During April there were:

• 3 Friday night patrols and 3 Saturday night patrols
• 6 Patrols totalling 30 hours of cover involving 19 Street Pastors
• 8 pairs of flip-flops given and 22 bottles of water
• 250 lollies and Love Hearts

Here are some of the ways Street Pastors cared, listened and helped in April:

• Cared for a young man that was feeling unwell and unhappy
• Helped to defuse several aggressive situations in Wantage
• Listened to a young lady that shared some of her life with us
• Cleared lots of litter at Grove Skate Park and Undercroft Car Park, Wantage

Warmer weather seemed to bring more people out in the evenings during April and withless rain, more people were in town longer into the evening.

On one occasion we saw a young man, sat with his head in his hands. He told us that he had had quite a bit to drink and was feeling dizzy. He also said that his friends had left him and that one of them had his phone. We offered to call someone for him and so rang his mum and arranged for her to come to Wantage to pick him up. We stayed with him until Mum arrived and he tearfully shared with us how he had been to his gran’s funeral the day before.

A young lady told us how Street Pastors had helped her in the past. She told us about a difficult situation she had faced as a girl and said that meeting Street Pastors sometime after had helped her to face the future. She said how well she was doing now with work and her studies.

We helped calm down several situations that could have resulted in fights breaking out. One lad came to talk to us because he knew that would help calm him down and prevent him from fighting. On another occasion we mediated between two squabbling ladies to bring peace.