FROM giving out flip flops when high heels become too painful to making sure clubbers make it home safe after a night out, Gloucester's Street Pastors have been described as the city's angels of the night. Reporter Kate Wilson discovers what this group of volunteers comes up against on an average Saturday night.
IT'S two o'clock in the morning, near freezing temperatures and an eerie silence surrounds Gloucester's city centre in the minutes before the bars let out.
Half a dozen volunteers patrol the streets armed with a first aid kit, bottled water, chocolate bars, hats, socks and flip flops.
They ensure the clubbers of Gloucester make it home safely after a night out watching over the city's residents like guardian angels.
And that is exactly how I would describe the Gloucester Street Pastors. They patrol the streets of the city centre until 5am every Saturday night – diffusing difficult situations, helping people get home safely and administering first aid where necessary.
"We don't go out because we think there is going to be trouble," explains Robert Kingston, Gloucester's Street Pastors secretary. "It is more about being on the streets helping those that find themselves in a vulnerable state."
In the five years since the Street Pastors have been patrolling Gloucester's city centre they have helped thousands of people either stay warm or get home safely.
"We had one young kid who had tried to call his mother to pick him up but he was so drunk he hadn't given her coherent instructions so she had driven around trying to find him before going back home," said Robert.
"Fortunately some members of the team spotted him and got a hold of his mother again and gave her the right directions to find him."
Deputy leader of Gloucester City Council, Jennie Dallimore has described the pastors as "Gloucester's angels of the night".
"Street Pastors are indeed playing a huge role in making Gloucester great," she said.
"I can honestly say that they play the role that many, including I, would not be the first to put themselves forward for, therefore in my eyes they are my heroes and Gloucester's angels of the night."
It's not just members of the council and the police who appreciate the fact that they give up their weekends to patrol the city centre in all weathers.
"We get so much respect and gratitude from the people who we interact with while we're on patrol," said Jenny, one of the patrollers.
"In the past we have had groups of youngsters come up to us and thank us for helping them out the week before.
"Of course we get some verbal heckling but for the most part I think people feel safer knowing we are out on the streets."
Street Pastors is an initiative of the Ascension Trust which is made up of a group of trained volunteers from local churches that care about their community.
For the pastors it's not just about getting drunk people home safely but also supporting vulnerable members of the community.
"We provide the homeless with blankets, socks and cups of coffee," explains Robert.
"It's very rare that someone will find themselves suddenly homeless, but we carry a sleeping bag with us just in case.
"If Jesus was around today then he would be out their patrolling the streets so we just try and live by his example."
They also complement the work of the police, in some cases helping to prevent serious incidents before they happen.
Chief inspector Neil Smith said: "They are the eyes and ears of our night time community. They are linked in to the radio system and the CCTV control room so that they can be directed to places where support is needed."
On occasion the pastors have removed as many as 55 glass objects in one night, all of which could be used as weapons if an altercation occurred.
"Pre-loading (drinking at home before going out) has become a trend for people on a night out so there are a lot of empty bottles left on the streets and we will collect them on patrol," explains Robert.
"It's not just about the fact they can be used as weapons but girls walking bare foot or very inebriated people can get seriously injured."
A humble group, they laugh off being described as the city's guardian angels doing a thankless job.
"Don't get me wrong when it's 2am and bitter cold it can sometimes feel like a struggle but really we just enjoy being out there interacting with the youngsters and knowing that we are helping to keep them safe," says Robert.
Now if that doesn't sound like a guardian angel then I don't know what is.
