Every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm until 4am, groups of volunteers leave the YMCA in Cranbury Place to provide assistance on the streets of the city centre to people who are out enjoying themselves.
These are Southampton's Street Pastors, 48 volunteers who come from 30 different churches across the city and who have just completed their first month of service. The volunteers are formed into 10 teams of 4 or 5 individuals and each go on uniformed patrol once per month. They are supported by prayer teams, back at base and work in conjunction with city centre night staff and police providing basic welfare support to any members of the public who may need it, their purpose is summed up in the phrase, 'listening, caring, helping'.
The response from City Council, Police and the general public has been very positive and the Street Pastors have been of real service to people in difficulty every night that they have been on patrol.
Street Pastors first began in London in 2003 and there are now initiatives across the country, one in Portsmouth for example now in it's second year. for more information on Southampton's Street Pastors contact, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .