Source
Aylesbury bars and the local police often get a helping hand on Saturday nights, and this time of year is no different. The Street Angels are a group of people from local churches who work as part of the Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership, giving advice and making sure people get home safely. Mark Knight is from the town centre chaplaincy: "People really get that we're just there to help. "We've had training to try and diffuse situations before they turn nasty, so we will try and distract people when they're squaring up for a fight. We just try and bring a bit of fun to the street." The group works alongside Thames Valley Police as part of the Town Centre Partnership, and Mark says the relationship works well: "I myself go to the town centre partnership meetings, I go to Pub Watch and I go to the night time economy meetings, to get a better feeling of what the town's all about and how it's run, what would be really helpful, and that relationship's working really well." Town Centre Manager, Diana Fawcett, said: "We all work in collaboration to make sure every area is covered. "The Street Angels come in on our busiest nights from 11 until 4 and help our most vulnerable visitors, either to get home safely or to sober up slightly." They're out tonight, as well as two teams around on New Year's Eve and they wear the jackets shown in the photo. ![]() Source Of my fourteen Christmas Days as a bishop I've probably spent part of half of them in prison. That's not bad for somebody with no criminal record. I've eaten mince pies alongside both petty and serious offenders. I've been glad that some are locked away where they can't harm the lives of the rest of us. Yet I trust my visits made the point to me and to them that they're not beyond the reach of God's hand. His love in Jesus calls to every human heart. For some that may be the hope they need to get their lives turned found. They may be on the edge of society, but they are part of Christmas. Whilst you may have to be a bishop to be allowed to visit a prison on Christmas Day, there are plenty of other ways to help the warmth of the season reach out far and wide across our communities, towns and cities. I remember at this time the Christmas shelter for the homeless that the church where I was vicar used to help out in, serving dinners and joining in friendly conversation with people who were often deliberately ignored on our streets. I also recall the smiles on the faces of the elderly residents of the council care home in Oldham our local youth club used to sing carols to in my teenage years. What I've discovered again and again is that being involved in acts of Christmas kindness makes all the rest of the celebrations a better experience. I'm excited now to be bishop in a diocese where there is so much good work being done, at Christmas and throughout the year, by individual Christians and by churches. At Manchester Cathedral the Booth Centre provides services for the homeless. In town centres Street Angels help those worse for wear after a heavy night out. The Boaz Trust cares for penniless asylum seekers. Foodbanks feed those living on the breadline. All of them, and many equally impressive pieces of work are worth your support, especially at this festive season. Christmas is a time to show warmth not just to our loved ones but to the unloved, the unlovely and even the unlovable. That's what #Christmasmeans. Now let's do it. Bishop David Walker Source A TEAM of around 15 volunteers take it in turns to give up their Saturday nights purely to aid and assist those who may have had "one too many" on a night out in Sleaford. For the past five years the Sleaford Street Source team, which operate from The Source on Southgate, have offered refreshments, warmth and a friendly chat to anyone who might need it during their night out. From September this year, as well as continuing to offer their care from The Source, the team decided to step out and take their services onto the streets and they say it's been a worthwhile move. Jem Green, from the team, said: "If my lad was out on the town and he'd had too much to drink or got separated from his mates I would feel happier knowing there was somewhere like this that he could go where he was safe." Every Saturday night from 10.30pm until around 2am the next morning a small team of volunteers meet at The Source. Two members of the team will go out on to the streets wearing hi-viz Street Source jackets armed with bottles of water, flasks of hot chocolate and even lollypops. Bob Stoner, one of the team, said that the lollies are offered to people who they see fighting. He said: "You'd be surprised but if someone has a lollypop in their mouth they won't fight." Bob, whose day job is a maths teacher at St George's Academy, said that he has never felt frightened while patrolling the streets. He said: "I love it. I get a buzz from helping people. If I come across people fighting I never feel threatened because I know that the fight isn't aimed at me. I just try my best to intervene and make sure the partner of the person fighting is ok." During the night that Caroline was out with the team a man and a woman began to argue outside The Source and during the argument the man threw the woman's handbag into the river by the church. Bob and Jem stepped in to see if everything was ok while the woman flagged down a passing police car. Bob said: "They were both drunk and he was