Source (with pictures)
Burton Mail reporter Elizabeth Fry went out with the Street Angels from St Mary and Madeleine church, Guild Street in Burton when they set off to talk to people and looking after them whilst visiting the town's night clubs. BURTON town centre is becoming safer according to street angels who patrol it after new figures revealed a fall in the number of injuries as a result of violence. Research by Cardiff University showed that the number of people hurt in violent incidents is at its lowest rate for 15 years across the UK. Phil Pusey, leader of Burton's Street Angels, said he has seen the town centre become quieter in the two years since the project started and his team now rarely sees fights taking place. He said that although he thinks the rising price of alcohol is responsible for much of this decrease, he believes that the presence of the Street Angels has also played a part. He said: "Staffordshire Police told us that violent assaults in Burton had decreased by 30 per cent over a period of a couple of years thanks to some of our work. "We are primarily a preventative measure and we aim to be the peace-makers on the streets. "A lot of it is about distraction so we diffuse situations by giving them a lollipop, chatting to them if they are angry in a bid to get the issue off their chest, or just trying to make them laugh." The street angels team is based at the top of Station Street on a Friday night where the volunteers hand out tea, coffee, biscuits and water. The team never intervenes in physical altercations, which are dealt with by the police. Chief Inspector Steve Maskrey, East Staffordshire local policing team commander, said that the police have seen a stable number of recorded violent crimes in the last year. He said: "More serious violent crime resulting in significant injuries such as broken bones has decreased by eight per cent in the last year." Mr Pusey said he and his fellow street angels do not see fights very often, but that when they do it is normally down to not being allowed into a club or when people leave a bar together and have a disagreement. He added that the decrease in violence is partly due to the price of alcohol. He said: "I think the main reason is the cost of going out. People are coming out much later now, between half 11 and 12, which may be down to affordability, so they are drinking at home instead." The Portman Group has today announced that alcohol related crimes are decreasing across all regions of England...
Boro Angels receiving the Special Recognition Award 2015 at the Best Bar None Awards on Thursday 16th April in Middlesbrough Town Hall.
Bishop Nigel of Brechin was out and about with the ROCK Street Chaplains Dundee recently - here are a few pictures...
Source
West Yorkshire 'Street Angels' are looking for more recruits to provide care and assistance to vulnerable locals. More volunteers are needed to help keep people on nights out in West Yorkshire safe. That's the calls from charity 'Street Angels' who have patrols in several places, including Leeds, Halifax and Bradford to help protect vulnerable people. If someone has drunk too much the Angels offer them water, if someone takes their shoes off as they’re hurting the Angels give them flip-flops, and if someone has become separated from their friends or is upset the Angels will provide emotional help and support and make sure they are not left alone. Teams are out Friday and some Saturdays from 10pm - 3am. They wear bright yellow jackets labelled Street Angel to make themselves known to the public, and work alongside other agencies to provide practical care, listening ears and look out for people. Volunteer Katie Waters says “On patrol we look out for people that are vulnerable, and often walk about 3 miles a night to keep an eye on various areas, so we ask that any volunteers are reasonably fit and healthy- but apart from that anyone can apply!” “Over the course of an hour or a few hours you see someone be helped by what you’re doing and manage to get home or be reunited with their friends. It’s really rewarding, it’s things like that that make you want to keep doing it.” Source (with video) - also featured on BBC Look North
Emergency services staged a rescue at the River Aire in Leeds today after about 31 incidents in five years. The stretch of the river through the city centre has been responsible for more rescues than any other body of water in West Yorkshire. Firefighters led a training exercise using boats and ropes to rescue a man floundering in the water behind Asda house. Police and street angels were also on hand to assist. Leeds district fire commander Russ Hepton said: “It’s not a controlled environment. If someone gets in there in deep water, potentially they could be in trouble. “Half of incidents are over the weekend period, which is a concern to me because it suggests people are out enjoying themselves, possibly taking a bit of alcohol and the river, for whatever reason, looks more attractive. “My clear message is don’t ever entertain getting in the water. If you do it might be the very last thing you do.” West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been called to 107 water rescues across the county since 2010, nine of which resulted in fatalities. There were 47 incidents across Leeds, including five deaths. Two of those were in the Aire. The exercise was held to coincide with the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) national Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Week. Source
SKIPTON'S Street Angels will mark their sixth anniversary with a service of thanksgiving in the town's St Andrew's Church on Tuesday, April 14. As well as celebrating six years of helping people to stay safe in the town at night, they will welcome recently trained Street Angels into the group. Chairman Eileen Appleby said: "We are very grateful to all our unpaid volunteers who give up their time on Saturday nights so others can relax and enjoy their night out. "We are grateful for the support of the public who often greet us with handshakes, hugs and 'high fives'. "We could not continue this valuable service to the community without the help of our sponsors who work behind the scenes to provide finance, training and other assistance." Street Angels Skipton is organised by Churches Together in Skipton and District and welcomes people of whatever faith or none. They work in partnership with the police and ambulance services. Secretary Susan Broadhead said: "Over the last six years we have worked hard to build up a group of trained Street Angels who together invest about 2,500 volunteer hours every year. Our work has been recognised in winning the Craven Community Group of the Year award in 2012 and, in 2013, by The High Sheriff of North Yorkshire presenting us with a Commendation Award for services to the community." This service of thanksgiving will take place at 7.30pm and will include a short talk by local rector, the Rev Veronica James. Source
