On the penultimate Saturday night before Christmas, we join the Street Pastors on their rounds in Preston City Centre, as they celebrate their 15th anniversary of looking after the homeless and drinkers of the city's nightlife
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00:00 [Christmas carols]
00:20 [Christmas carols]
00:26 [Christmas carols]
00:54 [Christmas carols]
01:20 It's the penultimate weekend before Christmas and Preston's main shopping street, Fishergate, is bustling with bargain hunters.
01:28 And here is where Fishergate meets Church Street, a lively centre point for the city's revellers, which soon comes to life after dark.
01:39 [Christmas carols]
02:07 At the city's minster, the street pastors are preparing for their night's rounds, but first there's a little celebration to be had.
02:14 [Christmas carols]
02:27 The street pastors started off in London about 20 years ago and not long after that in Preston, so 15 years ago now. We got the same idea here when we used the model that was set up in London, which has been replicated around the UK.
02:42 And as I say, we've had a street pastor group now in Preston for 15 years.
02:47 We go out on a Friday and a Saturday night into the city centre and local residential areas as well around Preston and we just talk to people. We befriend them, we try and help them, we'll signpost people to support agencies, of which we've got an awful lot in Preston.
03:07 It's a really important area for support for people and sometimes we're just there as a listening ear. People just want to talk to us about life's problems and the issues that they come across.
03:18 It's 15 years and two days, I think, since the first street pastor walk in our city of Preston and we couldn't let this opportunity pass us by without just getting together and hearing some stories from ourselves, from the city and let's just spend a little bit of time and pray as well as we go along.
03:42 Thank you all very much for coming tonight. I'd like to just call on Nina first, if you're happy Nina, just to come and share a little bit about those early days.
03:53 Those early days.
03:56 A group of five people gathered in someone's kitchen who thought street pastors was a good idea if they'd been in Manchester and London. I was a bit apprehensive at first about going out but once there I was fine. All familiar feelings.
04:18 It's a milestone isn't it? Any sort of anniversary is always a time to pause and look back and reflect on what you've achieved over the last year or so and when it gets to something like 15 years you start thinking actually we're in this for the long haul and that's part of the strength of street pastors.
04:37 It wasn't just a six month project to help the people in Preston. It was the start of a long relationship supported by the people of Preston and the local police and council and we've been in it for the long haul and we want to continue with this project.
04:56 In my wildest dreams I never thought I would come across such magnificent individuals and that's the reason why I said yesterday in St Catherine Hospice at Lostocall that all these individuals, people like yourself, volunteers or non-volunteers, ok?
05:22 Many of them are on the payroll but many of them do this work on a voluntary basis and can you imagine the world, the society, the community without individuals like you, your commitment, your dedication and your support?
05:43 There are certain times of the year when it gets busier in the city centre than others. I think especially when the students arrive in Preston, sort of the end of September, October and of course in the build up to Christmas it always gets really busy as well.
05:57 So we do extra patrols, we're out longer, looking out for people who are perhaps not as familiar with how to go on in the city centre and perhaps you may be over 40 but think they're still 20.
06:12 Send down your blessings on these your servants who so generously devote themselves to helping others when they are called on in times of need. Let them faithfully serve you in their name. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
06:35 A good street pastor is somebody who has the ability to listen and just give their time in valuing people. You know, our lives are full of busyness and rushing around and for a street pastor to stop and just take time to listen to somebody just gives that person a sense of value and validates their stories, we listen to their stories and we help them where we can.
07:03 Sometimes it's a cup of coffee in a Mars bar if they're out on the streets. For people who have been dancing in their high heels and their feet are just too tired and they've decided to carry the high heels, we give them a pair of flip flops, we give out lollies, we carry first aid kits and so on. So it's a great opportunity to be able to look after the people of Preston.
07:28 Thank you very much. You're doing a fantastic job and I hope and pray that you will carry on doing this fantastic work for our proud city of Preston. Thank you very much. I wish you all the best for a festive season. Thank you very much.
07:43 [Applause]
07:47 [Background noise]
08:03 [Background noise]
08:32 [Background noise]
08:45 It's nice. It's a bit of night life but I'm wondering whether it's...
