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When Ed Anderson, the outgoing High Sheriff of Leeds came to our club recently, he told us of how one of the memorable experiences of his year of office had been going out on night patrol with the Leeds Street Angels. This week we had the benefit of a talk from Katie Waters, their co-ordinator. It was fascinating. As their website makes clear, since 2012 the Leeds Street Angels have been helping to make Leeds city centre a safer place to be on a night out. We help people stay safe and we reduce crime. We work alongside other agencies and our aim is to provide practical care, listening ears and look out for people as they work and play in all the city has to offer. Katie Waters - Street Angels: Katie explained how their teams are out at night from 10 pm to 3 am, patrolling the streets in their bright yellow high visibility jackets. Their mission is to look after people who have become vulnerable as they enjoy the night life, perhaps to excess. They work in close partnership with the police and other emergency services and are in communication with the CCTV network City Watch, and have built up helpful relationships with door staff at the nightspots. The Angels carry an interesting mix of practical equipment: first aid kits, bottles of water, flip-flops for ladies who have become separated from their impractical footwear, ‘spikies’ [devices that fit in the top of a bottle with a straw to prevent malicious spiking of drinks], battery chargers to restore mobile phone communication, foil blankets for people who have lost their clothes, and even ‘throw lines’ and ‘glow sticks’ to help those who have occasionally fallen into the River Aire. The Angels are very good at helping people to recover from crises that would otherwise use the resources of the emergency services: caring for people who are lost, frightened, separated from their friends, sick or – quite often- drunk. When not looking after people they make themselves useful on patrol by picking up bottles that might have been used to cause injury – 1,180 bottles last year. Katie explained that Leeds Street Angels is part of CNI (Christian Nightlife Initiatives) Network, which works in 125 communities across the UK, with a presence at music festivals, and also in Spain in the areas where Brits congregate to enjoy the nightlife. She was keen to emphasise that patrolling is fun, and most people enjoying the night life are good humoured. Nevertheless I found myself full of admiration that the Angels are prepared to put themselves on the line every weekend to protect the vulnerable. They make our city a safer place, and we are grateful to them. Source
In their recognisable royal blue jackets, the Windsor Street Angels have become an integral part of the town’s night-time economy. Five years since starting out, the group is going strong with a steady intake of volunteers ready to do their bit. Tara O’Connor reports. Prepared for anything, a group of selfless volunteers give up their Friday nights to help vulnerable people on the streets of Windsor. The Street Angels started out with 12 members five years ago and now the group boasts 26. Dedicated volunteers are out in the town centre every Friday night but, with more volunteers, they are hoping to provide the service on Saturday nights each week too. Group co-coordinator PCSO David Bullock has been with Thames Valley Police for nine years and set up the group after seeing a demand in Windsor. On a ‘bitterly cold’ February night in 2012, the group took to the streets for the first time. That night, they discovered a man sleeping in a phone box by Windsor and Eton Central Station; he had lost his wallet and jacket and was freezing cold. “Obviously he could fall victim to the elements or if someone wanted to take advantage of his situation,” said PCSO Bullock. He was looked after by the Angels, who made sure he was able to get a train home. This first night set the tone for the next five years and the Street Angels play an important part in Windsor’s night-time scene. Talking about why he set up the group, PCSO Bullock said: “Seeing that there was the need for something to be put in place to help vulnerable people and take pressure off the emergency services. “It has been a success and that all comes back to the fact that we have such dedicated and committed volunteers that want to give back.” Best known for handing out flip flops and lollipops to worse-for-wear revellers, their work goes beyond this. PCSO Bullock does not go out with the Street Angels himself but briefs the group at Windsor Baptist Church every night they go out. Part of the briefing focuses on vulnerable people, including homeless people, who the group help on a weekly basis. When I went out with the group on Friday, February 24, their fifth anniversary, they talked about a young homeless woman they had met the week before. They had her name and were concerned about her safety so were looking out for her again. There were enough volunteers to split into two groups on Friday and have patrols on Saturday as well. Within two minutes of leaving the church in Victoria Street, the volunteers came across a homeless man in the doorway of a Peascod Street shop. The volunteers knew him by name, as they had first met three months ago, and stopped and chatted for a while before giving him a cup of hot soup and bread roll. In the first couple of hours of their work before the streets got livelier with clubbers, they took the time to speak