Ready to recruit street pastors

A Street Pastors scheme in which churchgoers help drunken revellers will be launched in Newark a week today.

The co-ordinator is Mr Robin Steedman, of the Church of Promise, which meets at Newark Congregational Church.

He became involved after hearing that a similar scheme in Worksop was proving effective.

“It is a brilliant opportunity to get out on to the street and gives churches the chance to work together,” Mr Steedman said.

The first Street Pastors scheme was started in London seven years ago by the Rev Les Isaac, the director of The Ascension Trust.

It is now run in cities and towns nationwide, including Lincoln and Nottingham.

Representatives of the trust will be at the launch at Barnbygate Methodist Church at 7pm on October 1 to talk about the scheme, with Chief Superintendent Dave Wakelin, who is in charge of the Bassetlaw and Newark police division.

Other guests will include the Bishop of Sherwood, the Right Rev Tony Porter, and Mr Derek Wilkinson, who set up the Worksop scheme.

Mr Steedman said about a dozen people were interested in becoming volunteers but he was hoping to get about 40 people involved.

Volunteers must have belonged to a church for a year and be over 18.

All will undergo background checks and need a reference from their church.

Mr Steedman said older people were often particularly effective as Street Pastors.

Training will be given over a period of 12 Saturdays and it is hoped that the volunteers will be on the streets by Easter.

The volunteers would work in teams of four and be out in Newark Market Place and the Castlegate area from 10pm to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Each volunteer would be on duty once a month.

They will offer help to people who had been out drinking.

They will provide flip-flops to girls struggling in high heels, give out bottles of water, provide devices to stop drinks being spiked and help to ensure that people get safely home by guiding them to taxis.

“The idea is to mingle with people and help to diffuse situations between people who are rather worse for wear,” Mr Steedman said.

The volunteers will wear dark blue uniforms with Street Pastor on the back to make them recognisable.

Mr Steedman hoped to extend into Southwell but said they needed to learn the job in Newark first.