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A group that helps drunken revellers in the city centre says it needs to recruit extra volunteers in time for Hull's year as UK City of Culture. Hull Street Angels Trinity hit the street on a Friday and Saturday night, offering non-judgmental help and advice to anyone who needs it. Nick Middleton, a trustee, says the registered charity needs to add to its current volunteer base of 23. He said: "One thing we noticed after this year's Pride and Freedom Festival was that people tended to spill out into the city centre and they needed our support. It was clear then that we needed more volunteers. "With City of Culture just around the corner, there will be more night-time activity. Because of this, we need to recruit at least 10 more volunteers." Volunteers are based alongside the civic CCTV camera control room in the city centre. Its location is not revealed for security reasons. "We ask our volunteers to commit to one 9pm to 2am shift - a Friday or a Saturday night - each month," said Mr Middleton. "Our volunteers are enormously committed and some will complete two or more shifts a month." Teams patrol key night spots, armed with sick bowls, bottles of water, flip-flops, foil blankets and lollipops. "We'll hand out flip flops to women who might be struggling to walk in their heels after a night out," said Mr Middleton. "Water is there to help re-hydrate. Foil blankets are occasionally used to help preserve women's modesty. "The idea of handing out lollipops came from Humberside Police. With a lollipop in their mouth, people who might have had too much to drink are more likely to be quiet and listen to advice. "We're there to help ensure people get home safely. We'll even walk people to taxi ranks." Volunteers are also equipped with radios linked to Hull's CCTV operators. "They've never needed to call for back-up," said Mr Middleton. "But it's reassuring to know help can be brought to volunteers quickly, if required." Hull Street Angels Trinity - initially based at Holy Trinity Church in the old town - formed just over four years ago. In that time, Mr Middleton says over 3,500 people have been helped by the volunteers. "The people of Hull have always been very good to us," said Mr Middleton. "We often get high fives and hugs from people when we're out and about. We appreciate that."
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VOLUNTEERS at Bolton Street Angels are asking for the public’s support in a bid to raise their profile. The group, which helps vulnerable drinkers in the town centre on Saturday nights, is looking to purchase and modify a second-hand ambulance or minibus as a base that would be parked in Bradshawgate every week. The Street Angels who moved into Bank Street Chapel after being forced to leave their former base in Bradshawgate, have found that fewer people are aware of their presence in the town centre. Residents are now being urged to help by voting for the project to receive a grant of around £10,000 from the Aviva Community Fund. Suzanne McKinley, the group’s treasurer, said: “We have been based at Bank Street Chapel for over a year and they have been very good to us, but we sometimes feel a bit invisible there. “Our volunteer numbers have been dropping and being able to see us in the town centre will hopefully encourage more people to sign up so that we can survive and grow. “It would make a huge difference to us to have this as a new, permanent base. “Recently, we haven’t had people coming in to talk with us like we used to when we were on Bradshawgate.” The Street Angels have permission to park at the Primark delivery area if they can secure a vehicle as a new base, a location where they would be far more visible to drinkers coming out of pubs and bars. If their application is successful, there are hopes to double the current number of volunteers and expand the service, which has been running since 2008, to include Friday night support. She added: “At the moment, we feel more like an emergency service going out and responding to incidents in the town centre. What we miss is having people come in, sit down, and chat with us. Part of our job is prevention and talking to people is a big part of that.” The group currently has between 15 and 20 volunteers and helps up to 400 people every year. To vote for the project, visit community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/16-1561. Press Release - Ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, zombies and Angels:
Ghosts, ghouls, skeletons and zombies will be joined by Angels on the streets of towns and cities across the UK this Halloween. The weekend around Halloween has become one of the busiest nights of the year with people donning fancy dress costumes and pubs and clubs holding specially themed nights. The weekend before the 31st October will see teams of Street Angels and Club Angels out and about helping those who are or could become vulnerable. Founder of Street Angels and CEO of CNI (Christian Nightlife Initiatives) Network, Paul Blakey MBE, comments, "The Saturday before Halloween is becoming the most popular night of the year for people to go out to pubs and club with people dressing up in wide range of freaky costumes. Our teams are on hand to help people have a safer Halloween night out, though often the problem is spotting the real blood from the fake blood!" Street Angels were launched in 2005 and have since being replicated in over one hundred and thirty communities across the UK and overseas. Volunteer teams patrol night-time communities and offer safe place drop-in's alongside flip-flops, first aid, reassurance and lollipops to late night revellers. More information can be found at www.cninetwork.org.uk Source
