Media Release (4/102018):
Faith and Police Together is a new initiative aimed at building links between local police and their local faith communities. We believe that faith communities have a major role to play in bringing about community transformation and cohesion. When the police and faith community’s work together to tackle some of the issues the police are also facing, we will see lives and communities transformed. This, in turn can lead to reduced demand on police services, a valuable contribution to a service that has extensive demands placed upon it. Policing covers a vast ranges of issues within society and it is not always crime that is the problem. We have identified 4 priority areas which we want to concentrate on and to encourage faith communities to engage with over the next year. These priority areas include:-
We want to support the continued growth of strong and effective connections between the local police service, faith groups and local projects; thereby building the Faith and Police network in support of local communities. There are many projects and evidence of good practice already in existence and we hope utilise and work with some of those projects to help give faith communities templates and ideas to assist them locally to meet their needs. We will be promoting case studies and initiatives throughout the year. We want to see safer communities and the most vulnerable cared for and believe that this project will help deliver that ambition. Deputy Chief Constable for Devon and Cornwall Paul Netherton says “Faith and Police Together is a multi-faith initiative designed to galvanise the support of faith groups to support the police and to help address problems and challenges within our communities. Often faith groups have a high motivation to help within our society but sometimes don’t know how they can help or even how they talk to the police to find out what the problems are or how they can assist. My experience of working with groups and churches is that once you start the conversations you unlock massive social capital that can transform an area or make a real difference to a problem. This could be around Street Angels patrolling the night time economy, drop in centres for young people or cafes where the homeless or lonely can find support. The benefit for the police and all the public sector is significant in terms of reducing demand and finding long term solutions. This is a great initiative and is welcomed by the police and will lead to some transformational change to some of the most challenging social issues across the country.” Marie Reavey a police officer from Norfolk has recently been seconded to this project to help progress our objectives. If you are keen to find out how you can get involved please check out our website www.faithandpolicetogether.org.uk. If you are working in the 4 priority areas within your community or would like more details about this exciting new project please contact Marie Reavey on [email protected] . Great news!! Dewsbury and District Street Angels were successful in an application to the Police and Crime Commissioner's Safer Communities Fund. This funding will go a long way in equipping the Angels and helping people in and around Dewsbury.
CNI feature in Liberti Magazine with SafeNightOut.party poster and article on recurrent miscarriage9/20/2018
Source
VOLUNTEERS are needed help defuse potential incidents, relieve pressure on emergency services and offer a helping hand to vulnerable people on the streets of Oswestry. Hopes are high a Street Angels group will be running Saturday-night patrols in the town by Christmas after discussions between police, nightspots and volunteers Tony Durnell and Glen Perkins. “This is a serious team we’re going to get together – it’s not a talking shop,” Mr Durnell said. “I know there are plenty of people in Oswestry who will come forward.” Mr Durnell, chairman of Shropshire Crimestoppers and a former mayor of Shrewsbury, said he and Mr Perkins had spoken to Inspector Tracy Ryan and Sgt Claire Greenaway of West Mercia Police about setting up the group. He said he and Mr Perkins knew of issues in pubs and clubs where “a lot of fractious events are going on” could be prevented if someone were able to offer help in a “gentle way”. Street Angels was launched in November 2005 in response to issues in the night-time economy in Halifax, and is now involved in 130 projects across the country. Mr Durnell said the Street Angels would provide somewhere for people with conditions such as autism to “catch their breath and have a little chat and go home”, or have transport arranged for them if necessary. They would also offer a safe place for people who felt they were being followed from a pub or club, and then help them get home safely. Mr Durnell said West Mercia Police had agreed to provide volunteers with first-aid experience and other training. Street Angels would be based at Oswestry Police Station, and Mr Durnell added they they hoped to use a town-centre shop as a drop-in centre. Street Angels will also offer items such as bottles of water, flip-flops and blankets to those in need. They will be able to contact police and CCTV operators if need be. Insp Ryan praised Street Angels volunteers for giving their own time to help people enjoy a night out and get home safely. Volunteers must be over 18 years old, in good health and must pass a checking procedure. Although Street Angels was founded by a Christian group, Mr Durnell said it was open to people of all beliefs, and that they wanted to “an eclectic mix of the diverse community of Oswestry”. Mr Durnell said the scheme had support from Oswestry Pubwatch and that help from businesses would be gratefully accepted. “We’re hoping the town council will come on board because it makes Oswestry a place where people want to stay, rather than go to Wrexham or Shrewsbury,” he said. “We want them to stay and feel safe in Oswestry.” For more information, call Mr Durnell on 01743 360 593 or look for the group’s Facebook page. Source
