Media Release - Angylion y Stryd Sir Conwy/Ddinbych

A new Street Angels project aimed at supporting those who are or could become vulnerable is set to launch later this year in North Wales.

Angylion y Stryd Sir Conwy/Ddinbych will see teams of volunteers working around the night-time in various towns including Rhyl, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno. 

The teams will offer support such as a listening ear, pairs of flip-flops to those unable to walk in high-heels, low level first aid and lollipops which help prevent anti-social behaviour.

Paul Blakey MBE, the founder of Street Angels, said, "Street Angels started in 2005 in Halifax as a response to needs and issues on Friday and Saturday nights in the town centre. Within twelve months there was a reduction in violent crime of 42% and Street Angels quickly became a model of best practice that has inspired over one hundred local projects working on the streets, inside pubs and clubs, at music festivals, within communities and through chaplaincy. Street Angels is a response to local issues with the church and community working together to offer a practical front-line response."

Paul will be visiting North Wales for some information events where people will hear the Street Angels story and stories of the impact in towns across the UK. There will also be the opportunity for questions and answers and for people to sign up to volunteer and training. 

These will be held on:

Thursday 19th January, 2pm at Festival Church Towyn, 87 Gors Road, Towyn, LL22 9NR

Thursday 19th January, 7.30pm at Antioch Colwyn Bay, 20 Station Road, Colwyn Bay, LL29 8BU

Friday 20th January, 10.30am at Wellspring Church Rhyl, 102 Vale Road, Rhyl, LL18 2PD

The need for Street Angels was identified in a ROC (Redeeming Our Communities) Conversation which was held in Towyn in September 2022. 

The project is set to launch over the Easter weekend and funding has come from the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s Innovate to Grow initiative. This fund helps support new and innovative ways of solving the problems that can often lead to criminal behaviour in communities.

Chief Inspector Jeff Moses from the Local Policing Senior Management Team commented: “We have been working closely with ROC to help the start-up of this scheme in our area. So far there has been a great response from local people who are keen to support. The Street Angels scheme has clear benefits in keeping our streets safer and also in making people feel safer, which is important. We happen to have one of the lowest crime rates in the UK but every incident of crime or anti-social behaviour on our streets creates victims, and the damaging effects can be significant to those people. The scheme will help us to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and will reduce the number of offenders coming into the criminal justice system. We are grateful to the Police and Crime Commissioner for allocating grant money to enable the set-up of the scheme.”

More information on Street Angels can be found at streetangels.org.uk