The Eastleigh Street Pastors scheme goes live on Friday 3rd July when, following a commissioning service in the Baptist Church in Wells Place at 7.00 p.m., two teams of two will be out on the streets every Friday night from 8.30 p.m. to 12.30 a.m.
Following a successful scheme in Fair Oak and Horton Heath and over 100 teams in the United Kingdom, Street Pastors are making a real difference in making people feel safer at night. The Eastleigh scheme has 19 trained volunteers drawn from local churches who can be any age from 18 , although there is no upper age limit. Each volunteer gives up one night every four weeks. When more volunteers are trained it may be possible to have another team on Saturday night.
The Street Pastors offer basic welfare for people heavily in drink or drugs with caring by listening and helping to reduce the vulnerability of lone individuals. Their training helps them calm emotional or aggressive situations as well as having local information on night buses, taxi companies and signposting to support services.
They do not, give out money for taxi fares, work for the Police or preach to individuals. They will be there to listen, care and help.
The area in Eastleigh they will be covering will be the Town Centre and surrounding areas (Fleming Park to the Hub)
The scheme demonstrates what can be achieved when churches come together for action. Under the umbrella of Eastleigh and Bishopstoke Churches Together, volunteers and ministers are involved from; The Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Salvation Army, New Community Church, as well as the Elim, and Seventh Day Adventist churches.
The scheme is fully supported by Hampshire Constabulary and Eastleigh Borough Council. Councillor Cathie Fraser, lead Cabinet Member for Health and Safer Communities said, “Practical Christianity – good old fashioned talking to people- is the key and it is about everyone working together.”
Eric, already one of the volunteers in Fair Oak, tells of an occasion one night when he was out with a diminutive older lady and came across a car with a group of youngsters drinking and acting aggressively. “The lady leaned into the car and simply said, ‘I am not afraid.’ And the situation was diffused