Source
Police volunteers will be out across Bradford district on Saturday [dec 14] aiming to help reduce sexual offences in the the run-up to Christmas. West Yorkshire Police’s Operation Northdale initiative will see the volunteers team up with neighbourhood policing team officers and Wibsey Street Angels to help keep revellers safe over the festive season. The initiative received national recognition at the ACPO Excellence in Policing Awards. On Saturday, the Northdale teams will be in Shipley town centre in the afternoon and then Wibsey and Bradford city centre in the evening.They will be handing out anti-drink spiking devices, crime prevention advice and flyers containing safety messages, as well as identifying and helping vulnerable people. Chief Inspector Damien Miller said: “Christmas is a busy time of year in the pubs, bars and clubs of Bradford and it is important that people know the risks that come with alcohol and the impact it can have on their safety. “We conduct this operation every year as a reminder to people to plan their nights out, stick together, make prior arrangements for safe transport home and do not make themselves vulnerable through binge-drinking. “Our teams of officers and volunteers will be out providing reassurance, to women in particular, and I hope this makes people continue to sit up and take note of these important messages and keep themselves safe and out of trouble.” Source
”Chat, help, listen, care. PS: we’re Christians ask us more if you want!” These are not normally the words you see people wearing on a night out in London! Yet, amongst the party dresses and high heels, you’ll find a bunch of young twenty somethings donning black t-shirts with those words printed on the back. There to chat, listen, help and to offer prayer, the Club Angels aim to promote and ensure a happy night out for all. It all started back in Leeds in December 2011, with a group of Christian volunteers who wanted to extend Street Angels, another project part of Christian Nightlife Initiatives (CNI). Fast forward to London 2013 and I’ve joined the Club Angels for a night out to see exactly what they get up to. We’re at Croydon’s well known nightclub Tiger Tiger where the city’s students flock to for the best parties and cocktail combos. We found love in a hopeless place.. we found love in a hopeless place.. blasts through the club’s speakers as we enter Tiger Tiger. This is Thursday also known as The Drop – a student night where everyone fills out the dancefloor, swaying and jumping to the club beats. It was only the start of the night but these words that were being sung by Rihanna seemed so relevant. Lucy Hardy (Club Angels Co-ordinator for London) shared with us from the Bible how all people are looking for hope and prayed that God would guide us to people who specifically needed to hear of His hope. This all took place in the back of the club, a spare room where the team was split into pairs. Loaded with a bag of prayer cards for people to write on (also pictured in the photo above), homemade brownies to give away and a night of expectation ahead, we were ready to chat to some people. Who would we meet and who would God lead us to? Working alongside the club’s staff to ensure it is a safe night out for everyone is a big part of Club Angels and tonight was no exception. The security guards were the first people we greeted, ”would you like a brownie?” Lucy asked the door staff. You could see their eyes light up as they helped themselves to some freshly baked goods, all part of the tradition of Brownie Thursdays that Club Angels are known for. ”Thanks so much! This has made my night!!” one of the staff exclaims to us, it’s amazing to see how just a bit of chocolatey goodness can build bridges with people as well as opening up some great conversations. The club is pretty massive and as we head upstairs, it is a quiet night with just one room opened yet nonetheless packed! We head to the ladies toilets where a beaming smile greets us. Lucy introduces me to Eve, one of the women who sells beauty products to the clubbers. Perfume, chewing gum for fresh breath, flip flops, lollipops…Eve’s got everything! She’s happy to chat about her family, her life and even asking for prayer. I could tell that some real relationships have been built up in the past year between the Club Angels and those that work at the club simply because of the genuine warmth I felt between both of them. It was great to see such an openness to be prayed for right there and then in the club toilets. Afterwards, it was cool how we ended up swapping our different dance moves! Since its inception just over a year ago, staff have given the Club Angels some really