WOMEN’S GROUP LEARN ABOUT STREET PASTORS
We had a very informative talk from Jacky Kendrew who is the Street Pastor Coordinator for Chesterfield. She began by talking about the history of the group, when in 2010 Christians Together in Chesterfield proposed a Street Pastors initiative, supported by the police and the Borough Council, to reduce the high levels of alcohol related crime and anti -social behaviour adversely impacting on the night time economy of the town centre. Street Pastors are trained volunteers from local churches and are usually on patrol from 10pm to 4am on Saturday nights to care for, listen to and help people who are out on the streets. There are now thirty Street Pastors who patrol in teams and are in close contact with the police and the CCTV operators. Each team carries a rucksack containing First Aid supplies, disposable gloves, water, blankets, flip- flops (for young girls who are unable to walk in their high heels) and lollipops which are often given out to diffuse potential confrontations. There is now also a regular patrol on Friday evenings who work alongside the ROC cafe at Grace Chapel from 7.30 pm- 9.30 pm and their latest venture is a team of School Pastors working in Parkside School supporting students by providing a reassuring presence at times in the school day when children may feel vulnerable. The Christian message came across very strongly in Jacky’s talk. Prayers are said before each patrol goes out and are said by a team in the Grace Chapel during the evenings whilst the volunteers are working. We all felt full of admiration for their work and will mention them in our prayers.
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 2nd March at 7.00 p.m. in The Parish Room. This will be our AGM followed by a Cheese and Wine. All ladies are welcome to join us, when details of our programme for the next year will be revealed.
Jean Lee, committee member