Our afternoon patrol team have been chatting to lots of young people – especially about
exams and an essay on the work of Street Pastors! One young person spoke to our team
about his life and a recent diagnosis which will likely scupper his career plans. Having
been patrolling on some afternoons for just over a year, many young people are used to
seeing us around and come over for a chat and a lolly! One young person said they
‘definitely felt listened to’.
One night we became aware of a group of young people who were engaged in a heated
argument in Wantage. One of them was particularly upset as it was alleged that they had
someone else’s phone. The group asked us to come over and assist. We went over and
immediately the phone was returned to the rightful owner and the situation resolved.
At the end of one of our patrols we found a young man hyperventilating. We waited with
him and suggested some strategies for calming down. With time he improved and all was
well. We chatted for a while and made sure he was ok to get home – we offered to walk
with him and stayed with him for a while.
On Saturday 20 June we put a gazebo up in the west end of the Market Place and handed
out hot pasties to anyone who wanted one (we are affectionately known as Street Pasties
by some people). We had first done this in celebration of our 15th anniversary in October
2024. It was so well received and such a good night that we wanted to make it an annual
event. Many people were touched by the offer of a pasty, water, a lolly and a chat. Thank
you to everyone who helped make it a great event.
We were pleased to welcome Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner, Matthew
Barber, to join us for a patrol in June. Matthew had asked to come out with us in
recognition of National Volunteers’ Week at the beginning June.
| May 2026 | June 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Patrols | 4 | 4 |
| Hours | 17 | 14 |
| Flip-flops | 2 | 0 |
| Lollies | ~100 | ~260* |
| Water | 3 | 37* |