During December there were:

  • 2 Friday night patrols, 2 Saturday night patrols and a New Year’s Eve patrol
  • 5 Patrols totalling 25 hours of cover involving 17 Street Pastors
  • 3 pairs of flip-flops given and 12 bottles of water
  • 200 lollies and Love Hearts given

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

  • Cleared away lots of broken glass from Wantage town centre
  • Cared for an upset young woman
  • Gave flip-flops to a young man who had twisted his ankle

December patrols can be fairly quiet for Street Pastors, with many people saving (or having already spent) their money for the Christmas period. All of our teams cleared away lots of broken glass and other litter such as drink cans and bottles from Wantage town centre.

We spent some time with a young woman who had had quite a bit to drink, was wobbly on her feet and was upset. We listened to the challenges that she faces in her life and tried to encourage her. We later escorted her to a taxi to make sure she made it home safely.

One of our teams patrolled on what has sometimes been described by the emergency services and the media as ‘Black Friday’ – the last Friday before Christmas, when many people have finished work and are looking forward to some time off. We gave flip-flops and a bottle of water to a young man that had taken his shoes off after twisting his ankle. He was very grateful and later was able to put his shoes back on.

We also patrolled on New Year’s Eve. We were grateful that the police were on hand to deal with a fight that broke out between some emotionally charged young people shortly before midnight. The rest of the evening was busy but peaceful and fun for us. We joined revellers and the police around King Alfred’s statue and wished everyone a happy new year – and cleared up lots of broken glass.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Dickensian Evening Christmas Tree Festival at Wantage Methodist Church, which raised £626; and to those who donated from venues around Wantage in December while we sang Christmas carols, which raised £120.

Thank you too for your support throughout 2019 and best wishes from all of us for 2020.