positive feedback such as ‘‘You’re Christians, but you don’t preach at people – you just help people” and ”we miss you on the nights you’re not here. You’re our little angels!” When I’m there, I’m really encouraged to also hear from the different volunteers on the team that night who share how much they enjoy being a Club Angel: ”I’m still buzzing from all of it! I was just so amazed by all the conversations we had”… ”It was great to get stuck in and put some of God’s love in action”… ”I’m glad to be part of something truly amazing – it’s really given me the hunger to see God do more!” Overall, there was a really happy atmosphere in the club with no fights or people getting lost (which have been a feature in past nights out according to one Club Angel I speak to). No night is the same, they can experience a really quiet night such as the one I’m on which is a great opportunity to get to know the bar staff more. Whereas other nights can be messy with more of a ‘sick patrol’ element. Thankfully, tonight is not one of those nights and to my surprise, people are really open to chatting. We head back downstairs and swap our pairs, I’m in the other downstairs ladies room and trying to learn more of the staff’s names. Suddenly, a tall man barges into the room wanting to buy a lollipop off the toilet attendant. The lady waiting for a toilet to be free is not happy with this, ”what are you doing in here?? Why can’t you just get a lollipop somewhere else, hey?”The man doesn’t bat an eyelid, he hands over the money in exchange for the lollipop and walks out. The lady ends up chatting to us and we have a great time introducing what Club Angels is all about, the lady we now know as Erica is really fascinated about this, ”so Christians go clubbing? I‘ve never heard that before! You know what, I’m going as Jesus to a Christmas fancy dress party next week. I’ve got my costume all ready!” she shouts in reply. ”You offer to pray as well? Let me introduce you to my boyfriend, he has to meet you!” So, we head out of the ladies room and Erica’s boyfriend looks a bit confused as to what is going on. ”These guys are Club Angels, look at the back of their shirts! They’re offering to pray for us!” He still looks a bit confused but this is understandable, considering that it’s not everyday you meet strangers giving out prayer cards in a night club. Both of them write down their prayers, Erica writing a joke down and her boyfriend asking if we could pray for Erica. This has been awesome! I think to myself, I wonder what’s happening upstairs with the other Club Angels? We head up to the dance floor, clearing up used bottles and glasses along the way and Lucy looks as if she’s talking with a guy for a while. The talk turns into a prayer with Lucy placing her hand on his shoulder, eyes closed and he seems as if he’s really receiving the prayer with a real need. I stand back and am just praying for the situation, when suddenly three guys ask me ”hey! Do you mind if you could take a picture of us on my phone?” Cue 3 Italian Stallion poses and lots of camera flashes. It’s funny how on one night you can be praying for one person and then do something as simple as being a photographer in the next moment, I look at my watch and it’s 2am. It’s time to meet up with everyone to chat and pray before we head off out of the club. When we do meet back to catch up about how the night’s gone, it’s clear that God has definitely answered our prayers! Lucy explained how Mark, the guy who had chatted to her had initially started the conversation. He’d seen the writing on the back of the t-shirts and asked if she could help him. He asked if Lucy could pray for him and his girlfriend who really struggled with depression, even going on to explain that he had used to be a Christian and go to church. It turned out that he had drifted away because he didn’t see how the church was relevant anymore in his life, he had found it hard and his girlfriend wasn’t a Christian. Mark was the person we were meant to meet that night because he was the one who needed to hear about hope. I guess it just goes to show how God can find us in the most unlikely situations, in the words of Rihanna: He found love in a hopeless place. If you want to find out more about Club Angels check out their official website:
If Club Angels is something you think you’d like to get involved with then Lucy would love to hear from you! Drop Lucy an email here: [email protected] Source
