Shrewsbury Street Pastors given Queen’s Award

They voluntarily patrol the streets of Shrewsbury until the early hours, coming to the rescue when people are most vulnerable.

For some it is a listening ear and somewhere to shelter from the cold, while for others its a pair of flip flops and a lollipop.

Now Shrewsbury Street Pastors have been recognised for their work and handed The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Steve Jones, director of operations at Shrewsbury Street Pastors, said volunteers had taken people to hospital in their support vehicle because the ambulance service had been too stretched.

He said: “Our volunteers are out every weekend, rain or shine, on the streets of Shrewsbury, working until the early hours of the morning and working with some of the most vulnerable people who are engaged with the night-time economy.

“It can be helping someone home after a fun night out or, can be as involved as working with the other emergency services with someone who is in real distress.

“We have taken people to hospital in our support vehicle because the ambulance service is too stretched, or they been radioed by police officers who need to attend another shout.

“These are becoming almost run-of-the-mill events when our patrols are out on the streets. All our volunteers are fully trained by Shropshire Fire and Rescue to use throw-lines and to carry our river rescue as required.”

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities. It is the MBE for volunteer groups.

The Shrewsbury Street Pastors will receive the award from the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire Sir Algernon Heber-Percy later this summer.

The street pastors have been working with agencies including Shrewsbury Samaritans and Shropshire MIND.

Mr Jones said: “We have also been working very closely with our voluntary sector partners Shrewsbury Samaritans who have trained the street pastors in listening skills and another session on what to do if someone is threatening to commit suicide.

"They have just received training from Shropshire MIND on safeguarding issues, and a course about raising awareness on how to deal with people with mental health issues.

"Our foot patrols are supported by a support vehicle team and it is fully first aid compliant and carries a defibrillator. This can be very challenging but rewarding volunteering.”

Mr Jones added: “Our volunteers are truly amazing people, they go out on patrol once a month and never know what is in store on a night’s shift.

“Helping and preventing someone from committing suicide is a very powerful and emotional experience but one that makes you realise just why you stay out until the early hours of the morning.”

Street pastors engage with people on the streets to care for them, listen to them and help them.

They work together with other partners in the night-time economy to make communities safer.

Pete Lawton, chairman of trustees of Shrewsbury Street Pastors, said: “I am ‘stoked’ about this award and how it reflects on all the hard-work of the street pastors, trustees and senior management team here.

“It also shows how well street pastors support vulnerable people in Shrewsbury during the night-time economy. They have become an integral part in working with and supporting their external partners.”

Shrewsbury Street Pastors is a volunteer-based initiative with a mandate to be a tangible Christian influence in Shrewsbury. The 34 Christian volunteers are drawn from 17 churches from eight different denominations, and work in partnership with Team Shrewsbury. It was started in November 2011 to help prevent further river deaths.

To coincide with this award, Shrewsbury Street Pastors is launching a major fundraising appeal – the Good Samaritan Appeal.

This has different strands, a recruitment campaign to get more volunteers to help in this work, the launch of a new support vehicle donated by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and funds to keep the charity going, providing diesel, training, covering telephone costs, licence fees for the emergency radios.

For more information visit everyclick.com/shrewsbury-street-pastors