As punters let their hair down in town, a group of guardian angels is on hand for those who might stumble into trouble. Street Angels are a team of Christian volunteers who choose to head to Watford town centre every Saturday night to look after people in need. From providing a listening ear, to re-uniting friends who have become separated, or being a first point of contact for someone who needs urgent medical help - the team of are there no matter what. David Scourfield, 51, from Bushey Mill Crescent in Watford, has been the team leader at Street Angels for seven years. He said: “We are a Christian team. We don’t preach to people, we show our faith through what we do. "The doormen and women do a brilliant job, but we offer a softer side." Street Angels is a project that has been running for 13 years by Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy. The team work closely with the emergency services and are often the first on the scene of an incident. There are currently 10 Street Angel members who offer their time to help care for people on a night out. The team start their shift every Saturday at 12pm and leave the town centre at 4am. The team provide reassurance to parents that their youngsters will be looked after. Mr Scourfield said: “We give comfort, compassion and Christ, and provide it to anyone of any faith – we aren’t judgemental.” The team were there the night that Bradley Cresswell died in The Parade with serious head injuries. Sadly, they had left the town centre before the incident happened. Mr Scourfield said: “We often talk with people who are suffering from suicidal thoughts. You wonder what might happen if we weren’t there. “People are struggling to cope with the stresses and strains of the life and some just turn to us and say they want to kill themselves.” Despite seeing drunken antics on a weekly basis, Mr Scourfield believes that people are now more sensible when it comes to drink. He said: “The clubs are keeping more of an eye on clubbers now. It’s calmer than it once was, but we still have work to do.” Guildford has been awarded Purple Flag status for its evening and night-time economy for a third consecutive year.
It is is among more than 65 towns and cities across the UK and Ireland who proudly fly the flag and is currently the only town in Surrey to have gained such accreditation. The Purple Flag, similar to the Blue Flag for beaches, aims to raise the standards and broaden the appeal of town and city centres between the hours of 5pm and 5am. Areas awarded the Purple Flag are recognised for providing a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and well-being of visitors and local residents. Purple Flag accredited towns and cities have also all reported a consistent increase in footfall and decrease in crime within the evening and night-time economy. The Guildford Town Purple Flag Partnership, co-ordinated by Stuart Craggs, night-time economy manager at Experience Guildford, the town centre’s Business Improvement District (BID), and led by Cllr Graham Ellwood, lead councillor for licensing and community safety, were responsible for driving and delivering a third term Purple Flag accreditation. Alongside Experience Guildford and Guildford Borough Council, the partnership also includes Surrey Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue, Guildford Pubwatch, Guildford Street Angels and the night-time venues of Guildford. Collectively they have worked to raise the profile of the town and its evening and night-time economy offering, covering pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues and tackling issues of safety and transport, street lighting, signage and parking. Guildford’s commitment and continued efforts to reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder were praised by assessors, as was its diverse mix of food and drink establishments on offer. Credited for a wide choice of evening and night-time entertainment, key venues highlighted in the assessor’s report included G Live, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Electric Theatre, Spectrum leisure centre along with events such as Guildford Fringe Theatre, Guildford Shakespeare Company, open air events at Guildford Castle and the open-air cinema at Guildford Lido. For more information on Guildford’s Purple Flag status and ongoing initiatives to support Guildford town centre’s night-time economy visit www.experienceguildford.com The Purple Flag programme is managed by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) working alongside the Purple Flag Advisory Committee – a partnership of key stakeholder groups backed by Government, police and businesses, as well as the UK sponsors, Diageo Great Britain. |
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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 |