We have also given out directions to pubs, clubs, cash dispensers,
places to eat, transport home and in all have made contact with
over 1250 people who have been having fun in Torquay. We have
also been involved in a number of incidents (over 40) giving
care, protection and sometimes first aid, working with the Police,
The Safe Bus, the pub and club doormen and other teams of people
aiming to bring peace to our town.
One incident involved
a very drunk young woman who the Police asked us to care for
or they would have had to arrest her. Whilst with the team she
got into a taxi followed by a young man who she didn't know
who jumped into the taxi behind her, who when asked for ID by
a club doormen ran away. The Street Pastors took over again
and walked her around in an effort to sober her and help her.
Eventually she was reunited with her friends who promised to
see her home safely. It turned out it was her 19 th birthday
and it could have ended in a disastrous way.
This last weekend one of our teams
was thanked by a woman who said that 3 weeks previously a team
of SP's had saved her life. That Saturday 3 weeks ago her husband
had left her and she had gone to the harbour side, got very
drunk and was contemplating suicide until she talked to the
team.
In fact since we started,
the prayers of our Prayer Team who cover the same hours i.e.
10 at night until 4 the following morning at our safe base,
have certainly been answered – Saturday nights seem much more
peaceful – still busy, people enjoying themselves, but not so
many fights.
Since we started in
March, we now have two teams out on a Saturday night and from
September will also cover one Friday night a month. We are a
voluntary organisation and we are supported financially by the
volunteers themselves, Churches, the Police and the “Friends
of Torbay Street Pastors” (people who commit to give £10
a year). However, we still need to raise funds as it costs £300
to put a Street Pastor on the street (uniforms, training, CRB
checks) and having heard our story, you would like to support
us the “Friends of Street Pastors” are running a sponsored professional
car wash at Upton Parish Church (next to Torquay Courts, Castle
Circus – not Upton Vale Baptist) on 2nd August providing bacon
butties in the morning and a barbeque in the afternoon.
To run this efficiently
an appointment system is in operation and Mrs Ball on 01803
391676 will book you in. Apparently the slots that
remain are in the afternoon from 1.30 onwards. If you would
like a bacon buttie in the morning or something from the barbeque
in the afternoon during your shopping time come along – all
we ask is for a donation. But remember the car must be booked
in by ringing 01803 391676.
A great encouragement to us has been
The Police producing 10,000 Torbay Street Pastor beermats to
be distributed to all the pubs and clubs in the Torquay harbour
side area telling the public how to contact us if they need
help. The beermats carry details of the route we cover and the
numbers of the mobile phones that each team carries.
If you require more
information about Torbay Street Pastors please contact the Coordinators,
Ros or Rog Ede on 01803 873529. |
Church
News