Happy 19th Birthday Street Angels!

19 years ago today we first went out on the streets of Halifax not having a clue what we were doing or what to expect! What an incredible journey it has become.

In the first 12 months violent crime reduced by 42% in Halifax town centre within the night-time economy (streetangels.org.uk/evidence) meaning Halifax Street Angels became a model of best practice that was celebrated and promoted by the Police, Home Office, MP's, Downing Street, the church and even the Royal Family!

Those early days were a crazy mix of trying things and becoming a much loved addition to the town centre. On Friday nights between 9pm and midnight we welcomed between 20 and 40 young people to the upstairs of Fairtrade Cafe to pray for Street Angels, the police and the town. We were out and about every Friday and Saturday and covered many events in the daytime. Street Angels became a family and we celebrated life moments including a few weddings, many birthdays and sadly several funerals.

In 2008 we had already helped replicate the model into several other town and cities and launched a network (CNI Network which is now ROC Angels) that supports and resources new and existing projects. We also made connections with Dundee and Northern Ireland who have operated similar night-time work for several years before us.

We haven't just stayed on the streets and have pioneered into new areas including: Club Angels, Festival Angels, Community Angels, Youth Angels, train station Angels, chaplaincy and support for the homeless community. Today there are over 100 local projects within the ROC Angels family (see streetangels.org.uk/project-list) and we continue to help support new communities to start projects.

Our journey has not always run smoothly and we have had many challenges along the way! 19 years on though we are still here, still growing and still strong!

Thank you to everyone who is part of our 19 year journey: those who have put on wings and volunteered, those who have prayed, our partner organisations, those who donate financially, those who have helped local projects to set up and those who we have helped and supported on the streets, at festivals or within communities.

Happy 19th Birthday Street Angels!

Some pictures from those early days.

To support ROC Angels visit streetangels.org.uk/donate

​Read more about in the Street Angels or ROCK Street Chaplains, Dundee books - streetangels.org.uk/book

Tamworth Street Angels are honoured to receive the Kings Award for Voluntary Services (KAVS). 

They say, "We are delighted that our group’s work has been recognised in this way.

"It is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of our volunteers, past and present, who have always gone the extra mile to ensure that all those within Tamworth’s night-time economy are able to enjoy their time in our town as safely as possible."

​A full list of 2024 Award Winners can be found here. 

A must watch for all who work within the night-time economy - Tonight on ITV. Spiking can and increasingly does happen to anyone - with new and exclusive data, Sangita Lal reveals the true scale of the problem and meets some of its victims.

Click here to go to ITV (you need a log in to watch)

Bonfire night can be a worrying and challenging time for many local communities. Here are some prayer pointers for the first 10 days of November. 

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