A joint operation involving British Transport Police and North Yorkshire Police sent a strong message that alcohol-related anti-social behaviour on trains, at York station and in the city centre is unacceptable. Dozens of officers from both forces worked together on Saturday 28 March to ensure that people could visit York, enjoy themselves, and feel safe. Officers - including seven North Yorkshire Police Special Constables, who volunteered their own time to take part in the operation - worked alongside a drugs dog on the 'day of action' to identify problematic groups and individuals coming in and out of York, and deal with them firmly if required. BTP Chief Inspector Derek O'Mara said: "The joint operation to identify problematic groups and individuals coming in and out of York on Saturday was extremely successful. "A number of people were dealt with and words of advice given to groups whose behaviour we felt was unacceptable and anti-social to other people. "We had some excellent feedback from passengers and rail staff who were pleased to see that we were taking the issue of alcohol-related anti-social behaviour on trains and at stations seriously and putting in measures to address it. "BTP officers regularly work alongside rail staff from train operators to undertake a weekly operation on a Saturday night at York station to identify passengers who are heavily under the influence of alcohol or acting anti-socially. If their behaviour is unacceptable we will take firm action and they will not be allowed to travel and removed from the station. T/Inspector Andy Godfrey, of York Police, said: "We want everyone to be able to enjoy the city of York and feel safe. We will take action against anyone whose behaviour falls below an acceptable standard, including the use of dispersal powers to remove people from the city centre if they are identified as causing or very likely to cause crime or anti-social behaviour. "We work very closely with our BTP colleagues, and this partnership allows us to identify potentially problematic groups coming into York and take the necessary action required to minimise any issues. "This was a successful day of action, and people can be reassured that staff from both North Yorkshire Police and BTP will continue to engage with people visiting York, including large groups, to make sure they are aware of the standards of behaviour expected. "Both North Yorkshire Police and BTP are active members of the AVANTE group, which meets regularly to discuss the York's night time economy. Other partners include Pubwatch, Safer York Partnership, York University and York St John university student unions, City of York Council licensing staff, Trading Standards, Street Angels, and more. Many members of the public stopped officers to ask what was happening due to the high number of police on Saturday, and all were pleased to see the police taking positive action. I would welcome any further feedback from York residents regarding city centre policing." CI O'Mara added: "This is not about trying to spoil people's fun or ruining their day out. It's about educating people to be aware of their alcohol consumption and their behaviour. We will continue to work closely with North Yorkshire Police to ensure that everyone is able to visit York and feel safe and secure." Activity at York station - Saturday 28 March 2015
CNI Network was at Word Alive Event week one sharing our vision and local project work with those at the event. Over the 5 days we gave out around 800 of the 'volunteers are amazing - thank you' booklets, met people involved in local projects and had conversations with others looking to start work within the night-time economy.
Source (and full article)
The Royal Borough Volunteer Awards 2014/15 took place on Tuesday (24/3) at Maidenhead Town Hall, in St Ives Road, organised by RBWM and WAM Get Involved with 11 awards being dished out to outstanding volunteers. Yvonne Conroy, described as the “glue” which holds the Windsor Street Angels together and the “oil” which helps ensure things run smoothly, scooped the Royal Borough Volunteer of the Year award. Pat Capp won the WAM Get Involved Volunteer of the Year for her tireless work to build the Sequela Foundation into a unique and highly beneficial service for people in East Berkshire suffering from neurological problems while suffering from Transverse Myelitis herself. Sam Hester scooped the WAM Get Involved Community Young Volunteer of the Year for the help he provides to a young person with significant learning difficulties in Eton Wick enabling them to participate in mainstream youth activities that they would otherwise be unable to attend. Other awards were dished out for people who excelled in the borough’s Adopt-A-Street programme and volunteers in the council services such as at its libraries and the CareBank project. Eileen Denny, WAM Get Involved co-ordinator, said: "It was a lovely occasion with a great atmosphere, and we thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to thank the volunteers and to celebrate the wonderful spirit of volunteering we have in the Royal Borough. "It was really inspiring to meet these volunteers who give so much of themselves to help others in their community. RBWM VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR - Yvonne Conroy: Yvonne regularly volunteers as a Street Angel between the hours of 9pm on a Friday evening and 4am on a Saturday morning, helping those in need after a night out. Her work helps to reduce crime and make Windsor an even safer place to be. Behinds the scenes, Yvonne also works in the background as part of the Street Angel’s Steering Group. She is both part of the “glue” that holds Street Angels together, and the “oil” that helps to ensure things run smoothly. |
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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 |