During January there were:

  • 3 Friday night patrols
  • 2 Saturday night patrols
  • 5 Patrols totalling 25 hours of cover involving 17 Street Pastors
  • 4 pairs of flip-flops given, 250 lollies and Love Hearts

January is usually a quiet month for Street Pastor teams. With many people waiting for their first pay-day since before Christmas, streets and venues are often much quieter than usual. However, we were on hand to help 4 ladies with flip-flops. We chatted to groups of young people in Grove and visited Sweatbox Youth Centre.

We also cared for a distressed young lady ensuring that she got in a taxi home and looked after another lady who had not been well; helping to organise getting her home in a taxi.

One of our teams provided basic first aid to a young man that had been hit while trying to intervene after a fight broke out. We patched him up and advised a visit to Minor Injuries.

Three Street Pastors were delighted to be involved in a Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) Alcohol Education Theme Day at King Alfred’s Academy. As a member of the CAP, we work alongside other organisations to help reduce underage drinking and associated antisocial behaviour in Wantage and Grove. One of our aims is to work with schools in educating students (and their parents) on issues around alcohol use. Throughout the day, students visited 6 different activities, including a film by Thames Valley Police and Licensing, a seminar by Sainsbury’s, ‘diversionary activities’ by Sweatbox Youth Centre and a seminar by The Training Effect.

We set up a small display about our work, donned our uniforms and chatted to students at lunchtime. Students were very keen to come and talk to us – but it may have been something to do with the 400 lollies we gave out! :- p

The day ended with a presentation of music by Henry Maybury, who lost his elder brother to alcoholism a few years ago.