TEAMS of Street Angels landed in the streets of Tamworth at the weekend to provide a 'heavenly' helping hand to those in need. As thousands of revellers gathered for the annual switch-on of the Christmas lights, the Street Angels took under their wing those who needed help. Leyfield's vicar the Reverend Vic Van Den Bergh, who is behind the Tamworth scheme, described the 'Angels' first evening on duty as "brilliant!" He said: "It went brilliantly. We had a team of seven people out on the streets and everyone was very positive about them, they were very well received. "They were dealing with lost people, drunk people and were approached by lots of people who wanted to know more about Street Angels. They were out from 2pm as it was the switching on of the lights and we have decided that we won't just be doing evenings, we will be doing afternoons when necessary too. "We will be out when there are pop concerts or other events, basically any time when we can help. It really worked well at the weekend," he added. Six teams of angels have been formed and will take turns to patrol the town's streets. Each team has a trained First Responder with appropriate kit and a Townsafe radio linked to the Townsafe network and the other groups on the night patrols. The Street Angels carry special foil hoodies for revellers who are suffering from cold. Additionally, each team carries flip-flops to replace lost shoes or high heels, water, tissues, wet wipes, plasters, rubber gloves and any other items required to clean up vomit or enable first-aid. Street Angel schemes now run in 125 towns in the UK. Source
West Yorkshire Police’s award winning operation to reduce sexual offences is once again hitting the borough in the run-up to Christmas. Operation Northdale will see officers working alongside police volunteers, special constables, Street Angels and Night Marshalls, to help keep revellers safe over the festive season. The initiative, which received national recognition at the ACPO Excellence in Policing Awards, has helped to raise awareness of the need for people to drink sensibly, stay together with friends and make prior arrangements to get home safely. Officers will be identifying vulnerable people and assisting and giving free anti-drink spiking devices, crime prevention advice and flyers containing safety messages to local revellers. Supporting Operation Northdale a marketing campaign will also be launched from Monday and will feature radio adverts, bar runners in pubs and clubs, dedicated web pages as well as regular messages on West Yorkshire Police’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. A different ‘Countdown to Christmas’ safety tip will also feature on the front page of the West Yorkshire Police website between now and Christmas. Chief Inspector Jaene Booth said this was about making sure people have a good time in a safe way and excessive drinking does not increase their vulnerability. “Christmas is a busy time of year in the pubs, bars and clubs around West Yorkshire and it is important that people know the risks that come with alcohol and the impact it can have on their safety. “We conduct this operation every year as a reminder to people to plan their nights out, stick together, make prior arrangements for safe transport home and do not make themselves vulnerable through binge-drinking. “Our teams of officers and volunteers will be out providing reassurance to people, in particular women, and I hope people continue to sit up and take note of these important messages and keep themselves safe and out of trouble.” Posters (zip file) Merry Christmas! Visit our on-line Christmas Card to you / download and print your Christmas Card CNI Network and Police Working Protocol - this document is from the Cleveland area and is ideal as a way of strengthening and professionalising the way we work in partnership with the Police. The document can be downloaded here. We are also looking at a similar protocol for working with the Ambulance service and Accident and Emergency departments - please contact Paul if you have any thoughts. Paul was invited to speak at a DrinkAware event looking at harm resulting from public drunkenness in the night-time culture. The day was part of a study commissioned by DrinkAware to look at people's attitudes to alcohol and to gain an understanding of why binge-drinking is a massive part of the British culture. The day, attended by people from the Home Office, media, arts, drinks industry, NHS and Police, concluded with sharing ideas many of which are ideal for local projects to take on. CNI Network will continue to be part of the conversation and action around this. We launched three new projects in November - Malton Street Angels, Tamworth Street Angels and Dundee Club Chaplains and also welcomed Clapham Junction Night Pastors who have become part of CNI Network and made links with Street By Street working in South and East Belfast. Welcome