Behind the scenes with Bristol’s Street Pastors: A night of care, safety, and community support
On Saturday, I joined Bristol Street Pastors on an evening patrol in the city centre to see the great work they do to help those in need at the weekend.
Street pastors are volunteers from inter-denominational churches across Bristol who care about the safety and wellbeing of their community and those who are out and about enjoying the Bristol nightlife at the weekends. They come from various Christian denominations and backgrounds and are an approachable and non-judgemental presence, looking after anyone who needs support. They are easily and uniquely identifiable by their uniforms, caps, and bags.
On the night, I joined the team for their briefing and then we were off, taking supplies of flip-flops, foil blankets, bottles of water, and of course the famous Street Pastor lollypops! We headed into the city, and it very quickly became apparent what a friendly and reassuring presence the team provide. We came across a number of young people who were intoxicated and looking for some support as they had become separated from friends, or were waiting for taxis, or just needed a friendly face to talk to. We linked in with police officers and I was impressed by the positive relationship there is between the street pastors and officers. The street pastors rely on close relationships with emergency services, management and staff of licensed venues, door staff and other workers of the night-time economy.
The work they do on their patrols is wide ranging. They can be present at situations which will potentially lead to conflict in order to reduce the likelihood of this happening, provide first aid where necessary whilst waiting for emergency services to arrive, and they can liaise with friends or family members for safe meeting points and arranging taxis for those who are unable to get home unassisted. They also remove glass bottles and other potential weapons from the streets to discourage them from being used as weapons.
It really was fantastic to meet with the team and learn more about the important work they do in the community. Their commitment, passion and care for the wellbeing and safety of the community was inspiring to see and it was clear they make a continuing difference. I would like to say a very sincere thank you to all the team for making me feel so welcome and I look forward to hearing more about the work of Bristol Street Pastors in the future.
They are always looking out for more volunteers to be involved, along with support and funding to assist them in their valuable work. To learn more and find out how you can get involved visit: Get Involved – Bristol Street Pastors