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STREET Angels, who help late-night revellers stay safe, are being stretched to the limit and need more volunteers to join them. Hull Street Angels Trinity has almost doubled in size to 20 volunteers since evolving from a pilot scheme in May 2012. But project co-ordinator Karen Thompson says she is seeking at least another ten volunteers to cope with rising demand for its services. Karen said: "We are a culture of drink and, unfortunately, other substances and there is a big demand for us. "At the moment, we concentrate our efforts in the Old Town but we would love to expand to other areas of the city that are popular with drinkers, such as Witham and Beverley Road. "In order to do that, we desperately need more volunteers." Karen said the aim of the Street Angels is to spot potential problems and nip them in the bud, preventing the need for the emergency services to become involved. "We spend 90 per cent of our time walking and talking," said Karen. "We hand out water to keep people hydrated between alcoholic drinks and flip flops, which prevent sprains and broken toes in the cobbled areas of Old Town." Karen said the registered charity has evolved quickly from a steering group comprising Hull City Council, Humberside Police and the NHS. She said: "The group was set up to look at how Hull could reduce antisocial behaviour and make the night-time economy more welcoming. "An enormous amount of time and money was being spent on dealing with people who had become intoxicated when often all they needed was to go home." Karen said the group looked at models adopted by other towns and cities. "We adopted a similar model to the Christian Street Angels, which operate in Hull," she said. Even though Hull Street Angels Trinity is based at Holy Trinity Church until new premises in the city centre can be found, Karen stressed its volunteers do not spread religious messages to revellers. "We have not gone down the secular, religious route," she said. "Hull Street Angels Trinity is a non-faith charity." Karen said Street Angels now have radios, paid for by the Community Safety Partnership, which connects them to the council's CCTV operators. Karen said: "If the camera operators spot someone vulnerable, perhaps a drunk, lone female, they'll contact us and we'll arrive to check they're okay and ensure they get home safely." Managers of several Old Town bars now call the Street Angels to request their presence when big nights are scheduled. Karen said: "A lot of our work is preventative. For instance, our volunteers, as well as being trained in first aid, are taught conflict management skills. "We have a really good relationship with Hull Cars. We will occasionally ring them and say, 'We're with a client who has drunk too much. They need a taxi to take them home'. "If they don't have the cash to pay the driver, we will phone mum or dad, with their consent, and ensure the driver gets paid. "Often, when young people are too drunk, taxis will, understandably, not pick them up. But if they get a call from us, they will. "People who walk home drunk put themselves in a very vulnerable position." Karen said volunteers must be able to commit to one night a month. Call 07580 032779 to volunteer. Comments are closed.
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ROC Angels - an initiative of ROC (Redeeming Our Communities)
Charity - 1139817 / Registered Company - 7327258 Postal Address: ROC Angels, c/o The King's Centre, Park Rd, Halifax, HX1 2TS E-Mail: paul@rocangels.org (founder / CEO) / Phone: 07725501465 |