Meet The Pillar – One of Our 2026 Incubator Finalist

The Pillar: creating a safe place for young people struggling with their mental health

For many young people struggling with their mental health, there is a difficult gap between needing help and being able to access it. They may not be unwell enough to qualify for specialist services, but are struggling too much to thrive on their own.

The Pillar is working to fill that gap – helping churches become places where young people can find support before they reach crisis point.

Through Pillar Spaces, local churches provide safe, welcoming places where young people can belong and access early, ongoing mental health support. The approach combines evidence-informed mental health practice with relational youth work and faith-rooted hope.

The emphasis is on relationships.

Rather than offering short-term support and stepping away, The Pillar aims to provide consistent relationships with trusted adults for as long as a young person needs them. In doing so, young people can feel known, supported and less alone, while churches are equipped to respond safely and confidently alongside existing mental health services.

More than 45 young people have already been supported through Pillar Spaces.

The impact can be seen in the stories of those who have found their way into a Pillar Space. One young person described how The Pillar helped them realise that they “don’t need to hurt myself because not everything’s my fault.”

For Annie, who arrived struggling with anxiety, depression and OCD and without a Christian faith, The Pillar became a place where she found belonging and trusted relationships.

Over time, that community also gave Annie the opportunity to explore faith for herself. She describes The Pillar as giving her “building blocks and a firm foundation in Jesus”. She now regularly attends church – and brings friends with her.

A trusted approach that’s gathering interest

The Pillar’s approach has also attracted national recognition, with a recent General Synod paper highlighting the organisation as an example of good practice in responding to mental health needs within local communities.

Now The Pillar wants to see that approach reach many more young people.

Over the next five to ten years, the organisation hopes to establish Pillar Spaces in churches across a wide range of communities, while equipping many more churches through training, resources and ongoing support.

Its vision is for a future where the Church plays a vital role in supporting young people’s mental health – and where no young person has to struggle alone.

Find out more at thepillar.org.uk

Cinnamon Incubator Final 2026

The Pillarl are one of five finalists at this year’s Cinnamon Incubator Competition, taking place on Thursday 12 November at St Peter’s Church in Notting Hill.

For more information about the event email sarah.taylor@cinnamonnetwork.co.uk