getting quite aggressive. I asked if she was ok and the guy made a threat towards me then ran off up the road. "The police asked the woman if she wanted to press charges but she didn't so there wasn't anything anybody could do. "Unfortunately I see this kind of thing a lot." The team took the woman into The Source to sit down and have a hot drink and was even offered a lift back to where she was staying that night. Meanwhile the other members of the team managed to fish the woman's handbag out of the river for her. The team said that it's not just drunk people who they care for on a Saturday night. Mike Swaby, from the team, said: "We went through a phase a little while ago when this homeless guy would come in every Saturday night for a drink and a chat and a place to stay warm for a bit. "He had been camping in the Bass Maltings buildings and it was really sad that he was in that situation but it felt good to be able to help offer him something. He sorted himself out in the end luckily." Mike said another time a dad came into The Source to look for his 15-year-old son who had run away from home. Follow the Street Source team on Twitter at @SStreetSource. Sleaford Street Source is part of the CNI (Christian Nightlife Initiatives) Network. This is an umbrella organisation supporting and resourcing work within the night-time of towns and cities. The UK-wide project was launched in 2008 and is said to have seen reductions in violent crime and sexual assaults in many towns and cities. It works alongside the police and local councils but remains independent and does not have any powers of enforcement or arrest. It has offered help and assistance to thousands of vulnerable people and invested thousands of volunteer hours at a time when help is most needed. For more information visit cninetwork.org.uk. Source
A PROJECT aimed at promoting the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of young people during late nights in Burton town centre has received a massive funding boost. The Burton Breweries Charitable Trust has announced a major three year partnership with the Burton Street Angels which will see it provided more than £16,000 worth of financial support. Established at the beginning of 2013, the group is made up of volunteers from churches in the vicinity who patrol the streets on a Thursday night offering a range of support to young people. Rev George Crossley, chairman of Burton Street Angels, said: “Burton Street Angels shows the value of co-operation between different groups and organisations. “Its purpose is to assist those who find themselves vulnerable, for whatever reason in the Burton night-time economy, to make sure they are as safe as possible and to take care of them whatever their circumstances. “We have helped dozens of people who have found themselves vulnerable through drink or the behaviour of others and have ensured that they have got home safely. “We have made a significant contribution to safety in the town centre and have helped Burton to be a better place in which to enjoy a night out.” The funding will be used to provide a number of resources and, in the longer term, will support the training and development of volunteers and help the Street Angels to recruit new volunteers so that they can patrol the streets on additional nights. Debbie Read, from the trust, said: “The Burton Breweries Charitable Trust has a strong history of supporting young people in the town and we were keen to work with the Street Angels.” Source / BBC News Prime Minister's Christmas Message David Cameron has used his Christmas message to pay tribute to Christians who 'put their faith into action' in helping build the Big Society. The Prime Minister says we can all be grateful for believers who follow the verse from the book of Acts which reads 'it is more blessed to give than to receive'. The Big Society was launched in the Conservative Party Manifesto ahead of the 2010 election. It was hoped it would empower local groups and individuals and encourage people to take an active role in their communities. Critics have labelled it an attempt to cover widespread cuts which have been brought in to sort the economy. Speaking ahead of Christmas Day, David Cameron said: "Looking back, 2013 has been a year when our country pulled together to overcome the challenges we face. "Together we have made real progress on strengthening our economy and creating more decent jobs so that people can provide for their families. "This progress is down to the efforts of millions who go out and work hard every day, putting in the hours, running businesses and keeping our economy going. "And there are those millions who keep on strengthening our society too - being good neighbours, running clubs and voluntary associations, playing their part in countless small ways to help build what I call the 'big society'. "Many of these people are Christians who live out to the letter that verse in Acts, that "it is more blessed to give than to receive". "These people put their faith into action and we can all be grateful for what they do." Last year the group Street Angels - Christian Nightlife Initiative received a Big Society Award to recognise the work they do for the local community in Halifax. Founder Paul Blakey MBE tells Premier's Marcus Jones he's delighted to see more appreciation from David Cameron. The Prime Minister is also encouraging people to think about the why we celebrate at this time of year.
