STREET PASTORS can be expected to appear in Okehampton in the near future — the trained volunteers will take to the streets in order to provide care and assistance to the local night time community.

Okehampton town and borough Cllr Julie Yelland said: ‘Further to an information evening held in Okehampton, which was well attended by representatives from local churches, the police and councillors, I am delighted to report that the formation of Okehampton Street Pastors is forging ahead.’

Street pastors are trained volunteers from local churches who engage with people on the street to provide them with support. The street pastors patrol in teams of men and women, usually from 10pm to 4am on a Friday and Saturday night, to care for, listen to and help people who are on the streets outside local bars, pubs and clubs.

Each project is set up by Ascension Trust, which is the governing body behind street pastors. The projects are then run by a local co-ordinator with support from local churches and community groups, in partnership with the police, local authority and other statutory agencies.

Cllr Yelland added: ‘As required by the Ascension Trust, we have obtained the support of Devon and Cornwall Police, local churches, West Devon Borough Council and Okehampton Town Council.’

With the support received, the Okehampton street pastor project is well underway. However, Cllr Yelland added: ‘We are still working our way through the legal paperwork. I am hoping that this process will be completed in the next couple of weeks and, once that is done, I will be in a better position to provide dates and time scales.’

The street pastors will work together with other partners in the night time economy to make the community safer.

Each volunteer is subject to DBS checks, references and goes through a comprehensive training programme before taking to the streets to assist the local people.

Ascension Trust, is a Christian charity that brings the church into partnership with other community agencies to work towards safer streets and an investment into the lives of young people.

Renowned for their compassion, street pastors are famous for handing out lollipops to defuse tension between pub-goers and supplying flip flops to those struggling to walk in their high heel shoes, this aims to reduce the risk of falls or people cutting their feet on broken glass.

Originally pioneered in London in 2003, street pastors have since become firmly established nationwide.

Street pastors began with one team of 18 volunteers that was deployed in the London boroughs of Lambeth and Hackney, before being brought to Lewisham, Birmingham and Manchester the following year.

Pioneered by the Rev Les Isaac, director of the Ascension Trust, the implementation of street pastors has seen some remarkable results, including a drop in crime in areas where street pastors have been working.

There are now 11,000 trained street pastors who play an active role in around 270 towns and cities across the UK.

The street pastor project has even reached international success, with the first overseas teams launched in Antigua and Barbuda in 2008.

Okehampton town councillors agreed that the introduction of street pastors in Okehampton would be a good idea, Cllr Yelland was also hopeful that the street pastors would have a significantly positive effect on the local community.