Shrewsbury Street Pastors now in its Eleventh year

Shrewsbury Street Pastors is a volunteer-based initiative with a mandate to be a tangible Christian influence in Shrewsbury.

The 24 Christian volunteers are drawn from 17 churches from 7 different denominations, and work in partnership with Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council, Team Shrewsbury and the West Mercia Police, known as “The Urban Trinity”.

A team of Street Pastors (consisting of 3 or 4 trained volunteers) patrols the town centre every Saturday (and the occasional Friday, Sunday and Wednesday), between the hours of 10.30pm. and 4 am (approx.) to help, care for and listen to those in difficulty without judgment or discrimination. A bottle of water for those who are dehydrated, a pair of flip-flops for those struggling to walk in high heels, a space blanket for those without a coat, a phone call to track down missing friends or arrange a taxi home, or simply a listening ear – all are part of a night’s work for a Street Pastor.

Since March 2018 we have had the use of a 3.5 Tonne vehicle that has been donated by The Office of Police and Crime Commissioner West Mercia Police. This vehicle is the Shrewsbury Street Pastors Triage Support vehicle, nicknamed ‘The Donkey’. It has been used to support the work of our foot patrols out on the streets of Shrewsbury.

Our future aim is to use the vehicle for outreach, preventative work and promotional activities, to raise the awareness of our charity’s objectives.