to vulnerable people in the town centre. “The volunteers can give that bit of meaningful compassion and light-hearted conversation,” PCSO Bullock said. “What is lovely now, five years on, is the Angels are part of the fabric of the night-time economy.” After spending a couple of hours with the Street Angels, recognisable in their distinctive royal blue jackets, it is clear how much people appreciate the work the group does every week. Nothing is too much for the group, even bending down to sweep up broken glass from the street. Outside the arches in Goswell Hill, the volunteers stopped to talk to a group of girls in the smoking area. They thanked the Angels for what they do, calling them ‘amazing people’. Another young woman who saw the group sweeping up broken glass insisted on donating money to the cause. The charity relies on donations and is part of Windsor Christian Action, which includes the Windsor Homeless Project and FoodShare. Training provided by the Street Angels includes first aid, autism awareness and conflict management. People who are interested in joining can arrange to go along as an observer to see what a typical night entails. Today is the Day of Prayer for the Night-Time Economy - see more in our Newsletter, click here
#MakingCityStreetsLikeNewAgain Well the first ever street safety patrol by NIGHT MINISTRY STREET ANGELS - ST ANDREWS, FIFE took place last night (Saturday 25th February 2017). Our team was out on the streets from 10.30pm to 3am.
At 10pm we booked on duty with Police Scotland ready for any calls for assistance. A briefing from Police officers as to what events were underway and off we went. We had such a great first night engaging with many many students, police officers, pub and club security, university of St Andrews union security staff, restaurant/takeaway owners, shop keepers, bus drivers, taxi drivers and local residents. We gave out 250+ of our business cards. A large majority of those we spoke with, which including the police officers thought the scheme was a great idea and wished us well. If we gauge how successful a patrol is by the amount of lollipops we gave out (210) and slippers (16) and sick bowls (4) bottled water (4) then we had a successful night. Our fully trained team assisted a very drunk sickly girl by providing reassurance, water, tissues, sick bowl and contacting her friends to arrange her safe transportation home. A local police officer made comment that if we had not been there they would have been called to assist her taking them away from crime patrol duties. Stats: Uplifted and disposed of 8 glass bottles and swept up broken glass. Handed out 16 pairs of slippers to young ladies who were walking barefoot. Stepped into calm volatile situations twice. Engaged with a group of twenty plus local youth who were interested in what we were doing. Made some new friends (These lollipops break down barriers!). Our team finished the night with a hot chocolate and pizza and set off home. We all feel that the reception we received was very positive and look forward to serving in our community. If YOU would like to become part of our STREET ANGELS project please drop us an email at [email protected] or give us a call on 07999872928. We hope you will decide to join us. Source
CNI Network was formed to help the Street, Festival and Club Angel volunteers communicate more effectively and to also further this work throughout the UK. This was the plan when it was created in 2008 by Paul Blakey MBE. He had already seen success through the expansion of his first group, Street Angels, which was established in Halifax in 2005. After a 42% reduction in the crime during the night time economy town centre club culture, other towns quickly formed their own groups under Paul’s guidance. So, CNI Network was created as a central point of contact for new groups and to help the existing groups support each other, make friends, share faith, share skills and best practice. Now CNI Network has about 135 projects stretching from the UK, Netherlands, Spain, Australia and Seychelles with other places interested in the scheme. If you are an eagle eyed reader you might have noticed I said ‘share faith’. This is because the initial drive for this kind of mission was to not only make the town a safer place but also to encourage Christians to share their faith through practical action. So, many of our volunteers are Christian however we encourage those with different and no faiths to join in as well. The volunteers only share their faith with the people they are helping if it is the client who asks the questions. The primary focus of the teams are to observe, pray over the town and intervene when necessary to provide practical help such as directions, first aid, or if something more serious has happened, to help that person get the support they need such as victim support. While Street Angels is actioned on the streets; Club Angels provide a listening service inside the nightclubs. The listening service has proved invaluable to those people trying to forget about their problems by drinking the night away. There have been many occasions when someone has started speaking to the volunteers and through their support decided not to abuse their bodies with over consumption of alcohol but instead found the courage to seek the help they need. The problems encountered vary from debt management to grief and abusive relationships to addiction. Everyone encountered receives some form of help and if requested they are prayed for as well. If you haven’t already guessed, Festival Angels work during the festival season patrolling the camping areas, providing first aid, giving directions, ensuring lost children and objects are returned and providing refreshments. Sometimes this environment allows busy people time to think about their lives and we have had some interesting philosophical discussions. Again, part of the service is to provide a listening ear and help people come to their own decisions about some of their life choices. It’s mostly good fun, especially when the sun comes out to play. If you are inspired to volunteer, fundraise, donate, become a trustee or would like some support, learning resources or would like more general information then visit: www.cninetwork.org. Thoughts from the founder of CNI Network, Paul Blakey MBE:
