:48 > 0:15:49I really would.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- And I'd get in that heel for you and get rid of that hard skin. - What's wrong with my heel?
0:15:53 > 0:15:54THEY LAUGH
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Hard skin?! I've never seen anything quite like it.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I'm surprised it hasn't come out and slapped me, it's that hard.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01THEY LAUGH
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Just you wait until it's your turn.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Isn't that such an important thing, you know, physical contact?
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Just... Especially for somebody who's on the streets on their own,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13who nobody goes near, nobody even speaks to or looks at, or
0:16:13 > 0:16:16if they do, it's to chuck, like, 20p at them or something.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20But for somebody to actually, like, grab their foot and chat away,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24probably makes them feel very human, when they felt inhuman for so long.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28- They can't go anywhere when their feet are wet.- No, you're not going anywhere. I've got your shoes.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29THEY LAUGH
0:16:29 > 0:16:33You're not getting them back, and you're not getting your socks back either.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Until I've washed these feet and you've had a meal down you, my girl.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40There's a massive difference between training and reality, because we're in a safe environment here.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43There's a lot of laughter, a lot of interaction.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45When you're doing it on the ground, you're dealing with
0:16:45 > 0:16:48vulnerable people, and anything could go wrong, so although it's
0:16:48 > 0:16:52very safe in training, out on the field, anything could happen.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59I'm tasked with putting my new-found skills to the test straight
0:16:59 > 0:17:03away by joining the Salvation Army team down in Bournemouth,
0:17:03 > 0:17:08but am I ready to give comfort to the homeless and wash tired feet?
0:17:08 > 0:17:11On an average night, there are 4,500 people
0:17:11 > 0:17:15sleeping rough in the UK, and former painter and decorator
0:17:15 > 0:17:19Graham is just one of many without a place to call home.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Basically, I sleep over there under the arches.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27It's dry, it's tolerable.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31You can tolerate it, but some mornings, obviously, it's horrible. You still get wet.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35I ended up homeless through the credit crunch.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38After the credit crunch, that was it. And I went
0:17:38 > 0:17:41so down, you wouldn't believe. Mentally, physically, everything.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42I just gave up.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48I've got a floor mat.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50I use my rucksack as a pillow.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Climb into my sleeping bag and hopefully go to sleep.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- HE LAUGHS - It doesn't always work that way, you know what I mean?
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Life's never simple, you know what I mean?
0:17:59 > 0:18:03I've been sleeping in temperatures below minus seven,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07minus 12, minus 15, and that is horrendous,
0:18:07 > 0:18:08really, really horrendous.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13The worst thing for me is not being able to toilet properly,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17wash and bath properly and sometimes eat properly.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24If you have not got something warm or hot inside you,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26you might as well forget it, because you do need that,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29especially that. Because you're warming the insides of you up,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32you're warming yourself from the inside outwards,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35so it's easier to get to sleep and it's easier to stay asleep.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Well, at least Graham knows he'll get a hot meal tonight.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- Do you want to cut them so that they can see?- Yeah.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- Please. Thanks, Rosemary.- Courtesy, that is, of the local service,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48run by 72-year-old Mary.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51She's been doing this for over 20 years.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Twice a week, Mary provides the food, whilst former nurse Rosemary
0:18:55 > 0:18:56washes their feet.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59- Hello, ladies!- Hello! - Nice to meet you.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02I tell you what, the smell is gorgeous in here.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- Don't be silly.- Whatever that... What is it you're cooking?
0:19:05 > 0:19:07It's chicken and vegetable soup.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Oh, it smells lovely, and of course, I suppose, all the homeless that
0:19:10 > 0:19:12you feed, have they all got to know you?
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Well, we get the same people back.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- We get called "darling" and all sorts.- Oh, do you?
0:19:17 > 0:19:21For doing what I do with their feet, doing their feet and all that,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23- some of the stories that they will tell me...- I bet they will.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26..while I'm...and they open up, would make your hair curl.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28What state are their feet in, then?
0:19:28 > 0:19:32- Horrendous. I mean...- That's very brave of you, you know, to do that.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Well, I've been doing it 22 years.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Oh, my God! Look at that.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Well, he wouldn't go to the hospitals because, for one thing,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42the smell of those leg ulcers.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- How did he get these?- From injecting.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- From injecting his leg?- He'd been injecting, yeah, yeah.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50Look at this.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54I mean, I'm in the Salvation Army, I've done a lot of things, but I don't think I could do that.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- It's...- 'And I have to agree.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00'Seeing these photos is a far cry from Captain Jo in the training room,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03'and I'm starting to wonder whether I'm ready to wash feet like these.'
