During July there were:

• 2 Friday night patrols and 3 Saturday night patrols
• 5 Patrols totalling 25 hours of cover involving 15 Street Pastors
• 9 pairs of flip-flops given and 12 bottles of water
• 480 lollies and Love Hearts

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

• Stayed with a young girl after Prom as she waited for a lift home
• Listened to an upset young woman and accompanied her home
• Cared for a man who had drunk too much and ensured he went home safely
• Spent time listening to a lady in her 60s

We were delighted to be joined on patrol at the beginning of July by Wantage’s Mayer, Major Jim Sibbald. Jim had been at our launch nearly 10 years ago and was keen to join a team to see the on-going effect of our work on the town. It was King Alfred’s Academy Prom night and we chatted to pupils as they made their way home, spending some time with a young girl who was waiting on her own for her father to collect her.

One of our teams met a lady who had been asked to leave a venue in Wantage and was rather cross about it. A listening ear and a little sympathy often goes a long way, but more than anything, the lady was pleased to have our company as she walked home and our offer of ongoing prayer for her life, which she felt had unraveled somewhat.

We spotted a very drunk young man who was being cared for by friends and offered help when we saw him collapse and throw up. We stayed with them, ensuring that the man had some water to slowly drink and made sure he was safely collected by car rather than go back in to town for more drinks – a not very helpful suggestion from some of his friends!

It’s not only young people we help and spend time with; about 50% are 18-25 years old, but about 25% are over 25 years. We spent some time chatting to a lady in her sixties who had had a very difficult life dominated by alcohol, broken relationships and cancer. She told us how she beat cancer and said that “someone up there was looking down” on her.