He said: "For me, this season is also a time to think about the meaning of Christmas - the birth of Jesus Christ and the hope that gives to millions. "In Handel's Messiah, these words from the Prophet Isaiah are brilliantly put to music: "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." His comments come as the Church of England launches its online Christmas campaign. Congregations and clergy across the 12,000 parishes are being encouraged to get out their mobile devices today and tomorrow to finish the sentence: 'Christmas means...' to show the millions of people using Twitter about the joy and meaning for the Christmas period. The Archbishop of Canterbury Most Revd Justin Welby posted a short message on Instagram to kick off the campaign. He said: "Christmas means that through Jesus, God shows us unconditionally that he loves us. "I pray that he gives you a very blessed Christmas." You can follow the campaign by searching for #christmasmeans on Twitter. Source
AWARD winning street angels funded through Housing Hartlepool are protecting festive party-goers and revellers in Hartlepool by giving up their nights out to help others. The Hartlepool Town Pastors, have been assisting weekend drinkers by patrolling the Victoria Road and Church Street areas of the town each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, offering help and support to those who are in need. The 18 strong-team of volunteers, mainly from local churches, are kitted with backpacks including flip flops to give to the foot-sore whose heels have got the better of them, water and lollipops for the dehydrated and equipment to help clear up discarded drinks bottles to prevent them from being used as weapons. Under the Safer Hartlepool Partnership, the project involves support from Elim Living Waters Christian Fellowship, Housing Hartlepool, which is a part of the Vela Group, and various other agencies and churches across Hartlepool. The initiative is one of many ‘Street Angels’ projects throughout the UK which aims to make a contribution to the safety and wellbeing of the public, offering first aid, care, guidance and friendship to the community and helping the vulnerable between 10.00pm to 3.00am. So far the team have been awarded two community awards from the Police Commissioner and Police Constable for their contribution and achievement in the area. Andy Powell, Head of Housing Services at Housing Hartlepool, said: “One of our primary objectives is to strengthen our communities making them safer and more enjoyable places to live. By working with and funding the Town Pastor project, we are helping to provide much needed assistance to vulnerable people late at night and in the early hours.” Karen Milner of Hope Church Hartlepool, and one of the first Town Pastors said: “As a Town Pastor I work most Saturday nights ensuring that everyone is safe and gets home safely. I've been part of the team since day one and still enjoy it - we have a great rapport with revellers, door staff, police and everybody out there.” Drew Mills, Project Coordinator said: “Our role as Town Pastors isn’t just to support those that have had too much to drink, we also help victims of crime and those who have been separated from friends and are feeling vulnerable. “We have managed to prevent drinkers from getting into strange vehicles, arranged for parents to collect their drunken children or guided revellers to taxis. We’ve helped people who have been unable to help themselves.” Anyone over the age of 18, who is interested in becoming a Town Pastor can contact Drew Mills by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 01429 296819 or 07776 378934. Source
POLICE flooded the streets of Bolton to keep thousands of revellers safe on Mad Friday — one of the busiest nights of the year. Up to 50 officers were drafted into the town centre for the night to deal with incidents including a bouncer being arrested on suspicion of attacking a punter, people caught using drugs and revellers being disorderly. Eleven people were arrested and others given “direction to leave notices” ordering them to get out of the town centre or face arrest. But police said that the majority of people behaved themselves. Paramedics and Street Angels assisted with alcohol-related incidents including a woman, who thought her drink had been spiked and was taken to hospital by ambulance after collapsing and a woman struggling to walk through drink, who was on her own after being separated from her boyfriend. Police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd and his deputy, Jim Battle, spent hours in the town centre on Friday night getting an insight into policing issues in Bolton. They were accompanied by Ch Supt David Hull and Insp Andy Sidebotham, from Bolton Central. Ch Supt Hull said: “We expected this to be the busiest weekend of the year and our number one priority is to keep people safe and to have an enjoyable night out. “We want them to come back because it’s a nice environment to come back to. I am pleased with what I have seen of the police officers. There seems to be genuine willingness from licensees to work together with police.” Revellers, many of whom were on a work night out, typically started their night earlier than punters on a usual Friday. Police said Bolton draws people in from outside of town from Bury and Wigan due to some venues staying open well into the morning. In the early hours the town centre was packed with dozens of taxis along Bradshawgate and people walking along the pavements and crossing the road to get to other bars. Licensing officers started their night shift by paying informal visits to bars and clubs early in the evening to ensure no irresponsible drinking offers were available. Suspected troublemakers were removed from the town early into the night with the assistance of the police’s tactical aid unit. At 8pm a man was arrested near to The Post Office Bar for a breach of the peace. A short time later officers were called to Shots bar in Bradshawgate where a man was alleged to have head butted a bouncer. The alleged attacker was lying on the floor complaining of pain to his leg. CCTV was reviewed and a bouncer was later arrested on suspicion of assault. At 8.30pm officers came across two men, aged in their 20s, acting suspiciously. They were searched and admitted possessing cocaine for personal use. They were arrested and later released following a caution. A man involved in an incident while queuing to get into J2 in Nelson Square was also arrested. But with a large police presence throughout town the majority of revellers kept out of trouble. Other incidents dealt with by police included taxis failing to obey the “no U-turn” rule in Bradshawgate and double parking, causing a danger to drinkers. Numerous people attempting to drink in the street and take drinks into taxis were also stopped by officers. Other Mad Friday coverage included: BBC Radio Humberside, BBC Radio York and Tamworth Herald. Lichfield Late Night Listeners joined with Lichfield Mystery Play to present a Late Night Nativity. The Nativity was toured round the streets of the city stopping outside three pubs and the Late Night Listeners drinks table. The cast included Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, Wise Men, and various angels headed up by Lichfield's Town Crier. The aim was to help those out enjoying the nightlife on the weekend before Christmas engage afresh with the original Christmas story. Paul and Jean Blakey visited Lichfield on Mad Friday to watch the Late Night Nativity and to see how this could potentially be used in other towns over Christmas.