0:20:03 > 0:20:06- You're making them feel like human beings again.- Yeah.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09You know, because nobody cares for them, do they?
0:20:09 > 0:20:11And here's you in this close contact,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14doing... It's remarkable what you're doing. It really is.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16We're due out on the streets in an hour
0:20:16 > 0:20:18and there's still food to prepare.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21On the menu tonight, it's soup and bangers and mash.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23It's better than the gym, this.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26I was going to say, you're going to have muscles on you like Popeye.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28You should have a machine.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32OK, if anyone would like to donate a potato mashing machine,
0:20:32 > 0:20:33we'd be very grateful.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36THEY LAUGH
0:20:36 > 0:20:38That looks good to me, thank you, dear.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41You're like an efficient machine, you lot in here.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- You've got it all sorted. Lovely. - Lid.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47'We pack up 60 meals
0:20:47 > 0:20:50'and take the mobile unit to the car park at the local church.'
0:20:54 > 0:20:55PAUL LAUGHS
0:20:55 > 0:20:57I like your hat.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- It's Paul.- Hiya, you all right?
0:21:00 > 0:21:04- Vegetable soup. Hello, how are you? There you go.- Cheers, Paul.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- You're welcome.- Nice one. - You're welcome.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- Can you just put those in for me, Paul?- Will do, Rose, yeah.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Ah, Paul O'Grady, I always watch your show when I'm in jail.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15THEY LAUGH
0:21:19 > 0:21:22My picture's up in the laundry in Rampton. Seriously.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26I got a letter from someone in Rampton saying, "Can I have your photo?"
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Here you are, kid, get that down you.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32There's a great atmosphere here,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36especially now people have a good meal inside them.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38So far, I've stuck to the comfort of the food van,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42but Rosemary's already been out washing feet, and her next
0:21:42 > 0:21:46customer is Graham, enjoying a break from the cold of Bournemouth Pier.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- Can I come in, Rosemary? - Yes, you can.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52How are you doing, Graham? Isn't it great when you're getting your feet done?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57You feel better, don't you, when you've had your feet done?
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Because I'm always... I soak mine once a week when I'm watching the telly.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02How do you manage?
0:22:05 > 0:22:09I bet they are. Yeah. Where do you go in the winter? What do you do?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19You're joking! What, you just went in?
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Why didn't you move in?
0:22:36 > 0:22:37THEY LAUGH
0:22:37 > 0:22:41You all right, then, Graham? You OK?
0:22:41 > 0:22:43See you next week, then.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44Ah, Graham, it's lovely to meet you.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47- And I'll see you later. - Don't trip over your shoelaces.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51- No, tie them. Who's next?- You all right?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53- I've always wanted to meet Paul.- Hi, how are you doing?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- I wanted to see what you look like in real life.- Well, there you go.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Same as I look like on the telly, destroyed.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00You going to have your feet done? Are you having problems?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- I've got loads of problems with my feet.- You have.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05'Moroccan-born Yousuf has been homeless for 13 years
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'after battling drug addiction.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11'This is my chance to get stuck in, but Rosemary's doing such
0:23:11 > 0:23:15'a great job, I'll leave it to the experts. And it seems to me
0:23:15 > 0:23:18'that listening and having a chat is just as important.'
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- How are those nails doing? - I'm a bit of a wolf!
0:23:21 > 0:23:24No, it's the hot weather with me.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26I wake up and I've got nails on me like Fu Manchu.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28YOUSUF LAUGHS
0:23:28 > 0:23:31'Rosemary has been washing Yousuf's feet for well over a decade,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'and in that time, they've both seen the brutal reality of homelessness.'
0:23:35 > 0:23:39A person died right over there, right at that doorstep there,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41froze to death.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44I can't get over how somebody died there in that doorway.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Yeah, they did. It was a very young man.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49And that was with hypothermia? That was the cold?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- Yeah. - It's shocking, that, isn't it?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53It was totally devastating.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54Do you know what I always say
0:23:54 > 0:23:57when I talk to homeless guys and homeless women?
0:23:57 > 0:23:59I always say, "I could be in that position."
0:23:59 > 0:24:01I came down from Birkenhead, no money,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04got off the coach at Victoria Coach Station.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I was lucky I had a mate who had a flat and that's how I started
0:24:07 > 0:24:09and got myself a bit of a job
0:24:09 > 0:24:11but, if it hadn't have worked out for me,
0:24:11 > 0:24:12I could be in your position now.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I didn't do any feet washing
0:24:16 > 0:24:18but it was nice to be able to sit and chat to them.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Don't forget us.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22I don't, believe you me.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I don't forget you.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27They're all so open, you know, when you talk to them.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30- There you go, sir.- Thank you very much.- You're very welcome.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32It was good.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I feel like I've done...