Today CNI Network is asking church gatherings to take a few moments to pray for our teams, our work, the continued impact, the wider night-time economy, etc. Our tag line is #MakingCityStreetsLikeNewAgain and that is exactly what our teams are part of making happen as alcohol related violence and A&E admissions reduce year on year in the UK! 11 and a half years ago when God dropped the idea of doing something around the night-time economy in Halifax I was not too keen. But the idea stayed and Jean and I wandered the town together and saw things we would rather not have seen! We knew something had to be done! So we pushed doors, they opened and Street Angels landed! (want to know more - read the book!!!) This simple response to a massive need soon saw amazing results (violent crime reduced by 42% in the town centre in 12 months) and as such we very quickly began to spread our wings. We launched CNI Network - Christian Nightlife Initiatives in 2008 and, a few years later, after almost 7 years of heading up the Halifax project moved on to head up CNI full time. For me it is an amazing (though sometimes painful) journey - seeing change in local communities; seeing ideas become reality; developing new projects and seeing them grow and replicate; getting alongside people and projects; equipping and resourcing the local church to become a massive part of the solution to out of control issues; sharing our story to audiences of ten and ten thousand! Thank you to every person who is part of this movement that is #MakingCityStreetsLikeNewAgain - those who volunteer out on the streets, in clubs, at festivals; those who believed in us right at the start and in the 100+ communities we are now in; those who pray; those who have given and supported; those who have become close friends; those we partner with. I believe God is into networks, connecting people and organisations for the greater good. CNI Network and my ministry is part of this massive bigger picture of people and God working together seeing radical and lasting social, community and individual transformation! Love the person in front of you is where it starts and where it ends but the results are amazing! Thank you to all who are #MakingCityStreetsLikeNewAgain! Source
Bridlington Street Angels are looking for volunteers. The Street Angels are a voluntary organisation that aims to keep people on nights out safe in the town centre and on the sea front. They offer a variety of help, including first aid, blankets to keep people warm and even spare flip flops if people get fed up of their high heels. Peter Wilson helped to set up the Bridlington Street Angels ten years ago after being involved with something similar in the Midlands. He said: "Every single night is different and that's the beauty of it. Even if you're feeling tired thinking that you have to go out at around 10.00pm and may well be out until 3.00am, you get that kick because it is different. It's that enjoyment of just helping people and being there for them. Places in Bridlington are safer, the local police tell us that since the street angels have been operating here, the town has become safer at night. You hear the same story up and down the coast and in towns and cities across the country." You can listen to more of what Peter had to say about the street angels here: Source
Local MP, David Rutley, joined the Macclesfield’s Hope Street Angels on the evening of Friday 10th February as they worked in near freezing temperatures to ensure that homeless people in Macclesfield town centre received the assistance they needed. David has long been a strong supporter of the Hope Street Angels Macclesfield initiative, which is backed by hard-working local volunteers. He has previously worked with them on a number of occasions as they go about their invaluable work in the town centre on weekend evenings. On this visit, David joined the Street Angels on a walk-about in Macclesfield to see whether any homeless people were in need of assistance from the WHAM night shelter, another Hope initiative, based at St Michael’s church on that evening. David also spent time in the shelter to learn more about the work that is being done to support some of the most vulnerable people in the local community. The Winter Hope Accommodation in Macclesfield (WHAM) night shelter runs from November to March, and provides weekend accommodation at various churches and locations across Macclesfield. The service provides food, accommodation, clothing, and advice through the Citizens Advice Bureau, to those in need of support. It is run by a dedicated group of volunteers. Hope Street Angels Macclesfield is a voluntary faith-based organisation launched by Hope