Street Pastors Offering Support to Those Struggling in 2025

Stirling Observer – 17 Jan 2025 – Stuart McFarlane

As the excitement of Christmas and New Year gives way to the long nights of January, this time of year has traditionally been a busy one for support services.

The challenges posed by issues including the post-festive season financial squeeze, difficulties in keeping up with resolutions and family tensions led to the coining of the moniker of ‘Blue Monday’ for the third Monday in January of a new year.

For 2025, that date falls on Monday coming — with charities and organisations in Stirling ready to offer their helping hand to those under pressure.

One of those services is offered by the Stirling Street Pastors, who walk the city’s streets on Friday and Saturday nights, offering a listening ear and dishing out important messages to those in need.

Russell Boyd from the organisation says this time of year can be particularly challenging — and shared some tips for anyone with friends or family feeling the pinch during January.

He said: “We’re always counselling people on the streets who come to us with mental health problems, although the town is quieter at this time of year because people are skint and waiting for pay day in a lot of cases.

“It’s about going somewhere to allow someone to talk and sometime they are more open to do after they’ve had a drink; just listening to people can be hugely important and that’s where the listening skills we’re trained in can become handy.

“Listening doesn’t mean just waiting to talk back, but it’s about genuinely understanding what the other person is feeling and having that empathy.

“People have told they have felt suicidal and were thinking of doing something that weekend and because of conversations with someone, it has changed and they have felt more hope in their lives.

“What we do is completely non-judgemental and so people can come to us and say anything and won’t be treated as a bad person or any differently.

“Our patrols are about hearing the stories of those we find and to hear people say they have turned things around after having a conversation with one of our pastors is just an amazing feeling and a privilege.

“There is a huge release for someone going through it in knowing someone is listening to them, so letting someone know that they’re cared for and there is a glimmer of hope is so valuable and it’s someone that anyone can do.”

One of the key strains during the long January weeks which cause stress is the impact of financial pressures following Christmas – with many enduring a wait for either salary or benefit payments to help tide them over.

Stirling Citizens Advice Bureau are one of the organisations offering key advice and support – with the charity’s chief executive revealing it has seen a “significant increase” in people presenting

Listening doesn’t mean just waiting to talk back, but genuinely understanding and having that empathy with them
in crisis.

Craig Anderson said: “I know it’s referred to as ‘Blue Monday’, but we call it ‘Black January’ because this month can see relationship breakdowns from people living together over this period and picking up extra spending to try to make Christmas magical.

“There is that huge gap between the end of December and the January money coming in and so we’re having to work hard in the crisis intervention space — things like foodbank referrals, crisis food vouchers and benefit advances.

“The cost of living crisis has driven up referrals for us by 37 per cent and a lot of work we’re doing is around food and fuel insecurity.

“Post-covid, we’ve also had a lot of first-time callers — those that would be referred to as the ‘working poor’, two people working in a household but still can’t afford what they need to live.

“The key message from us is that even if you came into CAB unstable about your circumstances, you will leave more in control and stabilised, with more positive destinations and options.

“Lots of people are unaware of the services available to them and it’s our fundamental remit to inform, enable and empower them and if they are unable to speak for themselves, then we will represent them.”