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Street pastors take to the streets of Pendle
CHRISTIAN volunteers offering a "helping hand" have started late-night town centre patrols following the launch of East Lancashire's first Street Pastor service.
Mayor of Pendle Coun. Shelagh Derwent and Mayoress Mrs Ann McGeorge met the church volunteers at Nelson Town Hall before they took to the streets of Nelson, Barrowford and Brierfield.
Director of the Ascension Trust the Rev. Les Isaac, who pioneered the scheme five years ago in Brixton, gave a rousing speech at the launch.
Introduced by Pendle Street Pastors co-ordinator the Rev. Ian Humphreys, Mr Isaac told of the impact the scheme has had on a third of London's boroughs and the unexpected respect it has brought.
Pastors help the vulnerable, whether that involves standing at a bus stop with someone until their bus comes or helping protect a drunken girl.
The scheme has grown from 18 people in Brixton to 2,000 people in 80 locations in the last five years, with another 52 initiatives in the pipeline.
The Pendle Street Pastors scheme is backed by the police and council.
Organisers have admitted volunteers will face dangers, although police have said they are not replacements for their patrols and pastors will be backed up by officers.
Chief Supt Sarah Oldham, operations manager for Pennine Division, is fully behind the scheme. She said: "I've got officers who would love to stand and a help a person, make sure they're all right and see them to safety, but often we don't have the time and have to move on."
Initially Mr Humphreys, Nelson's Central Gospel Mission pastor, will lead a team of 16 volunteers from Wheatley Lane Methodist Church, St Mary's Church, Newchurch, Pendle Community Church, Nelson, and Nelson Independent Methodist Church.
The volunteers are out on Fridays between 8 p.m. and midnight, but the aim is to expand this to Saturday nights and other areas of East Lancashire.
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Weather for Pendle
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
