Portsmouth Street Pastors: Group members explain why they want to help tired and emotional revellers
LOST? Drunk? Maybe in need of a pair of flip-flops after a long night in high heels? A dedicated team of ‘street pastors’ from churches across the city have your back.
Street pastors are trained volunteers who patrol in teams of men and women on Friday and Saturday nights, caring and helping people in need.
This summer from July to September, street pastors across the city made 43 referrals to police, paramedics, or CCTV operators, supporting almost 100 people in distress.
Street Pastor Barrie, who was patrolling the Guildhall area this weekend, said: ‘We helped a girl who was absolutely blotto last weekend - and the police had arrested a guy with her purse and phone.'
More than 1,000 bottles and broken glasses have been picked up this summer – and 61 pairs of flip-flops were handed out to those found walking barefoot.
Street Pastor Karen added: ‘We want to give people a sense of dignity on a night out.
‘For us, we think this is where Jesus would be.’
Street pastors have been working in Portsmouth since 2010 – and it is one of 240 places in the UK to have a scheme, with about 20,000 volunteers nationally. The first group was set up in Brixton in 2003.
Last year street pastors also helped out at the mass Covid vaccination centre set up St James’s Hospital in Locksway Road, Milton.
In 2018 Maggie Blyth, Portsmouth’s former top police officer, said of the pastors: ‘We have a range of priorities in trying to keep Portsmouth safe. We can only do that with the support you give my officers and the fantastic work you do.’