and thanks to all the amazing volunteers team who will be serving these communities... FlipFlops - CNI Network took delivery of 6750 pairs of flip-flops! We are able to offer them to local projects at £75 for 50 size 4's and 50 size 6's (with either a collection from West Yorkshire or carriage of around £10 - carriage on more than 100 pairs will be worked out accordingly). Contact Paul if interested. Dudes With Wings - ordering has just easier with a new on-line order form and cheaper carriage of £2.50. CNI Network projects need to enter a code to receive the products at half price to sell locally at full price. Visit the Dudes With Wings page and online ordering form here. YourNight app now has a page on our web site - a great idea and gift for your communities night-time visitors! CNI Network Northern One-Day Conference - keynote speaker Jarrod Cooper, songs by Phillipa Hanna and workshops that will resource and equip - Saturday 12th April in York - see here for details - workshops will be announced in the next few weeks... Leeds Street and Club Angels held a Doorstaff Dinner to say thank you to doorstaff in the city in recognition of the massively unrewarded job they do. Well done to Oldham Street Angels who received the Best Bar None 'Outstanding Achievement Award' for the contribution to the night-time economy of Oldham. Above the team at the awards ceremony. The group also received a fantastic 2nd Birthday present - a £40,000 grant so that a paramedic and mental health worker can join the team as sessional workers on Friday and Saturday nights - read more here. Please vote for Wash My Pink Jumper in the Galaxy Hot Chocolate Fund - see here. Hats! As winter and cold weather sets in the hats come out! This year CNI Network are running a competition: Over the winter months Street Angels faced with minus temperatures, cold winds, snow, ice and frost have to keep their heads warm! Our Facebook page 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! See some of the November hat entries below... From the Blog: Have fun in Blackpool but behave Update from Guisborough Night Light PowerPoint Surgery: How to create presentation slides that make your message stick Lee Jackson (Lee is a Street Angel in Leeds and has a special offer for CNI linked projects!) Halifax Street Angels feature in Calderdale Voice Pub Watch donation for Windsor's 'angels' Street Angels say young women drinkers are at risk in York city centre (worth a read!) Surviva Hooded Body Warmer update New report on young people and alcohol / Worrying news from Northern Ireland Update and video from Cookstown Street Angels, Northern Ireland Police to link up with Bradford Street Angels New coordinator appointed to guard the Street Angels - Slough Encouragement from Sleaford Street Source Alcohol Awareness Week Angels joined by Angels? Raising the bar: responsible nightlife Street Angels will make Tamworth a safer place / Be an angel and make Tamworth safer 3 Peaks challenge - can you raise money for CNI Network or a local project? Bolton Street Angels looking for new base after they become homeless ‘Street Angels’ on hand to assist late night revellers - Omagh Halifax Angels Rest Cafe support British Legion Club Angels Croydon invited to help with Halloween December Diary: Monday 2nd - Paul meeting with a Christian busker to talk about possible links between busking community and our local projects; also filming with CICS Calderdale for a video about work in schools including the Alcohol and Safety education resource. Thursday 12th - the final Social Media and Your Organisation course, 10am at The King's Centre, Park Road, Halifax - details are here. Monday 16th - evening to look at setting up Redcar Street Angels - Steve Brock is speaking on behalf of CNI Network - 7pm at St Peter's Church, Redcar Lane, Redcar. Friday 20th and Saturday 21st - Lichfield Late Night Listeners Nativity - see here for details. Monday 23rd - Paul is organising Carol Singing at Harveys of Halifax department store - download a poster and invites.
Boxing Day - Ben from Dundee Street Chaplains is jumping into the icy cold waters of the North Sea to help raise money for the Dundee Street Chaplains mobile unit. You can sponsor Ben online at this web site. Friday 27th - Paul and Jean at Festival of Praise, Manchester Arena
