The Eastleigh Street Pastors scheme will commission six new Street Pastors on Friday 23rd April 7.00pm at St Andrews Methodist Church. The trainees are from three different churches and two different denominations. The six brings the number of currently serving Street Pastors in Eastleigh to 24. Teams continue to go out on a Friday night, but the new trainees have enabled the Pastors to begin serving the town later at night for two weeks out of four.
Steve Smallwood the co-ordinator said "Since we began in July 2009 we have become well known on the streets on Friday nights between around 8.30pm and 12.30am, particularly among the younger people who are out at that time. However, the town of Eastleigh has a late night economy too. There is a need for a calming presence - caring, listening and helping - in the early hours for those who have been out enjoying the facilities of our town." Volunteer availability permitting the Street pastors will stay out until 2.30am every two weeks out of four.
In over 120 areas in the United Kingdom Street Pastors are making a real difference in making people feel safer at night. The street pastors scheme has no upper age limit, volunteers simply have to be over 18 and a member of a local church. Each volunteer gives up one night every four weeks.
The Street Pastors offer basic welfare for anyone that needs it, including people 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, signposting to support services and providing flip-flops. They do not, give out money for taxi fares, work for the Police or preach to individuals. They are there to listen, care and help.