0:24:34 > 0:24:36I've done something worthwhile.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38It's so important to communicate with them
0:24:38 > 0:24:41because that's what makes them feel like a normal person.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45It's a cold winter's night in Bournemouth
0:24:45 > 0:24:49but Mary's used to it after all these years.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51You made them feel, tonight, important.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54You've given them a sense of worth.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55You can't buy that.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58No, it's about talking to people, isn't it?
0:24:58 > 0:25:00It's really working together.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Just doing the best you can and showing them someone cares.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05What do you think the solution is?
0:25:05 > 0:25:09I really don't know but, I mean, I think as long as we love them,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13if we show them in a practical way we really care about them...
0:25:13 > 0:25:16We have no accommodation to offer them, really.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17The problem's too vast.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20I just haven't got the answer but I really believe
0:25:20 > 0:25:23that, if Jesus was here, he'd be looking out for them.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26He'd be handy because he'd be able to turn out loaves and fishes,
0:25:26 > 0:25:28you know, by the score.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31You wouldn't have to worry, would you, really?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Well, I might not be able to perform miracles on such a scale
0:25:35 > 0:25:38but I do have a big bag of chocolate.
0:25:38 > 0:25:39- Here you are.- Thank you very much.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41There's a Snickers there. Get that down you.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Do you want a Mars bar?
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Here, I've got some for the dog. Come here.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Look what I've got for you. I've got you a dog treat.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Look at that.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51What are you having, Graham?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Do you want a Double Decker?
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Do you want a Mars bar and all?
0:25:56 > 0:25:58I don't know whether I'm meant to give out two.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- But I'm doling out sweets here. - I'm hiding them, then!
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Well, it'll do you for later.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Hey!- I love you to bits. - You're welcome. No, you're welcome.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07You're the best man in the world.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Oh, get on, I'm not!
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I'm not. I'm rotten to the core, take no notice.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19It's given me a lot to think about. It really has. Food for thought.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22When you hear their stories...
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Any of us could end up in this situation.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27It's very sobering. It really is.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30And I worry now what's going to happen to them tonight
0:26:30 > 0:26:31because it's a cold night.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34They've had a meal and they've had the sweets and a chat
0:26:34 > 0:26:37but what's going to happen now? They're just so vulnerable.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40You know, the streets are not a place to be.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47It's been a tough introduction to Salvation Army life,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49a real eye-opener.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53I'm back at HQ to talk to my mentor, Jo.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I think it's important that Paul learns
0:26:55 > 0:26:56he's not out there on his own.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59There may be things he will face that we do that might shock him
0:26:59 > 0:27:03and he needs to know that he has someone he can talk to about that.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05- Captain Jo.- Hello! Come on in. How are you doing?
0:27:05 > 0:27:09"I talk too much. Be still." I should have that on my front door.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- Come on in. Have a seat. - Nice to see you.
0:27:11 > 0:27:12I just wanted to see how you were doing
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and have a catch-up and see how things are going.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17You can't help but let it affect you, put it that way.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19When it actually came to doing the foot washing,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- did that happen or...? - No. Some of the feet... Whoo.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27It takes a lot of guts to wash a foot so I offered other help.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I sat and spent a lot of time with them.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31You know, they wanted the wisecracks and the comedy
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- and all this and all that business. - That was a good choice.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Sometimes, you have to make choices like that.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40- Am I the right person to do this? - That's what they wanted, you see?
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I think the way that you've handled the people that you've met,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I have to commend you for that, so thank you for what you're doing.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Well, I'm a yacker, me. I guess you probably gathered.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- You can't take a compliment, you. - No, I can't. No.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Just say, "Thanks, Jo. I appreciate it."
0:27:52 > 0:27:54No, I can't take compliments.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56If I ever thought that this was going to be easy,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00I'm already learning that I couldn't be more wrong.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02- Ah, Paul O'Grady! - How are you doing?
0:28:02 > 0:28:03In Bournemouth, I met people
0:28:03 > 0:28:07who showed a dedication that blew me away.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09And, when the next challenge comes along,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11I'm going to be ready for it.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Thank you very much.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Next time, I hit the streets of London.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17I'm the pin-up on page two.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22I'm challenged with getting some troubled teens back on their feet.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24There's only two options for yourself in that life.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27God forbid, you die or go to jail.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29'And I leave the brass band behind
0:28:29 > 0:28:32'to record some very different Sally Army rhymes.'
0:28:32 > 0:28:33Is that all right?