Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2009 | Page 28

life

FEATURE

late do you stay out here?’ At your age?”

been in Ryde the volunteers have become

suddenly I felt my legs going towards

recognised and accepted. The fact the

him! Big smile, ‘you alright mate? Have a

volunteers are on a rota of one evening

Pastors are from all walks of life – having

chocolate.’ Well he saw my Street Pastor

a month. Recruitment is about to begin

had all sorts of experiences – helps.

uniform and went from total aggression

Because it’s emotionally exhausting, the

again, because the police, some of

“So much of what we do is listening.

to shaking my hand. Told me what a

whom had been sceptical but have been

We try not to give out too much advice;

dreadful night he’d had. How he wanted

converted by their success in Ryde, have

we stand and smile and love them.”

to beat the bloke up in the pub. I said

asked the Pastors to go into Newport too.

Which mig ht sound, frankly, wet. But

“It’s too early to evaluate any effect on

David is – he has to be – streetwise.

anti-social behaviour,” says David. “But

Before this job he was a professional

during Cowes Week, the police sergeant

musician, playing the pubs and clubs. “I

found that no officer had to deal with

could get a party going like no-one else,”

anyone in a distressed state. Because we

he grins. “I was great at getting people

were there.”

drunk.” That charisma is an essential tool

They do not liaise with the police directly
but the CCTV office keeps a weather eye.

in his current role.
“A guy came out of a pub, he was

Not that any Street Preacher, anywhere in

angry, he’d been threatening the staff.

the country, has been hurt while on the

Now I’m a scared sort of person, I would

streets. During the four months they’ve

avoid this situation like the plague! But

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“no, just go home”. And that was it.
Amazing.”
David grins. “I was shaking inside
afterwards.”
Further information from isleofwightstreetpastors.org.uk