Street and Club Angels will be out in force over the next few weeks to keep Christmas revellers safe in over 130 towns across the UK.
The Street Angels are a group of volunteers who patrol the streets on Friday and Saturday nights to provide help, support and safety for those ‘who have been spiked, are victims of crime, [are] homeless or…have had too much to drink’ in the ‘town centre’s night-time economy’.
The volunteers will be offering flip-flops, lollipops, first aid assistance and bottles of water to those in need of help during the festive season.
To help meet Christmas demand, some of the projects in UK towns are running additional services such as safe place drop-in's and multi-agency mobile support units, and some will even be bringing A&E staff teams on patrol with them.
Paul Blakey MBE, founder of Street Angels - Christian Nightlife Initiatives (CNI) Network, says, “Christmas is one of the busiest times of year for our volunteer teams and we often meet people not used to town and city centres at night.
“Our teams, who work brilliantly throughout the year, will be out and about in force to ensure that people have a safe and fun night."
The CNI Network have issued the following advice to help people have a safe and fun night out this Christmas:
- Plenty sense. Plenty water. Plenty friends. Never leave your drinks around.
- Always stay with your friends, don’t go off alone, have their contact information on you somewhere other than your phone and over a big dinner beforehand try to think about your drinking limits for the night and stick to them!
- Always eat before a night out – never drink on an empty stomach.
- Know your drink and know your limit. Know what you are drinking so you can know how much you have had. This will also help you and your friends know if you have been spiked because you have kept account of your alcohol intake.
- Keep your taxi money in another part of your handbag/wallet so you don’t spend it. Always sit in the back of a taxi if you’re travelling by yourself.
- Pick a venue right for you – if you feel out of place, leave! Most fights start over something minor – if someone knocks you or spills your drink – apologise! Don’t get involved in breaking up a fight – that’s the job of the door-staff! Someone pestering you – try and ignore them and if that doesn't work ask the bar or door staff to help you. Look out for your friends – make sure they are safe.
The Street Angels project was launched in Halifax in November 2005 as a response by Churches Together and YMCA in the town to the problems around the nightlife.
Each year the project has provided Halifax with around 13,000 volunteer hours and helps around 3,000 people.
Since the Street Angels was set up, crime in Halifax town centre has been reduced by 57% and the town has been presented with a Purple Flag Award, meaning that Halifax has reached ‘standards of excellence in managing the evening and night-time economy’.
The Angels have branched out and are now working in over 130 towns in the UK as well as at Festivals and abroad with their project in Magaluf; they have joined with Bus Oasis to provide a mobile support base in the town; they set up a café and Christian bookshop; and have started working in schools, colleges and youth groups to educate you people about alcohol, drug and crime awareness.
For his work in setting up the Street Angels, Paul Blakey was awarded a MBE by her Majesty the Queen in 2010 and was given the Big Society Award by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2012.
To find out more about the Street Angels, please visit their website here: http://www.halifaxstreetangels.org.uk/