Tuesday 25th February - CNI Network Trustees meeting and Vision Day - representatives from local projects invited to join us for the afternoon to discuss the vision and future of CNI Network. This will be held in Halifax. E-mail Paul if interested. Saturday 12th April - CNI Network Northern Conference, 10am - 4pm in York - keynote speaker Jarrod Cooper, singer Phillipa Hanna, choice of afternoon workshops. See here for more details. Street Angels celebrated its 8th Birthday on 25th November - here are some early pictures from Halifax and the launch event of CNI Network! #CNIPrayer Please pray in December for: Rhyl, North Wales / Lowestoft Town Pastors, East Anglia / Sudbury Town Pastors, East Anglia / Bournemouth Church for the Night / High Wycombe Lap Dancing Bar Chaplaincy / Windsor Street Angels In 2014 we will be making more use of our Facebook CNI Network Prayer Group (this is a closed group - contact Paul with your Facebook address if you would like to be added) and will be encouraging more projects to be involved in the Prayer Twinning idea. UCB's Prayer for Today booklet featured our work on page 49 of this quarters prayer guide - download here. "I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security," The Pope
"Street Angels are utterly utterly brilliant" Timmy Mallett (who presented Windsor Street Angels with an Award for Community Safety at the Royal Borough Council Awards) Source
Have fun - but respect our town and each other. That is the message as a new campaign is launched tonight aimed at making Blackpool town centre safer. The Blackpool Fairness Commission, set up to reduce inequality, will bring together police officers, street angels who already patrol offering advice, and other volunteers, to hand out leaflets advising people not to misbehave while enjoying a night out. Supt Stuart Noble, chairman of the Fairness Commission’s night time economy working group, said: “This has been a great opportunity for partners involved in the town centre to come together and support a shared vision which is to have a vibrant and safe night-time economy. “The message is clear, come and enjoy Blackpool, but please respect it and each other.” Blackpool Council leader Coun Simon Blackburn said: “It’s a simple message but one that is very important to give to people. “When people think of Blackpool, they sometimes think of it as a party town where they can do whatever they like. That’s an image we have to change. “We often see comments in the media and on social networks from people claiming you can’t change that image – we think that’s rubbish. “Huge improvements have been made to the town in the last few years, despite governments cuts, and we are a place that is striving to be on the up. “What we want to get across to people is the key message; enjoy yourself but please respect where you are.” The initiative has the backing of licensees. Craig Southall, chairman of Blackpool Pubwatch, said: “We think it is a good idea because it picks up on the positives, rather than being negative and telling people they can’t do this or that. “The leaflets are also going to go out into hotels, and I think it will help in making visitors aware which are the night-time economy areas, and which are the family areas. “So we feel it is a really good idea, especially as we approach the run up to Christmas.” In 2007, the then Conservative administration introduced a code of conduct, primarily aimed at stag and hen groups, calling on them to have more respect for the town.
Many thanks to all volunteers, those who pray for and those who support the work of our 125 local projects in the UK and Spain... Aberystwyth Night Light / Aldershot Town Centre Pastoral Team / Armargh City Outreach / Arun Angels / Aylesbury Street Angels / Bedford Street Angels / Beeston ROC Cafe / Belfast Cathdral Quarter NightLight / Belfast Golden Mile NightLight / Belfast Odyssey NightLight / Belper Street Angels / Beverley Street Angels / Blackpool and Fylde Street Angels / Bletchley Street Ministers / Bolton Street Angels / Bradford Street Angels / Boscombe Angels / Bridlington Street Angels / Bournemouth Church for the Night / Bristol Club Angels / Buckingham Street Ministries / Burton-Upon-Trent Street Angels / Camberley Street Angels / Carmarthen Night Light, West Wales / Chichester City Angels / Clapham Junction Night Pastors / Croydon Club Angels / Dundee Club Chaplains / Dundee ROCK Street Chaplains / Dungannon NightLight / Durham Street Lights / Exmouth Open Door NightShift / Felixstowe Town Pastors / Fleet Town Centre Project / Guildford Street Angels / Guisborough NightLight / Halifax Street Angels / Hanley Night Church / Harrogate Town Pastors / Hartlepool Town Pastors / Headingley Street Angels / Hereford NightShift / High Wycombe Street Angels / High Wycombe White Horse lap-dancing Chaplaincy / Hillingdon, Uxbridge Street Angels / Hitchin Street Angels / Hull Princes Avenue Street Angels / Hull Trinity Street Angels / HYP (Helping Young People) Project Halifax / Ipswich Town Pastors / Isle of Man Street Angels / Keighley Night Shift / Larne NightLight / Leeds Club Angels / Leeds Festival Angels / Leeds Street Angels / Lerwick Town Pastors / Lichfield Late Night Listeners / Littlehampton Street Angels / Lowestoft Town Pastors / Maidenhead Street Angels / Majorca Street Angels / Marlborough Mop Fair Street Angels / Newmarket Town Pastors / Newtownards NightLight / Norfolk Street Partnership - Dereham; Diss; Great Yarmouth; Norwich / Macclesfield Street Angels / Middlesbrough Street Angels / Milton Keynes Street Ministers / Newport Pagnell Street Ministers / North Belfast NightLight / Nottingham Malt Cross Cafe Bar / Oldham Street Angels / Portadown NightLight / Rhyl Street Angels / Richmond Street Angels / Ripon Town Pastors / Ryedale Street Angels / Sanktuary Telford / Scarborough Community Angels / Scarborough Street Angels / Scarborough Youth Angels / Skipton Street Angels / Sleaford Street Source / Slough Street Angels / South Tyneside Street Angels / Sowerby Bridge Street Angels / Staines Street Angels / Stony Stratford Street Ministers / Street Angels in North East Lincolnshire / Stockton Town Pastors / Stowmarket Town Pastors / Sudbury Town Pastors / Tamworth Street Angels / Teifi Town Pastors, Cardigan / Tenerife The Living Room / Thanet Community Pastors - Broadstairs; Margate; Ramsgate / Tring Night Cafe "Tea and Toast" / Walton-on-Thames Street Angels / Wetherby Street Angels / Whitehaven Calder Deanery Ignite Youth Ministry / Whitehaven Saints' / Whitby Street Angels / Wibsey Street Angels / Wimbledon Club 'n' Pray / Windsor Street Angels / Woking Street Angels / Wolverton Street Ministers / Woodbridge Town Pastors / Yarm Town Pastors / York Street Angels Thanks to all who have supported, prayed for and given financially to the work of CNI Network over 2013 as we have:
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 PowerPoint Surgery: How to create presentation slides that make your message stick Lee Jackson11/29/2013
Leeds Street Angel Lee Jackson has written a book 'Powerpoint Surgery - how to create presentation slides that make your message stick'. Blurb: Sometimes when things get really bad, surgery is required. Bad Powerpoint* (and boring presentations) are everywhere! it appears that they have almost become the norm and very few people seem to want to talk about it. It doesn't have to be that way. Bad presentations are costly. They can cost money, jobs and reputations, don’t let your slides ruin your pitch. In this funny, cut-to-the-chase and down-to-earth book professional speaker Lee Jackson will wean you, and your workplace off bad slides forever. He’ll also teach you how good presentation slides can work for you and help you stand out from the crowd. Using these simple techniques we can kill death by bullet-point once and for all. JOIN THE FIGHT TODAY! (N.B. This book is a colour paperback and illustrated with full colour slides.) Lee is making this book available to Street Angel projects for £10 (usual price £12.99) including postage - email Lee if you would like one... More information on Lee's website. Source
A donation has been made to Windsor Street Angels by the town's pub watch scheme to help fund the service. Gill Naden, chairman of Windsor Pub Watch and manager of Bar Yello in Goswell Hill, visited the angels at their base at Windsor Baptist Church, in Victoria Street, to hand over £470. The angels patrol the town centre during the night-time economy hours, handing out bottles of water, flip-flops, lollipops and devices to prevent drink-spiking. PCSO David Bullock, who formed the group with Churches Together in Windsor, said: "This money will make a big difference to the scheme and allow us to purchase essential supplies that we need. "The licensees see a great difference when the angels are out on their patrols and it's nice to see that they are supporting the scheme." The group is also looking for new members so it can increase the number of patrols it does per week, as well as support volunteers who help out with the group but do not go out on patrols. Contact PCSO Bullock on 07816848231 for details. NightLight started on 18th October as a Guisborough Bridge pilot project, initially on a Friday and for the last three weeks on a Saturday evening. The 'pilot' was to test out whether there is a need for help and support in the early hours in Guisborough and already we've found out there is! We have nine volunteers and had the intention of having a single three-person patrol; in all but one week extra people have come along and we've been able to muster two patrols. Since starting, a number of people have come forward wanting to become volunteers and we hope to go out on both Friday and Saturday evenings in the New Year.
