Anour Taylor from Street Angels Spain is interviewed on TalkRadio Europe - from drug dealer to Street Angel!
Listen here Anour below with ruck-sack on patrol last year in Santa Ponsa. International Day of Prayer for the night-time economy - Wednesday 12th March - see here for things to celebrate and pray for... Northern Conference - if you are planning to come please book in! This will be an amazing day (and evening concert) - see here for details. The Trustees of CNI Network met in February. During the day they looked at the work, vision and plans for CNI Network before joining the Bishop of Pontefract Tony Robinson, patron of CNI, for a meal and then, at night, the amazing team of Club Angels in Tiger Tiger Leeds. A brief overview of discussions:
Love Your Streets #Do1NiceThing each day in Lent runs from Wednesday 5th March to Easter Sunday - there are loads of ideas to help you make life nicer for others - see here for more details and please tweet / Facebook using #Do1NiceThing Massive congratulations and well done to:
From the Blog: Sad news from Sanktuary Telford Comfor-ted! YouTube channel and MakingTheDifference.tv are updated
Paul and Jean speak at Christian Women's Fellowship national weekend (thanks to this group for offering us knitted chicks with creme eggs and the message 'You are amazing because God made you to be you! As you eat this egg pray that God will offer you a new start this Easter." - we have some left - they have already gone to Dundee, Leeds and Witney!) Majorca Street Angels feature in Diario de Mallorca Owen Jones: The drug we ignore that kills thousands Arun Angels receive £1,000 donation £1,625 gift for York Street Angels Alcohol and Safety Resource and response to recent TV programmes Dundee Street Chaplains - CNI Network at ROC Scotland Showcase Events: Tue 4th March - Beth Tash from Leeds Street Angels and Paul speaking to Leeds Met students Wed 5th March - #Do1NiceThing every day during Lent - visit www.do1nicething.org.uk for details. CNI network has also contributed to the #BIGRead. Tue 11th March- Inspiring Fundraising & Philanthropy - in the 21st Century - an event with some great speakers from organisations such as Crowdfunder, British Inspirational Trust and LocalGiving. Tickets are only £10 - see here to book (this is in Halifax). Wed 12th March- International Day of Prayer for night-time economy - see here for more details. Sat 15th March - Paul and Jean visiting Beverley and Hull Street Angels Mon 24th / Tue 25th March- Paul in London meeting various people including DrinkAware, Clapham Junction Night Pastors, Croydon Club Angels and at Westminster Social Policy Forum conference on future of alcohol policy. Thu 27th March- Paul at Welcome to Yorkshire Tour de Force event looking at plans for the Grande Depart of the Tour de France in July (with opportunities to serve as Street Angels around the event) Sat 12th April - CNI Network Northern Conference in York and Philippa Hanna concert - details here. Mon 20th October - CNI Network Afternoon Tea at Lambeth Palace - details here. CNI are now able to offer banners - 1.2m wide by 2m tall - the banner and frame are separate (the banner clips onto the frame) so you can easily swap banners. The banner and frame is £65 with additional banners (same or different design) at £30. Art work to be supplied by you on PDF (designed to size with high res pictures) or design similar to below (with just pictures supplied by you then designed by Paul for £30 donation.) Postage is £13. The banners are for indoor use only and this offer is open to any charity or organisation. E-mail Paul for further details. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and keep up to date with our Blog
Support our work via Give As You Live (at no cost to yourself) LocalGiving / MyDonate / PayPal / a Life Changing Challenge See our shop for first aid supplies, insurance, flip-flops, SURVIVA body-warmers, YourNight mobile app, Dudes With Wings, our eBook story and more... YourNight - the app that helps people visiting your community have a safe night out - see here. Start Street Angels or Club Angels in your community - see here It is with great sadness that I must tell you that the Sanktuary management committee have made the difficult decision to draw the Sanktuary project to an end.
