This month, we’re extremely proud to profile John Singleton, Founder and Chair of LifeLine. John has just been awarded an MBE for his Charitable Services in the King’s New Year Honours list. We hope you enjoy this chance to get to know more about the formation of LifeLine and the inspiration for the work we do.
John Singleton grew up in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. When he left school at 16 he moved to London to start work as an errand boy for a stockbroker, he eventually worked his way up to the position of a buyer. John was always fascinated by the concept of community and how it can be formed and flourish. He felt he could help people to become more supportive and helpful to each other. In 1973 he established a community-based church called LifeLine Church and five years later he left stock broking to lead the work full-time.
Since that time, he has established three other UK charities:
- Lifeline Projects, established in 2000, has delivered over £50million of government-funded programmes to date, reaching around 30,000 people, focused on tackling unemployment, family breakdown and youth crime. Over the years, LifeLine Projects has provided these programmes on a national level.
- Community Resources, established in 2006, focuses on tacking social isolation and enabling local people to tackle the issues they identify in their community. Its work is localised to Barking and Dagenham, although 2 programmes which started locally have now been replicated in two locations across the UK.
- LifeLine Network International, established in 1997, equips community leaders across Africa, Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and the Philippines.
Whilst each charity has a slightly different focus, they all aim to renew hope, confidence and improved skills, reflecting John’s vision to see people recognising how significant they are and empowering them to understand they can make a difference in their own community.
“A charity is about the community; it’s about serving a bigger purpose. It’s strong relationships and taking care of people and getting important tasks done.”
John’s work has transformed the lives of many people in communities across the UK and overseas. Some of those he supported were disadvantaged as a result of poverty, social isolation, poor physical and/or mental health, unemployment, low confidence and self-esteem. He has selflessly given time and energy; perhaps the most significant thing has been his ability to build close and real relationships with everyone he meets. He is always available to people and is focused on checking up how someone is doing whether they are refugees, struggling parents, excluded young people or anyone isolated in the community struggling to cope.
“I’m delighted to have received this award and I was told it was because of my work with charities. I still want more communities to be more effective by helping each other. I want people to succeed.”
Through the work of the charities that John established:
- 4,591 young people at risk of school exclusion or vulnerable to knife crime (both perpetrator and victim) across four London boroughs have been mentored since 2000.
- Parenting support has been provided to vulnerable families across four London boroughs.
- Many thousands of people have gained employment across 10 London boroughs.
- Over 2000 traumatised women (across 40 locations in the UK) have been supported through an arts-based programme that supports women to face the trauma caused by domestic or other abuse and helps them rebuild their lives.
- In the last 25 years, John has led at least 3 leadership programmes each year, travelling extensively across the Caribbean, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Peru, Philippians and Ukraine. These programmes continue with local leaders continually.