08:52 [Background noise]
09:20 I like to think that we're making the streets safer for people, for all people, you know, as we say, to go out and help and care for people and listen because everybody's got a story to tell if they want to tell it.
09:38 So, you know, sometimes people, being a Christian organisation, some people see that as an opportunity to speak about, you know, times at church that have gone, you know, in the distant past when they were in a child, as a child but then they've been thinking about it in later years.
09:55 So it's an opportunity to do that as well if people want to but, you know, we leave it very much in their hands as to whether they want to bring it up.
10:07 [Background noise]
10:17 [Background noise]
10:38 This is a storage unit for, shared between street pastors and the council. Hot drinks for people to hand out, people donate clothes so they can collect rather than carry them around and take them home.
10:52 Water's been donated by certain people. Flip flops for the girls, bare feet, stock up on. Rubber gloves for circuits. Lots of clothing.
11:09 So presumably you can't carry all this so you have to keep them.
11:13 Might take a sample. I obviously need some new coffee pots.
11:19 Are those ones with hot chocolate and coffee already in the bottom?
11:23 Yeah.
11:25 So where do you get the hot water from? Is it you have a flask for it?
11:28 We actually take a big old flask, yeah.
11:30 Yeah, I've come with hot water but not much else. So we'll work together sometimes. Someone will have coffee and I'll just have a hot chocolate so we'll make it up together sometimes.
11:39 [Background noise]
12:08 In my experience, helping people, showing that we care. A lot of people in the streets feel nobody cares about us.
12:18 It's by showing that love, whether it be as a Christian or just as a genuine Union people, that you do care for me and we don't judge them.
12:27 And we're there to offer help, you know, there is help out there.
12:32 It's just fitting that they're in the flip-flops.
12:38 Victoria and Boston flip-flops!
12:41 Oh my God!
12:45 You are... Merry Christmas, happy New Year, you are a little bandit.
12:54 Thank you so much.
12:58 You are!
13:00 You are, look at this!
13:04 Hi, Merry Christmas.
13:06 Have you ever heard of the street pastors before?
13:08 I haven't got a clue who you are.
13:10 Thank you very much.
13:12 You're welcome.
13:14 Without ranting about it, it's the culture. It's a drink culture. I don't know what it is in other countries but we have a drink culture.
13:23 The lads, they like to drink themselves under the table and then they realise they've drunk too much and you can't do anything about it.
13:31 That situation near the phone box, you're just completely out of it and then you can't get a taxi.
13:40 Because they won't take them.
13:42 And the bus might not take them if they're going to be sick on the bus. So they're stuck.
13:48 [Crowd noise]
13:50 Michael!
13:52 Michael!
13:54 Michael!
13:56 Thank you.
13:58 Michael!
14:00 Christmas food?
14:02 Yeah.
14:04 I'm shocked that a taxi won't take him like that.
14:08 I can't get walking home like this.
14:12 All those mumbles.
14:16 Nick!
14:17 Fake George!
14:19 You guys!
14:24 Fake George!
14:26 He's not really sick, that's it.
14:28 Fake George!
14:30 Yeah, yeah.
14:32 I really know about this guy.
14:34 He's had it for a week.
14:37 He's had it for a week.
14:39 I just give him a setback and then the taxi's gone.
14:42 Michael!
14:45 He wouldn't take him.
14:46 What?
14:48 You wouldn't have asked the taxi driver.
14:51 I wouldn't have asked him.
14:53 What?
14:55 They've done a great job. They've been straight there.
14:59 Straight there. They've been understanding.
15:01 It's f***ing doing me in.
15:03 I don't give a f***, mate.
15:06 Michael!
15:08 Michael!
15:10 Michael!
15:12 Thank you.
15:14 Michael!
15:15 Michael!
15:17 If you tell him to put the meter on when you get in the taxi.
15:22 Are you going with him?
15:24 Yeah, I'll have to.
15:26 Michael!
15:28 No, you don't.
15:30 I don't think it's worth it.
15:33 No, no. The press and pastors have been agreeing.
15:37 Absolutely belting.
15:39 Michael!
15:41 Michael!
15:43 No, they've been great.
15:44 Although it's so cold.
15:46 Oh, God. I've got me vomit in five minutes of driving.