Sanktuary was set up in December 2008 and in the time since then the project has had an enormous impact in Wellington. Many volunteers have given their time over the years, some for just one night and others for the whole 5 years, to bringing peace to the night time community and offer help and advice to anyone in need during the nights we have been out. Over the past 2 years however we have not been operating to the full extent that we would like. There have been many weekends that we have not been able to organise a team of volunteers to be out in Wellington. Despite various attempts at bringing in new volunteers we have not been able to rectify the situation. Earlier this month the Sanktuary management committee held a difficult meeting at the end of a series of meetings and had to conclude that sadly the project does not have a future. Arrangements have been made for the Telford Street Pastors to begin patrols in Wellington and they have invited the church-going volunteers of Sanktuary to join them. We will be arranging an event for all past Sanktuary volunteers to come together to celebrate the work of this project over the past 5 years. We do not want this project to end badly but to be celebrated for the amazing difference that all of its volunteers have made. Details of this event will be sent out in due course when a venue and date have been confirmed by Dewi Evans. Regards, Deborah Reck on behalf of the Sanktuary Management Committee On behalf of CNI Network we would like to thank the amazing team who had the vision and launched Sanktuary 5 years ago. They have done a tremendous job and have made a massive impact within the area of Telford they worked. Sanktuary will have a lasting impact in the lives of those it has helped and through the work of CALLA which was started as a result of Sanktuary volunteers responding to human trafficking on the streets of the town. The project was a great example of church and community working hand-in-hand and we are saddened that some of the volunteers will not be able to carry on volunteering within the night-time in this way. We thank them and wish them well in future endeavours. Thank you once again to all who have invested in Wellington through Sanktuary. Particular thanks to Deborah for all she has done and the Management Team. God bless Paul Blakey MBE on behalf of CNI Network The Trustees of CNI Network met in February. During the day they looked at the work, vision and plans for CNI Network before joining the Bishop of Pontefract Tony Robinson, patron of CNI, for a meal and then, at night, the amazing team of Club Angels in Tiger Tiger Leeds. A brief overview of discussions:
Comforted = Comfort ted
A poem by Joy Rice My name is teddy gaga, I am a party ted. I like to knock back the Baileys and get right off my head. We doing the latest craze - it's calked neknominate. But ooh- er all those Baileys haven't left me feeling so great. The street angels helped me they showed me love and care. They mopped me up, gave me a lollipop and offered me a prayer! I was struggling in my high heels and to the street I drops. Thank goodness for their comfort and for their free flip flops. My head was throbbing, my feet ached, I was a very sore ted, But thanks to the angels comforting me - I am on my way to being sorted. They gave me a holding cross and told me about our saviour. Now I'm saved, too. Cut down on the booze, no longer a little raver. Paul and Jean have spent the weekend at Christian Women's Fellowship weekend with 106 amazing ladies - Paul shared about unconditional love and the way the church is leading the way in offering unconditional love in almost every area of need in our nation. Jean led a workshop on hospitality and Paul led a workshop around the night-time economy.