No two weeks have been the same in terms of the 'mood' on the streets or the types of challenges we have encountered. We don't have a building to work from so we use a minibus as the focal point to dispense teas, coffees, water and flip-flops. A summary of the last six weeks :
Source
Lichfield’s Town Crier Ken Knowles will play the Angel Gabriel – in full regalia and with a huge pair of wings – in a special production of The Nativity. Late night Christmas revellers in Lichfield this year will be treated to something unique as they walk around the city centre. Folks around between 10pm and midnight could be surprised by the ‘pop-up’ Nativity play, complete with musicians and singers. The performances – on Friday and Saturday December 20 & 21 – are a joint initiative between Lichfield Mysteries and the city’s Late Night Listeners. Performers will promenade around the city, led by a group of musicians, stopping now and again to perform a short Nativity story. People will be invited to join in the songs and carols. Lichfield Mysteries’ members have given daytime performances of The Nativity in the city for many years, but decided this year to join forces with the Late Night Listeners – a joint church initiative to help ensure pub and club-goers get home safely – which has been operating since 2010. Forty volunteers work in teams every Friday from 10pm to 2am and on two Saturday nights each month. Supported by the police, the group has received an award for helping reduce crime levels on Friday nights by 20 per cent. Spokesman Rick Hill said: “We serve tea, coffee and biscuits and provide flip-flops, blankets etc if needed, along with a listening ear. “Since we started we have served over 10,000 cups of tea or coffee, listened to over 1,000 conversations and literally saved a few lives.” Performances of Lichfield Mysteries, a community arts project, take place every three years and involve up to 700 people from all walks of life and a wide range of age groups. It attracts thousands of people to the city for the performances on Market Square and in Lichfield Cathedral. Rick is also a Mysteries’ committee member and will co-ordinate the Nativity, the script for which has been adapted by fellow committee member and director Christine Genders and Listener Sally Hayter. Mysteries chairman Peter Chell said: “The Mysteries’ actors and singers are looking forward to working with the Late Night Listeners on this unique project. “We hope that people will come along and follow us as we parade around the city in costume, performing and singing as we go.” Any donations given will go to Lichfield Food Bank and the Mysteries. Source
YOUNG women are at risk due to the number of “predatory” men in York city centre at weekends, front-line volunteers have claimed. Volunteers from Street Angels, a group which helps people in vulnerable situations on Friday and Saturday nights, have identified a number of risks in a report to be presented to City of York Council tomorrow. Volunteers said: • Some drunk young women are vulnerable to “predatory” men in the city centre. During Freshers’ Week they noted an increase in the number of 30 to 40-year-old men in the centre. Street Angels stay with women they consider to be vulnerable. “We feel we have prevented a lot of rapes,” one volunteer said •Drink spiking with extra shots of alcohol or drugs is “said to be a growing risk” to people in licensed premises. This has resulted in a number of younger females being abandoned in the street when people think they are drunk • Glass should be banned from late night clubs and bars as there is a lot of broken glass in the city centre with the potential to cause injury. Street Angels give flip flops to women they see walking barefoot after taking their heels off. Jennifer Locke, Street Angels coordinator, said the report to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is based on the perceptions and opinions of individual volunteers. She said: “We do look after vulnerable girls and the question is if we were not there what would happen? We are not there to police the streets. We give feedback to the police and encourage people in a situation to report incidents to the police. “Any girl that is drunk and is not in control is putting themselves in a vulnerable position, whether it’s having their phone stolen, physical abuse or harassment.” North Yorkshire Police (NYP) said the information in the report was anecdotal and said “potential for exposure to harm faced by those who enjoy York’s night time economy remains one of the lowest for any city in the country”. Superintendent Phil Cain, speaking on behalf of North Yorkshire Police and the Safer York Partnership, said: "The potential for exposure to harm faced by those who enjoy York's night time economy remains one of the lowest for any city in the country. It is always difficult to place a figure against the positive impact crime prevention initiatives have had towards the year-on-year reductions the city has enjoyed. While the Street Angels work is invaluable and has undoubtedly contributed to a safer city, it must be borne in mind that some of the information contained within the report is anecdotal. “The success has been as a direct result of the strong partnership approach taken by all public authorities and volunteer sectors, one of which is The Street Angels project. I am confident that the work carried out by those from The Street Angels and other volunteer workers will continue to contribute to the wider efforts being undertaken by Safer York Partnership, North Yorkshire Police, the Health Service and local businesses. “Safer York Partnership are working closely with the police and emergency department at York Hospital to develop an accurate profile of the harm caused by alcohol and how this relates to crime and anti-social behaviour. This work is being driven by the partnership’s AVANTE (Alcohol Violence And the Night Time Economy) task group and has resulted in a number of successful initiatives aimed at addressing