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A TEAM of angels will be flying in over the festive season to help keep party-goers safe in South Tyneside. The borough’s very own Street Angels will not be taking a rest over Christmas and New Year as they look out for revellers in need of help. Whether it’s a shoulder to cry on, first aid, or helping people who are a little worse for wear find a taxi home, the crew of volunteers are on hand. Co-ordinator Pauline Bittlestone said: “Since we first launched in June last year, we have done really well, and we are having an impact now. “We have fantastic relations with the door staff and the police, and the people who are out enjoying themselves are really friendly too – it’s just a really good vibe. People are now coming to us, seeking us out if they see anyone in trouble or who they think might be at risk.” The Street Angels scheme is led by Churches Together in South Tyneside, and is supported by both South Tyneside Council and the police. The scheme, launched in June last year, sees Street Angels operate between 10pm and 3am on Saturdays. Similar projects are already running in Sunderland and Newcastle city centres, with street pastors offering support and guidance. All Street Angels have received training to help them stay safe when out and about in the town centre. Just a few stay safe tips for staying safe this Mad Friday and over the rest of the Christmas period:
If in doubt find the Street Angels / Town Pastors / Street Chaplains / NightLight / Street Pastors volunteers who will offer help and support or a Police officer or ask the door-staff. Have a safe Mad Friday (and Christmas / New Year / 2014) night out... ![]() BBC 1's popular religious programme Songs of Praise is to feature the work of Street Angels on Sunday 19th January. The programme features a sequence where Diane Louise Jordan joins the Bedford Street Angels on a busy Saturday night and finds out first hand how the Street Angels play a vital role in keeping people safe – and in a moving interview with Frederick and Fran Gill she learns how the tragic murder of their son Robert acted as a catalyst to the formation of Bedford Street Angels. Watch listings nearer the date for the time of the broadcast. Caroline Wilson from Sleaford Target joined Sleaford StreetSource on Saturday 14th Dec and tweeted:
The Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy Autumn Newsletter is now available and can be found at http://www.gtcc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2013-Newsletter-Autumn.pdf.
May I take this opportunity, on behalf of all of us at GTCC, to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2014. Source
DRUNKS are to be treated in a makeshift medical unit in Hull city centre over the festive season to stop them clogging up A&E. Yorkshire Ambulance Service is placing a static medical unit in Trinity Square over festive weekends, starting on Saturday night, from 8.30pm to 3am. It will be manned by an emergency care practitioner and other ambulance staff, to treat people walking in off the street to prevent ambulance call-outs and admissions to Hull Royal Infirmary. It will be in position again on Friday, December 20, and again on New Year's Eve. It comes as thousands of festive party-goers are expected to descend on Hull city centre as Christmas draws nearer. Vince Larvin, locality director of emergency operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: "This time of year is very busy for the ambulance service, including an increase in the number of alcohol-related incidents we are asked to attend, when there are large numbers of people celebrating the festivities in busy town and city centres. "One of the initiatives we have in place to help us deal with this increase in demand and free up emergency ambulances for those patients who are seriously ill or injured, is running a satellite medical unit to treat people who have had too much drink or who have sustained minor injuries, following a fall or assault. "The majority of these patients do not need to attend the emergency department and can be treated by our clinicians at the unit. "We also have a police and paramedic team operating in Hull to ensure we reach those in the busy city centre nightlife areas quickly. "We would like to remind everyone to drink responsibly to protect themselves and others and look after each other." Volunteer group Hull Street Angels will also have a team on duty this Saturday. From 10pm to 2am, the group will guide people to the unit if they are in need of medical attention. Karen Thompson, project co-ordinator at Angels Trinity, said: "We will be working very closely with the unit. "There will be a team of six, divided into three pairs. "We will be encouraging people to go into the unit, if at all necessary. "Ultimately, our aim is stop intoxicated people from going into accident and emergency, clogging it up, when that problem can be avoided. "It promises to be an extremely busy weekend in Hull." Hull resident Darren Scarah, 42, said: "The truth is there are people who have far more serious injuries than the people who are drunk and who have a few bumps and bruises through their own wrongdoing. "So, I certainly welcome the news." |
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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 |