The amazing ladies raised over £560 (£700 with Gift Aid) for the golf buggy appeal for the Majorca Street Angels Spain - this will help the team get people back to hotels and then get back out to help more people - walking people from hotel to hotel takes up valuable time! One lady imagined we were wanting to buy golf club buggies - she had images of us lifting people into the golf club bag and then wheeling them to the hotel!!! (still deciding head or feet first!!!) Thanks to the ladies for the invitation and support for what we do in 125 communities across UK, Spain and Australia! Copy of Paul's talk on Unconditional Love Article which mentions that: "The churches are very much larger than any British political party. Even the Methodist church has more paying members than the Conservative or Labour parties – more than the Conservatives and Ukip together. The Church of England has five times as many people in church every Sunday than the number of Tory party members." Many of the ladies also knitted chickens which include a Creme Egg and the message, "You are amazing because God made you to be you! As you eat this egg pray that God will offer you a new start this Easter." The 45 chicks and eggs will be distributed to projects across the UK to hand out to some of those we help over the Easter weekend. Source
This all-too silent pandemic urgently needs to be addressed, and that means dealing with the lack of funding for dealing with alcohol compared with other drugs. It is a drug that killed more than 8,300 people in 2012, and has taken the lives of at least 5,000 English and Welsh citizens every year for the last decade. It is the culprit behind between one and two out of every hundred deaths. Despite a small drop in fatalities compared with 2011, the death toll is still around one and a half times greater than it was just two decades ago. Its abuse can lead to conditions ranging from strokes to heart disease. It is a potentially lethal substance that kills 2.5 million globally, and damages the health of far, far more. And as well as the human toll, it costs the British economy £21bn a year in crime and healthcare. This drug is, of course, alcohol, a perfectly legal substance that escapes the mania reserved for less damaging, yet illicit, substances. Consider this fact, from Alcohol Concern, which underlines just how perverse our response to alcohol is compared with other drugs: while £1,313 is spent on treating every dependent drug user, just £136 is reserved for every dependent drinker. The trend is frightening indeed. Drug and alcohol treatment charity Addaction tell me that, two years ago, booze replaced heroin as the main substance-abuse problem they had to deal with. The number of people dying from alcohol-related liver disease has surged by nearly a fifth since 2002. And let’s not pretend that this is the affliction of caricatured so-called “sink estates”, or of young women lying unconscious outside nightclubs. Research shows that affluent Brits consume more alcohol – and more regularly – than manual workers or unemployed people. “An individual is more likely to drink regularly and above recommended limits during the week if s/he is a high-income earning professional worker,” say the Institute of Alcohol Studies. This should really be common sense – those with more dosh can afford to buy more wine and beer – but is counter-intuitive in an atmosphere where the unemployed are frequently portrayed as feckless binge-drinkers. It’s the same when it comes to age. It is not the 18-year-olds getting hammered in Manchester and Newcastle town centres on a Friday night we need to worry about most. Sure, it makes great copy for certain newspapers, partly because it is so visible, but what happens quietly behind closed doors is far more frightening. Indeed, drinking among young people has actually been falling considerably over the last few years. It is middle-aged men who are drinking the most, and more than a fifth of those hospitalised with serious alcohol or other drug problems are now in their 40s. Addaction, for example, experienced a stunning 315 per cent increase in over-50-year-olds reporting problems with alcohol between 2009 and 2013. This all-too silent pandemic urgently needs to be addressed, and that means dealing with the lack of funding for dealing with alcohol compared with other drugs. Because the reasons behind alcohol abuse vary so wildly, so must the treatments. Child abuse, domestic abuse, trauma, and homelessness are among the wildly differing driving forces behind alcohol problems, all needing different approaches. But, in an age of austerity, these sorts of crucial services face attack. According to a survey by Drugscope, a third of those in the drug-treatment sector have already reported cutbacks, significantly more than those who report improvements. Local authorities are charged with public health responsibilities, and have to decide how much to allocate to treating the alcohol pandemic. And yet they face cuts which are unprecedented in modern times, with the bulk still to come. Although the public health budget is ring-fenced, some local authorities fear that they will be left without the resources to maintain functions that they are required by law to provide. Under pressure authorities could even end up extending the definition of “public health” to free up money. The deadly pandemic of alcohol misuse just underlines the absurd hypocrisies of Britain’s drug laws. That fountain of common sense, Professor David Nutt, was sacked by New Labour in 2009 for stating the obvious: alcohol is more dangerous than cannabis, LSD and ecstasy. Yet we criminalise people for using these substances, as well as ensuring a steady source of income for thuggish gangs that prey on the most vulnerable and fuel a whole range of other crimes. Those who respond with “Ah, so why legalise other drugs, even if they’re less dangerous” should look to the US Prohibition for what happens when substances that are in demand are handed over to criminal gangs. That is why it is so welcome that Green MP Caroline Lucas has triggered a parliamentary debate on having an evidence-based policy, rather than one riddled with hypocrisy and inconsistency. Alcohol abuse needs to be treated as the national disaster that it is. Banning alcohol advertising would be a good start. But those struggling with alcohol abuse need far more help: just 6 per cent of people struggling with alcohol dependency get access to treatment, compared with 23 per cent in Italy. This is indefensible, and not just from the perspective of basic humanity. As Alcohol Concern point out, every £1 spent on treatment saves £5 in cost. Unless there is change, thousands will continue to die, and billions will continue to be lost. What a waste. Twitter: @owenjones84 Over the winter months Street Angels faced with minus temperatures, cold winds, snow, ice and frost have to keep their heads warm! This blog entry and Facebook album is to feature funny hats and we invite you to like the picture - the ones with the most likes win a prize (by end of March 2014 when the weather warms up!!!)
