Rutland and Stamford Mercury reporter joins the Stamford Street Pastors on a Saturday night patrol
They are known by many as ‘the lolly and flip flop people’, but the work of the Stamford Street Pastors involves much more, writes reporter Maddy Baillie after joining them on patrol.
While most people spend their Saturday night in town or relaxing at home, a group of Christians dedicate their time to ensuring everyone enjoying a night out stays safe.
The Stamford Street Pastors group was set up in 2011 to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and since then has grown with members from various churches taking part in the patrols.
While the group are Christians, they are not actively out preaching.
Instead they follow a verse from the Bible: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
Starting at 9.30pm on Saturday, June 24, the group gathered at Barn Hill Methodist Church for a briefing.
Tom Nottidge, senior street pastor, explained a few key things, saying: “Don’t put yourself in danger, if the senior urgently says to do something then do it”, and he revealed a secret phrase the street pastors use if they need to move on from a conversation with someone.
The group - which consisted of Tom, John Chambers and Yvette Diaz-Munoz - then headed downstairs where they put on street pastors’ jackets and hats, and handed me a fluorescent jacket to show I was an observer.
Bags were filled with water bottles, flip flops, first aid kits, space blankets, a kitty to cover taxi costs and, the thing most people are most excited about, lollies.
John’s wife Dot, who was the prayer pastor, was dialled on the phone.
Gathered in a circle we joined in as she led a prayer in song.
The prayer pastor stays at home focusing solely on praying throughout the night with no distractions from the streets of Stamford, Tom explained.
As darkness began to creep in we headed out into the warm summer air towards Stamford Station where the last train would be pulling in.
To my surprise the station was busy with people heading home after a day trip to the town and with the train delayed there was time to chat with tourists about what they had been up to.
A family on their way back to London praised the street pastors for what they do.
But it wasn’t just to have a nice chat that this location is included on their patrol - it is also to ensure that everyone who needs to get out of town manages to and no-one is left on the platform.
Job done, we headed back into the town centre to check in with the bouncers at the pubs and bars across the town.
J D Wetherspoon was packed with people - many of whom were celebrating the end of their A-level examinations - which indicated the town’s two nightclubs would be full later as well.
The bouncer at All Saints explained there was nothing to report before quickly halting the conversation to stop a man trying to leave the bar with a glass.
Ensuring glasses and bottles don’t make it to the street is an important task for the bouncers.
But for the ones that slip through, the street pastors make sure they are picked up and thrown away safely. If a fight escalates people sometimes use glass as a weapon which can be fatal, and if it gets smashed it is a danger for those walking around in high heels, open toed shoes or barefoot.
Throughout the night we picked up a dozen or so glasses which had been discarded on the streets - my first find was an empty bottle of Tiger beer left on the steps of a house.
Yvette said: “You want people to have a good time and go out to have fun.
“We aren’t party poopers who want everyone to stay home on a Saturday night.
“It is when it starts to turn sour.”
John added: “It is surprising how angry people can get when they’ve had a drink.”
If they do spot a fight, the pastors immediately call the CCTV operators at South Kesteven District Council who inform the police.
The next stop was The Meadows, notorious for being a hotspot for trouble in the summer months, where we spotted a big group of teenagers with one lad lying on the floor in silence.
Told by his friends, he was a bit ‘steamo’, which we deduced meant drunk, and ‘had had a few too many’, he was offered a bottle of water.
While his chatty mates told us about their night, he was suddenly up and about with a new lease of life.
During this conversation the street pastors were also keeping an eye on two young teenagers who we had previously seen rowing in Red Lion Square. Now at The Meadows, the girl and boy continued to argue loudly, with one throwing a takeaway at the other, before eventually storming off separately.
“We wanted to make sure it didn’t escalate,” Yvette, 46, explained.
As it was getting later, the route took us up to Mama Liz’s in Broad Street.
To my pleasant surprise many people took the time to say ‘hello’ and engage in short conversation but on arrival at the bar it was a more serious scene that greeted us.
A man was lying on the floor with the bouncer monitoring his pulse while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Concerned friends gathered around as well as revellers who, despite constant pleas from door staff to back off and give space, wanted to be involved.
After the man was put into the ambulance it was explained that he had ordered more than 20 Jägerbombs and drank them all in one sitting.
In that moment I felt even more admiration for the Stamford Street Pastors who show love rather than judgement as all I could think was just how stupid and dangerous that was, and a waste of the already stretched ambulance service’s time and resources.
By midnight the streets were in a state with piles of vomit on the pavements and dropped or discarded takeaways cascading across the floor. My thoughts were with the Pride of Stamford Litter Pickers who I knew would be out at the crack of dawn making the town clean and beautiful again.
Despite efforts to keep the town centre glass free, a bottle had been smashed in Sheep Market meaning the pastors had to clean it up with a nifty foldable broomstick
Tom, one of the founding members of the Stamford branch, said that figures show since the street pastors were set up in Stamford, violence and anti-social behaviour on a Saturday night has dropped. The number of serious incidents where people have stepped on glass are also drastically down.
He said: “We write down blood everytime we see it.
“When we started we looked back through the eight weeks before and saw the number of times reducing.
“The number of bloody noses or cut hands had absolutely come right down.”
As hordes of people began to head to Willoughby’s nightclub, we followed.
Slumped on the ground by the old Barclays bank was a man with a group of people bustling around in front of him.
The pastors handed him water and tried to find out where he lived so he could be put in a taxi home, but he just wanted to sleep. After 10 minutes he began to come around and explained in a slurry voice ‘I have never met a good Samaritan before’ and questioned why they would want to help him.
Other than ‘can I have a lollipop’ the most common question they get asked is ‘why do you do this?’.
John said: “Being a street pastor struck a chord with me, I felt it was something I was called to do.
“The people in town really need it.
“There are a number of situations we see where people could get into trouble.”
Yvette added: “Every connection you have with a person leaves a trace. Even a small conversation.
“If someone gives us a hug we give a hug back. The little things can make a difference.”
While helping the intoxicated slumper, another man was in distress after dislocating his shoulder and asking everyone around to help him.
His friend called 999 but no ambulances were available so Tom put it back into place - a first for the Stamford Street Pastors.
Too drunk to realise, he headed into a taxi still walking lopsided.
Tom said: “Eighty to ninety per cent of the time what we deal with is related to drugs or alcohol.
“But you do meet people in absolutely heartbreaking situations so it is lovely to be able to give them support and a prayer.”
Throughout the night there were many exclamations from revellers as they saw the group of do-gooders.
From a slurred ‘the street pashorrrs’ to ‘it’s the flip flop people’ the group was constantly met with positivity and curiosity. Sadly I didn’t get the chance to hear them called the ‘sweet pastors or sweet pastilles’ as Yvette explained they had been on a previous patrol.
There were also a few hugs from merry drinkers to show appreciation for what they do.
I was asked by the street pastors if there was anything that surprised me? The answer was how much area they cover in town and what they do.
Without them the glass left on the ground could be used to seriously injure someone, the woman walking barefoot because her feet are too sore for heels could be treading in sick or debris, a vulnerable person could be left stranded on the streets without a way home and those seriously drunk could become badly ill without anyone noticing.
On reflection, what surprised me the most is just how much the street pastors are valued and needed in Stamford on a Saturday night.