15:50 Michael!
15:52 Yes!
15:54 Yes!
15:56 They've been brilliant.
15:58 Thank you very much.
16:00 We're lucky as well because, say, you look at fishing, the taxis,
16:05 they won't take people because they're not human.
16:07 We've got an agreement with Eagle Taxis.
16:11 If we take them down there and say, "This plastic bag of yours is going to be sick,"
16:15 they will take them home.
16:17 I didn't know that. That is really good.
16:20 And we'll pay for it.
16:22 We do give them a card, sober enough, and we'll put our name on it.
16:26 It's got the name and address and a phone number.
16:31 And we say, "If you can, pay. Send us the cheque."
16:36 We'll go and pay Eagle Taxis at the end of the week, any bills.
16:41 It's happened about three times in my time.
16:45 Yeah.
16:47 Michael!
16:49 Michael!
16:51 Michael!
16:53 Oh, my God.
16:55 Oh, my God.
16:57 I'm going.
16:59 I've got a big one.
17:01 I've got a big one.
17:04 You guys have been brilliant.
17:06 Yeah, come on, Michael.
17:08 Come here.
17:10 Oh, my God.
17:12 Hey.
17:14 I can't tell you that. It's a job, isn't it?
17:18 His brother's coming.
17:20 Don't worry.
17:22 I'm not going to take you off.
17:24 I'll tell you later.
17:26 Thank you very much.
17:28 I haven't even made a video.
17:30 It's two months.
17:33 It's two months.
17:34 I'm not going to take you off.
17:36 His brother's going to kill him.
17:39 He's going to absolutely kill him.
17:41 His brother's going to absolutely kill him.
17:44 I'm not going to take you off.
17:46 It's two months.
17:48 Hey, hey.
17:50 I'm not going to take you off.
17:52 I'm not going to take you off.
17:54 I'm not going to take you off.
17:56 I'm very happy.
17:58 It's two months.
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20:59 I look like I've done a 13-hour shift all week because I'm a nerd dresser.
21:06 So it's been hectic.
21:08 And then I've come out in these shoes.
21:11 And that's all.
21:13 Thank you.
21:15 People often ask us, "It must be a very risky business going out in the city centre.
21:24 Do you not feel scared?"
21:27 For 12 years that I've been a street pastor, I've never experienced any animosity, any violence,
21:32 not even any verbal abuse directed at us in the city centre.
21:37 I think a lot of it is because we do speak to schools as well.
21:42 And we go into schools and tell people, you know, "16 going on 19, waiting to be out in the towns."
21:48 That when they do get a chance to go out in town, we'll tell them how to stay safe,
21:55 stick together, you know, keep a look out for each other.
21:58 You'd be surprised how many people say, "Why don't you just volunteer and put yourself in danger?"
22:04 We're not in danger.
22:06 We're not alone either.
22:08 We know.
22:10 If there's one aggressive person, I can guarantee you there'll be three people who'll be on them before they come anywhere near us.
22:16 You know, don't be dare saying, speak to street pastors like that.
22:21 I'd clear you off your Bible batches and say, "Hey, don't speak to them like that. They help us and help people like you."
22:27 I think you have to be a very hard person not to be touched by the sad cases and stories that you hear from people.
22:35 And I'm not just thinking about people who are sort of sleeping or begging on the streets.
22:40 You know, we've spoken to people who have come out of the forces and been troubled by the things that they've seen and done.
22:48 We've spoken to families which have broken up and people are distressed about the failures of marriages and not seeing their children.
22:56 So, yes, it's a sad world. The world is full of sad things.
23:01 We just want to bring a little bit of hope into that world.
23:06 - Happy New Year! - Good night, darling.
23:09 - Good night. - Great.
23:11 - We will. We will. - No, I'm thinking about...
23:16 - You're so good at it. - You can't change people.
23:20 But at the same time, we can just help them to be safe and hopefully go think about, well, perhaps I had too many of them, you know, drinks, but you might not do.
23:33 - But you carry on regardless. - Well, we have to because there are people.
23:38 There are still people at the end of the day, even though we don't agree with what they're doing, getting drunk or taking drugs, there are still people.
23:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]
23:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]