PEOPLE in Okehampton braved Storm Dennis on Saturday morning to venture out to a coffee morning to celebrate the third birthday of the Okehampton Street Pastors.

Street pastors in uniform talked about their work on the streets of the town on Saturday nights, looking back to the very first patrol in February 2017.

The Christian organisation prides itself on providing a non-judgemental presence on the streets of Okehampton, making sure revellers up late in the town’s pubs stay safe.

Over that time they have built up a good rapport with others in the ‘nighttime economy’ — and on one bitterly cold night even saved someone’s life.

There was a good turnout for the coffee morning at Fairplace Church as people came in from the rain and wind to warm up.

Chairman Julie Yelland, who is also town mayor, said: ‘Many of the street and prayer pastors came along to chat about what they do with lots of interest being shown by members of the public who came in to get dry and warm and enjoy hot drinks and cake.’

The coffee morning raised £183.30 towards the street pastors’ work.

Mrs Yelland added that over the past three years the street pastors had become a valued part of town life.

The volunteers from local churches patrol the streets of town late on Saturday nights—from 10.30pm until 3am and are valued by police, pub landlords and taxi drivers alike for the work they do.

Mrs Yelland said: ‘We are not the police. We are completely independent from the police but the police have commented that when the street pastors are out it diffuses things. You can see a difference when the street pastors are out and when they are not.

‘The taxi drivers have commented that they would like us out every night. They are very much aware that the town is a safer place when the street pastors are out.’

There are currently nine street pastors, and a further six prayer pastors who support the mission back at the street pastors’ HQ at Fairplace Church.

While the street pastors are a Christian organisation, they are a very practical one. When they venture onto the streets they are armed not with Bibles or prayer books but with flipflops and lollypops.

‘We carry flipflops to give to girls who go out in high heeled shoes but by the end of the night are a bit the worse for wear and could turn their ankle,’ said Mrs Yelland.

‘We also carry a dustpan and brush to sweep up pieces of glass, pick up broken bottles, which are potential weapons, and carry space blankets, water bottles and lollipops. If a chap has a lolly in his mouth it is quite difficult for him to be aggressive and it is also quite difficult for anyone to be aggressive towards him. So something simple like that can turn a situation around.’