the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. Jane Mowat, Head of Community Safety for City of York Council added: “A recent study of violent crime in York for the last 12 months compared to other similar night-time economy cities suggests that York has one of the lowest violent crime rates and this is directly attributable to the strong partnership approach being taken.” Among many examples of how Street Angels volunteers have helped support people and emergency services are incidents when they assisted those who have had seizures and threatened to jump off bridges. On one occasion they alerted emergency services to a man in his 40s who had discharged himself from Bootham Park Hospital who broke a bottle and tried to cut his own throat. The night time economy review report also looked into alcohol-related antisocial behaviour in the city and admission to the emergency department at York Hospital due to alcohol. An audit in 2011 found 9.8 per cent of all attendances to the emergency department were due to alcohol. The report gives the example of a 29-year-old man who was admitted to York Hospital for drinking too much. He slept in a cubicle and had to be supervised by security before urinating all over the cubicle. He “finally left after five hours following an ambulance journey, multiple observations, a security presence and a blocked cubicle,” the emergency department at the hospital said. City of York Council said plans are underway to make sure people are safe on nights out with a review of the positioning of cameras and a survey of retailers and food and drink outlets. It is looking at the possibility of extending the Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) – which gives the force more powers to oppose plans for new licensed premises and applications for longer opening hours – to include the Back Swinegate area, into the Goodramgate and Fossgate areas and the frontage of Spurriergate. Feedback will be presented in spring 2014 alongside the results of consultation on the proposed late night levy to ask bars, clubs and restaurants open late to help pay for policing and street cleaning. We were pleased to make samples of our hooded body warmer available to you at your recent annual conference. We have seen some of the positive comments regarding the product and also its potential use as a fashion garment, though the latter is not recommended. Over the winter of 2012/13 SURVIVA supplied Hooded Body Warmers to a large number of Street Pastor / Street Angel groups. We received useful feedback which has resulted in us adapting our original product to meet the varying needs that were identified. We now have a number of products for you to choose from and are delighted to have been able to reduce our prices slightly over the last month due to increased efficiency in our production process. Standard body warmer. Our body warmer now has two tabs, one under each armpit, so that it can be adjusted by you or the wearer to make it fit more comfortably. The tabs enable the body warmer to be pulled in securely to make it figure hugging, therefore more durable. The new tabs, which we have developed with 3M adhesive technology, have taken a little while to perfect but now make the garments much more efficient. The body warmers are available at
Front opening body warmer. We have opened up the front of the original body warmer and have added four more tabs down the front split opening. This works much better for people who are less mobile and can be fitted without having to pull it over the head. Many have found this more acceptable in trials, especially when help is being provided to inebriated individuals The front opening body warmer is available at
Small blanket. We can now offer a small foil blanket too, measuring 1.5m x 0.85m, which is long enough to cover the body and can be held around an individual to help keep them warm. Our small blanket is available at
Poncho. Throughout the year there were also several requests for a “poncho” type product. We believe that our new poncho fulfils this need. This also has tabs making it more efficient than a blanket although for maximum heat retention we would always advise using a body warmer. The poncho is available at
SURVIVA update. Over the summer we have also been hard at work in association with ShelterBox, the UK’s largest Disaster Relief Charity, to improve the quality of the heat reflective liners they supply in their tents. We have also expanded the workforce in our factory, which is located in Swansea and can now respond quickly to your needs. We have enjoyed getting to know you over the last year and hope you can see that we’ve taken on board comments which have enabled us to give you a wider range of improved products. We hope these continue to be of use to you in the months ahead. We regard the work you do as most beneficial for the people you help and the communities in which you work and we wish you the very best with everything that you do. Should you wish to order please email [email protected] Or, if you need any more information, please phone 01626 772744 or 01626 773819 The above as a Word document Happy 2nd Birthday to Oldham Street Angels Project
A great Birthday present was received yesterday (25th November): 'We went before Oldham CCG's Dragons Den to give a presentation to a panel of 8 "dragons" to request funding for a paramedic and a mental health worker as sessional workers to join Street Angels teams working on Friday and Saturday nights and they have agreed to invest £40,000. This will guarantee 2 NHS members of staff on duty both evenings - we currently only work on Saturday night. So this will extend our services. I asked if we could have them in time for Christmas and they've agreed to work on this. Our bid was supported by the hospital A&E consultant, clinicians on CCG and our Director of Public Health. This is great news and will really benefit the work of Oldham Street Angels by improving the quality of care we can offer.' |
|
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 |