in North East Cheshire in 2012. The group, which operates primarily on Saturday nights from 10.30pm to 3.00am, is based at the United Reformed Church on Park Green. With the help of Cheshire East Council, local publicans and the Police, they look to help people by listening, caring, and offering practical help on the streets of Macclesfield late at night. Local residents who would like to find out more about how they could volunteer should contact Pip Mosscrop, the co-ordinator at: [email protected]. Following his visit David said: “The Street Angels continue to do great work in taking care of vulnerable people in Macclesfield town centre late at night. I am very grateful that they are now also spending time on Friday evenings to help homeless people make use of the services of the WHAM night shelter, which is doing invaluable work in supporting homeless people during the colder winter months. I would like to thank all of the volunteers for their dedicated service and commitment to the community. I hope that more local residents will be willing to join them in the future.” Congratulations to the Dundee Street and Club Chaplains who recently won STAR Awards Dundee Safer Streets Award. Well deserved!
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Arguments over taxi queues is causing Beverley town centre to descend into "chaos" on Saturday nights, it has been claimed. Two men crashed through a large window at fashion store Jaeger, opposite the taxi rank in the market place, leaving one needing hospital treatment last Saturday night. In another incident, a man was said to have ended up unconscious with a head injury after trying to get a taxi in Saturday Market. Now, Beverley Street Angels are asking East Riding Council to put up "taxi queue" signs, in a bid keep queuing orderly and stop people queue jumping. Street Angel Richard Bradbury, whose patrolling volunteers help keep revellers safe on Saturday nights, said the taxi ranks are a flashpoint for trouble. Mr Bradbury said: "If we get incidents, most of them tend to be in the taxi queue. “Part of the problem is the queue is not clearly designated and disputes happen. The council has a policy of not putting up signage that would disrupt the look and feel of Beverley. "On busy nights over Christmas and New Year the council puts out taxi marshals which is fantastic but because of the cost they can't do it all the time." Mr Bradbury said one man ended up unconscious, with a head injury, after trying to get a taxi outside Edinburgh Woollen Mill on Saturday night. Outside Jaeger, he understood two men may have been "play fighting" in the taxi queue when the shop window was smashed. Mr Bradbury, whose volunteers are trained in first aid and conflict management, said queue signs could help tackle disorderly queuing. He said: "Temporary signs, put out on a Saturday night designating where the taxi queue is, could solve a lot of the problems." East Riding Councillor Denis Healy, who has been on patrol with the Street Angels, now plans to ask the council to look at the possibility of signs. He said: "When I joined the Street Angels on patrol last month I witnessed a fight in the taxi rank which resulted in a guy getting arrested. "The taxi rank is often a flashpoint for trouble because of queue jumping. It's so disorderly. It's not the people's fault, they are not clear where to stand. A taxi will arrive, the queue might not move and someone will jump in. "The taxi drivers are not there to police it, they are there to get fares. There is chaos there, it's a big problem. "I think signs are something that could be done, although I think with the demeanour of people in the taxi rank, they might not necessarily obey signs because they're often fuelled up with alcohol. "But signs are better than nothing and I will raise it will council officers." Inspector Mark Coulthard, of Humberside Police, confirmed there were several incidents on a “busy" Saturday night in Beverley. Police officers logged the incident outside Jaeger at 2.49am. Insp Coulthard said: “It looks like a male has run at another male who was stood outside the window of Jaeger and both of them have gone through the window." He said a taxi driver had contacted the council to report another incident. There were also reports about abusive behaviour outside the Upper Crust takeaway and complaints about a drunken couple banging on doors in Morton Lane. Insp Coulthard said: “It was very much drink-fuelled behaviour. It was clearly quite busy and the people we dealt with were local to Beverley. “There are two flashpoints, outside the Upper Crust takeaway and the taxi rank because they are open late. “The key element is people are drinking too much alcohol. For whatever reason nowadays people seem to be much more aggressive and willing to have a go at each other. “My message is people should think about how much they drink and try to be considerate to other people. Certainly things like play-fighting can get out of hand." A spokesman for East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: "The taxi rank in Beverley is marked and any incidents of public order are a matter for the police." CNI Network is helping with promotion of the Father's Love Letter and suggest that projects have copies available to help connect with people who we help through our work. The aim is to deliver a copy to every home in the UK as well as via social media and through the work of organisations and churches. For more information see the Facebook page.
