Boost for Taunton's street pastors (From This is The West Country)

Boost for Taunton's street pastors

6:40pm Saturday 31st October 2009

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TAUNTON’S street pastors have been boosted by a donation from a Somerset crime prevention group.

The Street Pastor scheme is manned by volunteers from Taunton churches and was set up to tackle problems such as alcohol related crime and anti-social behaviour outside pubs and clubs.

Trained volunteers give up an evening a month to work alongside local police by offering a helping hand to weary pub-goers and clubbers in need of help in the town centre late at night.

Somerset West Crime Prevention Panel handed over £500 to the cause on Friday.

The pastors also offer a ‘safe space' chill-out area on the driveway of North Street Church on Saturday nights. The area is designd to be somewhere for people to wait for friends and taxies, have a hot drink and recover if they are worse for wear.

Vic Verrier, vice chairman of the panel, said: "It gives us great pleasure in rewarding the work of the street pastors with a cheque to help with the good work that they do, with our good wishes."

Adrian Prior-Sankey, chairman of Taunton Street Pastors, added: "We are delighted to receive this donation which will ensure that the street pastors continue the good work of the panel in tackling crime in our community and raising public awareness of simple strategies that can help us all stay safe.

"The funding from the panel will help provide the equipment needed for the safe space.”

Somerset West Crime Prevention Panel, which has now been wound up, was set up 20 years ago to work alongside the police in helping to fight crime in the area.

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