Pastors ready to hit the streets of Oxford (From The Oxford Times)

Pastors ready to hit the streets of Oxford

3:17pm Tuesday 2nd March 2010 in

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THESE volunteers could become Oxford’s first “guardian angels” – patrolling the city’s late night troublespots in a bid to help keep late-night revellers safe.

The Oxford Street Pastors project, which launched at the Town Hall on Monday, is designed to cut crime and disorder and keep late-night revellers out of trouble.

Already operating in about 135 towns and cities across the country, including Wantage, Christians are encouraged to arm themselves with lollipops for drunks, flip-flops for women unable to walk in high heels, and a listening ear.

The scheme will operate on Friday nights only initially, from 10pm until 4am, and needs at least 16 volunteers to operate.

More than 40 people attended the launch.

It has the backing of both Thames Valley Police and Oxford City Council.

Single mum-of-one Ruth Wilson, 41, from Witney, felt compelled to join up after first hearing about the scheme almost a year ago. A member of St Columba’s United Reformed Church in Oxford, she said: “It frees up the police to be doing things they need to be doing rather than crowd control and looking after drunk people. It’s not a sensible use of their time.

“I’m going to embrace it completely. I can’t find anything negative about it.”

Pattie Morley, 26, of Iffley Road, Oxford, said: “I heard about it through a friend who is helping run it. I did some work with homeless people on the street in Nottingham and I think it’s a nice way of getting involved in the community.

“Churches can stay within their walls or they can go out on the streets and do practical things to help people.”

Oxford city councillor Mark Mills, 21, a third year Oxford University history student, is also willing to lend a hand.

He said: “I’m aware of times when I’m walking back to college when I’ve not felt safe and I’m a 21-year-old man. It seems to me that you should be able to walk through your city and feel safe.”

Minister Kathryn Bracewell, of New Road Baptist Church, is helping to co-ordinate the scheme. Volunteers will get 50 hours of training on how to handle life on the streets.

For details, email oxford@ streetpastors.org.uk