Wendy Thomas interviewed on Premier Radio about the campaign Wendy Thomas interviewed on UCB Radio about the campaign The secret life of Iranian Leo Ambrosio - Source
Quote from the article: "One of my favourite projects was working with Oldham Street Angels; we mostly pick litter and help drunk party goers in the town centre at night. "The feeling I’ve gotten from helping these strangers, who will probably never remember me, is something special. I’ve had some laughs along the way at Oldham's people enjoying their alcohol." Source
One missed payment is all it takes to be penniless, alone and on the street — homelessness can strike at any time. And it can affect anyone, with students increasingly falling foul of landlords, according to one of Dundee’s street chaplains. Andy Burns, a street chaplain for Urban Impact Christian Ministries, has spent the past 16 years helping those on the city’s streets find a safe haven for the night. He spoke to the Tele about what’s changed over the years and how his team has adapted to it, as well as a general snapshot of a night with a street chaplain. It comes as the chaplains have released a video to show the work of the team in Dundee — A Night In The Life of a… Dundee Street Chaplain. The video shows the chaplains talking to folk on the street, offering them hot drinks and a friendly chat. A variety of people — including teenagers on a night out as well as the older generation — are spoken to by the volunteers throughout the night. Andy said: “It’s fairly quiet in town at the moment — it’s always quieter after Christmas but this January is even quieter than usual. “The main change over the 16 years I’ve been doing this in Dundee has been how much better it’s become — it used to be much worse. “The problem we’re increasingly tackling is homelessness — and not just the people visible on the streets, there’s a hidden homeless seeping in too, people you wouldn’t expect to be in trouble. “We’re hearing of students in particular who are left sofa surfing after not having enough of their loan left to pay rent. “And that’s fine, as long as they have someone willing to offer a sofa, but if that disappears before the next loan comes in then their troubles really begin. We’re here to provide support and guidance to anyone in that situation.” Andy said the quieter town centre had allowed the chaplains more time to focus on issues such as homelessness, although they still had their work cut out to keep people safe on nights out. He added: “There’s been such improvement in the services available and the way that we all work together now. “We have a great relationship with all the agencies involved in safety in the city. “But legal highs are still a problem and not one we’re particularly geared up to handle. “They were all over the city at Christmas and we kept coming across them. “They cause us issues because of the erratic behaviour of people using them. “We’re all well-trained and mostly experienced first aiders so we know how to deal with people on drink or even on known drugs. “But legal highs are incredibly unpredictable and so are the people on them. “It can actually be quite scary watching them. They’re all over the place and you have no idea what they might do. It’s definitely more an issue among students rather than older people — but it’s a dangerous one. “We’d like some training on legal highs and how to deal with someone on them. “Some of the legal highs make people act very crazy. “And we are not always prepared to handle the more extreme cases. “I’m very glad the new laws banning legal highs came in. The issue may not have got better yet, but it’s stopped getting worse.” Andy said the Dundee Safe Zone bus was a crucial resource for the chaplains as a safe place to take people regardless of what state they are in. He added: “The bus is invaluable to us. It gives us a base for people to come to us for help, whether it’s medical or just putting them in a taxi home. Of course, we will also call the police and an ambulance if necessary.” |
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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 |