THE Windsor Street Angels have made it onto the new Monopoly board based around the town. The Windsor based charity was announced today (Friday) as having been given the second space after 'go' on the new Monopoly board featuring exclusively Windsor landmarks. The charity places trained volunteers in the town’s busy night time community, assisting those who find themselves in vulnerable situations or unwell. The Angels were voted onto the Monopoly board after a public poll was staged earlier in the year. The Angels function as part of the charity Windsor Christian Action, begun in 2012. They meet each Friday and Saturday night and have helped 26,000 people. The new Monopoly game will hit the shops on October 5. Jennifer Lau, custom games executive at Winning Moves UK which produces the new game under license from Hasbro, said: "A huge congratulations to The Windsor Street Angels. The charity will feature on one of the game’s three Community Chest spaces. We feel this is an appropriate space on the board with the Angels being such an integral part of the Royal Windsor community.” On the new board, every Monopoly location used on the original classic board - from Mayfair to Park Lane - will take on a Windsor theme. Windsor Castle and Peascod Street have also been heavily reported as set to land on leading spaces on the new board. Most of the Chance and Community Chest cards will be heavily town themed too. “All will be revealed on October 5,” said Ms Lau. It has already been announced that Thames Hospice will also feature on its own Community Chest space too. “The game will showcase the great and the good of Royal Windsor,” said Ms Lau. A team of 43 Festival Angels were at Boardmasters in Newquay to offer welfare support to the 40,000 festival goers. The week started on Tuesday when some of the volunteers were on stage at CreationFest where Paul Blakey shared the story of Festival Angels with Meghann from Wildwood Kin (who played main stage at Boardmasters on Saturday) and Britains Got Talent finalist Josh Curnow prayed for the team. The detached teams then got to work on Wednesday patrolling the festival and offering support including putting up tents, helping people navigate the site, providing food for a family who had lost a bank card, collecting rubbish, signposting people to other welfare services and offering a listening ear and support to many. The 'Jesus Loves Festivals' banner became a back drop for festival selfies and the site was visited twice by the 'Jesus Loves Every 1 of U' banner plane which resulted in various positive conversations with festival-goers. Our amazing volunteers invested in excess of 1000 hours during the festival.
From one of our local projects...
Dear Street Angels, Maybe its because the rain is lashing against the windows that I write this email with a feeling of deep reflection as to events on last night's patrol. I know there are times when we are on duty that we pass many hours of monotony but I always say that that doesn't matter - if we help just one person a night, a month, a year, then we are fulfilling what we are called to do - to show some love and kindness to someone who needs help. Last night was such an occasion - at about 02.00 hrs, a woman approached one of our teams and with desperation in her eyes asked to be taken to A & E. In talking to her, her life story as it is at this moment unravelled and the team members clearly realised she needed urgent help as her mental anguish was such that she needed professional help. So the team took her to A & E and safely delivered her to professional care. Driving home I reflected that if Street Angels weren't there, if there was no friendly face outside Amadeus to turn to, what would have happened? So this email is to encourage you and thank you all for the incredible work you do, for the time you give freely and the love you give unconditionally. Last week I had the great pleasure of talking about Street Angels to the a local church 20s - 30s Life Group members. Part of the study included a reflection on a poem called 'Shadows' by a poet called Naomi Shihab Nye. The poem reads as follows: 'A man crosses the street in rain stepping gently, looking two times north and south: because his son is asleep on his shoulder. No car must splash him. No car drive too near his shadow. This man carries the world's most sensitive cargo but he's not marked. Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE. His ear fills up with breathing. He hears the hum of a boy's dream deep inside him. We're not going to be able to live in this world if we're not willing to do what he's doing with one another The road will only be wide. The rain will never stop falling.' This poem goes to the heart of what we are about - there are lots of 'sensitive cargoes' out there and we never know when they are going to need to be carried. Source
Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels have a new tool to help them in their mission to keep revellers safe on a night out. The team of volunteers, who can normally be seen with their minibus outside Soul Suite in the resort, have been given a mobile phone charging unit by family-run business Well-Charged Ltd. It means the Street Angels will be able to offer mobile phone charging to vulnerable people who may have lost friends and their phone batteries have died. Dusty Lawton, company director of Well-Charged Ltd, said the firm wanted to give back to the community. She said: “The safety of night dwellers is important to us. “We have our own children who go out and we were so worried about them drinking too much and losing their friends, they then become a vulnerable target for the wrong type of people. She said: “The safety of night dwellers is important to us. “We have our own children who go out and we were so worried about them drinking too much and losing their friends, they then become a vulnerable target for the wrong type of people. “We want to ensure people’s communication needs are met at their most difficult times.” Paul Rawson, manager of Blackpool Street Angels, said: “We’re extremely grateful for the donation. “The device allows us to charge up to six mobile phones simultaneously in the van. “This is especially helpful when trying to reunite people with their friends, as we’re able to recover their contacts once their phones are charged. “This is also great for holiday makers who can’t always remember the name of their hotel.” Dusty added: “This small gesture may also reduce the workload for emergency services, maybe preventing hospital admissions and the need for police intervention.” Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels launched in June 2012. If you’re over the age of 18 and wish to learn more about Blackpool and Fylde Street Angels and would like to join them, you can email [email protected] |
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ROC Angels - an initiative of ROC (Redeeming Our Communities)
Charity - 1139817 / Registered Company - 7327258 Postal Address: ROC Angels, c/o The King's Centre, Park Rd, Halifax, HX1 2TS E-Mail: [email protected] (founder / CEO) / Phone: 07725501465 |