Email your pics to [email protected] with the subject HATS! Manchester radio station Key 103 day 3 and day 4 of the campaign to start Street Angels in Manchester. On Day 3 Inspector Phil Spurgeon from Manchester City Centre Policing was interviewed and on day 4 Manchester MP Lucy Powell. International Day of Prayer for work in the night-time economy Wednesday 12th March 2014 A day to pray and celebrate as one for:
Join in either as a local project, a church or individuals - the key thing is we unite as one to pray for the night-time economy and all that includes! We have a Facebook event page where you can leave comments or email Paul. Please use the #CNIPrayer on social media! Your people will rebuild the cities that were destroyed long ago.
And you will build again on the old foundations. You will be called the one who repairs broken walls. You will be called the one who makes city streets like new again. Isaiah 58:12 - The Bible Source Key103's hoping Manchester can follow Bolton's example in cutting crime and drunken disorder. As part of our campaign to set up a team of Street Angels in Manchester we've been looking at how well they work in other towns and cities. Bolton is one of the 125 areas in the country to have volunteers on patrol there. The police there have told us in the last year violent crime involving injury has dropped by 17 percent. Our reporter Michelle Livesey's been on patrol with Karen who's one of their volunteers: The Bolton Street Angels have been patrolling the town Centre since 2008. They operate every Saturday and usually the last Friday of the month. Jacqui Griffiths is member of the Mangement team and is also in charge of training: See a video of the Street Angels in action: Source
A former homeless man and Street Angel has been recognised for his voluntary work by Halifax bank after winning an award. Steve Windsor has won a Halifax Giving Extra Award for his volunteering efforts with Halifax Street Angels, Calderdale Food and Support Drop-In Centre, and Inn Churches - a night shelter provision for the homeless, after being nominated by Halifax Street Angel project manager Ellis King. Steve, who was once sleeping rough, has turned his life full circle after using Halifax’s food and support centre, at the Ebenezer Centre, Pellon Lane. Mr King said: “He is a local inspiration. Steve gives all his time to help vulnerable people in need.” Steve supports people with addictions and helps homeless individuals find housing. He said: “Winning came as a shock, I’ve never won anything before. I feel ecstatic and proud of this achievement - it’s boosted my confidence and I feel proud to tell people I’m a winner. The praise I’ve received from friends and Halifax staff has been wonderful. “This award has shown me good things do happen to people like me who give their time to good causes.” Steve was one of 67 local Giving Extra winners. Director of Halifax Community Bank David Nicholson said: “It was difficult to choose 67 winners because we received so many incredible nominations. However, the work Steve has done for vulnerable people in his community really caught our panel’s attention and we wanted to recognise him with this award.” Each winner received £250 in vouchers. All 67 local winners will have a chance to become one of seven regional winners - the national winner of the Halifax Giving Extra Awards will be announced in February and the winner will receive £2,500 in vouchers and a £5,000 donation to a local good cause of their choice. |
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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 |